Chapter 655: Behave Gentlemanly
Qamara's mother, Lenna Feno, a Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magus, condescendingly glanced at Adam as he conversed with her daughter and sister-in-law.
When she heard that her precious daughter was going out with a man, she was taken aback. But when she realized that the man was a human, she was even more astounded.
The Feno Family, after all, prided themselves on being elves and as such looked down on every other race in this world. So it came as a great surprise to her that her daughter had agreed to go out with a human.
Suddenly, Nylian approached her from the side and softly said to her, "He's alright."
Lenna's eyebrows rose in surprise. For her husband to hold the human boy in such high regard wasn't something she was expecting. She knew that in her husband's vocabulary 'alright' meant exemplary!
"What did you two speak about?" Lenna asked with an inquisitive look.
Nylian glanced at his right hand and faintly smiled. "No words had to be spoken."
A few moments later, Adam approached them. He glanced at Lenna with a polite smile and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lady Feno. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Lenna deeply looked at the raven-haired youth and then slightly nodded. "Magus Constantine, I expect you to behave gentlemanly when you're with my daughter."
What the hell does that mean? Adam thought incredulously, but on the surface, he smiled. "Of course, Lady Feno."
He then looked at the little girl who was standing beside Lenna, lightly clutching at her gown and glancing at him curiously. "And this is?"
The little girl immediately hid behind her mother when Adam spoke to her. Seeing this, Nylian smiled warmly and crouched down to pick her up. "This here is my youngest daughter Estar."
Adam looked at the cute little elf and smiled. "Hello, Lady Estar. My name is Adam. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Being spoken to directly by a stranger, Estar covered her face with her tiny hands, eliciting soft chuckles from her parents. Through the gaps of her fingers, however, Estar curiously glanced at the raven-haired youth, wondering who this person was.
Adam found her actions very adorable. He closed his eyes for a moment and then conjured a small wooden sculpture from his earrings.
"This is an Ithikari that originates from the mystical Baja High Forest. I personally carved this sculpture from a piece of the sacred high woods of Baja. Here, this is a gift to commemorate our meeting."
"Waahh!!" When little Estar saw the sculpture of the familiar beast with the head of an owl, the body of a feline, and the wings of a bird that she'd only seen in books, she couldn't help but feel fascinated.
She reached out for the sculpture at once but soon stopped midway. She turned her head to look at her father, seemingly asking for his permission with her innocent and beady eyes.
Nylian intently gazed at the wooden sculpture for a moment and then nodded with a warm smile. "Go ahead, Estar."
"Yay!" The little elf grabbed the wooden sculpture and started playing with it. She then looked at Adam and giggled, revealing her dimples. "Thank you, Adam!"
This brief interaction between the two of them caused Qamara to reveal a small smile. Even her mother, Lenna, who always had a frosty and condescending look on her face couldn't help but smile as well.
After engaging in small talk with everyone for a few more seconds, Adam and Qamara were ready to leave. Adam opened the door for her and extended his hand, helping her climb aboard the carriage.
Before he climbed in as well, Nylian called out to him. "Magus Constantine, I trust you will return my daughter home in time."
Adam turned to look at the elf and smiled, "Of course, my lord."
Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire
However, inwardly he thought to himself, Forgive me, Councilor Feno but it's going to be a long night, and your daughter's going to be in quite the danger. Please forgive me in advance.
But I promise you I'll protect her.
Adam then got onto the carriage and left the Feno Estate.
…
The carriage trodded through the busy streets of the Uptown Quarter towards the Duskfall Estate. It had been a few minutes since it had left the Feno Estate, and since then there was pin-drop silence inside the carriage.
As soon as Adam had entered the carriage, he took his seat and closed his eyes, revising his plan, going over it over and over again, looking for any discrepancies. As such, he didn't bother conversing with Qamara at all.
Qamara, on the other hand, kept secretly glancing at Adam time and time again, wondering to herself, How impolite! Shouldn't he at least have the decency to start a conversation with me? Hmph!
Her sulky thoughts, however, soon started showing traces of anxiety.
Why isn't he talking to me? Is something wrong with him? No, is something wrong with… me?
She gradually became more conscious about her appearance. She covertly lowered her head and glanced at her outfit - a white, flowing gown made of luxurious silk, a corset bodice, bell sleeves, and an asymmetrical helm.
Furthermore, she wore a choker made of white lace, featuring a single black gemstone. She had white fingerless lace gloves on and wore silver rings with elven characters.
Overall, she was dressed in white from top to bottom, looking no different than a pristine angel who had descended to the mortal world from the blissful elysian fields.
Qamara was sure that she had dressed spectacularly and that her beauty could rival, if not outshine even the prettiest Magi on the continent. So she couldn't understand why Adam was behaving the way he was.
Suddenly, a possibility dawned on her and she involuntarily clenched her fists lightly.
Is he… ignoring me? No, that can't be! He asked me out, didn't he? Is he really not interested in me? That's... impossible!
Having her mind become a battleground for thoughts that had never once formed before, she couldn't help but get a little restless. In the end, she decided to speak up first.
"Adam," she called out softly. "Is… something bothering you?"
Her words snapped Adam out of his thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes and looked toward her. "Ah, apologies. I was thinking about… work."
"Is everything alright?" Qamara asked, subconsciously fidgeting with her fingers.
"...They will be," Adam assured her with a smile.
When Qamara gazed at the raven-haired youth's smile, she couldn't help but find herself in a momentary daze. Add to that the glow of the twin moons reflecting on Adam's face made for quite the picturesque scene.
She couldn't help but hurriedly look away from him, realizing that her attention was lingering on him for longer than necessary.
What's wrong with me?! She thought to herself in embarrassment.
Adam frowned slightly, wondering why she was behaving so strangely. This was completely unlike the Qamara he knew. "I hope you didn't forget to bring your mask," he said.
"Of course, not." She conjured a delicate white half-mask from her storage artifact and donned it.
"Good." Adam then conjured a black half-mask from his earrings and put it on, his expression turning solemn.
"We're here."