Luna and Lulu immediately panicked.
"Mother, stop!" Luna cried. "Please! He's not the enemy! He's—he's not here to hurt anyone!"
"Yeah!" Lulu added quickly, raising her hands. "Put the arrows down! He's actually kinda nice! Sure, maybe he's the sex demon we all dreamed about, but he's not that bad!"
"LULU!" Luna's head whipped toward her sister.
But their mother's cold gaze didn't waver.
"Be silent, both of you." She commanded sharply. "I will not hear another word. Come up here, now."
The authority in her voice made even the air tremble. Both daughters froze, their instincts telling them that defying her wasn't an option.
But before they could move, a low chuckle echoed from below.
Everyone's eyes turned to Luca.
He was laughing. Softly at first, then with quiet amusement as he looked up at the sea of arrows aimed his way.
"That's really not a wise thing to do." He said calmly, his tone casual yet edged with confidence. "I've seen the archery skills of your race firsthand."
"Let's just say...even if all of you were to fire right now, I wouldn't be the only one hit."
He tilted his head toward Luna and Lulu.
"They'd probably take a few arrows too. Not the best strategy, is it?"
A few elves visibly winced. Even they knew he wasn't wrong—their aim had been awful lately.
Then his eyes rose to meet the Leona's. His smile deepened.
"But you—you have perfect aim. You could hit me without missing a beat. Still…" His tone darkened teasingly. "If you fire, I'll just turn my back, and your arrow will go right through your daughter instead."
"...The easiest shield in the world."
Several elves gasped in outrage, while Luna and Lulu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-What?!"
Luca, ignoring the angry glares, added with mock seriousness.
"And if you shoot a second arrow, I'll use your other daughter. Efficient strategy, don't you think?"
The words hit the air like a slap.
Leona's icy eyes sharpened dangerously.
But before anyone could react, Luca suddenly raised both hands, laughing out loud.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Gods, relax! I'm not actually going to do that. What kind of madman do you think I am?"
But before the situation could explode, Luca suddenly burst into laughter again, raising his hands quickly.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Don't take it so seriously."
He smiled disarmingly.
"I wouldn't do something like that. Killing or even harming the princesses would just start a war, and I'm not here to start one. I'm just here to talk."
He slowly crouched and let Lulu slide down from his back.
"See? I'll even let them go."
Lulu blinked in surprise. "Wait—what?"
"Go on." He said with a reassuring grin. "Go to your mother. If I stay here alone, they can focus all their anger on me instead of you. You'll be safe."
Luna hesitated, torn.
"But...if we leave you here, they'll shoot you! Mother won't listen—none of them will!"
He waved her concern away lightly.
"It's fine. Trust me." His eyes softened. "It's much better then your mother thinking that your hostages."
Lulu looked doubtful, but something in his calm, steady confidence made both sisters believe him.
Luna bit her lip, then nodded slowly.
"All right, just—don't die."
"I'll try not to." He smiled faintly.
And so, after a final glance at him, both sisters obeyed their mother's command, walking toward the staircase that spiraled up the tree's trunk.
And the moment Luna and Lulu reached the top—instead of going straight to their mother, both girls instinctively turned to the woman standing slightly behind her—Nyx, the black-haired enchantress.
"Auntie Nyx!" Lulu cried out before throwing herself forward.
Nyx's eyes softened instantly, her lips curving into a warm, affectionate smile. She caught both of them in her arms with effortless grace, pulling them close in a tight embrace that radiated the kind of warmth they hadn't felt in days.
Luna, who usually actes dignified dignified, melted in her aunt's arms too, her hands clutching Nyx's sleeves as if seeking comfort.
"Oh, my darlings." Nyx whispered softly, brushing a few loose strands of hair from Luna's face. "You had me worried sick. Where in the world have you two been wandering off to?"
She then leaned closer, murmuring something that only they could hear—words that made both sisters nod quietly, guilt written on their faces. Then Nyx sighed and smiled again, her tone soft but teasing.
"I should have known. Trouble always seems to find the two of you."
The two then whispered some things to her while pointing down at Luca and in response Nyx looked down at him.
Her gaze lingered on him longer than expected.
It wasn't the glare of suspicion like the other elves had.
No—it was one of quiet curiosity.
There was intelligence in her eyes, a kind of fascination that made it seem as though she was already trying to read him like an open book, wondering what kind of man could walk into their sacred village alive and still smile under fifty drawn bows.
But their brief reunion with their aunt couldn't last.
Because as soon as they turned toward Leona, the warmth in the air vanished.
Leona hadn't moved. She stood perfectly still, her bow still loosely in her grasp and when her daughters stopped in front of her, they expected—hoped—for some kind of warmth, even a small gesture of relief.
But instead, what they received was a stare so cold it could have frozen wind itself.
Her voice came out so cold it gave them chills.
"Did I not tell you two..." She began slowly, her eyes narrowing. "...not to go outside the barrier? Not to go anywhere near the temple?"
Both sisters froze, their spines straightening as the weight of her authority pressed down on them.
"I've warned you time and again..." Leona continued. "...that leaving the village borders during times of war is forbidden."
"Even if you must leave, you do so in groups, under guard, not...alone."
Luna swallowed, her voice trembling as she tried to explain.
"Mother, we just wanted to leave some offerings—"
"Did I ask for your excuses?" Leona's voice snapped.
The younger elf's voice caught in her throat.
"I did not ask for reasons." Leona continued icily. "I gave you rules. And both of you disobeyed them."
"As the daughters of the matriarch, you are supposed to set an example for the rest of our people."
"If you refuse to listen, why should anyone else?"
Her words struck harder than any physical blow could.
