Chapter 7: Marriage Offer

*The Village of Elves*

Sylvaine was getting tired of staying in bed, so she got up and started exercising in her room. She began with a series of stretches to loosen her muscles, reaching high above her head and then bending to touch her toes. Moving to the center of the room, she flowed into a series of yoga poses, holding each one for a few breaths to build strength and flexibility.

After warming up, she transitioned to more vigorous activities. She started with a set of squats, feeling the burn in her thighs and glutes as she lowered and lifted her body rhythmically. Next, she moved into push-ups, her arms and core engaged as she lowered herself to the ground and pushed back up.

To get her heart rate up, Sylvaine did a quick series of jumping jacks, her feet and arms moving in unison. She finished with a set of lunges, stepping forward and bending her knees to work her legs and improve her balance. Breathing heavily but feeling invigorated, she concluded her workout with a few minutes of deep breathing and stretching to cool down, her body humming with renewed energy.

She sat on her bed to rest and started sipping water from the glass on the table. At that moment her father entered her room and said,

"Oh you finally got out of bed! I was getting worried about you.''

Sylvaine looked up and replied, "Of course I did. I don't want to end up like a bloated slug like you and the other elves. I need to stay active." 

Her father, with puppy eyes, said, "Why are you so rude to us? Do you hate us?"

Sylvaine huffed and crossed her arms, looking away as she muttered, "It's not like I hate you or anything! I just... want you to be a little healthier, okay?!"

Her father said in a cheerful voice, "That's my daughter, even though she treats us harshly, she is always sweet on the inside''

Her father said in a cheerful voice, "That's my daughter. Even though she treats us harshly, she is always sweet on the inside."

Sylvaine's cheeks blushed, and she retorted, "Don't embarrass me, just get to the point. Why did you come?"

Her father put his hand on the back of her neck and said timidly, "W-well, I have some good news for the village and some bad news for you."

Sylvaine asked, feigning disinterest, "What is it?"

Her father became more hesitant and said, "You know what? Never mind."

As her father turned to leave the room, Sylvaine called out, "Hey, tell me. If it's good for you guys, I'll try my best to do it."

Her father stopped and said, "Are you sure? Even if it was something you never wanted to do, would you do it?"

Sylvaine said hesitantly, "I-I even went to offer my body to that psychopathic vampire for you. What could possibly be worse?"

Her dad sighed and said, "I guess you're right. You know the starvation problem in the village is getting worse... The king of the humans has offered to help us with marriage. To his son Prince Jeffrey."

Sylvaine snapped, her tone dripping with venom, "What?! That maniac? Are you kidding me? Over my dead body! I'd sooner drown in a pit of snakes than willingly marry that alcoholic, sadistic, self-righteous excuse for a man!" 

Her father said in a low tone, "Yes, you're right. That's why I said never mind."

As her father was about to leave the room, Sylvaine called out, "Wait! I said I would not marry willingly, I never said I will not marry to him. Just... just give me some time to think, okay?"

"Sure, they expect an answer in a week. Think it over until then..."

*Back to Jasper's Castle*

Jasper was sitting at a table writing a letter and his father in the body of a golem, was sitting on the table reading what he was writing, and his father hit him on the head and said,

"What the fuck are you writing? What kind of apology letter is this?''

"Centuries have passed and still nothing I do is not good enough for you, right old man?''

''You're the old man now! And everything you did was good enough for me, it was below your standards''

''Whatever! Then how do you expect me to write?''

''For example don't write *I'm sorry to give you that inappropriate compliment, but you looked delicious, like forbidden fruit begging to be tasted*''

Jasper slammed the table and said, "But why!?''

"You apologize for complimenting her like a jerk, but even during your apology you're still being a jerk''

Jasper started to think deep in thought, "Hmm, you sound like you got a point there, but what the fuck was wrong with my compliment, she just looked delicious and fit!''

