This immediately caught Luca's attention so he listened very carefully as she went on to say,

"You see, most outsiders think female elves are noble, refined creatures who keep their distance from men. They think we're too proud, too cold, or that we only value grace and tradition."

"But that's not really true."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"We're just like anyone else—friendly, sociable, open. If a situation calls for it, we'll talk to men, share drinks, laugh together."

"There's nothing wrong with that. We're not some untouchable divine race like the songs say."

Another elf leaned forward, her voice lowering as she continued,

"But Nyx...she takes it to another level."

"She does." Agreed a third, nodding. "For decades now, she's spent a lot of time with the men of the village—drinking with them, laughing with them, always chatting."

"Even when the women gather to drink together, she barely stays with us for more than a few minutes before slipping away to join the men instead."

"She's always among them, smiling, laughing, drinking."

"It's not just at occasions either." Another added. "Even during the day, when there's work or errands, she's with them. Walking with them, talking to them, always so cheerful."

"The men love it, of course. They love having someone as beautiful and confident as Nyx giving them so much attention. And she gets along with them so easily, it's almost natural."

Luca tilted his head slightly, his tone thoughtful.

"Okay." He said. "So maybe she's just a social butterfly. Some people are like that—friendly, outgoing, always around others. Maybe she just doesn't like keeping distance and sees everyone equally."

"That's what we thought at first too." One of the elves admitted. "We thought she was just being her usual, charming self."

"But then...the rumors started."

The other elves grew quiet, their expressions darkening.

"What kind of rumors?" Luca asked, his voice calm but carrying authority.

The elf who spoke earlier exhaled slowly.

"Rumors that she doesn't just drink with the men at night. That sometimes, when the night ends, she...goes back with them. To their homes."

Her tone was distant now, almost ashamed.

"That she whispers things into their ears, makes them blush, and then drags them away."

"Some say she leads them into the forest and the men just follow her like they're under a spell. No one knows what happens next."

Luca frowned slightly but said nothing, listening intently.

"They aren't exactly just rumors either." Another elf interjected nervously. "Many people have seen it happen. Men stumbling back in the morning looking dazed, saying nothing."

"And the worst part…"

She hesitated.

"What?" Luca prompted softly.

"The worst part is that she's often like that even with married men."She said finally.

"And even though most women here don't care that much about their husbands, it still feels wrong."

"It's one thing to be friendly, but to be so...intimate with them? It doesn't sit right."

"That's why people started calling her names—'husband stealer,' 'temptress,' things like that."

"It's like she finds a strange fascination in men who are already taken." Another elf added quietly. "As if the fact that they belong to someone else makes them more desirable to her."

Luca's face remained neutral, though his eyes were sharp and attentive as he absorbed every word.

"And because of that." Another elf continued bitterly. "Some of the women here stopped trusting her. They still speak to her respectfully, of course—she is the royal advisor—but behind closed doors, not many see her the same way anymore."

Another elf spoke up indignantly.

"And the men aren't making things any better! They brag about it endlessly—boasting about how they've been with her, how they've 'shared moments' with her. Each one tells their own story, vulgar and disgusting."

"And while we know how men are—always exaggerating, always trying to sound like conquerors—it's still...suspicious."

"Especially when Nyx never denies it outright."

Luca looked up. "Never?"

"No." The elf said, shaking her head. "Whenever anyone asks her directly, she brushes it off. Diverts the topic. Laughs it away or gives a vague, confusing answer that doesn't make sense."

"It's like she's pretending not to hear."

Another sighed. "We're not angry at her, or jealous. It's not like that. We're just...worried."

"She's important to all of us, and if these rumors are true, or if she keeps acting this way, something bad might happen to her. The way she behaves—so bold, so reckless—it's not safe."

Luca's expression softened slightly. "You care about her." He said quietly.

"Of course we do." One elf said immediately. "She's one of us. But…" She paused, glancing at the others before lowering her voice. "The worst part of all this...is how she acts around Julius."

That caught Luca's attention immediately.

"Julius?"

The elf nodded slowly.

"Yes. Even though he's—well, you've seen what kind of man he is, she still spends time with him. Talks to him. Laughs with him. She treats him like...like he's her beloved brother-in-law."

