And so, with that out of the way, Rowena turned to make her way back toward the waiting carriage at the edge of the road.

She had almost reached it when she heard small and hurrying footsteps behind her.

Wondering what it was, she turned and saw a little elf girl.

The little elf was no older than five or six, and she was running toward the countess across the grass.

The girl stopped a few feet in front of Rowena, then she looked up at her with wide and completely unintimidated eyes before asking in a clear loud voice.

"Um, countess. Is it true you’re going to marry the potion lord?"

Behind her, the girl’s mother appeared from between two wooden crates she had been helping load onto a nearby cart, and her face went pale the moment she registered what her daughter had just said to the Countess of Elmfield.

She didn’t even know when the little chipmunk had left her side to ask the countess such a bold question.

So she hurriedly ran to catch up to her daughter with the hope of scolding her.

Meanwhile, Rowena glanced up after hearing the girl’s question, then she noticed the eyes of several nearby farmers and workers had drifted toward her.

From the look of it, all of them were very interested in whatever she was about to say next, though it seemed none of them were quite bold enough to ask the question themselves.

And so, Rowena looked back down at the little girl.

Then she smiled, reached out, and gently patted the top of the girl’s head.

"Yes, dear. It’s true." She said honestly, and a smile broke out instantly across the faces of the farmers nearby.

A few of them exchanged glances with each other, with one older female elf pressing a hand to her chest with a huge smile of happiness.

Anyway, the girl’s mother finally reached her daughter, now feeling breathless and mortified as she grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and pulled her back.

"My lady, I am so deeply sorry for what this little one did. She had absolutely no right to ask something so personal. Please forgive her, she doesn’t understand."

"There is nothing to forgive. She simply asked an honest question and I’ve given her her answer." Rowena said warmly, and the mother bowed repeatedly whilst still flushed with embarrassment as she began steering her daughter firmly back toward the cart.

The little girl went along with it willingly enough, but just before her mother got her fully turned around, she twisted back and waved both arms over her head.

"Tell the potion lord I said hello!!" The little girl called out at full volume.

"Shhh!!" But her mother immediately clamped both hands over the girl’s mouth whilst looking like she wanted to disappear entirely into the ground.

Doesn’t this girl know who she’s talking and waving to?

The little girl’s mother’s expression became even more flushed with embarrassment, but Rowena simply laughed before stepping up into her carriage.

Once she was inside, Cedric closed the door behind her without a word, though she caught the small and satisfied look on his face before he did.

Then Rowena settled back against the seat as the carriage began to move, whilst the sound of the farmlands faded gradually behind her.

Outside the window, the fields of Elmfield rolled past, and Rowena looked out at them for a long moment.

The old and wilting farmlands had been replaced with a green and beautiful scenery, making her feel even more happy about her upcoming wedding.

This caused the beautiful countess to smile quietly to herself as she looked forward at the road ahead.

***

Time passed, and now it had been six months since Ophelia had handed Austin the name of the most reliable construction guild in the capital.

Right now, Austin could be seen standing outside the completed gates of his very own mansion whilst staring up at it for the first time.

These past six months with the builders hadn’t been easy.

It had truly been a stressful experience for Austin because he’d had some back and forth moments with the builders.

It was also difficult for him to make decisions regarding the stone and timber used, along with the window sizing and the garden layouts of his new home.

Nora had also been asking every single day about this place, but now the mansion was ready and she would finally get to see the interior of the mansion after waiting patiently for months.

Looking at the building, the mansion stood two storeys tall and it seemed like it was built from pale grey stone that instantly caught the morning light the moment the sun poked its head out of the horizon.

It had large windows that lined the front face of the building.

Each window was wider than any other window found in Elmfield, and the timber frames around them had been carved with a simple but clean detailing that Austin had sketched out himself from memory.

The main entrance of the mansion was framed by two broad stone columns, and the heavy front doors had been fitted with iron handles shaped like intertwining vines.

To the left of the main building sat the guest wing.

It was slightly lower than the main structure but it was definitely built from the same pale stone so that everything could blend seamlessly together.

Now, to the right was the garden.

Looking at the garden, Austin walked toward it slowly.

The garden was wide and open.

Looking closely, it was bordered on three sides by neatly trimmed hedges, and at its centre sat the swimming pool.

The swimming pool was a long rectangular basin sunk into the ground.

It was lined with smooth stone and it was currently filled with clear still water that reflected the sky above it.

Around the edges of the swimming pool, flat stone tiles had been laid for walking on.

And at the far end of the garden, Austin could see several of his fruit trees had already been planted in a row.

Their young branches still looked thin, but they had already begun to settle nicely into the soil.