Getting Closer

Clear skies and a peaceful place. When Kenneth saw how quiet the deepest part of Audoran Forest was, he became more convinced that Lelitia was still in her vast treehouse. Their destination was already in sight. Kenneth quickened his pace, then stopped in front of the large trunk that he remembered as the door to enter the Tree of Life.

Now that they had arrived at Lelitia's house, Kenneth began to feel a little nervous. He did not know how far Lelitia would tolerate his behavior in Audoran Forest. However, he hoped that wanting to get closer to Lelitia was not something that would make the beautiful elf angry to the point of hating him.

"Should I knock?"

Unlike Kenneth, who was trying to keep himself calm, a worried expression was written on Fay's face. The wind elf swallowed hard. Fay shook her head slowly. "With such a hard and thick trunk, you would only be doing something in vain if you tried to knock on the door of this place," she informed him.

"You should just go in if you want to go in," Fay added. The wind fairy tried to calm herself down like Kenneth. Every time Fay remembered that they were doing this because living alone was not right, she finally dared to touch the tree entrance.

"What are you guys doing here?"

But before Fay could touch the tree trunk, the entrance had opened from the inside and revealed Lelitia, who was looking at them with slightly furrowed brows. Fay panicked and immediately hid behind Kenneth. Even though she could be called the fairy closest to Lelitia, Fay was still afraid that Lelitia would get angry because of her actions.

"That... Lelitia..."

"Have you had breakfast? If not, how about we have breakfast together?"

Unlike Fay, who had difficulty forming the sentences she wanted to say, Kenneth managed to speak to Lelitia without looking the slightest bit nervous. Lelitia's gaze shifted to Kenneth. Her green eyes stared directly into Kenneth's eyes. Slowly, Kenneth began to feel nervous because Lelitia had been staring at him for a long time without saying anything.

"Come in."

Just when Kenneth and Fay felt Lelitia was silent because she was trying to hold back her anger, the elf suddenly stepped aside from the entrance and made way for Kenneth to enter with Fay. The two were stunned for a moment. However, they immediately reacted again, especially when Lelitia started walking to lead them to a large room that looked like a kitchen and dining room.

Unlike its appearance, which looked like an ordinary giant tree, the Tree of Life seemed to have no problem when the elves had a fire stove inside its body. Although, the elves' kitchen was far different from the kitchen that Kenneth had known so far. There was no mistake. Lelitia had indeed brought them to the kitchen in that place.

"What did you bring?"

Kenneth came back to his senses when he heard Lelitia's question. Kenneth took out the fruits that he had collected together with Fay in his spare time, then showed them to Lelitia with embarrassment.

"We brought these fruits. Because I always eat them directly, I didn't know that these fruits could be cooked like other ingredients."

Kenneth said that because he could see that Lelitia seemed to have just finished making something with the fruits when he came. Unlike Kenneth's initial expectations, Lelitia could cook something with the fruits he had been eating directly. The food that Lelitia made also looked so delicious that Kenneth unconsciously couldn't take his eyes off the food that Lelitia made.

"Of course, as ingredients, the fruits you get in the Audoran Forest can also be processed into other foods. However, the fairies usually eat them directly. So, up until now, Fay probably forgot to tell you about it."

"Ah... that's true."

Kenneth could see Fay blushing and decided not to drag the matter out. After all, to begin with, he was not someone who could cook anything. Thanks to Uri's presence, Kenneth had never cooked anything in his entire life.

"Sit down. Let me cook the ingredients that you brought."

After Kenneth handed over the fruits he had brought to Lelitia, he and Fay sat in a daze at the dining table. Fay touched Kenneth's cheek with a surprised expression, then whispered to the prince.

"This is the first time...."

Kenneth turned his head slightly to look at Fay. Then, Fay repeated her sentence with a more complete explanation so that Kenneth could understand what she was talking about.

"This is the first time I've seen Lelitia allow someone to disturb her free time. This is the first time I've seen her willing to eat with someone. Kenneth, you're right. I shouldn't have stopped trying to approach Lelitia even if she chased me away on my first try."

When Kenneth saw the amazed expression on Fay's face, he was finally convinced that this acceptance from Lelitia was indeed the first time it had happened. Kenneth stared at Lelitia's back. The prince smiled happily when he was finally able to let go of the worries that had been bothering him on the way earlier.

