Chapter 36: Animal Exhibit

For the rest of the day, Luca didn’t move an inch from the wide old tree he’d claimed as his shade.

And honestly, he didn’t care in the slightest.

After all the chaos and questioning, this quiet moment of peace was exactly what he needed.

The scenery around him was also breathtaking—a panorama of towering trees, bridges woven from living vines, and streams that sparkled under the filtered sunlight.

Birds with pretty feathers fluttered across the branches, and a faint floral fragrance carried through the air like a blessing.

It was serene, magical, and utterly peaceful.

He stretched out beneath the tree with his hands behind his head and sighed happily.

“Ah… finally. Some peace and quiet.”

And at first, the guards stationed above him weren’t having it.

They perched on the bridges and branches overhead, eyes sharp and bows drawn as if expecting him to sprout wings and escape at any moment.

The way they stared made him feel like a dangerous animal in a cage.

But time passed, and when they saw he wasn’t moving—just sitting there admiring the view, lazily watching the light shift through the canopy—their tension began to ease.

“He’s… just sitting there.”

“Maybe he’s meditating.” Another whispered.

“He’s been meditating with his eyes open for three hours.”

Eventually, one of them dared to speak.

“You’re…not planning to run, are you?”

Luca cracked open an eye and smiled.

“Not unless you have a better view somewhere else.”

The elf blinked, confused, but couldn’t help chuckling softly.

Another guard sighed, lowering her bow slightly.

“You’re a strange human, you know that?”

“Thanks.” He said, grinning. “I try.”

That was enough to break the ice.

Slowly, conversation began.

Hesitant at first, simple, short exchanges. But it grew easier.

Before long, they were actually talking. Some of the guards asked about his world; others teased him about the ’hero’ title.

He answered with good humor, making them laugh.

By midday, the atmosphere had completely changed.

Elves who had been watching from afar started to sneak glances from the bridges and platforms above, peeking down curiously at the strange human below.

There were even little girls—tiny elves looking no older than ten—clutching each other’s hands as they peeked from behind tree trunks.

When Luca smiled and waved up at them, they gasped and ducked away, their small faces turning red before they scurried off giggling.

Some elders, meanwhile, stood at a distance, watching him in awe, whispering prayers under their breath as if they were looking at some divine being.

Others—mostly younger women—pretended to pass by casually but couldn’t stop stealing glances.

It was starting to feel less like he was a prisoner and more like he was part of a bizarre zoo exhibit.

“Guess I’m the main attraction.” He muttered with a smirk, waving lazily at a pair of elves who quickly hid behind a pillar.

He just closed his eyes and let himself drift, the hum of village life lulling him into a half-sleep.

Everything was peaceful—until he suddenly heard two faint voices whispering urgently.

“Luca… Luca!”

He opened one eye and turned his head, spotting two familiar figures crouched beside him.

Luna and Lulu were huddled close to the ground, glancing around nervously like a pair of fugitives hiding from the law.

“Uh… what are you two doing?”

“Shh!” Lulu hissed, putting a finger to her lips. “We’re hiding!”

“From who?”

“From our mother, obviously.” Luna gave him a tired look.

Luca raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t she forbid anyone from talking to me? Including you two?”

“She did.” Luna admitted, sighing. “She told us not to approach you and that you’re supposed to stay under guard.”

“Then why are you—”

“Because we snuck over.” Lulu interrupted proudly. “Duh. Rules are boring anyway!”

Luca stared at them for a moment, then shook his head with a grin.

“We just wanted to check on you.” Luna smiled shyly. “You’ve been sitting here all day. Are you alright? Do you need anything?”

“Yeah!” Lulu piped up, holding out a woven basket. “We brought you something! Fruits and water. You were eating these earlier like you hadn’t seen food in years.”

“And here!” Lulu added, handing him a small green box made of leaves. “This one’s got some delicacies inside. They’re made from tree sap and flowers. They taste really good!”

