You Will Always Be My Daughter

The familiar warmth and softness enveloped her stiffening body, thawing her cold heart after a moment of shock.
Panic set in.
What was happening?
Where had she gone wrong?

Why?
She’d said such hurtful words, yet Karina still held her as before.
Selina instinctively tried to pull away, but her yearning for this warmth made her struggle feeble.
Kant’s rationality clashed with Selina’s sensitivity in a fierce internal battle…

Human emotions are complex.
Even as an elf, decades of human habits ingrained in her soul couldn’t change overnight.
Pure elves often countered such complexity with raw sincerity, silencing doubts.

As the saying goes, sincerity is the ultimate trump card.

“I understand the unease and conflict in your heart.
I understand, I understand it all…”

Without hesitation, Karina pulled Selina into her embrace, one arm tightly around her slender waist, the other gently patting her back with tender, meticulous comfort.

“I know you’re worried about your identity and worth, but that doesn’t matter.
Selina, you must understand—from a young age, I’ve taught you that in the eyes of elves, family is never measured by gain.”

“Whether you’re clever or foolish, beautiful or plain, no matter how the world changes, Selina, in this life, you will always be my daughter—a truth even gods cannot alter…”

Karina’s voice shed all regal authority, her maternal love and gentleness forming an invisible light that enveloped and protected Selina.

Tears welled in her stinging eyes.
“You will always be my daughter” echoed in Selina’s ears, lingering.
She couldn’t believe this woman, who became her mother midway, would say something so profoundly moving.

Elves never lie, and neither does an Empress.

In dealings with elves, there’s no need to scrutinize their words for truth.
Their sincerity and humility make hidden motives feel shameful, their words an unbreakable oath.

The Seraris Continent still tells of a legendary elven mage who, after a companion was slain by a demon king, vowed revenge and embarked alone on a crusade against the demon race.

This trait made Karina’s promise to Selina infinitely precious—not a monarch’s pitying charity, but a mother’s heartfelt confession to her beloved daughter.
From any angle, Selina had no reason to refuse.

She looked up in disbelief, her resilient nature holding back tears.
She gazed at the mother watching her with love.
Yes, this was her mother.
If she’d once resisted the word, now, for Karina, she embraced it from her heart.

Strength isn’t innate.
Most who seem strong merely cloak their fragile hearts in cold, hard shells.
If someone draws close to melt that ice, what’s revealed is often a hidden softness and vulnerability.

“Karina, I…”

Selina’s hoarse voice tried to say more, but Karina gently pressed her left index finger to the girl’s soft lips, her gaze tender.

“No need to say more.
I understand everything you want to express.
You’re my daughter, and as your mother, I know what’s in your heart.
So don’t worry—whatever the outcome, Felicia and I will always be your steadfast support.”

Emotion is a precious thing, capable of moving even the hardest heart to tears.
But its rarity demands it not be wasted.
Selina was in a state of deep emotion, and Karina, wise in the ways of feelings, wouldn’t squander a second of it.

Having lived nearly a millennium, Karina knew that emotional impact was fleeting, its deepest effect short-lived.
Changing her daughter’s mindset wasn’t an overnight task.

A moment’s emotion could work wonders briefly, but once rationality returned, Selina might revert to her old thinking.
The best approach was to stop at the right moment.

At the peak of Selina’s emotion, Karina halted the outpouring.
This risked cooling the warming bond, but if timed well, it preserved the emotional warmth.

Emotion is a release.
At its peak, sensitivity overrides rationality, maximizing its effect.

But if left unchecked, the emotion deflates like a punctured balloon, weakening over time.
Sealing it at the right moment with a comforting phrase locks in the feeling, engraving it in Selina’s heart.

In the future, whenever a fitting moment arose, Selina would recall these words.
Thoughts by day become dreams by night.

Even water can wear through stone.
With sustained warmth and timely emotional nudges, the ice in her daughter’s heart would surely melt.

Even with her memories restored, Selina was still too green compared to Karina, the Empress.
Elves don’t lie, and they’re sincere in their emotions, but that doesn’t mean they lack cunning.

Elves are sincere, not foolish.

In age and experience, even a hundred fifty-year-old Kants couldn’t match a fifteen-hundred-year-old Elven Empress.
While Selina was moved to tears by Karina’s heartfelt words, she was unaware that her mother had masterfully played her emotions.

In terms of strength—hard or soft—Kant was no match for Karina.

For the restored Selina to reclaim her original gender was a pipe dream.
As long as Karina lived, turning the Second Princess’s heart fully feminine was only a matter of time.