NOVEL NEXT 66 – The Archduke of the Elves
Chapter 66 - The Archduke of the Elves
Nathan Evenhart:
Chloe, Kinue, and I were having dinner while reminiscing about everything that had happened in the past few months. The once-shy fox girl was becoming a bit more confident, and she had even started learning self-defense with Martha.
“Do all the maids know how to fight like her?” Kinue asked Chloe.
“The ones who work inside the mansion, yes. The others in the castle are regular trusted maids,” my cousin replied.
To this day, I still can’t tell the difference… I treat them all as if they’re equally insane assassin-torturers…
“Are they members of your allied families?” she asked.
“Most of them grew up in the village near the castle or are relatives of the soldiers who work here. These are people who have been doing this for generations, which is why all their families work in the fortress or on our farms around the castle,” Chloe explained.
The two continued chatting.
“If I could, I’d like to become a warrior maid when I grow up. They’re so cool,” Kinue said.
Chloe and I exchanged glances.
Cool? That’s because she’s never seen or heard one of them torturing someone. Even I, who’ve seen plenty of bizarre things in my previous life, was surprised to see those beautiful women in uniform doing that sort of thing like it was just another task. With the same hands they use to wash my clothes, I’ve seen one of them pluck out an eyeball… and crush it like grapes.
Me doing it is one thing, but seeing the gentle maid who takes care of you doing that while smiling… would definitely shock anyone.
I left the two to their conversation while I thought about battle strategies considering a mage’s mana reserve.
Running out of mana in a battle is certainly dangerous. I think that’s why mages learn to fight with weapons—to avoid depending entirely on magic.
Though people like Chloe, whose primary category is an Emitter, naturally have a larger reserve than someone like me, whose primary category is a Transmitter. She can naturally cast long-range spells, while I, with Emitter as my secondary category, will need to work hard to master long-range magic.
I didn’t become an Aura General easily; I fought and bled to reach that level, and I’ll do the same with mana. I don’t need to worry about battle training; I just need to strengthen my body and take advantage of the physical enhancements of lightning and now my wind element. I’ll have all the time in the world to master mana now that I’ve learned to control my flow better. The progress I’ve made in this short time has already shown that I can become an excellent mage, but I don’t want to be just an excellent mage. I want to be the General of Mana.
Katherine Evenhart:
We were in Margaery's room, and the time had come for the children’s initial magic training to conclude. Adrihna had requested a private meeting to discuss some delicate matters that couldn’t be overheard by others.
During this time, she had sent a few messages to the royal family of the elves… She even had an expensive device for limited message sending, which cost a fortune.
“What are we going to do about Katie and my nephew?” Margaery asked.
Adrihna had updated us with some information, and we had agreed to the arrangement.
“You’ve been offered the opportunity to move to the palace in the elven kingdom.”
“That’s already been declined,” I responded immediately.
She adjusted her monocle.
"Very well, but know that I’m just doing my duty by bringing this up again, Lady Katherine," she said.
"Katherine is just fine for me."
The superior elf looked a bit confused. By obligation, I should be treated with respect due to my position in the elven kingdom, but that didn’t matter to me.
"I’m just a commoner, Adrihna; I don’t like that sort of thing. It’s just the three of us here, and there’s no need for that. Our concern is of mutual interest regarding young Nathan," I said.
She looked at me, seeming to understand.
"But you should know that at some point, I’ll have to address you by your royal title, whether you like it or not... with all due respect, of course," she replied.
Margaery took a seat in a chair. "Understood," she said.
I also sat down, but Adrihna remained standing.
"As for young Nathan, we’re still in a diplomatic limbo, and we’ll keep his existence hidden for now. We don’t want anyone to discover your presence until he’s older and ready to take on his responsibilities," she said.
"Is there any way to deny the inheritance?" I asked.
Adrihna’s expression grew serious, almost shocked. "Deny the honor of the Archduke’s political position?" she asked, incredulous.
Margaery pressed her temples, thinking about the problems we’d have to face. She had warned me this could happen, but we didn’t truly believe it until it did.
"Katie just wants Nathan to have a simple life. I told you they lived in a village, and if it weren’t for me, she would still be there."
"Certainly..." I said.
Adrihna sat down. "There’s no way to deny what is rightfully yours. You, Nathan, and Kinue are the last of the superior elven royal family lineage. You are a prince and princess of the Elven Kingdom. I can delay the Archduke’s title since we agree it’s too early, but you must understand that you and Nathan are not ordinary people."
"Alright, let’s not go around in circles again. We understand the weight of their position," Margaery said, standing up.
My friend moved close to the window, gazing outside as she contemplated her next steps.
"The royal family is considered the pillar of our culture, and you are descendants of the elves who founded our people millennia ago. If it weren’t for the delicate political situation of your nobility here in the human kingdom, you would have already been taken to live with us in the elven kingdom, protected," Adrihna continued.
I sighed inwardly, hearing those facts repeated once more.
Political positions in the nobility are inherited by blood… and she comes from a culture that values lineage above all else. There’s no way for Nathan and me to escape that.
"We’ll keep pushing this off as long as we can. We’ll wait until he goes to Apsalon to address his situation. Is that the plan?" I asked.
Adrihna nodded in agreement.
"And what about the other situation involving my nephew? What problem has arisen?"
Adrihna stood up and pointed to her single violet eye. "I believe Nathan has Special Eyes."
Margaery let out a laugh and sat down in the chair.
What!?
"You must be joking!" my friend said, placing both hands on her face in disbelief.
“There’s a strong possibility that his Mana Gem is cultivating those eyes. I’m not sure how to proceed diplomatically, and I’ll leave that responsibility to you. This human kingdom has different laws from ours. If it happens and he awakens those special eyes, what will you do?” Adrihna asked.
Inform the kingdom that my baby has the rarest thing in the world? NO!
“We won’t say a word! I can’t reveal this to the kingdom, for my nephew’s sake… and I’ll be forced to commit the crime of concealment,” Margie murmured.
This can’t be happening! My son has this... this thing? This kingdom is obsessed with those eyes.
“I have a feeling Nathan Evenhart is going to be a handful,” Adrihna said.
“We agree with that,” Margie and I said in unison, and then the three of us laughed.