Luca took both offerings with a grateful smile.

“Thank you, really. You two are lifesavers.”

He took a sip of water and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

“Even the water here tastes better. You elves are spoiled, you know that?”

Luna chuckled softly. But after a moment, she hesitated, glancing down shyly before speaking.

“Um…Luca.” She began nervously. “Since you’re… you know…a hero now, should I…should I be calling you something more proper? Like Sir Luca? Or Hero Luca?”

She fiddled with her hands.

“I also wanted to apologize for earlier…for how I treated you when we first met. I didn’t know who you were, and I thought you were just a trespassing human. I was…well, rude. I’m sorry.”

Luca chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“You don’t have to apologize for that. You were just doing your job.”

“And please don’t call me ’Sir’ or ’Hero’ or any of that nonsense.” He waved his hands. “It’ll make things awkward.”

“I’d rather you just treat me normally. ’Luca’ is fine.”

“See!” Lulu said, smirking at her sister. “Told you! You’re the one who overthinks everything!”

“I was just trying to be polite!” Luna huffed.

“Both of you are fine.” Luca smiled. “Just treat me like before. It’s a lot more natural that way.”

Then he leaned back slightly and added with a grin.

“Actually, I should be thanking you two. If not for your help earlier, things could’ve gone much worse.”

“No, really—it’s fine!” Luna quickly shook her head. “I only said what was true. It’s not like I exaggerated anything.”

But Lulu on the other hand was not humble at all and puffed up proudly.

“Uh, excuse me, I did most of the talking. You should be thanking me the most! Without me, everyone would still be calling you the sex demon!”

Luna groaned. “Lulu!”

“What? It’s true!” Lulu crossed her arms. “Besides, if you’re really grateful, you can pay me back.”

“Pay you back?” Luca raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah! With those lollipops you gave me before.” She grinned mischievously. “I can’t stop thinking about them! I want more!”

Luna groaned. But Luca laughed.

“Of course, of course.”

He reached into his bag, rummaging for a moment before pulling out a handful of brightly wrapped lollipops.

“Here. Some for you…and for Luna too.”

“You can share them with your friends if you want.”

He winked and Lulu’s eyes sparkled like gold.

“Thank you.” Luna smiled, taking them politely.

“Haha!” Lulu laughed, grabbing the bunch. “My friends are gonna worship me after this. They’re gonna call me Queen Lulu!”

Luna rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

But just then, a sharp voice echoed through the village.

“Luna? Lulu? Where are you two?”

Both sisters froze instantly.

“That’s Mother!” Luna whispered in panic.

“Crap—she’s close!” Lulu’s ears twitched as both of the quickly his behind a root of the tree.

Sure enough, a moment later, Leona’s stern figure appeared on the bridge above, her piercing gaze scanning the area.

Luca looked up and waved weakly.

“Evening.”

Leona’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She let out an unimpressed ’hmph’ turned and walked away.

“Phew…I thought for a moment we were gonna be caught.” Lulu exhaled as she slowly emerged.

“But we have to go!”

Luna said quickly, already grabbing her sister’s hand.

“Goodbye, Luca! Don’t move, okay?”

“We’ll sneak back later! Maybe!” Lulu waved frantically as they dashed off.

Luca watched them disappear into the foliage, shaking his head in amusement.

“Those two are going to get me executed one day.”

He then leaned back once more, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply.

But surprisingly, even though Luca had only closed his eyes for what felt like fifteen minutes at most, he suddenly sensed a presence beside him—a soft rustle of fabric, a faint fragrance of jasmine and wood.

Before he could open his eyes, he felt a delicate hand touch his cheek. The fingers traced lightly along his jawline, brushing over his chin, then up to his nose, as if carefully studying his features.

He blinked once, half-asleep, and mumbled with a grin.

“I know you said you’d come back, Lulu… but I didn’t think you meant this soon.”

