Chapter 278 Hidden Feelings

"You are doing well, my dear."

Elena could not help the wide grin that covered her face when she heard the compliment from one of the people she looked up to the most in the world.

"Thank you, Baba Yaga." She bowed her head, still beaming.

The old man with a head full of white hair smiled again and shook his head before turning to look out of the window of his house on the mountain top.

"I heard from your father that you wish to take part in the war, hmm?" Baba Yaga asked without looking back at Elena.

"Um, yes. I want to get more battle experience." Elena bowed her head and fiddled with her hands in her lap.

"Is there another reason? A person, perhaps?" Baba Yaga's smile widened as Elena's ears trembled atop her head. Her neck and cheeks went red as she became even more flustered.

"N-no! It's not like t-that!" She instantly tried to defend herself.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, my daughter. I approve, but he will need to visit me soon, or else I will take back my blessing. Also, don't forget to get approval from your family." Baba Yaga laughed and placed his hand on top of Elena's head to calm her down.

"I-I understand... But..." She trailed off.

"But, what?"

"...He doesn't know..." Elena whispered, feeling the height of shame and embarrassment.

"Oh, then I guess you will have to tell him. Love is not a one sided agreement. If he does not agree, then you are only setting yourself up for disappointment. And I do not want to see my little pup sad." Baba Yaga smiled lovingly and ruffled Elena's head of hair. "Ask your mother for advice. I am not the best person to advise you on this area. Also, don't forget, follow your heart, but do not be blinded by it. You are a strong warrior, and a caring woman. I believe in you." Baba Yaga said seriously and nodded at Elena.

"Thank you." Elena nodded her head with a small smile on her face.

"Good, now return to your family. I wish you the best, and you shall have my protection on the battlefield." Baba Yaga nodded and turned to fully face the window of the room, his white eyes glazed over as he stared into the cloudy sky.

Elena got up and quietly left the room. On the way out of the house, she picked up her fur coat and put it on, before stepping out into the blistering wind that blew around the peak of the mountain.

'I've been thinking of how I'll go about with my feelings, but now that I have Baba Yaga's approval, I feel much more at ease.' Elena paused at the front and stared at her hands for a moment before letting out a sigh. She then quickly continued her descent, and after a while, she arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

"So strange." She said to herself and looked up at the tall mountain. Normally, it should take days to reach the peak by foot, yet it had only taken her roughly half an hour. Baba Yaga was truly amazing.

"Elena?" Just then, someone called out to the red haired girl. She turned around, and then beamed with a wide grin as her older brother, Darius, appeared.

"Dar?" She called out to him and went up to hug him.

"Hey, little wolf. What are you doing out here?" Darius grinned and hugged her back.

"I came to see Baba Yaga for some advice. I was just heading back home." She replied.

"Oh, then let's go together. I am done with my watch, and was also heading back." Darius nodded and the two of them continued on their journey home. As they walked, they came across many people, who greeted them with happiness and smiles. As the children of the town chief, they were rather popular.

Soon, they arrived at their house, and with a fit of laughter from a joke that Darius had told, they stumbled into the house, taking off the extra layers that they wore for the cold.

"Noisy pups, hush up." Marina, their mother, said as she passed through the corridor that led deeper into the house, carrying some plates. "Come and help me clean up." She added with a wide grin, her white hair getting in her eyes.

Elena's eyes brightened as she saw her mother. After not seeing her smile or laugh for so many years, she never got tired of even the smallest smile that Marina gave. She hurriedly followed after Marina into the kitchen, while Darius dragged his feet, but still followed after them.

The trio began to clean up the house while cracking jokes and laughing aloud. Thirty minutes later, when they were just rounding up, Rodius and Maria returned to the house as well, albeit with serious expressions on their faces.

Rodius stepped into the kitchen with a frown on his face, but when he saw Marina, that frown melted away to give room for a soft smile. Marina shot back a grin and waved at Rodius like a love sick teenager.

"Darius, come with me. We need to talk." Eventually, Rodius remembered the reason he had come back home in a gloomy mood and departed with his son, leaving just Elena and Marina to themselves.

With the two of them alone in the kitchen, Marina continued to steal glances of her daughter's smiling face. Elena was engrossed in drying the washed plates with a dreamy smile on her face. She had turned into a puppet that had been programmed to do just one thing, and that was to dry the plates.

However, Elena's senses were sharp, and she soon felt her mother's increasingly more intense stares.

"I can feel you staring, you know." She eventually giggled as she kept another plate to the side.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just wondering what has you so distracted, with a dreamy look on your face like that." Marina gave her youngest child a knowing look and smiled.

"Oh!" Elena's face suddenly turned beet red. She had not known that the was so obvious.

"You remind me of when I first met your father. I would sit, staring out of the window, with my head in the clouds as I daydreamed about him..." Marina sighed as she recalled the days when she was younger. "So, my cute little pup, who's the boy?" She giggled and leaned against the counter, using her hand to support her head.

"W-what? Who told you there was anyone?" Elena held up her hands to her face and turned around so she did not have to face her mother.

"Hahaha, you don't need to be shy around me. I'm just curious. You're a grown woman, and can make your own decisions. I just want to know if he is worthy of my precious little gem." Marina put her hands on Elena's shoulders and smiled. She turned her around again so they would be facing each other.

"Tell me." She grinned.

"I-It's someone..." Elena murmured.

"That much is obvious, I want some details!" Marina grinned wider and dried her hands up before taking Elena's hand and leading her to the side where they could sit.

Elena's embarrassment grew greater, but she was happy she could spend time with her mother like this after so long. So, she happily obliged and told Marina about Leon, but she did not tell her everything.

"He's tall, dark skin, the prettiest deep purple eyes..." Elena began to describe the features of Leon's human form. "Also, he's got a very nice deep voice." She whispered.

Marina sat there and took all this in with wide, intrigued eyes. She was excited to see her daughter interested in someone, which meant that she was maturing, but she was also a bit sad and regretful for the same reason. Her two other children had grown up, and now, her youngest was also growing up.

"I want to meet this boy. I want you to be happy, my dear, but I cannot allow him to take you away from me without knowing him well enough." Marina sighed and held up a hand to the side of Elena's face.

"Um... That's the thing. He doesn't know I feel this way yet..." Elena said in a whisper so light that even Marina was almost unable to pick it up.

Crash!

Just then, the sound of something falling and breaking rang through the house, followed by a sharp silence.

Elena and Marina stared into each others' eyes as they remembered the fact that this was a house where everyone except Marina was a Beastkin.

"Oh, well... At least, there are no more secrets?" Marina tried to bring light to the situation with a hesitant smile.