His dad had had enough, he sighed and said, "Why don't you just go simple, I don't know, tell her you're acting like that because you're confused by her beauty or something.''

"Do I have to?''

''If you want to find another blood source, that's fine. Although I'm not sure why you made such a deal. Why don't you simply lock her in the dungeon of the castle? That's what we used to do...''

"I was doing that too, but after a certain point I realized something.''

''What is it?''

''I don't know how to explain it, but when I watched all those people who came to my castle, I realized that they are not living very different lives from me. The sad part for them is that they die so quickly. So I guess it makes me feel better not to interfere in their short lives.''

"Wow, you've really changed! But you do realize that, don't you? She's an elf, they surely live a long life''

''Hmm, you're actually right, should I throw him in my dungeon for a few hundred years?''

After a brief thought, he shook his head no and said, "Kael sent her here. I don't want to turn my long-lived friends into enemies.''

"Well, do as you wish, then start writing.''

After that, Jasper threw the paper he had written on into a mimic chest in the corner of the room and started writing on a new piece of paper.

After a few more rejections from his father, his father finally said,

"This will do"

Jasper leaned back and rested his eyes, relieved to finally write something decent.

Meanwhile the golems arrived at the castle gate. One of them had shaped its back into a backpack and filled it with the slimes it had hunted, and the other had dragged a silverbane cub.

The Silverbane cub, which resembled a blend of wolf and fox, had shimmering silver fur and piercing icy blue eyes. It had large ears, a bushy tail, sharp little teeth, and oversized paws compared to its body. When they reached adulthood, they grew to about 20 meters, but since it was just a cub, it was just about half a meter. 

Jasper straightened up and said,

"Good, we're finally moving on to the part that I'm going to enjoy"

He teleported the golems and himself with his father to the Alchemy room. He took the slimes from the backpack golem and put them on the table.

The slimes were still alive. He placed his index finger on the slime, his fingernail extended slightly and pierced the surface of the slime and penetrated it. Then Jasper's blood spread in streaks all over the slime.

A streak of blood stopped moving, as if it had hit something invisible, this thing was the slime's weak point. the streaks of blood that had spread all over the slime surrounded and squeezed the thing and killed the slime.

His father was impressed, he didn't know that slimes could be killed in such a simple way.

Jasper applied this process to all the slimes. he then punctured the surface of the slimes with an air-filled tool and sucked the liquid into the tool.

He threw the slimes with only the shell left into a cauldron with a fiercely burning bottom. Then he put the silverbane the other golem had brought on the table.

He took out his tool from the drawer to draw its blood, pierced silverbane's neck and began to pour its blood into a large cauldron, the creature's blood was strangely white.

His father asked in surprise,

"What is that thing?!"

Jasper replied in a calm voice,

"Have you never seen white blood before?"

"I mean, that too but what's with that thing? Did you steal Grandma's dentures?"

Jasper laughed and said, "Actually, I stole your teeth."

"What?! Don't you have any respect for the dead!"

"Relax, I just used it as a mold. This thing is made of metal."

"That doesn't change the fact that you ripped my upper jaw off my dead body!"

"Body? After they killed you in battle, they sent your head to the castle. I have no idea where your body is."

"What!?!?!!"

"I see you're the angry one now and calm down, who cares what they do to your body after you die?"

"I fucking care, I fucking care, I want my revenge"

Jasper looked down to him and said with a smug smile,

"Hoho, what are you going to do, organize a solo attack on the dragon kingdom?"

"Maybe I will," his father said angrily as he headed for the door and left the room.

Jasper was surprised by this reaction and watched blankly as his father left. He thought in his mind

'Well, that was unexpected and look at the guy who told me not to seek revenge... but I can't even take you seriously with your one-meter golem body'

Jasper took a glass of blood from the cauldron and tasted and thought,

'Hmm, it's not bad but it's not filling at all, on the contrary, it makes you even more hungry, red bloods are definitely my preference'

...