"What did I say? I know that Lelitia is a good person, Fay," Kenneth informed. Fay also smiled when she saw Kenneth's smile. For her, there was nothing happier than seeing the people closest to her feel happy.

"Why do you keep smiling like that?"

Both of their attention returned to Lelitia when the elf approached them with two new bowls of food in her hands. Kenneth immediately got up from his sitting position after that. He approached Lelitia and then took the bowls from her hands.

"Please let me help you."

Lelitia did not refuse at all when Kenneth tried to help her. The elf let Kenneth carry the bowls to the dining table, and then the three of them sat down together after that.

"You can eat right away, you know."

"Ah, yes!"

As soon as Kenneth tasted the dish made by Lelitia, his eyes were filled with surprise. Fay also had the same expression as she tried to taste the fruit that had been processed into a dish. The elf immediately took another bite after she finished chewing. Once she confirmed that what she was feeling was not just her feelings, Fay's eyes sparkled as she looked at Lelitia, who was quietly eating her food.

"Delicious! Your cooking is delicious, Lelitia!"

"Yes, this is the most delicious food I've ever eaten."

After Kenneth heard Fay praise Lelitia, he also put down his spoon and joined in praising Lelitia sincerely. Even when he was in the royal palace, Kenneth was sure that no one could make food as delicious as what Lelitia made for them.

"Lelitia?"

But when they saw that Lelitia didn't show any reaction after hearing their praise, the two of them started calling out Lelitia's name worriedly. Lelitia only blinked again when they called her name. The elf looked surprised for a moment. But quickly, she immediately regained her composure again.

"... I'm glad you guys like my cooking."

Kenneth didn't know if this was just his feeling or not. But when Lelitia replied, the elf sounded like she was trying to hold back her feelings. This time, Lelitia's words also carried more emotion than her usual calm words. Kenneth smiled and tried to cover it up by focusing on eating the delicious food served to him. As he had expected, Lelitia must have felt lonely too, having to do everything by herself all this time.

Well, what Kenneth thought was not wrong at all. When Lelitia saw how Kenneth and Fay ate heartily and then praised her sincerely, the scene in front of her overlapped with her memories. Lelitia remembered that the other elves had always praised her in the same way in the past. The large dining table was always noisy, and Lelitia liked the feeling of people liking her cooking.

To be honest. At first, Lelitia let Kenneth and Fay in only because they looked so afraid that she would reject their invitation. Lelitia wanted to be able to spend the rest of her day comfortably. So, just this once, she forgot the restrictions she had set and allowed them to eat with her.

But after Lelitia met a familiar sight, the elf began to feel that it was fine to stay like that. She had probably lived so long that loneliness had slowly begun to gnaw at her soul. Being able to see the interaction between Kenneth and Fay managed to make Lelitia finally form a sincere smile.

All this time, Lelitia probably just wanted to be able to return to the times when she lived happily with her family.

***

After the three of them finished breakfast, Kenneth helped Lelitia clear the dining table before he got ready to go to his training place. Kenneth and Fay stood in front of the entrance of the Tree of Life as the two of them bid farewell to Lelitia.

"Then, we'll be going, Lelitia."

At first, Lelitia nodded and watched Kenneth and Fay leave quietly. However, when the two of them were really about to leave, Lelitia felt the urge to stop them from leaving and ended up calling their names unconsciously.

"Lelitia?"

As Kenneth and Fay turned back to look at her, Lelitia finally realized what she wanted. Lelitia clenched her fists tightly. The elf took a deep breath before she spoke to Kenneth and Fay.

"From now on...."

"From now on, you can come here whenever you want to eat together again. I won't be angry. So...."

Although Lelitia couldn't continue what she wanted to say, Kenneth and Fay already had bright expressions on their faces. The two of them nodded enthusiastically. When Kenneth was with Fay, the two of them looked so similar in both attitude and expression.

"Then, we will eat together with you from now on!"

Lelitia unconsciously smiled again when she heard Kenneth's words. Elf nodded and turned to leave Kenneth and Fay. At that moment, she didn't want the two of them to realize that she had a happy smile on her face thanks to the two of them.