385 The Crown Prince
Selma Payne’s POV:
“I’m an outsider, so I can’t comment on the internal affairs of the elves. In short, please do as I say. If you’re still worried, let’s see what the Council of Elders says.”
Although Kaya was very confused, she nodded and left with her subordinates.
After learning about Leviathan, the elders immediately invited us to the palace.
I had told Leviathan everything I knew, and the Council of Elders naturally knew that he had come with ill intentions in the face of such a famous archdemon. They had a fierce argument about how to deal with it, and the reason was a proposal by the Great Elder – he agreed to let Dorothy conduct ‘insight’ into the Elf King.
“As we all know, Cage is His Majesty’s best friend and has always been trusted by His Majesty. Right now, we need someone blood-related to Miss Dorothy and is trusted by the elves, and Cage is the best choice!”
“This is ridiculous!” The elder who disagreed said, “After all, Cage is still a wizard. He’s not an elf. We can’t let our guard down against him! No matter how much His Majesty trusts him, we can’t!”
“Why not? Don’t be so stubborn. We must try everything we can right now.”
“Cage can’t be trusted. If he’s inclined to the elves, why didn’t he give us hints before the elves were attacked? Isn’t he a prophet? He didn’t even notice such a great disaster?”
“The prophecy is just a possibility. If fate doesn’t grant Cage a word or two, he’s no different from us. Besides, our enemies now are the stray werewolves who believe in demons. Don’t blame Cage for this.”
The two sides continued to argue. At this moment, the attendant announced the arrival of the Crown Prince.
In the few days I’d been in the Elven Capital City, I’d tried my best to avoid contacting people like the Crown Prince and the president to avoid suspicion.
The newcomer was a handsome and tall young man-or rather, a teenager. From his overly youthful appearance, it was hard to imagine that he was already in his sixties. However, sixty years old for elves was probably as young as puberty.
The elders saluted him, and the Crown Prince politely returned the greeting. The Crown Prince wasn’t cold or warm to outsiders like us, which made me secretly feel more at ease.
“Honored guests have come from far away. I hope that my people’s hospitality will satisfy you.” He exchanged conventional greetings with me business-like before asking the Council of Elders, “I seem to have heard you guys arguing earlier. Can you tell me why?”
Although they didn’t want to get that close to the Crown Prince, the elders had to answer his question. After all, he was the Prince! Therefore, the Great Elder could only calmly say, “It’s about security, Your Highness. Old men like us often lose our temper when we’re old. I’m sorry to have embarrassed you.”
“No, no, no, don’t say that. Who doesn’t know that all of you are the pillars of the elven race? I can’t even wait to show my respect.”
I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but these words sounded a little strange.
After two rounds of to and fro, the Crown Prince finally got to the point. “Should we make some preparations for the upcoming clan meeting? I don’t want to be too harsh, but as you all know, those mayors who do their things are not easy to deal with. Some people’s disloyalty is almost known to everyone, so I think we should take some necessary precautions.”
In the face of such a blatant test, the Great Elder remained unmoved. “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. The palace guards will make all the necessary preparations.”
Just like that, after a few rounds of beating around the bush, the Crown Prince did not get any information, and the Council of Elders was unwilling to give him any benefits. This inevitably embarrassed the Crown Prince, so he seemed a little gloomy when he left.
We tried our best to remain silent, like decorations, watching the whole journey without making a sound.
It was said that the Elf King had three children – far more than most of his people – and the eldest was the Crown Prince. The second Prince died not long after he was born, and the little princess was only about ten years old; no one knew where she was. It was widely rumored that the Elf King was afraid that his youngest daughter would follow in his second son’s footsteps, so he had hidden her name and placed her in the care of a civilian family to protect her from the Grim Reaper.
To be honest, I didn’t quite understand why the Council of Elders’ attitude toward the Crown Prince was so cold. At present, it seemed that the Crown Prince was the rightful heir to the throne. Even if he had to consider maintaining the balance between the forces, as the confidant of the Elf King, it was normal for the Council of Elders to be closer to him in private.
But of course, I was not stupid enough to ask. This was not my business.
After the Crown Prince left, the debate returned to Cage. In the end, the Great Elder strongly demanded Cage be recalled from the werewolves.
“Don’t think of His Majesty as so fragile, my fellow countrymen.” His gaze was sharp and cold. “The dignity of a King cannot be offended, whether friend or enemy. Only by obtaining the King’s approval can you be taught wholeheartedly. It’s the same no matter who we find because it’s not to comfort His Majesty but our old and weak hearts.”
