During dinner time that evening, the Royal Court of Lordaeron prepared a sumptuous banquet for the elves.
The banquet went very well, and Leylin poured several glasses of wine. These court wines had a rich and unique aroma, a captivating taste.
Leylin also poured a glass for Alleria beside him, but Alleria didn't seem to like this drink with its distinctive flavor.
"Are you going to the meeting after the banquet?" Alleria asked Leylin.
Leylin was cutting steak, and to Alleria's question, he subconsciously replied, "Your discussions are mostly about the other noble elves in the Council of Silvermoon, so I won't go."
With that, Leylin placed the cut steak in front of Alleria.
Alleria took this dish, which she had never eaten before, carefully put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and smiled sweetly, "Then you should go back and rest first. We'll meet again tomorrow morning."
After the banquet, Leylin didn't immediately return to the accommodations arranged for them by Sir Lothar. He treated the palace like a tourist attraction, wandering around his residence.
Leylin walked through the garden to a place resembling an exhibition hall. The walls, painted in gold and blue, were adorned with numerous oil paintings and various exquisite artifacts.
Weapons and armor were also displayed on elevated shelves. Continuing further into the room, the scene changed; the shelves no longer displayed weapons and armor, but books.
These books recorded the history of human kingdoms, from nomadic tribes to the unified kingdom of Arathor, and now to the Seven Kingdoms.
Since it was night, the exhibition hall wasn't crowded. Leylin walked through the empty, quiet hall, able to hear his own footsteps.
Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, a small figure bumped into his thigh.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
It was a little girl in a pale-yellow dress, knocked to the ground by Leylin. The little girl had long, flowing blonde hair and a slender figure; she was frowning, rubbing her cute little bottom where she had fallen.
Leylin, who had initially thought he was the only one in the exhibition hall, was startled. He immediately extended his right hand to the little girl and said, "I'm sorry, beautiful little girl, I didn't notice you walking this way."
The little girl took Leylin's large hand, pouted, and stood up. "It's alright, it was my own carelessness."
"It's so late, why are you alone in the exhibition hall? Where are your family?" Leylin saw that this little girl, who could move freely in the palace, must be a noblewoman's child. But Leylin was curious why she wasn't accompanied by any servants.
When Leylin asked this, the little girl smiled and said, "I sneaked in by myself. I don't like having other people with me. They always tell me not to do this or that."
"You should understand them. After all, your family is doing this for your own good. You're so young, and there are so many weapons on display here. What if you accidentally get hurt?" Leylin said patiently.
The little girl looked up at Leylin with her round, bright eyes and said playfully, "Those weapons can't hurt me. The only one who can hurt me here is you, mister."
Leylin was a little embarrassed by the clever little girl's words. "How about this, as an apology, I'll perform a show for you, okay?"
The little girl sat quietly on the bench under the bookshelf, watching the mister in the blue robe perform.
As a mage proficient in the three types of magic, Leylin's greatest skill was using magical elements to do some strange things, such as creating a beautiful rose with fire magic energy.
"Look." Leylin raised his hand, and specks of fluorescent fire elements gathered in his left hand. The gathering and fusion of magical elements appeared natural and graceful under Leylin's mastery.
Slowly, a rose, as if it had come to life, was born in Leylin's hand. The rose was still just a bud, and Leylin didn't let it bloom.
"This is magic. I've seen it many times." The little girl shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
Leylin didn't explain. He handed the rose to the little girl, saying, "This is for you. I believe your beauty will make this rose bloom."
The little girl, who had seen much magic, was also puzzled. Wouldn't this rose disappear once it left the mage's hand? Although it seemed somewhat different.
The little girl was curious, but Leylin nodded. Taking the rose, Leylin said, "My roses only bloom for pretty and lovely girls."
The little girl blushed, her two small, fair hands tightly holding the unopened rose. Slowly, her eyes lit up.
"Oh my god, the rose really bloomed!" The rose, warm with flames, bloomed before the little girl. She nodded, happily saying, "Mister mage, this is the most beautiful magic performance I've ever seen!"
"Can I take it home? I believe my father will like this rose too." the little girl said innocently.
Leylin shook his head and smiled, saying, "Beautiful things are not eternal, like roses, and even magically created roses. However, if you know magic, you will have many abilities to create such beautiful things."
"Oh, then mister mage, could you teach me this magic?" Although the little girl was a little unhappy, she still showed great enthusiasm for magic.
Leylin squatted down and looked at the little girl in front of him, saying, "Do you really want to learn?"
The little girl nodded obediently.
"When you're a little older, I'll teach you." Leylin said.
"I'm ten years old now! Ten years old can do a lot of things!" the little girl's voice suddenly rose.
"After this war ends, mister mage will come back and teach you his magic, okay?" Leylin coaxed the little girl.
The little girl held up her little finger and said, "You promise!"
"I will."
He led the little girl around the exhibition hall a few times, then the little girl suddenly asked, "What's mister mage's name? This is the first time I've seen such a young and powerful mage."
"My name is Leylin, I'm a human mage from Quel'Thalas."
"Isn't Quel'Thalas the kingdom of elves? Mister mage is so amazing, he can actually study magic there!" the little girl said.
This little girl really knows how to talk.
"And you, what's your name?" Leylin asked.
"My name is Jaina, Jaina Proudmoore." the little girl introduced herself happily, a smile playing on her lips.