"It seems I was late to the party; what were you guys talking about?" Said Edvin in a merry mood as he sat beside Fulton, directly across from Eyvor.
"We were talking about the battle Prince Elif fought in; unfortunately, I was doing something, so I couldn't watch the battle; however, I heard you displayed an astonishing feat, Prince Elif." Answered Fulton while frowning at Edvin's arrival.
"Yes, you should've been there, Fulton; Prince Elif fought against three powerful opponents, and even though they used a battle formation, they were still defeated! Not to mention that they had trapped him in an illusion, yet Prince Elif still managed to break out of it with seemingly relative ease." Remarked Yolen, who also frowned at Edvin's presence before excitedly discussing the battle.
When Yolen said that, Fulton's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he briefly looked at me before staring at Eyvor for confirmation.
"Yolen is speaking the truth; I, too, found it hard to believe that someone the same age as me was capable of such a thing." Said Eyvor as she nodded at Fulton while still feeling slightly incredulous about the entire battle.
"Haa, now I wish I could've been there as well. Hopefully, someone recorded it on a crystal ball so I can watch it later." Commented Clove with a sad sigh.
"I already have a recording of the battle on a crystal ball; I planned on watching it, but the banquet was about to commence, so I was forced to postpone it. If you want, I can send the crystal ball when I finish it." Said Fulton, to which Clove happily nodded in agreement.
"I still don't understand why you guys are making such a big deal out of the battle; from my perspective, it was not that impressive." Remarked Elif, and while everyone thought he was merely being humble, Eyvor and Edvin knew he truly meant those words.
"Haha, no need to be so humble, Prince Elif; escaping an illusion is an extraordinary achievement for someone of your age and experience." Said Patriarch Aasveig with a smile while laughing.
"Whatever you say, Patriarch Aasveig." Replied Elif in a dismissive tone.
"Anyways, let us change topics since the one involved doesn't really seem to be interested in the conversation; how about explaining your experience at Fairyopolis? I heard you and Eyvor did some gambling." Stated Edvin, though the real reason why he decided to change topics was he didn't like Elif being praised.
"As I already said before you arrived, Fairyopolis was quite entertaining, though Eyvor and I didn't manage to explore the entirety of Fairyopolis. We plan to finish where we left off before I leave, if you don't mind, Eyvor?" Said Elif as he looked to the left at Eyvor.
"Yes, I would love to continue exploring Fairyopolis with you." Replied Eyvor with a beautiful smile, which elicited various thoughts from everyone present.
"Ho, with the way you asked that, Prince Elif, it seems like you're asking Eyvor on a date. Or maybe you are asking her on a date?" Declared Yolen as she suspiciously eyed Elif and Eyvor while smirking, though her words generated various emotions from the people present.
I was about to deny her claim; however, when I glanced at Edvin and noticed his ugly expression, it caused me to remember what Eyvor had told me about Edvin and what he did to any male that got close to her. Nevertheless, since he already harbors malicious intentions for me, I figured I should repay him for his poor attempt to humiliate me.
"Y-Yolen! Don't assume things like that; Prince Elif was merely being friendly; he didn't mean it like that! Besides, he doesn't know his way around Fairyopolis, and my presence can help him!" Exclaimed Eyvor with a blushed face as she attempted to rationalize Elif's statement.
"Why are you getting so defensive, Eyvor? I merely asked a question; besides, it was directed at Prince Elif, not you." Replied Yolen as the smirk on her face deepened.
"I'm not getting defensive; however, since you wish for Prince Elif to answer it so badly, so be it. Can you please tell her that you merely meant it as a friendly gesture?" Said Eyvor as the blush on her face deepened from embarrassment before ignoring her and looking at Elif; However, unfortunately, or fortunately, Elif had different plans.
"Ho, that is a wonderful idea, Yolen; why didn't I think about it sooner? How about it, Eyvor? Let's make it a date, I'll even leave my servants at home, so it'll be just you and I. Doesn't that sound splendid?" Said Elif with a light smile as he eyed Eyvor while finding Edvins infuriated expression amusing.
"Oh my, I was merely teasing; I never expected this outcome." Muttered Yolen quietly in surprise as she curiously watched the now apple-faced Eyvor, who just sat there silently with a shocked expression.
