Arriving at the throne room, Maxim opened the doors as I entered; inside, I could see Mother and Father, mainly Father, in the distance, speaking to several nobles from various cities. While I've seen them before, I have never bothered to pay them much heed, and now won't be any different.
"Mother, has Brother returned yet?" Asked Elaine with a depressed expression as she walked past the group of nobles and hopped on Maria's lap.
"Why are you asking that question when you know its answer, Elaine?" Replied Maria, shaking her head while rubbing Elaine to cheer her up.
"Ugh, but it's so boring without Brother; the only things I can do to pass the time is cultivate and complete some contracts from the Elven guild." Remarked Elaine while sighing as she soaked in Maria's motherly touch.
"Well, you better get used to it soon, Dear; you've got a VERY long life ahead of you. Having lived for quite some time, I can say that boredom will quickly become a familiar acquaintance." Said Maria, unsure whether to chuckle or sigh at her remark.
Mother's words weren't very reassuring, especially when I realized that what she said was most likely true: as a mere Divine, I can already live for nearly fifty million years, and that's just for an average Divine; for someone like myself, my current life-expectancy is probably around a quarter of a billion years, and Brothers is undoubtedly even higher than mine. This isn't even taken into account when my cultivation base improves.
"Haa, I don't want to think about that right now, Mother; it's honestly depressing." Commented Elaine, causing Maria to chuckle slightly.
"That's fine by me, and speaking of Elif, I would've informed you yesterday, but you were absent. However, Elif has left the Fairy Clan and is currently heading toward the Divine Phoenix Clan; he is expected to arrive within four days, though he said he'll be taking a detour, so it might take an extra day. Either way, Elif should return home within a fortnight, so all you must do is wait a little bit longer." Declared Maria; although she was trying to appease Elaine, her words did the opposite.
"Divine Phoenix Clan? Aren't most Phoenixes generally women?" Asked Elaine calmly while her expression turned eerie.
"You're correct; roughly eighty percent of all Phoenixes are women, and that is the main reason why harems are considered common to them." Replied Maria with a frown as she uttered the word harem.
'Harems!? Phoenix's!?' Thought Elaine, those two words constantly repeating in her mind like a broken record, resulting in her expression turning terrifying, causing the nobles down below to be taken aback in fear.
___
___
"Haa, finally; that took nearly all day. Maybe if I had someone helping me, I could've finished sooner." Remarked Marcus as he glared at Maria, who simply acted oblivious, causing him to huff in annoyance.
"So, is everything, as usual, nothing out of the ordinary?" Asked Maria curiously while Elaine quietly sat on her lap.
"Haa, yes, everything is fine; the nobles were mainly requesting slots for the opening of the Treasure realm that'll happen in a few months." Replied Marcus while shaking his head.
"How many slots did you give them in total for the event? You should know we can't have too many participants; otherwise, it'll be too hectic." Stated Maria while glancing at Marcus.
"I gave them four-thousand-seven hundred slots out of five-thousand available slots, which should be more than enough for them; the remaining three-hundred slots will be for Yggdrasil." Remarked Marcus, to which Maria nodded in agreement before focusing on the silent Elaine.
"Dear, are you okay? You've been silently sitting on my lap for roughly an hour?" Asked Maria as she slightly shook Elaine, snapping her out of her dangerous thoughts.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine; I was just thinking of some things. I planned to visit the Royal Library." Said Elaine quickly as she stood up and swiftly headed toward the exit, slightly surprising Maria and Marcus, not even giving them a chance to respond.
Once I exited the throne room, I took a second to calm my beating heart, as I had almost exposed myself before Mother and Father; although I couldn't see myself, I knew for sure my expression was, without a doubt, unnatural.
'I can't take it anymore! I don't care if we are siblings; I don't want any women getting close to Brother! And the only way to do that is to become Brothers lover!' Thought Elaine, her already terrifying expression only further solidifying.
As I was so engrossed in my own mind, I had forgotten that Maxim was standing just outside the entrance to the throne room, but luckily, his back was facing me; otherwise, he would've seen my expression. However, I knew it would be difficult to calm myself with my current and previous emotions, so I summoned a golden veil from my dimension ring before wearing it. Although it was perfectly see-through, it was a God-tier artifact meant for concealing one's presence, though since it was a low-God tier, its capabilities were weaker than the Voids cloak; still, it was more than enough for right now.
