Chapter 211: Elf Ears = Charm+

The entire group swarmed toward it instantly, crowding around the large woven basket sitting innocently in the middle of the clearing.

“Letters?” One elf murmured, picking one up carefully. “Why would the Spirit of the Forest give us letters?”

Another elf turned one over in her hands. “There are names on them! Oh my God—my name is on this one!”

“Yeah, mine too!” ” third exclaimed, eyes widening. “What’s inside?!”

They began tearing open the envelopes like excited children on a festival morning, pulling out the neatly folded earmuffs inside.

“Oh my God, what is this?” One whispered, holding up the soft cone-shaped fabric. “It looks really nice…but what are we supposed to do with it?”

“It’s from the Spirit of the Forest, so it must have some purpose.” Another said, turning hers over curiously.

Then one of the quicker-thinking elves tilted her head.

“Wait…I think we’re supposed to put these on our ears.”

Everyone stared at her.

She shrugged, then demonstrated—slipping the soft microfleece earmuff gently over one long ear, then the other.

It settled perfectly, snug and comfortable, covering the sensitive outer shell while leaving the ear canal completely open.

“See? I told you.” She said with a bright smile. “They go on our ears.”

The rest of the elves followed suit, sliding the earmuffs on one after another. Gasps and delighted murmurs rippled through the group.

“Oh my God, it really is something you put on your ears!” One exclaimed. “Mine fits so snugly—it’s the perfect size! How did the spirit of the forest know?”

“Of course she knows.” Another replied with awe. “She knows everything.”

Leona puffed up with pride.

“I can’t feel the cold anymore!” Another elf exclaimed. “My ears were freezing, and now—nothing! Just warmth!”

“Mine too! It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket!”

“I’m going to sleep so well tonight. You have no idea how much my ears have been bothering me!”

“They’re so soft…and they don’t bother us at all.”

Someone else said, gently touching the fabric.

“And they’re so cute! It’s like we have little ear sweaters now!”

The elves admired each other’s earmuffs, comparing colors, touching the fabric, marveling at how something so simple could solve a problem that had plagued them for years.

Leona, hidden high in the branches, was practically vibrating with joy. She was jumping up and down in place, barely containing her glee.

Luca had to gently grab her waist and pull her back against him to keep her from rustling the leaves too loudly and giving away their position.

Down below, Luna and Lulu finally emerged from the bushes, drawn by all the noise.

“What’s happened?” Lulu asked breathlessly. “Did you guys discover the forest spirit?”

The others shook their heads, still smiling.

“No, but we did find something else.” One elf held up two letters. “These are for you.”

Luna and Lulu looked surprised but accepted the envelopes. They opened them carefully, and inside were their own custom earmuffs.

And Selma, standing nearby and noticing the anomaly, pointed excitedly at Luna’s.

“Look, look, guys! Luna’s earmuffs are different! They have a completely different design!”

Everyone turned and they were shocked!

Luna’s pair was a soft blue with delicate little moons patterns stitched across them, making them look elegant and dreamy.

“Wow…Luna actually got a completely different one from us.” Someone said, a touch of playful jealousy in her voice. “That’s not fair at all. We got the simple ones.”

Another elf laughed. “Just be grateful you got something like this at all.”

“I know, but still…it looks so cute and adorable.”

Alia nudged Luna teasingly. “And you always deny it when we say the spirit of the forest favors you. Now what can you say about this?”

Luna had nothing to say. She could only blush deeply in embarrassment as she slipped the blue moon-patterned earmuffs over her ears.

They looked perfect on her, giving her an ethereal, almost regal beauty that made Leona’s heart clench with pride as she watched from above.

Suddenly Lulu let out an excited squeal.

“Look, guys! Look! Even mine is different—and it’s even better than Luna’s!”

She proudly held up her pair, which was covered in tiny, cheerful little chick designs all over.

“Mine is the best, after all!” She declared, then quickly put them on and struck a pose, showing them off.

Everyone stared with open envy and amusement.

“You two really are the favored ones of the spirit.” Ivy said with a dramatic sigh.

“It’s not fair at all.” Selma crossed her arms, looking slightly begrudged. “I also want to be favored by her.”

“What exactly did you two do to get her favor? Did you leave out offerings? Say special prayers? Tell me!”

Luna could only blush harder.

“I don’t know…I never did anything. She’s always doing something for me.”

Then her expression softened into a genuine smile as she looked around at the forest.

“But I am truly grateful though for what she’s done for us.”

Leona, hidden above, felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she watched her daughters’ happy faces. She was so proud she could barely breathe.

Just then one of the older elves clapped her hands.

“Okay, enough standing around. If we want to add designs, we can do it ourselves later. But more importantly, let’s go bring the rest the gifts we got from the spirit of the forest to everyone else.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll be just as excited. We need to make sure no one misses out!”

The group grabbed the large basket, still full of the remaining personalized letters, and hurried back toward the village.

More shouts of surprise and delight soon echoed through the trees as the earmuffs were delivered door to door.

Once the clearing was finally empty and the voices faded into the distance, Luca and Leona dropped down from the branches.

Leona immediately started celebrating.

“We did it, Luca! We did it!”

She spun around in the moonlight, laughing out loud with pure, unrestrained joy.

“We actually managed to accomplish everything we wished for! And there’s nothing left to do! We did it all in a single day!”

She stopped in front of him, eyes shining, and held out both her hands for a high-five.

“We really are the best duo, aren’t we?” She said in a loving, triumphant voice.

Luca grinned and clapped his hands against hers.

“…We really are.”

Leona was so happy she couldn’t contain it. She jumped around and twirled again, her golden hair catching the moonlight like threads of starlight.

