Hearing her daughter say these words, the former Queen of Eldinor was first tempted to order the guards at the warehouse to check again.
Yet, she controlled this desire as she knew that it was impossible for someone to infiltrate and snatch away a kid in this short span of time.
As someone who loved to be meticulous, the former Queen was well aware of all the names of the elf children who were currently held in the warehouse.
Of course, her meticulousness had also allowed her to take care that she wouldn't be seen or heard no matter what by the elf children in captivity.
Thus, telling herself that she couldn't be linked to the crime in any way, Eldara calmed down before wondering whether her daughter was smart enough to develop a dupe for the location.
On hearing Eldra's words, 3 other people also had distinct reactions different from puzzlement like the others.
Of them, one was the little elf girl who had shrunk into the man behind her a little bit when she had been looked at by Eldra.
The other two were two elves, a male and a female who had been one of the vehement when it came to denouncing Eldra.
At this moment, hearing the name that was always on their mind and heart, the couple froze before frantically trying to figure out exactly where Eldra was looking.
Alas, the crowd was too thick, and they couldn't catch a glimpse.
"Little girl, remember, all your other brothers and sisters are depending on you. You have to be clear on the stage, all right?"
These words were said by Olfax who was currently disguised as a balding man with a kind face. Hearing his words, the little girl nodded determinedly, melting the hearts of all those standing around them who had turned around to see the little elf when they realized that Eldra was looking in their direction.
Indeed, elf children were too adorable to ignore. With small blades on her earlobe, Lizzie had a few freckles on her cheeks which only increased the feeling of cuteness emanating from her. Small pointed nose, lovable little lips and cheeks which no one could keep their hands off of made almost all those seeing her smile.
Smiling after seeing the nod, Olfax left Kellor's side and began to walk towards the stage. The duo had already taken care to make sure that they were near the front, making it so that they required only a few minutes to reach the cordon that separated the crowds and the stage.
Seeing the two arrive, the soldiers who were currently on high alert looked towards the old elf on the stage for orders. Noticing this, Olfax marked to himself that he was probably not just a simple announcer like everyone had thought.
As the old elf nodded after a few moments, Olfax and the little elf girl were allowed onto the stage after being checked again for trinkets.
After the thorough checking during which only whispers sounded from the crowd and the contestants, the little Elf girl finally reached Eldra and smiled before being hauled up and held.
"Lizzie!"
"Darling! Where have you been?!"
The screams from the two elves were so heartbreakingly loud that they finally allowed everyone to understand and accept just who this girl was.
She was… really someone who had been kidnapped?
As the revelation caused many to stare tongue-tied, the former Queen of Eldinor gnashed her teeth as she tried to figure out just what was going on.
This was actually an elf who had been held captive? Then why the hell hadn't the guards reported anything?!
Eldra gave her no chance to think further, saying, "Lizzie, I know you are the bravest of all those who are currently waiting to go back to their mothers and fathers back in the prison you were held in for almost a year. Can you tell me how it was?"
With another nod and an adorable wave at her parents who were only crying silently in happiness that their daughter was still alive, Lizzie started speaking about the horrors of the prison.
In an innocent voice that melted the hearts of those listening, Lizzie began to detail her life in the past few months.
Every morning, a pile of food would be brought by the guards who did not seem to care whether they were all well fed. The food was always simple and the quantity was always too low, making it so that all the elf boys and girls had to get used to forgetting the feeling of being full.
The few open bathrooms were seldom cleaned, making each and every child learn to be as hygienic as possible as any mishap would result in the whole place smelling worse than it usually did.
As each and every detail horrified those who were listening, Olfax discreetly walked past Eldra, brushing against her in the process before approaching the other end of the stage.
The setup of the stage was such that the podium that Eldra and Lizzie were on was at the corner, while the contestants were standing beside each other a step behind.
As he walked past the contestants to get off the stage, he seemingly slipped and fell near Katerina who was watching everything with an expression of incredulity.
When she had gotten up in the morning, she had never expected in her wildest dreams that she would be hearing the experiences of an elf-slave who had been about to be sold off.
Her focus distracted by the man who fell in front of her, she bent to help him up to be polite.
As she did so, she felt him slip something into her pocket discreetly.
If it were anyone else, they would surely not have noticed this tiny movement which was flawlessly hidden.
Yet, as someone who had been in the military, Katerina was always in full control of her surroundings.
She was currently wearing her formal attire of a tucked beige shirt over white pants, and although she almost took out that object, she stopped herself after realizing that she felt no danger from the situation.
Indeed, her senses were honed to be razor-sharp, and she trusted them explicitly. Thus, after raising the man, she only looked at him expressionlessly before briefly shooting a glance at her pocket.
Seeing that she had indeed noticed, Olfax only smiled before discreetly raising one hand to his ear and thanking Katerina before leaving the stage.
This entire exchange took place in the few seconds when the attention of all those around them was firmly fixed on the haunting tale of the little elf girl.
In fact, even Eldara who was standing right beside Katerina did not manage to observe anything of note.
After a few moments, a voice resounded in Katerina's mind which made her eyes widen with surprise.
"Miss Katerina, there is no time for introductions, and we need your help. As someone who has been in the military, you know very well that the former Queen of Eldinor, Eldara is the one responsible for the slave trade. I know that you chose to stand in the elections because although you know of this, you have no proof. Indeed, the former Queen is very meticulous and has made sure to leave no trail whatsoever. The ONLY thing that connects her to the crime is some sort of failsafe she has on her body. If everything goes as we estimated, there will soon be a situation where she will activate it. You are the one who must stop her and catch her red-handed with the object which is the root of everything. Remember, if you are too slow, those 100 elf children will die. We are all depending on you, Miss Katerina. Please take up this duty to serve Eldinor again."