I, the Holy Maiden of Light, tear apart the Outer Gods.

"This isn't the place to talk. Hold on tight, or... you'll fall halfway down and it'll hurt."

"What—Aaaaaaah!"

Before Betty could finish speaking, a feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and the surrounding scenery rushed past her eyes, the whistling wind making her ears ache.

The two figures were no longer in the garden.

Before long, several elven guards came out, looking around the empty garden in a panic. After exchanging glances, they ran towards the palace at the same time.

After informing Hathaway about Ange and Betty's disappearance, Hathaway did not rush to have the elven guards launch a search. Instead, she pondered for a moment and then waved her hand.

"Don't be surprised, they won't run away. Just wait in the garden and tell me when they come back."

"This..." The guards exchanged glances, not understanding why Her Majesty the Queen was so certain, but in the end they could only nod, "Yes!"

Chapter 33, Section 137: Elves are a free race.

"Where are you taking me?"

Betty hugged Angie's neck tightly, watching nervously as the girl who was running away with her in her arms.

Ange lowered her head and smiled at Betty, "Let's go play!"

"Play?"

"Hmm, you probably haven't been to a human town before. Since we have some time today, and I remember there's a human town right outside the Elf Forest, let's go there and have some fun."

Betty frowned. "But... weren't you going to tell me about a plan? Why are you suddenly taking me to a human town?"

Ange laughed and said, "I will tell you the plan. There are the Queen's spies in the garden. It's not a suitable place to plot in such a place. Let's take this opportunity to come out and have some fun."

Betty blinked.

She still didn't understand what the causal relationship was between the plan and going to play in human territory.

However, her mind quickly stopped pondering these questions.

"It's a little far, we need to speed up, hold on tight!"

"Huh? Wait—Aaaaaah!"

Without anyone she knew around, Ange could unleash her full power here. If she went at full speed, it would only take her half a day to cross the entire Elf Forest, and only an hour or two to reach the town she planned to visit.

Ange was like a cannonball with a fiery tail, weaving through the dense jungle amidst a series of sonic booms and the screams of the girl in her arms.

On this day, rumors of ghosts circulated in the forest, as some guards hidden in the shadows felt a cold wind blow by, followed by sharp screams, but when they tried to find the source, they found nothing.

Soon, Ange led Betty to a fork in the road. It was only a kilometer away from the town. Since it was close to human settlements, Ange planned to walk there slowly.

However, before that...

"You...you help me up first...my legs are weak, I can't stand up..." Betty said, her face flushed, her little hands tightly gripping Ange's wrist.

Carried by Anjie and running all the way, she could only see the scenery in front of her disappearing rapidly, and the scenery behind her shrinking rapidly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Betty, who had never experienced such speed before, was momentarily terrified of it.

Ange smiled apologetically and quickly helped Betty up, "Sorry, it's a bit fast."

"Phew... Is that a human town ahead?"

"Ah."

Anjie nodded. "Let's walk over there. I'll tell you about my plan on the way."

Betty was almost moved to tears by the prospect of finally being able to travel on her own two feet, and nodded eagerly in agreement.

On the way there, Ange explained her plan to Betty in detail.

"So...you're trying to trick me into marriage?" Betty asked seriously.

Anjie was taken aback. "Don't you know what the term 'marriage fraud' means? Don't use it carelessly."

"Uh..." Betty blushed deeply, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“Look, isn’t the real reason Her Majesty the Queen wants you to marry me just to keep Kastal by her side? As long as we convince Her Majesty that Kastal won’t leave, then we won’t have to get married, right?” Ange explained with a smile. “Then, you can let me go. After I return to the Church of Light, I’ll announce Kastal’s engagement to the Elf Queen. Once the whole world believes they’re together, it will be too late for Kastal to leave.”

Betty's tone was still somewhat hesitant, "But...aren't you putting your mother in a difficult position? Won't Casdale be angry with you if he finds out?"

Ange immediately laughed, "I'm known for being filial, how could I possibly be angry with you? I only thought of finding her a good husband, cough cough, a good partner, because Her Majesty the Queen really likes Kastal. I was doing this for her own good!"

"Is that so..." Betty naively believed Ange's nonsense.

Betty: "And now?"

Anjie chuckled, "Let's go play!"

Over the next few hours, Ange took Betty around town.

Betty, who had never left the Jinglin Forest, also encountered things that were very new to her.

The first time I climbed the clock tower, the first time I ate human food, the first time I drank coarse ale, the first time someone approached me to chat, and of course, Ange chased that person away in the end.

