Prelude to the Ceremony

"Master, hurry up! The tailor is here."

"Yes, yes. I'm hurrying."

At Ari's Magic Castle, Earl yawned as he finished dressing in the mirror.

As his engagement ceremony was soon approaching next week, final preparations had to be made for the grand event. This tailor was one of those preparations.

Naturally, it was not a last-minute effort to call over this particular artisan. Rather, it had been several weeks since this tailor had taken the task of crafting Earl's engagement attire.

There was the simple option of using size-adjustment runes, but it seemed more suitable for a big event like this one to have an entirely custom, bespoke garment.

The tailor who had the great honour of tending to Earl was a renowned dwarven craftsman.

He stood stiffly as the dwarf skillfully used pins and tape around his body with nimble hands.

Dwarves were challenging to come by when living in a nation of elves. It was a refreshing sight to see one, and more importantly...

'Fufu, his limbs are so stubby.'

Earl found great amusement in seeing how dwarves move. Their torsos were generally large and bulky, while their arms and feet were short and stubby.

"This is it for today's adjustments, young sir."

"Mhmm. It was rather quick today."

"This is the 5th adjustment, after all. I just had to make some minor adjustments. As expected, you look very dashing, young sir."

"I do, indeed?" Earl admired his looks in the mirror.

His black hair was well maintained. His purple eyes looked clear and warm, while his face was unblemished. A gentle smile was donned on his face.

The attire which the dwarf had just adjusted draped excellently across his body. It was a garment that combined the formal vibes of the elves and the style of humans.

At the base of this outfit was a plain white dress shirt with a winged collar. A beautiful black bowtie was seated at his neck, and his jacket resembled that of an overcoat- its length extending to his knee. It was crafted from a rare, dark green velvet in honour of the royal family's colours. To finish, specially constructed magic crystals were used as buttons for defence and style purposes.

The trousers were more straightforward. The wool was sheered from the incredibly rare golden fleece, then dyed with a multi-step process to turn into a shimmering grey colour. It featured a single crease for subtle detail and contoured perfectly to Earl's long legs.

"Well then, I shall be taking my leave."

"Hold on for a second."

"Yes?"

Earl pulled a bag out of a corner that he had prepared previously. A crisp, crinkling sound could be heard as the bag shifted from the weight.

"Just a small tip."

"Hoho. I will gladly accept it, young sir."

"Keep up the good work. I shall call for your services again in the future."

"You are welcomed to call me anytime."

The tailor left with a satisfied smile on his aged face. As for how Earl was able to afford to tip?

Now that he was working for Saryll, he was paid handsomely for his services. His salary was so high that it exceeded any random business plans that he had in his head.

In a way, the Elven Queen could be considered his sugar mommy.

Earl could now return to his old spending habits from his previous life and act like a proper rich person. Before this, Ari gave him a small allowance, but any extra would need to be requested from her. There were no fundamental problems with this as Ari loved to spoil her son, but the Earl would often find the matter too embarrassing.

But now, there was hope.

Earl would hug onto Saryll's thighs for eternity.

"Ahem."

Earl brought his thoughts back to reality.

It was not just her thighs that he would hug, but most importantly, her ass as well.

---

"Have you prepared it?" Alea stopped in front of her room and asked her maids.

"Yes, Princess." The closest maid nodded and subtly received a well-decorated box from the other maids before handing it over to the Elven Princess.

Alea received the box with grace and opened a small crack to confirm the goods. "Excellent. This will be a wonderful gift."

The maids did not dare make any remarks at the Princess's strange tastes and hobbies.

"What about the other things I've asked for?"

"The dress and jewellery will be ready for you to try on this evening, Princess."

"That's great. You all may leave."

The maids silently left, and Alea entered her room.

Whoosh!

Alea jumped into her bed and rolled around without a second thought the moment she entered.

"Just a couple of days away..!"

She hugged onto a pillow and pinned it to the bed.

"Earl...~"

Her hands gently caressed the pillow as if it was her lover.

"My heart feels so full. What do I do?" She muttered and returned to hugging the pillow.

"I can't wait. There are so many things to look forward to."

Her eyes drifted to the gift box she had prepared for Earl.

On the night of their ceremony, she would give her all to Earl.

---

In the Royal Elven Palace meeting room, the Spirit Knights came together for a private meeting.

It was not out of the ordinary for these upper echelons of the Royal Palace to have a private meeting. After all, they were in charge of many top-secret tasks for the kingdom.

Eins, the second in command of Abelis and the figurehead of the Spirit Knights. His figure radiated stoicism and seriousness, honed from years of battle and war. He was looked up to by many elven youths and often used as an example of what a knight should be.

Zwei. The only female in this distinguished group and her might was certainly not to be underestimated, lagging only behind Eins and Abelis. Like Eins, she is seen as a role model for many youths, particularly women. She possessed many traits that many elves find ideal. Her bloodline was pure and ancient. She was strong, both physically and mentally. Her achievements as the Spirit Festival Youth Competition champion in her youth and the 'cleanliness' of her Spirit Magic checked all the boxes that elves desire.

Vier, also from an ancient family- the Arianne. One of the most ancient families around with the record of having married into the Royal Family once as a consort. Unfortunately, the pair of that generation bore no children, but nonetheless, it was enough to cement Arianne's family deep into the history books. This was a man that many would admit to being rightfully arrogant with the abilities and background to back it up. He was disliked by many but also adored by many despite his brother's crimes against the royal family.

And lastly, Funf. On top of his position as the Spirit Knight, he was also the kingdom's general. His presence in the army guaranteed countless connections for his uses, but it also meant that he could not side with any parties. A calm, steady aura covered him- akin to the mountain. He was the most neutral of the Spirit Knights.

Today, they were meeting in regards to Alea's engagement ceremony.