(City of Lunarian- Inner Region)
(Mansion of House Naraine- Banquet Hall)
Where was the best place to hide? The answer was in plain sight.
None of the nobles who had lost their foreign race slaves could have imagined that the rebellious dark elves would dare to house their companions in the heart of the capitol city.
The mansion where these dark elves were housed belonged to House Naraine who were sympathisers to the freedom movement.
Of course, Elisa's black magic ensured that neither the masters nor their servants would be able to betrayal the cause.
It was now early morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise slowly upwards from the horizon.
Warm orange rays of light could be seen coming into the mansion from the open windows and the air smelled fresh and pure.
The banquet hall had been converted into a quasi hospital with several mattresses for the injured former slaves to rest.
Numerous dark elves moved around the open space carrying herbs, bandages and other medical supplies.
Not all patients on the mattresses were dark elves and two tall green orcs lay quietly on beds while staring at each other with looks of relief.
They were rescued from the home of a brutal slaveowner who usually made them perform menial labour and intentionally starved them to reduce their strength.
When Claire had first encountered the pair, she could clearly see the outline of their ribs beneath their green skin.
Elisa walked through the hall and would occasionally stop to chat with some of the dark elves who crossed her path.
She received gazes of admiration and worship from the rescued former slaves who could not believe that their princess had risked her life to save them from hell.
Claire followed closed behind while wearing a silvery half mask that hid most of her facial features.
A longsword was attached to her hip that was stained with the blood of the sinners that she had killed last night.
Despite her best efforts, Claire knew that her blade would need to be washed thoroughly in order to get rid of the bloody scent that lingered around the cold steel.
Elisa noticed a fragile and thin dark elf girl sitting down on a mattress only a few feet away and walked over.
"How are you feeling?" Elisa asked kindly with concern in her voice.
"Princess! I… I… thank you… my brother… he always told me stories about you…" the girl shyly spoke.
The dark elf girl tried to bow respectfully but Elisa stopped her from performing that unnecessary gesture.
The former saintess noticed that the dark elf girl was intentionally covering her upper body with a blanket and gently tugged it off.
"Oh…" Elisa softly exclaimed as she realised why the girl was hiding her upper body behind the sheet.
"May the Lord of Light bless you…" Elisa softly whispered as she gently tapped the forehead of the injured dark elf.
Holy light burst out of her fingertips and flowed into the body of the young dark elf girl who was missing an arm.
The dark bruises and horrific scars on her body faded away and her cracked ribs gradually begun to repair themselves.
Beads of sweat began to drip down the sides of Elisa's cheeks as she focused her efforts on regeneration the missing limb.
A warm hand gently touched the former saintess' shoulder and Claire approached her girlfriend with a handkerchief in her palm.
She carefully wiped the beads of sweat from Elisa's face and waited patiently as the former saintess continued to heal the injured elf.
Claire hated to see Elisa damage her own body to heal others but after several intense arguments she knew that this was something that the princess insisted on doing.
Elisa knew that her lifespan had already been significantly reduced in part due to the nature of the two conflicting powers stored in her body.
She didn't tell Claire about this since she didn't want her lover to worry about her health and stop her from helping the injured.
As far as Claire knew, the damage done to Elisa's body was just temporary and she would be able to recover with rest and recuperation.
A guilty emotion surfaced in Elisa's crimson eyes as she glanced at the concerned expression on Claire's face.
"Holy lord… I pray to thee… lend me thy strength…" Elisa muttered fervently as she hastened up the process.
Gradually the stump of flesh on the injured dark elf girl's arm started to wriggle and twitch as if it were alive.
It took around five minutes for a new arm to fully grow back and the dark elf girl stared at Elisa with an expression of reverence.
"Thank you, princess! Thank you!" the girl shouted in joy.
Elisa smiled gently in reply and got up from the ground.
She stumbled slightly and Claire was quick to move forward and wrap her arms around her body.
"That's enough healing for today," Claire spoke sternly as she led her girlfriend to a bench in the corner of the room to sit down.
"There are no other serious injuries and I refuse to let you exhaust yourself to death."
The bench was located behind the shadow of an enormous stone pillar that stretched towards the roof of the hall.
"Yes, my lady. I will obey your order," Elisa teased softly as she glanced around the hall to see if anyone was watching.
The princess leaned forward and captured Claire's lips in a fiery kiss that seemed to linger on for hours.
Elisa pushed out her tongue and playfully explored Claire's mouth.
The female knight blushed furiously as she unconsciously responded to Elisa's movements.
"Hey… when this is over… I want you to marry me," Elisa broke away from the kiss and suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Marry? Wait… what?!
Claire froze in shock and stared at her girlfriend who was looking at her with an expression that was half serious and half joking.
"Of course… one needs to properly propose to the future queen of the dark elves… so I expect you to sweep me off my feet," Elisa smiled mischievously as she pinched Claire's thigh.
"I look forward to the amazing engagement surprise that you have planned!"
"Yes… yes…I… I…" Claire stammered since she did not know what to say. Elisa laughed merrily and walked over to the bench.
"Are you coming?" Elisa asked as she sat down on the bench and made room for her loyal knight to sit down next to her.
It was small moments like this made Elisa feel thankful that she had met Claire during her time as a spy in the Varion Church.
She could not imagine how her life would be without her.