The Paranoid Elf Queen Turned Me Into Her Sister

Volume 4 – Chapter 1: Investigating Astrid’s Recent Mental State

After briefly discussing the part of her memory she had recovered with Diderlay, Teresa left the Tower of Sages with Yimi.

Though she trusted Diderlay, Teresa hadn’t revealed everything. For instance, she never mentioned her trip to the Empire during the holiday, nor did she tell him where exactly she had gone.

Diderlay had clearly noticed that Teresa didn’t intend to explain where she had been during the break, and he hadn’t asked. Just as he said, everything was to be respected according to Teresa’s own wishes. Whatever she chose to share, he would gladly listen. Whatever she preferred not to speak of, he would not press.

“Are you afraid of those Moon Elves?” On the way back, Teresa suddenly asked.

Yimi silently held Teresa’s hand and said nothing. She shook her head—then nodded, as if even she couldn’t explain herself.

“I don’t dislike them.”

Elves instinctively felt a sense of kinship toward their own kind. It was a unity granted by the Mother of Forests. But beyond that, Yimi felt a repulsion she couldn’t express. It wasn’t unfamiliarity—it was a rejection that came from the soul. Perhaps it was tied to her lost memories.

Teresa could see the conflict in Yimi’s heart. She had originally thought that introducing a few more kindred spirits to lonely little Yimi might help her mood. But clearly, it would have to happen slowly.

It was getting late. Dusk had already fallen when they met Diderlay—by now, it was fully dark. The Tower of Sages didn’t provide dinner, so the two of them had no choice but to head to the cafeteria.

The Academy cafeteria remained open 24/7, even during holidays, though it served fewer dishes during those times.

Both of them had small appetites—or rather, Elves in general didn’t eat much. They could draw energy from nature through something akin to photosynthesis, so hunger wasn’t a constant problem.

After dinner, it was time to sleep.

Teresa told Yimi to sleep in her own room while she went to Dylin’s room to sleep. She took off her clothes piece by piece—skirt, over-the-knee socks—and since she had bathed that morning, a quick wipe-down was enough before she headed to bed.

Elves didn’t need much sleep, but after weeks of travel and barely any rest—most of it on hard floors—Teresa found the familiar comfort of a soft bed quickly pulling her into drowsiness.

Since it was her own home, she didn’t lock the door.

Elven sleep was light. Perhaps it was because they didn’t need much, or perhaps it was a habit passed down from generations of life in the forest.

Whatever the reason, beneath the crescent moon, Teresa furrowed her brows in her half-conscious state, sensing something different about her blanket.

She thought it was just that she hadn’t slept in a real bed for so long—but something was off. The quilt felt like it had a warm, wriggling jade stone inside it, and something hard was pressing on her stomach.

She squinted her eyes open and lifted the edge of the blanket. A pair of small eyes stared calmly at her under the cold moonlight.

The little creature in the blanket made no move when discovered. It simply glanced at Teresa, then looked away and went back to sleep.

“..........When did you get here?” That completely unaffected demeanor—Teresa wasn’t about to let her get away with it. Her voice, tinged with grogginess, was cool from having been woken in the middle of the night.

“Not long ago.” Yimi sounded sleepy too, her voice soft and indistinct. After mumbling a vague reply, she lay her little belly back on the bed, pressing her slightly chilly legs against Teresa’s thigh like an octopus, clearly not planning to leave.

“You can’t sleep in your bed? Why’d you have to come here?”

“To assassinate you.” Yimi muttered absentmindedly.

Teresa actually chuckled at that. “And where’s your assassination tool?”

Showing up in a nightgown with nothing else? Less of an assassin, more of a cuddle-bug.

“What, are you scared?” Yimi rubbed her eyes and gave Teresa a sidelong glance. “Scared I’ll make a move on you in the night and keep you awake?”

“Oh, if you wanted to sleep with me, you should’ve just said so.” Teresa smiled and ruffled Yimi’s little head.

“Who wants to sleep with you?! Don’t touch me! I was waiting for you to fall asleep so I could strike!”

“And while waiting, you climbed on top of me and fell asleep yourself?”

“Tch..........” Yimi couldn’t keep up the act.

In the next moment, she felt herself being lifted up by the armpits.

“W-what are you doing?”

“If you want to sleep with me, don’t be so pitiful—why sleep so low? You’re pressing on my stomach. It’s uncomfortable. You can’t sleep like that, right?”

Saying so, Teresa wrapped her arms around Yimi from behind.

Yimi suddenly felt her head sink into a pair of soft, gentle mounds. When she realized that this pillowy thing wasn’t a pillow at all, her face instantly flushed red.

“It’s stuffy in here, but you’re bearing with it, huh? Feel better now~?”

“Mm, mmph..........” Yimi instinctively tried to refute her, but even she could only mumble incoherently at this point.

Feeling Teresa’s warmth and soft body, it was like lying on a heated mattress. At first, the skin-to-skin contact made her legs stiffen as if shocked—but as she relaxed, she turned sideways and clung to Teresa, wrapping her legs tightly around Teresa’s thigh. Only by sticking close to the golden-haired girl did she feel truly at ease.

Like a soaked kitten in search of safety.

Soon, sleep overtook her. Yimi didn’t even know why—she hadn’t been all that sleepy earlier. But embraced by Teresa, surrounded by the faint scent of mint and herbs, it felt like floating on clouds. Her eyelids grew heavy.

Hearing the gentle, steady breathing from the little one in her arms, Teresa gazed down with warm, milk-like tenderness.

