Volume 4, Chapter 62 – The Return of the Elf King

After receiving the news from Anastasia that Yelido was returning, Fia immediately sought out Erin Slate to confirm the specific situation. As a result, she had now changed into the noble colors of Silvar—a magnificent gown of white, gold, and royal blue.

“Do I really not have to go out of the city to greet him?” Fia asked in a low voice, standing on the top floor of her palace. The princess’s palace was not particularly tall, but because the Royal Castle was located in a higher-altitude area of Blossom, she could see most of the city’s scenery from its roof.

She could see the city’s main thoroughfare—a wide street called King’s Avenue—being cleared by soldiers. At this moment, only pedestrians were allowed; all the street vendors had been driven away.

“Yes. As the Eldest Princess, you do not need to go out of the city to greet him. This is your special privilege,” Anastasia answered seriously from a step behind her. Besides Fia and Anastasia, Claire, Liti, and Milu were also on the rooftop platform. As the Captain of the Imperial Guard, Erin Slate had already gone to the city gate earlier to personally welcome him.

“You underestimate your own status in the kingdom, Sister. You’re the one who can argue with Father until the sky falls, and give him the cold shoulder in the Royal Castle. You’ve never done something like going out of the city to greet him, so if you don’t go out now, just like before, he won’t say anything.”

“Then are you not going either, Liti?”

“Me? I’m the unfavored little daughter. Whether I go or not, Father won’t care. The only child he cares about is you, Sister,” Liti said, waving her hands as if it were a trivial matter.

On the surface, Liti was a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl, but because she had the experience of being a human, her mental age was not much younger than Anastasia’s. In addition, Yelido rarely interacted with her. Although she called him “Father,” in her heart, she didn’t have much affection for him, much like Fia’s relationship with Veronica.

“From what I’ve learned so far, this family has too many problems. I’m a little worried about what to do next,” Claire said with a wry smile. As Fia’s lover, she was more concerned about the direction of events than Fia was. Everyone hopes that their lover won’t get into a fight with their parents because of them; otherwise, their own position would become extremely awkward.

Understanding her meaning, Fia, who was leaning on the railing and looking at the city gate, let out a long sigh.

“My worries are no less than yours, Claire.”

Putting aside the fact that she had killed his brother, Aldrich, while he was away, the matter of her memory loss alone was enough to give her a headache.

Fia didn’t know what kind of attitude to adopt towards Yelido, nor did she know how he would treat her after learning of her amnesia. The unknown was always nerve-wracking. No matter how detestable he was, he was still her father. She couldn’t just kill him because he was annoying and a potential threat, as she had with Prince Schain.

Hearing the trouble in her voice, Anastasia tilted her head slightly, her waist-length golden hair swaying gently in the cold wind.

“Is Your Highness worried about His Majesty’s attitude after he learns of your memory loss?”

“Not entirely.” Anastasia was indeed the person who had been by her side the longest; she had seen what was troubling her at a glance. Fia turned around, her exquisite, doll-like face showing a look of dejection. “To be honest, I have no idea what the atmosphere was like when I used to get along with my Father. Should I use the kind of intimate attitude of a normal daughter welcoming her father home? Or should I stick to my old, cold personality and only communicate with the most basic words? I don’t know his attitude towards me, nor do I know what he will say. I’m a little nervous.”

“You can refer to your past behavior when facing His Majesty. In the past, even when you faced him, you would only use the shortest of sentences. After nearly a hundred years, he has also adapted to your way of speaking… perhaps it is more appropriate to say that he is also of a taciturn personality.”

“Is Yelido… My Father is also a taciturn person?”

Fia’s expression became delicate. She could already imagine what it would be like for two people who didn’t like to talk to be together. For example, they would just say “morning” to each other when they met, and then not another word. It would be terrifyingly awkward.

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Her mother completely ignored her, and her father was a traditional, quiet man. It was no wonder the princess was not good at expressing her emotions. In fact, it was a great blessing that she hadn’t developed some kind of psychological illness.

However, before Fia could form a fixed impression, Liti stepped forward to explain.

“No, no, there are still some differences between Father and Sister. He is just cautious in his words and actions, and doesn’t talk much to maintain the dignity of a king. Sister is naturally not fond of talking. In private, he is no different from a normal father, just too serious and unsmiling.”

“I see…”

A rough impression formed in Fia’s mind. This indeed fit the portrait of the Elf King hanging in the audience chamber. In the portrait, he had the appearance of a human man in his thirties, with shoulder-length golden hair. The lines of his face were sharp and defined, and his red eyes always exuded a sense of pressure. Except for the lack of a beard and his handsome elven features, every characteristic made him seem exceptionally majestic. He was the type of imposing man who would make one feel oppressed, as if standing before a wall.

If it were a person with a weaker personality, they would find it difficult to refuse or resist his commands.

“So, I just have to be a little colder, just like before?”

“I believe there will be no problem.”

“That’s how you used to be with Father, Sister. He must have gotten used to it long ago. If you suddenly act enthusiastically towards him, he will find it strange instead—he might even be happy, who knows. After all, you are his favorite.”