Luca watched her, thinking she looked exactly like a beautiful flower dancing in the moonlight—bright, graceful, and full of life.

But just then, Luca thought of something. He patted his pocket, then looked at Leona with a curious tilt of his head.

“What about yours?”

She blinked. “Mine?”

“Your earmuffs. Did you make a pair for yourself?”

Leona’s hand flew to her ears, and an embarrassed flush crept across her cheeks.

“I…I totally forgot. I was so focused on making them for everyone else that I didn’t think about myself.”

She waved her hand dismissively, though her ears were now bright red.

“But it’s fine. There’s plenty of fabric left. I can make myself a pair in no time. I could even make a bunch of spares if I want. It’s not a big deal.”

But to her surprise, Luca shook his head.

“I don’t think there’s any need for you to do that.”

He said before he reached into his pocket and pulled something out, then held it out to her with both hands.

“Here. I already made you a pair just for you.”

Leona froze on the spot. She stared down at Luca’s hands in shock.

Resting in his palms was a beautiful pair of earmuffs in a soft, light green fabric that perfectly matched the clothes she usually wore.

And if that wasn’t enough to make her heart flutter, the earmuffs had delicate designs stitched into them—vibrant little fruits from the forest, all the ones the village was famous for, rendered in colorful, lively thread.

Her eyes shimmered with sudden emotion as she gently took them from him.

Meanwhile, Luca looked a little embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I heard you talking about the fruits of the village so much.” He explained. “And you were obviously so proud of them and the produce you grow here. So I decided to add them as a design.”

He gave a sheepish little shrug.

“But once I did, I realized it’s quite childish—something a kid would wear. I don’t know if you would like it or not. And it’s fine if you don’t. I can just quickly remove the design and—”

“No!”

Leona’s voice was sharp, almost angry. She grabbed his hand, her fingers closing around his, preventing him from taking the earmuffs away.

“Don’t you dare.” She said, her eyes fierce. “Don’t you dare take this away from me!”

Luca blinked, surprised by her intensity.

Leona on the other hand, looked down at the earmuffs, her expression softening. She ran her fingers over the embroidered fruits, tracing each tiny stitch.

“I love them.” She said quietly. “I love them so much.”

She touched the scarf he had given her earlier, still wrapped around her neck, then looked back at the earmuffs.

“…I’ll treasure both of these for the rest of my life.”

Luca looked relieved and satisfied. He smiled warmly.

“Now go on then.” He said. “Put them on and let’s see how they look on you.”

Leona excitedly slipped the light-green fruit-patterned earmuffs over her long ears.

They settled perfectly, hugging her sensitive ears without any pressure. She turned her head from side to side, shaking her ears playfully so the little fruit designs caught the moonlight.

“How do I look?” She asked, eyes sparkling. “Does it look good on me?”

Luca smiled. “You look like the most adorable elf to ever exist.”

Leona’s ears fluttered with delight, but she tried to play it cool.

“The most adorable are actually my two daughters!”

She replied with a triumphant little huff before cheekily adding,

“But I will happily take second place on that title.”

She then pulled out a small mirror from her pouch and looked at herself, squealing and giggling like a delighted girl as she admired how the earmuffs looked.

But then she suddenly slapped a hand to her forehead.

“Oh! I totally forgot—I have a gift for you as well!”

To Luca’s surprise, she rummaged in her pouch again and pulled out another pair of earmuffs.

These were shaped like elf ears and matched his skin tone perfectly.

Luca took them, looking confused.

“What’s the deal now?” He asked. “If you were giving me normal earmuffs with human-shaped ears, I would have appreciated it even though I don’t really need them.”

“But why have you given me elf-shaped ones?”

Leona stood up straighter, looking righteous and proud.

“Well Luca, after all the work you’ve done for the village and all the accomplishments you’ve made, you’re basically family now—part of us! And once you wear these ears, you’ll look just like an elf.”

She smiled shyly as she added,

“I made some modifications so they’ll stand out even without having proper elf ears. So put them on, Luca. Put them on!”

“I want to see how you would look like if you were an elf.”

Seeing how eager and hopeful she was, Luca knew he had no choice. He slipped the elf-ear earmuffs over his own ears.

They fit perfectly, blending seamlessly with his skin tone. In the moonlight, the difference was almost impossible to notice—he genuinely looked like an elf.

He pulled out a small mirror and checked himself, chuckling in surprise.

“Wow…I didn’t expect it to be this good.” He said, turning his head to admire both sides. “I could probably trick someone into thinking I’m an elf and they wouldn’t have any doubt at all.”

He looked back at Leona with a playful grin.

“What do you say, Leona? Do you approve of the elf before your eyes?”

But to his surprise, she didn’t answer.

He turned to face her fully, and was shocked by what he saw.

Leona was currently staring at him in a complete daze, lips slightly parted, eyes wide and dreamy.

Her heart was also racing at an unbelievable speed.

This was because ever since Luca had grown close to her and become someone she trusted with her whole heart—she had already thought of him as the most wonderful man in the world.

Even though her Julius had technically been more handsome from an outsider’s perspective—he could not compare to Luca at all in her eyes.

Luca was in such a high place in her heart that he was simply too charming.

But right now, that feeling was elevated to an entirely new level.

Before, he had normal human ears. Even though it was fine, elves still preferred their partners to have long elven ears—that was considered a key part of charm and beauty for them.

So, suddenly seeing Luca wearing such ears and looking every bit like an elf hit her like a thunderbolt.

She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t look away. In her eyes he had become the most handsome and beautiful existence in the entire world.

Her gaze even turned intense—almost scary—like she wanted to devour him whole.

A tiny bit of drool even escaped the corner of her lip as she unconsciously licked them, her body leaning forward as if she were about to pounce on him right there.

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