Luna's eyes lowered further, shame washing over her face, while Lulu couldn't meet her mother's eyes. The usual sparkle in her expression dimmed, replaced by a subdued sadness.
The surrounding elves also shifted awkwardly, exchanging uncertain looks. None dared to speak, but the unease was obvious.
It wasn't the reprimand itself that made them uncomfortable—it was the cold, distant way Leona spoke to her daughters, as though they were strangers instead of family.
A mother was expected to scold—but also to hold, to comfort. And yet, Leona's tone had no trace of warmth, only duty.
The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating.
Then, with the soft rustle of her black gown, Nyx stepped forward.
She placed a hand on each of the girls' shoulders, her gentle smile breaking the tension ever so slightly.
"Leona..." She said lightly. "There's no need to get worked up. They're safe, nothing's happened, and that's what matters right now, isn't it?"
Leona's gaze snapped toward her, sharp as lightning.
"You have no right to speak right now." She said coolly. "It's because of you they've grown this way. You let them do whatever they please. I say no, you say yes. You undermine me every chance you get—and now they think they can disobey me without consequence."
The accusation carried the weight of long-standing frustration, but Nyx didn't so much as flinch. She just smiled faintly, her hand still resting protectively on the two girls.
"You always did love blaming me for everything."
She said, though her tone carried quiet sadness before adding,
"But maybe if you smiled at them once in a while, they wouldn't be so afraid to talk to you. To tell you that they wanted to go to the temple."
Leona's lips tightened into a thin line, but she said nothing more.
Lulu, finally mustering her courage, tried to defend her aunt.
"Mother, it's not Auntie's fault! She didn't even know we were going!"
But the moment Leona's icy eyes turned on her, Lulu stopped. Her words caught in her throat, her defiance vanishing instantly. She looked away, shrinking under her mother's silent glare.
The awkward tension of this family drama was unbearable.
The elves around them shifted uneasily, whispering among themselves, some glancing at the daughters with pity. It was sad to see the proud, bright princesses being scolded so harshly in public.
But Luca, watching from below, saw something none of them did.
For a brief moment—barely even a heartbeat—when Luna and Lulu had first appeared on the bridge, he saw Leona exhale.
A tiny, imperceptible breath of relief that she had been holding in since the instant her daughters disappeared into the forest.
And in that single moment, her eyes—those cold, icy eyes—had flickered with something unmistakable.
Fear.
Worry.
Relief.
A mother's love, hidden beneath layers of steel.
She had been worried. Deeply so.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
She regained her posture, masked it beneath her usual calm authority, and resumed her icy demeanor as though that fleeting humanity had never existed.
Luca's lips curved into a thoughtful smile.
'So that's how it is. He thought. 'The ice queen does have a heart. She's just buried it deep for whatever reason.'
'But I do wonder what exactly that reason could be? A reason so significant that she doesn't openly show any warmth to her own daughters.'
But his musing was short-lived.
Because at that very moment, Leona turned her gaze downward again toward him.
Her earlier expression of control hardened into something sharper, deadlier.
Without a word, she lifted her bow once more. The motion was so fluid, so practiced, that by the time anyone realized what she was doing, the string was already drawn taut.
"Everyone. Raise your bows." She commanded, her tone quiet but absolute. "Aim for the intruder. Do not hesitate."
Every elf moved at once. In perfect synchronization, dozens of bows lifted, strings tightening, arrows glinting in the light.
Seeing that they were back to the same, Luna and Lulu both gasped.
"Mother, stop!" Luna cried, while Lulu clutched at her aunt's arm. "Please, he's not our enemy! He saved us!"
Nyx held both of them firmly, murmuring softly.
"Calm down. Don't move." Her tone was composed, but her eyes flicked between her sister and the human below, assessing, calculating.
Luca, however, remained utterly calm. Surrounded by fifty arrows aimed directly at him, he stood relaxed, hands open, expression almost amused.
"What's all this?" He said casually, his voice carrying just enough volume to reach them. "I thought letting your daughters go would've proven I came here in peace."
His tone shifted, losing its humor.
"But I guess you don't care much for trust, do you?"
Leona's eyes narrowed slightly before she finally said,
"I never promised you I'd hear you out."
"You trespassed. You invaded. You held my daughters hostage and one of them seems to be injured as well. What else do you expect me to do.
"Not to mention..." She tilted her head. "I do not negotiate with a race that has done nothing but bring ruin and death to this land."
"Humans slaughter for greed. For power. For pleasure. And as a human you have no place here."
She drew the string back further.
The elves around her mirrored her movements, their bows ready to release.
Luna and Lulu both panicked, trying to speak at once—
"Mother, please! He's not—!"
"He helped us. And I was the one who shot myself!"
—but their voices were drowned out by the creaking of drawn strings.
Leona honestly didn't want to shoot on sight and she wanted to capture him first and ask for his purpose of arrival.
But after seeing how fast he was and how he could casually catch a arrow, she realised how dangerous of a individual she was and she wasn't going to take any chances.
She was going to use this opportunity to finish him off before he made his move.
But just before Leona could give the order to fire—
Luca lifted a hand.
"Hold up." He said, his tone still infuriatingly calm. "I knew this might happen. After all who wouldn't be suspicious of someone from the enemy race, who brings back the princess with a bleeding wound."
"But before you start turning me into a pincushion..." He grabbed onto the satchel hanging from his side and lifted it up high for everyone to see. "...take a good look at this."
The elves' eyes flicked toward it suspiciously. The bag shimmered faintly in the sunlight, its seams marked with unfamiliar symbols.
"Go on." He said, lowering his voice just enough to carry an edge.
"Take a good, long look...and then tell me if you still want to shoot before hearing what I have to say."