"And honestly, if you saw them together, you'd think she was his wife. She dotes on him, always defending him, always near him."

"It's strange—very strange."

"Because of that, even more rumors started spreading." Another elf nodded solemnly. "About their past."

Luca's brow furrowed. "What kind of rumors?"

One of the elves hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, but eventually spoke.

"Apparently...back when Leona and Julius first got married, there were whispers that Nyx had feelings for him. That she loved him dearly before her sister did."

"And honestly...it kind of made sense."

"Back then, Julius was considered considerate, charming, a respectable man. Many women liked him. And Nyx wasn't immune to it either."

Another elf continued sadly.

"But when Leona married him instead, it was said that Nyx was devastated. Heartbroken, even."

"And after that...something changed between the sisters."

"They started arguing more often, fighting over small things. It was subtle, but everyone noticed."

Another elf added, her tone uneasy.

"And when Leona's personality changed—when she became colder and more distant—it lined up around the same time as those rumors."

"Because of that some people think Nyx couldn't let go. That even after Julius married her sister, she still loved him. And that maybe, in secret…"

She trailed off, her voice trembling slightly.

"Go on." Luca said quietly.

The elf swallowed hard before finishing.

"…that she had an affair with him."

"That even after his marriage, she and Julius were together behind Leona's back. And that Leona found out and that's why she became who she is now because of the betrayal."

Luca blinked slowly, staring at the elves as their last words sank in. He then raised both his hands in the air.

"Hold up, hold up." He said, looking from one elf to another. "Let me get this straight."

The elves quieted immediately, their pointed ears twitching slightly in anticipation.

"So." Luca began, brows knitting together in disbelief. "What you're trying to tell me right now is that the reason Leona might be so cold and distant—the reason she turned into the 'Ice Matriarch' everyone talks about is because of betrayal?"

"That her own sister had an affair with her husband? And this entire soap opera..." He gestured vaguely with his hand. "...might be the reason this village has been in chaos for decades?"

The elves exchanged nervous glances before one of the older women, her hair silver and voice soft, sighed and nodded,

"Unfortunately...that's what we think it is."

She looked into the dying fire as she spoke, her tone filled with a heavy sort of resignation.

"Before Leona got married, before she became Matriarch, Nyx wasn't anything like she is now. She never indulged in such behavior. She barely even spoke to the men of the village, actually. She used to hate dealing with them—always saying they were too proud and noisy. She'd only spend time with us women."

Another elf joined in wistfully, smiling faintly.

"And Leona...she was so different too."

"She used to be cheerful, always laughing and smiling. She wasn't the serious, cold ruler you see now. I remember she was actually quite silly sometimes—tripping over her own robes, losing focus during archery practice, even giggling over the smallest jokes."

"She was a bit like her daughter Lulu, honestly. A total klutz."

A few of the younger elves chuckled softly at the thought, as if trying to imagine the stoic Leona they knew acting anything like that.

"But then..." The elder continued, her smile fading. "Everything changed after she married Julius."

"It all happened in such a short time. She got married, became matriarch, and then gave birth to Luna and Lulu—all within a few years."

"And right after that...she changed completely."

"The warmth vanished. The smiles disappeared. She turned into the slab of ice she is today. And Nyx, on the other hand, became the opposite—open, teasing, flirtatious. Almost as if they swapped souls."

She looked down, her voice lowering.

"Many believe that it was heartbreak. That having her love taken from her broke her. And that Nyx, burdened by guilt or regret, threw herself into the arms of other men to numb her pain."

Hearing this, Luca sighed before crossing his arms with a pensive look on his face.

"When you put it that way..." He said with a small shake of his head. "...it sort of makes sense. I've seen this kind of thing before—in stories, in movies back in my world."

The elves blinked at him curiously, unsure what he meant, but he went on.

"You know, the kind of tragic romance plots where betrayal leads one person to lose their way completely. One falls into despair, becoming cold-hearted, and the other...drowns themselves in pleasure to forget."

"It's almost cliche, but...life has a way of mimicking those stories sometimes."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and sighed again.

"But honestly...I don't really believe it."