Although it was only an afternoon, Betty really had a lot of fun.

During this time, Betty also felt that she had come to know another side of Ange.

She appears so dignified and pure in the Elf Forest, but in private she's like a mischievous little devil, lively and adorable.

This changed Betty's understanding of the Holy Maiden of Light.

In her understanding, a person chosen as a saint by the Church of Light must be as pure as crystal in body and mind, and able to remain calm and gentle no matter what happens.

But after getting to know Ange, she realized that even the Holy Maiden of Light was just an ordinary person with some special qualities.

This vibrant image made Betty happy.

Before this, Anjie was as perfect as a god in her eyes, but now she is more like a person with flesh and blood, a person who can be seen and touched.

"Hey? Why are you touching my face all of a sudden? Hahaha, it tickles!" Angela grabbed Betty's hand, turned to look at Betty, and didn't even notice the bread crumbs on the corner of her mouth.

Betty blushed and coughed lightly, subconsciously looking away. "You have breadcrumbs on your mouth."

"Really?" Ange blinked, stuck out her pink tongue and licked her lips, putting the crumb into her mouth. "Haha, thank you~"

Ange had no idea how much impact her actions had had on Betty.

All Betty knew was that for a long time afterward, the scene of Angela sticking out her tongue kept replaying in her mind.

"Ah~ I had so much fun today~"

As sunset approached, Ange and Betty walked out of town hand in hand. Gazing at the gradually reddening sky, Ange subconsciously uttered a sigh.

Betty remained silent for a while, then suddenly stopped.

Ange, who was being pulled along, was also forced to stop, looking at Betty with confusion, "What's wrong?"

Betty took a deep breath and looked at Ange with a wistful gaze: "Ange, can you come with me to another place?"

Ange blinked. "Okay."

...

Ange never expected that Betty would take her to a mountain peak in the Elf Forest.

There was a protruding rock on the edge of the cliff. The two people sat on the rock, shoulder to shoulder, quietly watching the golden-red sunset in the distance.

Angie didn't understand why Betty had brought her here.

So from the beginning, she didn't say anything, quietly waiting for the girl next to her to speak first.

"Anjie..."

"Well, I'm here."

“From the moment I was born, she has murmured the name Castel in my ear more than once.”

Ange remained silent; she could guess that the "she" Betty was referring to was the Elf Queen, Hathaway.

Betty didn't mind Ange's silence, and continued speaking to herself:

"You know, back then, my mother was so dazzling in my eyes. As a queen, she calmly navigated between power and war, and wholeheartedly thought about the development of the elven race. I saw my mother exhausted at her desk more than once."

And whenever she fell asleep from exhaustion, she would murmur the name of Castel, her face showing such relaxation and joy.

Such a radiant and great mother, who always appeared calm and dignified, only revealed a rare vulnerability and sorrow when mentioning Castel.

I don't understand what kind of feeling that was, but I guess... Mother probably liked, no, loved Casdale.

Ange remained silent, watching Betty intently, signaling her to continue.

Betty had no intention of hiding anything, and spoke softly and slowly:

"For my mother, it seems that besides work, all she has left is missing Kasdair. I am very mischievous and often cause trouble for the tribe, hoping that my mother can temporarily escape from her heavy work and endless longing, and let her focus her attention on me."

Even if...it was just for a moment. But I know that at that moment, she wasn't imprisoned by the throne and the cage of longing.

Betty paused for a moment, then suddenly looked up, her eyes shining as she stared at Ange. "But... just today, Castells came."

When my mother hugged Casdale, it was the first time I saw her with that happy, innocent smile, as if she had been relieved, just like a normal young girl, enjoying the sweetness in her heart.

At that moment, I made up my mind. If... I could keep Casdale with my mother forever... I would give anything for it.

Ange's brows furrowed slightly. "You care too much about Her Majesty the Queen. You have your own life, you..."

“I understand.” Betty shook her head, interrupting Ange. “I know you want to say that I shouldn’t see myself as an appendage of Mother, and that I should live according to my own beliefs. But… when I see Mother smiling happily, I really feel very content.”

"..."

Anjie was speechless.

Betty turned around and looked quietly at Ange.

The red sunset shone on the two girls' long golden hair, casting a light even more beautiful and dazzling than the golden-red evening glow.

"Anjie..."

"Ah."

"If only I weren't an elf princess."

"..."

Betty seemed to sense Ange's inner turmoil. After a self-deprecating laugh, she looked away, no longer daring to meet Ange's eyes.