"Has little Maria come?" An aged female voice sounded from the room. A few moments later, an old but amiable looking old Elvin woman slowly walked out.
"Mother!" Maria emotionally called out when she saw her mother.
The old woman glanced at Maria with a loving look and nodded before her gaze found Max and the group standing behind her.
She smiled lightly and said, "Why is everyone still standing out? Please come in. Cough! Cough!"
Maria hurriedly walked up to her and supported her. "Mother, you aren't allowed to overexert yourself, right? Why did you come out? Let's go in." She then led her inside.
The old man smiled wryly, seeing that Maria only seemed to care for her mother. He then glanced at Max, and the group politely invited them in. "Please come inside."
...
After a while, Maria's mother and father were sitting on a wooden bed and Max and the group were on another. Maria was standing beside her parents' bed with her head held down.
Her parents wore solemn face and were silently looking at Max, the three beautiful ladies beside him.
Maria's heart was pounding loudly, and she felt enormous pressure weigh down on her heart and mind. She had just told her parents about her relationship with Max and was worried that they might object since almost every elf hates humans.
Max was feeling very awkward under the old couple's gazes. However, he couldn't do nothing but wait for their decision.
A while later, Maria's father opened her mouth and asked with a stoic expression on his face, "So, these young ladies are your woman. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Max nodded.
"And now you want my daughter too?" Her father continued to ask.
Max didn't know what to say in reply to his question that wouldn't look as bad as, 'Yes, I want her too.' but nothing came to his mind. So, he could only awkwardly nod his head, "Ah... Yes."
Her father frowned and was about to say something when his wife gently shook her head and stopped him.
She looked at him with a faint smile and asked, "I only want to know if you can promise to treat her with due love and care and let no one bully her?"
Maria trembled and waves of happiness surged into her heart upon hearing her mother ask this. She knew her mother had approved of their relationship. She raised her head slightly to look at Max, waiting to hear his answer.
Max's heart skipped a beat for some reason when he heard this question. After a moment of silence, he stood up and bowed toward them. "Yes, I promise."
When Maria saw him stand up, her heart almost stopped beating, thinking that he was going to walk out, but seeing him bow to her parents and promise to love and care for her, a beautiful smiled blossomed on her lips.
Rima, Belen and Leticia felt complicated feeling rise in their heart upon witnessing this.
Maria's father nodded slightly, seeing him with such humility even though he was a noble and a mage while they were nothing but commoners.
He asked him to sit and calmly said, "I see you are a mage and seem to be quite talented. So, you must also aspire to reach higher heights like everyone else, right? If so, you are sure to encounter countless obstacles and danger in your journey. Can you confidently say that my daughter won't be in any danger if she becomes your woman?"
Max glanced at Maria for a moment and shook his head. "I can't."
His answer caught everyone off guard. However, before they could react, Max resolutely said, "Although I can't guarantee there would be no danger, I promise you that as long as I'm alive, I won't let her suffer any grievance."
Hearing this, everyone's agitated emotion calmed down. Maria's parents glanced at each other and smiled. They then looked at Maria, who blushed and turned her face away, and then Max. "Since you both like each other, we won't ruin your happiness."
"Thank you." Max sighed in relief after hearing this, while Maria felt as if she was on cloud nine. She couldn't control her happiness and started crying.
The old couple smiled wryly seeing this. Rima, Leticia and Belen stood up and walked to her side and started congratulating her.
Maria's mother glanced at Rima and others and asked, "Noble misses, could you please take her to the other room for a while? We would like to talk with young sir for a moment in private."
Rima and others nodded and led Maria to the other room, leaving her parents and Max alone in the room.
Max looked at Maria's parents curiously, waiting for them to speak.
Maria's father looked at her mother and sighed. "Young sir Max, my wife and I are suffering from a serious illness and won't survive for more than a year."
Max was stunned. Although Maria had told him that her parents were old and suffering from some illness, he never expected that it was so serious. He asked in a low voice, "She doesn't know, does she?"
The old man shook his head. "No, she doesn't." He sighed and continued, "Before today, we have been worrying that she might do something she shouldn't after we died because that little girl loves us a little too much and has no one else to live for."
He then smiled, "However, that was before today. Now that she found someone she loves and wants to spend her life with, we aren't worried anymore. We just hope that young sir will take her with you when you leave the city and don't let her come back until one year."
Max couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Elders, since you are asking me to do this, you must already know that she isn't willing to leave with me, right? It's not like I can forcefully take her away."
The couple sighed and fell silent.
Max was silent for a moment before he asked, "Can you tell me what illness you have? Maybe I can find its cure."
*****
Bonus chapter (15/15)