The elves looked up in surprise.

"You don't?"

Luca shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

"No. Nyx doesn't strike me as that kind of woman. Sure, she radiates sex appeal like it's second nature—hell, even I've been...affected by it."

He said that last part with a faint, almost embarrassed smirk that made a few of the elves giggle.

"But from the times I've spoken to her, she's always carried herself with grace and control."

"She flirts, yes, but never without purpose. She knows exactly what she's doing. She's not careless or desperate. She feels...grounded. Mature. Like someone who respects herself."

He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee.

"So no. I don't think she's the kind of person who'd betray her sister like that. I just can't see it."

The elves exchanged glances again. One of them nodded hesitantly.

"To be honest, we don't fully believe it either." She admitted. "But the thing is...Nyx doesn't deny it. She doesn't say it's untrue. She just avoids the topic entirely. So we have no idea what to believe."

"The only thing we do know is that she never speaks about the past. Ever. So the rumors fill that silence, and the people have nothing else to hold on to."

Another elf nodded somberly. "And as sad as that is, there's nothing we can do about it. We're all just...confused. Unsure. And so the rumors live on."

Then one of them quickly raised her hand, eyes wide.

"But please, Hero, don't judge her because of this! We're not trying to speak ill of her. Even if her behavior might seem strange, she's still a good person. Truly. She's helped everyone in this village at some point."

"We just...don't understand her."

Luca smiled gently at that, shaking his head as he stood up, wiping his damp hands on a small cloth.

"Don't worry. I'm not someone who judges others based on rumors or how they live their life. That's their business, not mine."

"If someone wants to spend their nights drinking with men or their mornings waking up in their beds, that's their choice. I have no right to condemn them for it."

The elves seemed relieved at his words.

He then added with a smirk.

"But I am curious. If this really is true—or even partly true—I'd like to hear it from her directly."

"Something tells me there's a lot more to this story than what we're seeing. So maybe I'll go ask her myself."

The elves blinked in surprise. "You're going to ask her?" One of them asked nervously.

Luca shrugged. "Why not? She seems like someone who doesn't hide when confronted. If there's a truth behind all this, maybe she'll tell me."

One of the younger elves smiled softly.

"I don't know about that." She said. "But you can definitely try. If she tells you the truth, maybe it'll finally clear the air. We all just want what's best for her. She's been through so much already."

The others nodded in agreement, faint smiles appearing on their faces.

Luca couldn't help but smile too, looking around at them all. Their faces were honest and kind.

Despite the rumors, they weren't driven by malice or jealousy. They were genuinely worried about someone they cared for.

It warmed him inside. A world where people still care like this, he thought to himself. Even with gossip, they choose kindness over cruelty.

He exhaled with a small chuckle. "Anyway." He said, stretching his arms. "I think that's enough gossip for one night. My brain's full."

He glanced at the stack of dishes beside him and smiled.

"I'll just take these plates and bowls back, and then maybe I'll—"

But before he could even reach down, all six elves suddenly sprang into action.

"Ah—no, no, no!" One of them said quickly, scooping up the nearest plates. "We'll take care of it!"

"Yeah, you've already done enough!" Another said, grabbing a stack of wooden cups. "You're our guest, remember?"

"You've washed the dishes already." A third said sternly, pointing a finger at him. "No more work. Hero or not, you need rest."

Within seconds, every single plate, spoon, and bowl had been snatched from his reach.

Luca blinked, caught completely off guard.

"Wait, I can still—"

"Nope!" Said one of the elves with mock firmness. "You've done way too much already, Hero." She gave him a playful wink. "Let us take over from here. Go sleep before we make you drink more!"

And before he could argue, they turned around and ran—arms full of dishes, giggling as they disappeared into the shadows between the trees.

Luca stood there, hands on his hips, sighing in defeat.

"Well." He muttered to himself, staring at the now-empty spot where the dishes had been. "I can't do anything about that can I?"

Having nothing else to do, he turned and decided to go sleep, not because he was drunk.

But because tomorrow he had to tell everyone about the aliment they were suffering and the solution as well, which definitely was not going to be easy because of the the circumstances behind it.

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