“Sleep.” And just like that, the two of them drifted into dreams together.

***

For most students, after lazing around all vacation, nothing was more painful to hear than the words “school’s starting.”

Though Coleman Academy followed the philosophy of “play hard, study hard,” and didn’t assign holiday homework, even so—when students saw their vacation days running out, they couldn’t help but clutch their heads and cry out: “Damn it, why?!”

The so-called “mind-reset” was really about taming their playful spirit. After weeks of indulging, few were ready to stop. Most were still mentally in holiday mode and found it hard to snap back.

And so, a new wave of academic competition silently began. Whoever could reset their mind first would become the new top contender.

But for Astrid, the start of term was actually a good thing.

Not because she was overly studious and desperate to be in the library every second—but because, once she was back home, she had almost nothing to do. Her days consisted of playing with her little sister Sophia, praying to the Mother of Forests, and eating three meals a day. Most of the time, Elves didn’t even eat meals—life back home was significantly duller than it had been at the Academy.

Fortunately, Astrid had brought her suitcase back. Otherwise, she might’ve started gnawing the chair legs out of boredom.

Though the scenery of home was beautiful, something was missing from her life. It felt incomplete.

Astrid didn’t know exactly what it was. She had grown up in the Forest of Sages, lived there all her life—never felt restless before. A holiday back home should have been joyful family time. So why did it feel like her body had returned, but her heart had not?

Ever since she enrolled at the Academy, many things had changed. Strange and bizarre things had happened to her during this break alone.

At first, everything was normal. She visited her father and mother, went through the motions of daily life.

Then, a few weeks in—things turned strange.

Astrid began to have bad dreams.

More accurately—they weren’t nightmares. But the fact that she had the same dream every night made it strange.

And the dreams themselves weren’t creepy. In fact, they were… sweet. To use a human expression—they were “wet dreams.”

Every night when darkness fell, whether meditating or sleeping, she would feel a subtle heat spread through her body—too warm to bear, even on a quiet summer night.

Whenever she opened her eyes, she would see golden strands falling over her chest and shoulders. And looking up—there would be a golden-haired girl seductively nibbling her hair, casting a sultry glance at her, eyes shimmering like rippling water, stirring wave after wave in her heart.

This golden-haired girl—she clearly recognized her.

At first, not realizing it was a dream, Astrid had been shocked to find Teresa there and asked:

“W-why are you here?”

“Ah~ Astrid, you really like playing dumb, huh~?” came Teresa’s flirtatious reply. “Why am I here—you really don’t know?”

Teresa, straddling Astrid, gently placed a hand over her heart, lips as soft as petals brushing the water, slightly parting—

“Listen~ it’s beating so fast.”

“Wha—!” That bold pose short-circuited Astrid’s brain. Her face turned red as she sluggishly tried to resist.

“L-Lady Teresa, d-don’t…”

“Saying ‘don’t,’ but you *want to,’ right~? Your mouth says no, but your body’s being honest~”

“Lady Teresa, w-what are you trying to do?? We…”

“We’re just classmates~?” Teresa smiled sweetly, but her gaze was brimming with affection. “Astrid~ keep telling yourself that lie if you must.”

“Think about it—what am I really to you?”

“Of course, we’re friends…”

“Then~” Teresa leaned in, her smile mischievous. “If that’s really the case—why am I in your dreams~?”

“??” This—was a dream??

“Saying no while dreaming about doing it… even lying to yourself, Astrid~”

“You really are a naughty girl.” Teresa’s impossibly beautiful face leaned in closer and closer. She swept aside her hair and gently brushed her lips like a dragonfly kissing water…

At that moment, Astrid would always jolt awake, look around at her familiar bedroom, and listen to the peaceful sound of spring water against stone outside her window.

Moonlight still shone—so everything just now… had really been a dream?

That night, Astrid couldn’t sleep again.

Even after adjusting, she thought it had just been a fluke.

But a few days later, the same scene returned.

And this time, it was even more intense.

“Move, Astrid~ come on, move~?”

“??” Astrid looked utterly confused. She didn’t see Teresa—but she heard her teasing voice, full of innuendo.

Then two golden strands dropped into view—Teresa’s location became obvious.

Was she… sitting on top of her??

“Eh?! EH?!” Astrid’s eyes spun in confusion.

“Honestly—you were the one who begged me to sit here. But if you don’t move, what’s the point?”

“Or maybe… you need a reward~?”

Saying that, Teresa, seated on Astrid’s back, tugged the whip in her hand and licked her lips.

“W-why is this happening?!”

The dreams only got weirder. One especially vivid dream remained burned into Astrid’s memory:

Teresa sat regally on a throne. From Astrid’s point of view, it looked like she was kneeling.

Teresa elegantly removed her shoes, resting her cheek on her hand, smiling playfully. Then—lifting Astrid’s chin with her nylon-clad foot—forced her to look up…

What even was this?

Astrid had only heard of kissing someone’s hand—never their foot…

What kind of ritual was that??

From then on, Astrid hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep. The worst time—after waking, she was drenched in sweat. Lifting the blanket, she discovered the sheets had been… inexplicably soaked.

It seemed that, due to the constant ‘nightmares,’ her mental state had deteriorated. The one who noticed most was her little sister, Sophia.

One day, seeing her beloved sister dazing off in the flower garden, she hugged her from behind—only for Astrid to yelp: “Lady Teresa?!”

Lady Teresa??

Sophia frowned. If she remembered correctly, that was the name of the Crown Tournament champion.

But why would her sister refer to that human as “Lady”?