"Welcome home, Lady Riya." A line of maids stood on each side of a path, bowing their heads as Riya and Aditya stepped out of the royal carriage. Their faces were warm and welcoming, showing great respect for their lady.
As soon as Riya moved away from the carriage's steps, the focus of the maids shifted to Aditya.
"We're pleased to welcome you to the Celestial Terrain, Emperor of the Istarin Empire," they all said together, bowing their heads in a way that showed deep respect.
Aditya paused for a moment to take in his surroundings. Right in front of him was a unique and special kind of house. It looked like it had been made from the wood of an enormous, living tree. The house was a bit smaller in width and length than most big homes he had seen, but it was very tall. The roof was covered with soft, green moss, making the whole building look even more like a giant tree.
The house had little tree branches sticking out from its sides, and those branches were covered in green leaves. It was as if the house itself was a part of the natural world around it.
Looking up, Aditya saw that the very top of the house had even more branches sticking out. In between these large branches, there were green mosses growing on them. These larger branches were covered in leaves, so much so that the entire house seemed to be wrapped in a blanket of green. The sight was awe-inspiring and made Aditya feel like he had stepped into a new world.
All around the main house, there were many other smaller homes built in a similar fashion. Each was like a miniaturized version of the larger structure. Between these tree-built homes, a tiny stream of water flowed gently, adding to the sense of peace in the area. Looking up at the branches above, Aditya spotted birds perched comfortably, chirping away. Some even had nests built into the nooks and crannies of the tree branches.
"So, what do you think?" Riya asked, a proud smile lighting up her face.
"It's really beautiful," Aditya replied, still taking in the magical scene around him.
Riya continued, "You see, there's no need to cut down trees to make homes. We can build right within them. It's just a matter of thinking about it in a different way. And it helps that some of us elves have a unique ability. We can control how plants grow, shaping them as we like."
"The trees you see here aren't just wood; they're living beings. They're a special kind of tree that naturally has hollow spaces in their trunks. All we did was make those hollow areas bigger. And the best part is, this way of building doesn't hurt the tree at all."
Aditya listened carefully, and the more he heard, the more amazed he became. This way of living seemed so respectful of nature, and yet it was also so functional and beautiful. It was an eye-opening experience for him, to say the least.
"Plus, these tree houses are really nice to look at and they help a lot with the problem of finding enough space for homes in a busy city," Aditya added, thinking that trying out this style of building in his own empire might not be a bad idea at all.
"Yeah, but we can chat about that some other time. We should go see my mom now. She's been waiting for us," Riya said. She had given her mother a heads-up about their visit a few weeks ago. They were supposed to arrive a week earlier, but some unexpected things came up in the Southern region of the empire, causing them to delay their trip by a week.
"Sounds good," Aditya agreed, though he couldn't shake off a slight feeling of nervousness. Despite being the Emperor of the Istarin Empire, the thought of meeting Riya's mom to discuss marrying her daughter was a bit nerve-wracking for him.
'Oh man, I hope she's not the super strict type. That would make everything so much harder,' Aditya thought to himself. He knew Amelia was very protective of Riya. When Riya had left her home to live with him, Amelia had written letters to her daughter nearly every day, begging her to come back. This made him a little anxious about the upcoming meeting.
"I'm ready," Riya said while gripping Aditya's hand warmly as she smiled at him. They walked together toward her unique tree house. A housemaid was there to swing the door open as they arrived.
Once they were inside, Aditya was a bit surprised to find that the inside of the tree house looked just like a regular house. It was so similar, in fact, that if you didn't know you were in a tree, you'd never be able to tell just by looking around.
Right at the doorway, the housemaids had thoughtfully placed two pairs of slippers for them to change into. Aditya followed Riya's lead, slipping his feet into the slippers before stepping further into the house. The maids stayed at the entrance; they didn't come along as Riya and Aditya moved down the hall. They walked through a passageway that was about four meters long before finally entering the living room.
Once they were in the living room, Aditya couldn't help but notice a strikingly beautiful woman standing there. She looked so much like Riya that he would've believed anyone who told him they were twins. The only real difference was that this woman seemed more grown-up compared to Riya, and her chest was a bit larger. It was clear to Aditya that this must be Amelia, Riya's mother.
"Mom!" Riya couldn't contain her excitement as she sprinted across the room to embrace her mother.
Amelia also got up from where she was sitting and opened her arms wide to hug her daughter. They held each other tightly for a few minutes, completely lost in the joy of their reunion.
Aditya stood off to the side, feeling a bit out of place during this heartfelt moment. He simply watched the mother-daughter reunion, unsure of what he should do next.
Finally, the lengthy hug came to an end. Riya turned to her mom and started, "Mom, I'd like you to meet—"
Amelia cut her off abruptly, "I know who he is." She walked over to Aditya, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "So you're the guy who took my daughter away from me for months, huh?" Amelia was talking about the months that Riya stayed at the Istarin Empire with Aditya.
Aditya was caught off guard by her cold words. He looked toward Riya, searching her face for some kind of explanation.
Riya appeared just as shocked by her mother's chilly reception. "Mom... what's going on?"
Amelia added sternly, "Don't think that marrying my daughter is going to be a walk in the park."
"What?" Aditya was taken aback. He already had the sense that winning Amelia's approval would be challenging, but he didn't expect her to be so direct in her disapproval right off the bat.
"Because..." Amelia pulled Riya back into another hug and began to gently rub her cheek against her daughter's. She was crying like a child.
"How could I ever let someone take away my most treasured daughter?" Her voice quivered with emotion as she started to cry, still nuzzling her cheek against Riya's.
Aditya stood there, a bit puzzled. 'I thought she'd be more stern and serious, but she's showing a completely different side. Still, it's too soon to make any judgments,' he mused internally.
Riya gave Aditya a somewhat helpless look as if to say, 'What can I do? She's always been this way.' Aditya simply nodded, his expression conveying that he understood, even if the situation was a bit awkward and also funny for him.
After a bit, Riya was finally able to calm her mom down. Even so, her mom clung to her tightly, casting wary glances at Aditya like he was some kind of thief out to snatch her daughter away. Her protective demeanor reminded him of a mother cat ready to hiss and swipe at anyone coming too close to her kittens.
Aditya watched this spectacle, finding it oddly amusing. He had to confess that Amelia's overprotective mannerisms were kind of cute, almost like watching an anxious cat. In that moment, he felt like he was staring at a lovable, if slightly fierce, feline.
At the same time, Riya was gently dabbing her mom's face with a handkerchief, wiping away the lingering tears. Her other arm remained tightly wrapped around her mom, providing both emotional and physical support. Watching this exchange, Aditya was struck by how the roles seemed to have reversed. It was as if Riya was now the parent, comforting and reassuring her own mother. The whole scene left him a bit speechless, yet deeply moved.
'What I am even seeing here?' Aditya thought in his mind.
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