"Ugh, why couldn't it have been me?" Whispered Clove sadly, already on the verge of tears.
"Aren't you going to respond, Eyvor? I know I'm charming, but it is quite rude to stare at me." Stated Elif with a smile as he flicked back his hair behind his ear.
"Y-Y-Y-Yes." Replied Eyvor with a red face after nearly failing a couple of times; yet, her answer caused both of her parents to have awkward faces since they knew the truth about the Royal Elves.
However, before I could respond, Edvin interrupted, and when I noticed he no longer had an angry expression, I had a feeling he was going to ruin my fun.
"Don't you think that is a bit much, Prince Elif? I wouldn't have spoken out if I thought you might've been serious with Eyvor; however, I can't stay quiet knowing that your actions will stain Eyvor's chastity, possibly ruining her future." Announced Edvin solemnly as he stared at Elif.
"Of course, as her cousin, I'd only expect you would have her best interest in mind; however, how do you know I'm not being serious?" Said Elif with a slight frown as he noticed the smirk on Edvins face while eying him.
"Even if you were being serious, what about your little sister? Would she be okay with Eyvor possibly being your partner?" Questioned Edvin with a smirk, to which Elif merely clicked his tongue and stayed quiet, as he realized speaking any more would be useless since Edvin already knew the truth.
"I know this is all merely speculation, though why would you even bring up Princess Elaine in this scenario? While I'm sure her words and feelings hold weight in his heart, I don't think it would be enough to move him if he truly loved Eyvor, No?" Asked Yolen in curiosity while also slightly regretting her attempt at teasing Eyvor.
"Hehe, while the Elven Empire are our allies, it seems like you don't know what goes on between the Prince and Princess of the Elven Empire. Allow me to explain, that is, if Prince Elif doesn't mind." Stated Edvin with a nasty smirk as he looked over to Elif.
"Why are you even looking at me? I've got nothing to hide, besides it's not like it would matter even if I stopped you, you've already aroused everyone's interest, and I'm sure they could easily find out the truth if they so wished." Said Elif with an expression of slight annoyance before ignoring Edvin.
"Well then, since Prince Elif doesn't mind, I'll continue. You see, the moment the Prince or Princess is born, they already have a predetermined lover; of course, that isn't strange; it's quite common in kingdoms and Empires. Yet what is strange is that the Prince and Princess are forbidden from having more than one partner; I don't know why, as the book I learned this from didn't go into detail about it." Said Edvin with a large smile, as his information was enough for everyone present to draw their own conclusion, and they all arrived at the correct answer.
"From the expression on your faces, it seems like you've arrived at the correct conclusion; Prince Elif and Princess Elaine are each other's destined partners." Declared Edvin, his words causing everyone except Patriarch and Matriarch Aasveig to look at him in surprise.
"You see, that's why I can't allow Eyvor to agree on a date with Prince Elif; even if he likes her, he will be forbidden from having her as his partner. Not to mention it'll ruin her image in the future when everyone knows about it; they'll see her as just one of Prince Elifs playthings." Added Edvin with an evil smirk, and while he may be slightly exaggerating, he wasn't entirely wrong.
Seeing everyone stare at me, I was about to say something, yet before I could, Eyvor silently stood up and swiftly exited the dining hall while leaving a trail of tears on the ground.
'How do Fairies even cry in the first place? A better question is, how do they even eat?' Pondered Elif, though now wasn't the appropriate time for those thoughts.
"Edvin, that was idiotic and rude to say such things when her birthday party was in a matter of days!" Reprimanded Patriarch Aasveig with a frown before shifting his focus over to Elif.
"I know Patriarch Aasveig, I feel terrible, but I couldn't just stay quiet and allow her future to possibly be ruined." Replied Edvin while attempting to shift the blame over to Elif.
"And you, Prince Elif, I doubt you had that intention, but your actions could've seriously ruined her future; I suggest you apologize to Eyvor." Said Patriarch with a frown.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, [https://discord.gg/TGc9yymDJP]
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 218: Fairy and Dryads) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 100: Grievances) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 171: Flying Nimbus!?)|| Marvel's Black Steel (Chapter 88: Call Of Help) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]