“His favorite…”

Fia gave a wry smile.

Although Yelido loved the princess, he didn’t let her do whatever she wanted in every matter. She should still take it one step at a time.

She hoped things would go smoothly.

“There’s movement at the city gate.”

Claire’s words made everyone’s gaze follow King’s Avenue to the gate. Just as she had said, as two teams of soldiers in standard armor poured into the street from the gate, the pedestrians on the road quickly lowered their heads and knelt on the ground. Then, a fluttering blue banner appeared in their vision. A team of soldiers, with Earth Dragons at the vanguard, was slowly entering the city.

A single Earth Dragon had the strength of a Third-Rank. To be able to equip an army with them as mounts, only Silvar had the national strength to do so in the entire northern continent.

“Father is back. Sister, we should go to the Sea Palace.”

“Mhm.”

Fia nodded lightly. She looked at the silver-haired Claire in her dark-colored dress behind her, wanting to say something. However, Claire, anticipating her, smiled and waved her hand.

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“Milu and I will not be going. We have to prioritize. We can talk about our matters when there is time.”

Her meaning was clear. She was not an elf. To go to the Sea Palace with Fia would surely arouse Yelido’s suspicion and lead to a discussion about their relationship. With the elves’ sense of racial superiority, and the past of Veronica and Clark, there was a very high probability that he would object to this relationship. And the most urgent matter now was to deal with the fact that Fia had lost her memory of him, and that she had killed her uncle who had launched a coup. She didn’t want to cause Fia any more trouble.

“Claire is so good to you, Sister. I’m a little envious.”

“That won’t do. My heart is already full,” Claire answered Liti’s low murmur with a smile. “But if it’s envy on a sisterly level, I can treat little Liti like an older sister.”

“It’s less like a sister…”

And more like a brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Liti did not say this out loud. The effect of the forgetting curse on her was more obvious than on Anastasia. After hearing Fia’s explanation and seeing Claire in person, Anastasia had gradually recovered her forgotten memories. But Liti had forgotten half of them and could not recall them no matter what. She did not remember Claire destroying the Unsinkable Moon, only that her relationship with Fia was very close.

“Are you sure you’re not coming with us, Claire?”

It was precisely because she knew Claire was thinking of her that Fia couldn’t help but ask. Her choice made her feel indebted. This kind of concession made it feel as if Claire was not as important as other things, but that was not the case.

Claire smiled and stroked Fia’s smooth black hair. This action made Milu, at the side, pout, but since she was standing at the edge, no one noticed.

“I’m not saying we won’t deal with it, just that we’ll talk about it later. To talk about a lot of things at once, anyone would be overwhelmed, and the Elf King is no exception. And compared to solving things with a fight, a more peaceful method is more pleasant and more convincing, isn’t it? If you solve the unpleasant things first, the success rate of persuading others will be higher. So it’s better to solve them one by one.”

“Mmm…”

Since Claire had already said this much, even if Fia wanted to say something, it was no longer convenient. She felt the comfortable feeling of Claire’s fingertips brushing through her hair and sighed a little unhappily.

“Alright then. I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”

“Mhm. Go on,” as if she had thought of something, a look of concern appeared in Claire’s clear, emerald-green eyes, and she urged seriously, “Even if you’ve lost your memory, remember that he is your father.”

“I know. Liti, Anastasia, let’s go.”

“Okay~”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

◇

There were a total of four large palaces in the Royal Castle of Blossom. Among them, there were two places for meetings. They were the Gray Palace, made of gray stone walls, and the Sea Palace, which had the appearance of a large sapphire.

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The Gray Palace was a legacy left by the previous elf kingdom before Silvar was founded, while the Sea Palace was a new palace built after its founding.

It should be said that although both were meeting places, they had very different focuses. The occasions for using the Sea Palace were more formal, such as for sacrificial rites, bestowing titles, or the king issuing important decrees. The Gray Palace, on the other hand, was relatively casual. To be specific, the former focused on the king unilaterally announcing matters, while the latter was a place where many nobles gathered to discuss matters together, and was more free.

It was for this reason that the layout of the two grand halls was also very different. The audience chamber of the Sea Palace had a high platform and a throne for the king, while the Gray Palace, although it also had a similar position with a panoramic view, had a large round table and many seats in the middle of the hall, allowing the nobles to sit down and discuss. The audience chamber Fia usually went to was located in the Gray Palace.

Now, Fia and the many nobles and ministers were all waiting in the spacious and solemn audience chamber of the Sea Palace. Everyone stood in several rows according to their usual positions, waiting for the master of this chamber to arrive.

As the crown princess, Fia naturally stood in the first row closest to the throne, followed by the Prime Minister, Kalsey, and other nobles of higher status. As for Yulisha and the other consorts, because the elf kingdom had a tradition of consorts not being involved in politics, they were not present.