"Maxim, we are heading toward the Royal Library." Said Elaine as she grabbed her medallion hanging from her waist and infused Qi into it, causing her to disappear while Maxim followed directly after her.
Appearing before the giant Erdtree, I began walking toward it, and while doing so, I sensed Maxim appear behind me; once we both arrived at the foot of the Erdtree, or the entrance of the Royal Library, the two giant doors opened by themselves as Great-grandfather emerged from the shadow.
"Ho, Elaine, what a pleasant surprise; I expected it to be Elif, though your presence is just as welcomed." Said Charles with a slight smile as he approached Elaine.
"Brother was recently at the Fairy Clan as he was invited to partake in a celebration; now he is on his way to visit the Phoenix Clan, so he won't return for the next few weeks." Said Elaine, though the mention of Elif caused her expression to sour.
"That little boy is out of the Empire? Hmm, well, I suppose he is twelve, and knowing him, I'm sure he's searching for something to pique his interest. Hehe, hopefully, if someone catches his interest, it's the good kind." Remarked Charles with a slight chuckle while rubbing his beard.
___
___
'You okay, Lucifer?' Asked the old yet wise voice from Lucifer's head.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Master; I'm just feeling uncomfortable for some reason." Replied Lucifer with a frown as his body shivered.
'Well, I don't blame you; being hunted by several powerful organizations would make anyone uncomfortable, at the very least. Speaking of hunting, I'd advise you to leave quickly. You've been in this area for a while, and I can sense various powerful cultivators nearing your area, though it doesn't seem like your position has been exposed yet.' Advised Lucifers Master.
With a nod, I wore my cloak and avoided the skies while traversing through the forest on foot, best to stay out of sight if possible, given my situation.
___
___
"Tch, I'd prefer it if no one catches Brother's interest." Muttered Elaine under her breath, though Charles could still hear her.
"So then, Elaine, seeing how you rarely visit this old man, what's on your agenda today? I'd imagine you've come to the Royal Library for a specific purpose; you don't seem to show as much interest in these books as Elif." Remarked Charles curiously as he turned around and began walking through the dimly lit hallway, closely followed by Elaine and Maxim.
"I'd like to know more about the Empire's past, specifically, us Royal Elves." Said Elaine while walking beside Charles as they headed toward the Royal Library.
'If I look through the Royal Elves' records, I might be able to discover whether Brother and I becoming lovers is forbidden. Actually, it doesn't matter if it's forbidden or not; either way, I'll still be Brothers woman.' Pondered Elaine as her eyes turned psychotic for a split second before returning to normal.
"Our history? While I didn't expect that, it is something I would recommend learning about; as a Royal Elf, Crown Princess, and future Empress, you must learn about our History well, at least some of it, such as the creation of our Empire." Replied Charles while nodding in approval as he, Elaine, and Maxim officially arrived at the Royal Library
"Do you know if Brother has already learned about our history yet, Great-grandfather?" Asked Elaine curiously while gazing at the massive bookshelves.
"Elif has indeed learned a good chunk of our History, but then again, there is still a significant part he hasn't touched upon yet." Said Charles as he, Elaine, and Maxim stood on a circular platform.
Once the formation's runes lost their glow, the bubble that had encased us popped, allowing us to leave the platform and continue to our destination. While looking around, although I hadn't spent much time in the Royal Library, unlike Brother, I noticed this place seemed very familiar, especially that door in the distance.
"Great-grandfather, isn't this the same floor where I acquired the Elven Royal Cultivation manual?" Asked Elaine while intently looking at the door.
"Yes, it is; we are currently on the topmost floor of the Royal Library; our History is quite important, after all. Though between you and me, Elaine, if I'm being honest, most of our History isn't secret worthy; however, there are a few things from our history that must NEVER, and I mean never, be revealed to the public." Declared Charles while emphasizing the word never.
"When you put it like that, Great-grandfather, you interest me." Said Elaine with a slight smirk.
"Hehe, well, lucky for you, one of the pieces of history I was speaking about relates specifically to us Royal Elves; I'm sure you'll be quite shocked when you learn about it. I know I was; even to this day, I still occasionally think about it." Remarked Charles with a light chuckle as the three approached a different door.
___
Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/JxMGqHFN (Note: this link only lasts for one week)
___
___
Elven Legacy (Chapter 167: Elif Dislikes Alchemist's) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 48: Master & Disciple Until the End of Time(R18)) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 75: Diddy Fully Healed) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]