"Very well, Lord Liam, please do be careful to conceal your tracks."
"I only implore you, you must not expose the Elf tribe."
Lilico compromised regarding the proposal for him to go out, but she also made a request.
Although Liam had helped the Elf tribe greatly, he was ultimately an outsider.
If they stubbornly refused and truly displeased him, the entire Elf tribe might suffer.
"Fine."
A faint smile finally appeared on Liam's face.
"There's no need to worry about that. All jokes aside, having lived here for a month, it's impossible not to have developed some affection."
Hearing this, Lilico's previously tense expression softened considerably.
She gave a slight smile:
"That's good to hear. Our Elf tribe would also be reluctant to see you leave."
"You can stay here as long as you wish."
Gaining the recognition of a fifth-tier powerhouse would ultimately be beneficial, whether he sheltered them from disasters or not.
Lilico felt secretly relieved.
"Alright, there's nothing else for now. I'll take my leave shortly."
Liam let out a breath, stood up, and carefully placed the girl in his arms onto a stool he had made.
He relaxed his shoulders and said, "Please look after my little Celia for a moment. I need to use the restroom."
"Of course, rest assured~"
Then, Liam turned and walked out the door.
Outside, the sky was overcast, sunlight blocked by dark clouds.
Inside.
Liam was gone.
Leaving Celia and the Chief.
She had been sitting on the man's warm lap for a long time.
She wore a Lolita-style short skirt Liam had given her –
He always treated his beloved elf wife like a princess, dressing Celia in all sorts of clothes usually, practically treating her like a dress-up doll.
But this dress did look exceptionally cute on her.
It was just that the skirt fabric was slightly thin, and now sitting on the stool, she could feel its somewhat hard surface against her.
Mainly because Liam's house was quite remote from the Chief's residence at the center.
Apart from sleeping, feeding the babies, or being intimate with Liam, she hardly ever went out.
So much so that after recognizing Liam as her husband, she had rarely seen the very person responsible for turning her into a girl – Chief Lilico.
Celia, resting her pale hands on her thighs, felt tense and unsure what to say.
The atmosphere felt strange.
"Wasn't I right?"
Lilico broke the silence.
Lazily propping her cheek on her hand, she grinned, squinting at the constrained young girl sitting opposite her.
Her meaning was clear.
"About what, Chief?"
Celia spoke timidly, her lips pressed into a straight line, a shy blush rising on her exquisite little face.
Playing dumb...
"I said, feels pretty good being a girl, doesn't it?"
This time, she was more direct.
"Just now, I saw it clearly. How happy and content you looked nestled in that guy's arms. I wasn't wrong from the start, was I? I said... you'd be satisfied, with this man."
"I knew all along that Liam is actually a good person at heart. As your Chief, how could I not sense it? Otherwise, why would I have let you take the risk? Ehehe~"
Lilico explained again, smiling proudly.
"How could I... like him? He forced me..."
Celia replied in a small voice, twisting her fingers.
Thinking this might worry the Chief, she added:
"But it's true he's been good to me..."
As for liking Liam, Celia stubbornly denied it.
Perhaps... she could think about Liam secretly in her heart.
But to say it out loud...
Absolutely impossible.
It was just too embarrassing.
After all, the whole tribe knew she was originally male.
A male liking another male...
How could she ever utter that?
"Hmph~ You don't have to say it, I know. I'm just glad you're happy."
"Like your mother, I've always been a good judge of character."
"If Liam had threatened the destruction of our Elf tribe back then, I would have handed over the crystal ball immediately. There wouldn't have been this whole subsequent drama."
"He clearly has the power, yet he didn't use it to plunder by force. Instead, he chose to negotiate peacefully."
"Someone like that... his heart can't be truly bad."
"Mainly, only you, Celia, can bear children. The rest of us lack that ability. If I could, I would have been the first to offer myself to him."
"But Celia, you've truly been wonderful. You're the hero of our Elf tribe. When you were little, didn't you always say you wanted to be a hero? Even pestered us about becoming an adventurer out in the world."
Celia fell silent, listening to the Chief's words, quietly pondering internally.
If she went back to a month ago, and if there had been another tribesmember who could bear children, and Liam had been taken away by them...
Then she wouldn't have become a girl, wouldn't be with Liam.
Back then, life might have returned to its plain routine, but in my heart, it would probably have felt empty, as if something was missing…
But now, if she were suddenly forced to change back... she'd rather die.
She had finally adapted to being female, finally gotten used to it, become attached to... this relationship with Liam.
Just then.
Clatter—
The door opened.
The man was back.
His footsteps were always so heavy yet steady.
Liam quickly walked behind Celia, his tone as if speaking to a little girl: "Do you want me to carry you, or can you walk by yourself?"
"I can walk by myself..."
Celia refused softly, sneaking a glance back at Liam.
-- Celia was petite.
Holding her in his arms was soft and warm, her skin smooth and delicate.
In Liam's eyes, she was like a delicate little figurine, so he often picked her up without warning.
This always caught Celia off guard, leaving her secretly feeling a bit indignant and embarrassed.
"Eeek~!"
"Lord Liam, wh-what are you doing...?"
As expected.
He was up to no good...
A weight under her arms, and Celia was lifted directly by the man grabbing her under her armpits, like lifting a little kitten...
Next, one hand cupped her soft, smooth bottom, while the other supported her back, steadily holding the girl in his arms.
Didn't she just refuse?
How infuriating...
Uu...
Celia felt both shame and indignation.
Even if she was his wife, shouldn't he treat her like this?
It really made her feel like a child, even though she was twenty years old in this life.
Although within the tribe, that still practically counted as a child...
Oh well.
Defeated.
Celia lacked the strength to resist.
She could only obediently raise her arms to circle Liam's neck, gently pressing her cheek against his shoulder to hide her slightly flushed face.
The crisp, clean scent of the man wafted around her nose.
Mmm... smells nice?
Lilico remained lazily sprawled on the table, glanced over a couple of times, then narrowed her eyes, revealing a serene smile.
Didn't she, too, treat Celia like a daughter?
She had watched her grow up, obedient and sensible.
Now she had made a great contribution to the tribe, and also found happiness.
Lilico felt genuinely happy for her, from the bottom of her heart.