When he finally opened his eyes, however, he froze mid-sentence.

It wasn’t Lulu.

Nor Luna.

It was Nyx—their aunt—kneeling gracefully beside him, her long dark hair hanging over her shoulder, her sharp eyes full of amusement as her hand still rested against his cheek.

“Oh.” She said softly, a teasing smile curving her lips. “Looks like I’ve been caught.”

Luca blinked rapidly, staring at her hand still on his face before saying,

“I…uh…thought you were supposed to be the nicer sister. But from the looks of it, you’re actually trying to strangle me in my sleep.”

He said it as a joke and expected her to deny it immediately like anyone else would. But instead she gave an exaggerated sigh and waved her hand casually.

“Oh, please. If I wanted to strangle you, I wouldn’t use my hands.”

He blinked again. “…Come again?”

Still smiling sweetly, she continued in a matter-of-fact tone.

“If I really wanted you dead, I’d wrap a vine around this entire tree—loop it over your neck—and have about twenty elves pull on each side.”

“That way your neck would snap cleanly, and you wouldn’t even have time to scream. I mean, you are the hero after all and so taking precautions are absolutely necessary, don’t you think?”

Luca just stared at her, completely speechless, his expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and horror.

Then she burst into laughter, covering her mouth.

“Relax, I’m joking! I’m joking!” She said between laughs. “I’m not actually going to do that. But if I were, that’s how I’d do it.”

“You have a very morbid sense of humor, you know that?” Luca said in dismay.

“Maybe.” She smirked. “But seeing your reaction was worth it.”

As her laughter softened, she looked down at him again, her gaze more curious now than teasing.

“And you know.” She said thoughtfully. “I already thought you were quite handsome when I saw you from above earlier. But up close…” She tilted her head slightly, studying him. “I must admit, you’re actually very good-looking.”

“Among all the humans I’ve seen, you’re easily the best one of the bunch.”

Luca blinked, then grinned playfully.

“So what you’re saying is, I’m better looking than the males in your elf race?”

That earned him a light laugh.

“Unfortunately, no.”

Nyx said, shaking her head.

“You humans have your charm, but elves are on a whole different level. We’re known across the demi-human continent for our perfection. Our features are…well, let’s just say they’re the kind sculptors cry trying to imitate.”

“Wow.” Luca said with mock seriousness. “Humble, aren’t you?”

She smirked, ignoring his comment.

“Not to mention…” She continued smoothly. “We elves even rate our beauty based on the length and shape of our ears.”

“The longer and more elegant they are, the higher one’s beauty is considered. It’s part of our culture.”

“And yours, sadly, are short and round. Cute, perhaps, but not exactly ’elf material.’” She gave him a pitying look.

Luca crossed his arms and feigned indignation.

“Alright, alright… give me one second.”

Before Nyx could ask what he was doing, he suddenly crawled over to a nearby bush, plucked two large leaves, and pressed them over his ears.

When he turned back around, the leaves stuck out comically on each side, long and pointed like ridiculous green elf ears.

He grinned.

“How about now? Pretty convincing, right? Do I look handsome enough to pass for one of you?”

For a second, Nyx just stared—then burst out laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach again.

“Oh heavens—yes, yes, you’re the most handsome elf in the entire forest now!” She gasped between laughter. “I’m sure every maiden in the village would faint at the sight of those glorious green ears!”

“See? I knew I could pull it off.” Luca grinned.

The two laughed together for a moment, the tension between them melting into something more relaxed and lighthearted.

Yet even as Luca laughed, he couldn’t shake the thought that beneath Nyx’s warmth and humor, there was still a dangerous sharpness to her.

A reminder that she was the same woman who had once casually threatened to destroy his legs and torture him without hesitation.

A woman who was undeniably dangerous but irresistible at the same time like a poisonous flower that attracted insects only for them to fall prey to her venom.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep