The originally golden banquet hall was covered by towering tree trunks and fragrant, colorful flowers.
A landscape like a dense forest rose from the ground, filling the nobles with shock.
However, to them, this was only a small appetizer.
Everything changed when the Elf Queen appeared and said those words to Viktor in front of everyone, "Kneel down and kiss me."
The forest-covered banquet hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone's eyes widened. They stood frozen in place, too stunned to speak.
Like golden wax statues, they seemed buried deep within this endless forest banquet.
As for why they were so shocked...
Because the one who said those words was the Elf Queen herself.
The elves were already mysterious enough to give the nobles a sense of distant nobility.
And as the Elf Queen, Cocotte's status in their minds was as lofty and untouchable as the stars in the sky.
Yet such a proud and mysterious existence was openly asking Viktor for a kiss in public.
It was as if she wanted to tell the whole world that Viktor was the only one she admired.
But there was a very big problem.
Was the Elf Queen asking Viktor for a kiss... or asking him to perform a hand-kiss greeting?
The difference between those two things was not small.
The nobles standing on both sides of the red carpet sucked in cold breaths.
The entire hall remained silent as everyone waited for Viktor's reaction.
Including Crown Prince Albany.
He too was stunned by this dramatic scene.
He had never expected something like this to happen at today's banquet.
Albany could already imagine what would happen if this news got out.
Every newspaper would make it the headline.
Those shameless editors had probably already come up with all kinds of sensational titles in their heads.
But compared to that, he was even more shocked by the magic Viktor had just displayed.
The Crown Prince looked up.
His gaze moved between the solid tree trunks and lush green leaves.
Viktor had clearly done nothing, yet in an instant the entire golden banquet hall had been swallowed by green.
As though spring itself had slipped through a crack in time before its arrival.
The Crown Prince stood there blankly, his vision filled with the vivid trunks.
He was deeply shocked by the strength Viktor had displayed.
But fortunately, after seeing this scene, he felt not only shock but also some comfort and anticipation.
After all, Viktor had promised to help him deal with the monsters appearing in the south.
Though he had indirectly experienced Viktor's power in the south before,
it was far more shocking to witness him use that power to transform an entire setting with his own eyes.
The stronger Viktor was, the more reassured he felt.
At this moment, no one in the banquet hall dared make a sound.
The atmosphere was simply too delicate.
Everyone was waiting for Viktor's response.
As for Cocotte, the person involved, she seemed completely unaware of the mood around her.
She still wore a playful and proud expression, leaning back slightly, extending her arm, and smiling confidently.
Waiting for Viktor to kneel down and kiss the back of her hand.
Although she looked confident on the surface, she was quietly muttering to herself inside.
She had done what Liya told her to do, right...
———
"In our Empire, nobles place great importance on etiquette."
At the time, Cocotte was sitting perfectly still while having her makeup done.
Her eyes could only stare directly at herself in the mirror.
Elves were naturally beautiful and had flawless skin.
They had no need for human cosmetics, but Liya still tried her best to improve upon perfection and make her look even more flawless.
While adding details to her face, Liya said, "Among those customs, the hand-kiss greeting is the best way to show a gentleman's manners."
Cocotte watched her reflection becoming more and more perfect, her eyes sparkling.
That smooth and delicate face was like a precious gem from heaven, naturally carved into nearly perfect features.
She had never looked this carefully before.
So she was this beautiful.
Though immersed in admiring her own beauty, Cocotte still remembered Liya's words.
"So when you appear today, you can try asking Viktor for a hand-kiss greeting."
Liya continued, "Not only will it show Viktor's gentlemanly behavior, but it will also highlight your noble status."
Hearing this, Cocotte's eyes lit up.
After all, Viktor was her boss.
Just imagining her boss having to kiss her hand made her extremely excited.
Liya helped her into a spotless white dress and fixed the last strand of her hair.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Cocotte's face was full of pride and anticipation.
"Most importantly, everyone needs to know."
"That you were invited by the Clavenna family."
———
Viktor looked at Cocotte, who was tilting her head up with a proud and playful expression, and raised an eyebrow.
His gaze quietly shifted from Cocotte to Liya.
He saw Liya standing off to the side with her arms crossed, wearing a subtle smile.
Just as he had expected.
Everything was exactly as he had guessed.
Clearly, Cocotte wasn't familiar with this kind of etiquette, leaving only one possibility.
Liya had tricked her.
If Cocotte truly understood the meaning behind a hand-kiss greeting, she would never have acted so casually.
However, Viktor also understood Liya's intentions.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
One hand moved elegantly to his chest.
Then he knelt on one knee, gently took Cocotte's arm, and raised it.
Seeing Viktor's actions, Cocotte froze slightly.
'Wait.'
'Something feels wrong?'
However, she no longer had time to react.
The next second, Viktor lowered his head and lightly kissed the back of her hand.
At that moment, she felt warmth flow from the back of her hand through her entire arm.
For some reason, her body suddenly stopped moving.
Her mind went blank.
Her heart beat so fast that it felt like a little deer was running wild inside her chest.
Redness instantly spread across her entire face.
Even wisps of white steam rose from the top of her head.
The surrounding plants also froze in that moment.
The flowers and grass stopped swaying.
Their stems straightened.
Even the towering trees seemed frozen in time.
The nobles present were left speechless by this sudden scene.
Their eyes widened with amazement.
Even Leopold, hidden among the crowd, raised an eyebrow and curled his lips slightly, finding the scene quite amusing.
'An elf... And a human.'
'How interesting.'
After finishing all this, Viktor stood back up.
Like the very image of a perfect gentleman, he faced Cocotte and bowed once more.
As for Cocotte, her face was already completely red.
She could feel her cheeks burning.
Even her vision had become blurry.
Her body unconsciously leaned backward, almost fainting.
Fortunately, the cloud beside her immediately floated over and caught her before she fell.
Lying on the soft cloud, clarity slowly returned to her eyes.
Looking at the gently swaying branches, she touched her burning cheeks and felt confused.
'Strange, what's wrong with me?'
Cocotte had rehearsed this scene countless times in her mind.
Her plan had been simple.
The moment Viktor kissed her hand, she would burst out laughing.
She would vent all the humiliation she had suffered in the Clavenna household and regain her dignity.
"But what's going on now?"
Cocotte was completely confused.
Her mind was blank.
All the plans she had carefully prepared seemed to disappear in an instant.
For a moment, she didn't even know how to react.
'What exactly is this... feeling?'
The crowd finally recovered from their shock.
They hurriedly bowed to the Elf Queen.
After all, Cocotte was a guest who had traveled a great distance.
Not to mention that her status among the elves was equivalent to that of the Emperor of the Empire.
Since Viktor had already bowed and performed the hand-kiss greeting, they naturally had to show respect as well.
Coming back to her senses, Cocotte slowly sat up and looked around.
Only then did she understand.
Just as Liya had said, Viktor's hand-kiss greeting made her status seem even more noble.
After all, this was Viktor... the Empire's acknowledged strongest mage.
This was simply a way of elevating her status.
She couldn't afford to be flustered.
She had to stay calm.
Now it was time for her return gift.
Cocotte lightly coughed twice, straightened herself, and looked firmly at Viktor.
She clasped her hands before her chest.
"May nature favor you."
"May life's blessing enter your heart."
"May calamity crumble, and may a thousand spirits descend."
As she chanted, streaks of green light appeared around her body.
They transformed into spreading vines that gradually wrapped around Viktor.
The light fell upon the golden walls of the banquet hall, covering the entire hall in green.
The nobles watched Viktor receive the blessing of the Elf Queen.
Their eyes were filled with envy.
"The Elf Queen truly is amazing..."
"And she's so beautiful and noble..."
"Even Viktor treats her with such respect. She's a perfect queen..."
The nobles whispered among themselves, their words filled with admiration.
Cocotte closed her eyes and continued chanting.
At that moment, her sharp hearing caught the nobles' discussions.
She could hear every word clearly.
Though her expression remained calm, she was secretly delighted.
'Wonderful.'
'So this is Viktor's influence?'
She genuinely felt satisfied now.
In the future, she definitely had to stick to Viktor and make him take her to more banquets.
But suddenly, she heard the nobles change the topic.
"What a pity. The Elf Queen is already married."
"Yeah... I wonder who her partner is. I've never heard of male elves."
"Could it be a human? I've heard the Elf Queen is several hundred years old. Having several human husbands wouldn't be strange."
'Hm? Hm?'
Hearing those words, Cocotte froze.
Even her chanting unconsciously stopped.
The natural energy around her scattered like broken strings of beads.
The rich aura of nature spread through the banquet hall.
The lively atmosphere instantly fell silent.
All the nobles in the hall looked at Cocotte, whose chanting had suddenly stopped, and immediately shut their mouths.
An awkward and uncertain feeling filled the air.
Meanwhile, Cocotte remained standing there with a blank look on her face.
"Huh?"
'What... are they talking about?'