The grand hall was filled with the whispers of the ministers and nobles. With her outstanding elven hearing, Fia could capture conversations like “His Majesty is still alive,” “Gwyn is in deep trouble,” and “the Milcandis Holy Kingdom is in for it this time.” No one cared about Prince Schain’s death.

In the eyes of these “outsiders,” rebellion was a capital offense. It didn’t matter if he was a royal; the outcome would not change. In fact, when Fia had calmed the storm he had created afterwards, Yulisha had told her not to worry about the King punishing her. It was all what he deserved. If it had been Yelido, he would have been even more ruthless. What Fia had done would only make him happy, like helping a superior solve a problem that was inconvenient for him to deal with directly. On the surface, the superior would give some symbolic punishment, but in reality, he would give a promotion after a period of time.

That being said, Fia was not unprepared. She had taken the opportunity of proposing to the Prime Minister to annul Liti’s engagement to convey the idea that “if Yelido wants to symbolically criticize me, you should stand up and suggest sending me to the south for training.” The south was close to the Netherworld, and she could take this opportunity to look for Estelle’s older sister.

As for the reward for the Prime Minister, Fia had used a simple and crude method. She had him send people to manage the fiefs of Prince Schain and Count Reinhardt, and at the same time, confiscate their property. Although their property would go to the state treasury, there was a lot of profit to be made in the process. It was like moving a piece of meat from the table to the refrigerator. The meat did indeed end up in the refrigerator, but as the one who had handled it, there would surely be a layer of grease on one’s hands.

The only thing to worry about was that because she had lost her memory, Yelido’s actions would become unpredictable. Whether it was the matter of Anastasia, Claire, or even Mizuki, dealing with them made one feel apprehensive.

At this thought, Fia groaned internally. To this day, Erin Slate and the others had not been able to find any other information left by the princess in the library. It seemed that all she had left for posterity was that one passage she had seen.

She didn’t know what the princess had been thinking at that time. If she could have a conversation with her (or perhaps her past self), it would be for the best.

“His Majesty the Elf King has arrived!”

Abruptly, a loud cry from the Imperial Guard sounded from outside the grand hall. No one turned around. Both the nobles and the ministers knelt on one knee with a series of thuds, bowing their heads deeply.

Do I need to kneel as well?

Fia suddenly realized this problem. If Yelido were a king of upright character, she certainly wouldn’t hesitate. But she happened to know what disgusting things he had done, so she became indecisive.

And as she was thinking this, she had already become as conspicuous as a crane in a flock of chickens. She was the only one still standing in the entire grand hall. At the same time, she heard the sound of hard-soled boots stepping on the carpet behind her. The approaching thudding sound was like a drum beating on her heart, making her skin crawl.

She had surely already been seen by him. Instead of kneeling now and being laughed at for not knowing etiquette, it was better to just stand here. Since she had her memory loss as a shield, even if a conflict arose, he couldn’t do anything to her.

At this thought, Fia simply straightened her back and quietly waited for the owner of the footsteps to pass by.

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Thump—thump—thump—

The footsteps were so slow they seemed to be deliberately increasing the pressure in one’s heart. Feeling as if there were thorns on her back, Fia raised her guard, and her body temperature also rose slightly. She felt she might already be sweating. For everyone to be kneeling while she was standing straight in the hall was too peculiar, not to mention that the other party was that Yelido.

And then, the owner of the footsteps finally approached her side. Like the rising score in a horror movie, just as she felt him walk up beside her, the thudding footsteps abruptly stopped.

She had been noticed.

Fia secretly clicked her tongue.

She instantly thought of a response in her mind. However, he just walked a little ahead of her and turned back slightly.

“Dofi…”

A slightly world-weary and deep male voice.

Fia raised her head. Her magnificent, ruby-like eyes reflected his face—compared to the portrait hanging on the wall, although the current Yelido still had the handsome appearance of a man in his thirties without a beard, his expression had a hint of obvious fatigue. After seeing her, a hint of observation appeared in his eyes, as if he were looking for the differences between the current her and the past.

Fia lowered her head slightly in response.

“Welcome back… Father.”

The word “Father” was extremely difficult for Fia to say. She knew he loved her very much, yet she felt a little awkward. When she had called Yulisha and the other consorts “Mother,” she had not felt this kind of awkwardness at all.

“…”

Although he had received her welcome, the golden-haired Yelido was not happy. On the contrary, he was suddenly stunned, and a feeling as if he had lost something precious appeared in his eyes. Even his lips trembled and turned pale. Fia suddenly felt that in that instant, he had aged ten years. The distance between the two of them had stretched to infinity. It took him a long time to squeeze out a single sentence.

“You’ve really changed…”

With that, Yelido, who was a full head taller than her, reached out his hand to her, but it stopped midway. Fia could feel that he wanted to stroke her head, but for some reason, he withdrew the thought, a pained groan coming from his throat.

A moment later, he walked to the throne on the high platform. He sat down and, with the posture of a monarch, looked down at everyone in the hall, his low voice wrapped in a clear anger.

“Someone tell me, what in the world has been going on!”