"Wait, how could the last direct descendant of the elven royal family end up in a slump like this?! And how could would you confirm your claim about that too?" Gavin couldn't help but ask, still shocked by the sudden revelation.
Vanda pondered for a moment before she replied,
"Well, you need to understand this temple's wards first before I can explain what happened. The wards that surround this temple are the best protection wards the elven race have, and I know it because big brother was the one who recreated these wards and I have already tested it. To put it simply, the wards hide the temple from the naked eye and make everyone forget about this place. And theoretically, nobody could find the place under this ward accidentally."
Gavin frowned at the explanation as it would contradict what happened with these two children. However, before he could say anything, Vanda raised her hand to stop him.
"Just like I said, it is all based on theory. But it has a flaw. Because it is only a replication of the wards in the Jade Forest, big brother couldn't remove several features in it, including the one that would always welcome anyone who has the blood of the Royal Family as long as they didn't have malicious intent. In fact, if there is someone from the direct descendant of the royal family in danger near these wards, it would lure them to come and stay behind the wards and comfort them with the safe and homey feeling of the Jade Forest.. So, if I can make a guess, this girl didn't find this place, but this place invited her to come."
Gavin widened his eyes at the kind of amazing wards that exist in the Jade Forest and the implication behind them.
"Wait wait wait! So, what you are trying to say is…"
"This girl is the direct descendant of the queen? Yes, that is what I said." Vanda nodded solemnly, as the silence followed their conversation.
"But that is not possible! Queen Elisa had already died even before the race war fifty years ago, and she didn't have any child at all! We all know that, and that is why the elven race is being led by the elder right now, right?"
"Actually, Gavin, this scenario is very possible." Argo interfered.
"Yes, this girl also explained what happened to Queen Elisa after that incident." Vanda nodded at what Argo said.
Gavin could only at both Argo and Vanda with a confused expression, clearly doesn't know what they are talking about.
"Excuse me, do I miss something important here?" Argo and Vanda exchanged glances for a moment before the elf sighed and explained,
"You probably heard about the cause of that race war, right?"
"Is that because of Queen Elisa's death and the elf blamed the Musia Kingdom?" Vanda shook her head at Gavin's answer.
"No, not really. Honestly, it would be better if they would just kill her." Gavin gasped as the atmosphere around Vanda suddenly become heavier. "No, they didn't kill her. They kidnapped the Queen and raped her until she lost her will to live. We only found her two weeks after she was kidnapped, as she was on the verge of death and is about to get shipped into the slave trader."
Gavin has his mouth gaped wide at this new story.
"But the problem rose after she was saved." Argo chimed in as he saw a single tear falling from Vanda's eyes. "After a lot of medical diagnoses, the healer found out that the Queen was pregnant, and at that time, she was not even married. You can see the problem from there, right?"
Gavin nodded at his master's question. Elf is a patriarchal race. When their last king, Queen Elisa's father died, the coronation of Queen Elisa brought a lot of controversies. If the Queen suddenly had a child out of marriage, whatever the situation behind it, Gavin could imagine the backlash she received from her race.
"Well, as you can imagine, that was a party for the Queen's political enemies. They used this incident to bring down the Queen from her throne, from throwing rumors to damage her reputation to the assassination attempt. After three months of surviving in the harsh condition, Queen Elisa finally snapped and decided to leave Kala forest. Nobody knows where she went and what happened to her right now."
Gavin nodded, understanding the situation better right now. But there is still one thing he couldn't grasp, so he asked it anyway.
"Then, why is the elven race led by the elder right now, and not elected a new King? Is this related to the Royal Family too?"
"You are right, it is related to the Royal Family." Vanda finally spoke after she was a bit calmer.
"Right after the Queen left, all the elven race suddenly lost their connection to the God Tree, and nobody knows the reason behind it. After secretly studying about it for almost a year, big brother and I found out that the God Tree is somehow connected with the Royal Family. When there is no one left from the Royal Family, the God Tree rejects everyone as punishment for failing them. That is why the elf has no King until today, as no one could get the God Tree's approval."
"Wait!" Gavin widened his eyes as he realized something important. "Are those the same wards that you described for the one in this temple?"
"Yes. I managed to replicate it and set it up here. I only keyed you and Vanda to the wards, so that is why I know she would be interested in finding someone managed to breach this ward." Vanda nodded, confirming what Argo said.
But Gavin didn't see that, as he is busy connecting the dot.
"If this girl really has the blood of the Royal Family..."
He left his words hanging in the air as he turned around And exchanged a glance with Vanda. The elf nodded, confirming the implication of the girl's identity.
"She is probably the only one who can give us back our access to the God Tree," Vanda said with a hopeful tone while staring at the girl who is still sleeping heavily.
Argo stared at the girl in pity, as she would find her future would be rough. There is no doubt about it.
"Who else knows about it?" Gavin asked, breaking the silence in the room. Vanda shrugged a little at the question.
"Well, I think everyone in the Jade Forest has already heard the rumor, yet only the elder and a few higher-ups of the elf truly grasp the situation. Outside the forest? Probably only you and big brother know about it."
"Wait, how could the elf manage to hide this fact for so long? And how could Master involved in this conflict?" Gavin asked, trying to fill the gap in the information he just received.
"You have to know that the God Tree is the anchor of the protection wards that surrounded the Jade forest. Without it, our forest would be vulnerable and an easy target to invade. Of course, our ward masters could replicate the wards. But without the anchor, a powerful mage like big brother could take down the wards just in one night. So, we create strong illusions to fool anyone into thinking that nothing happened. But recently, Musia Kingdom has had some suspicion about us. With this girl being here, I hope it will solve the God Tree's problem."
"Woah, Vanda! Let's stop your thought before it crosses the line!" Argo interrupted as he saw the gleams in Vanda's eyes. "Do you think it is wise to throw this girl who doesn't know about her identity to the hungry wolves?"
"So? I can take care of her and teach her everything she needs to know. And it is not like she would be the Queen tomorrow. I will just bring her to the Jade forest just to bring back the God Tree. It is her fate as the sole survivor of the Royal Family to save our race, after all."
"What if she wants to leave? Would you let her?"
"Of course, not! We cannot take any chance that the palace would vanish once again. Like it or not, this girl is our race's only protection against any intruder."
"So, you basically wanted to kidnap this girl to your forest as a prisoner?"
Vanda frowned a little at her brother's question.
"Well, If you put it like that, it sure like I want her as a prisoner. But you know I will not do that, right? I will protect the girl with my life. Nothing will harm her as long as she follows my order."
Argo sneered.
"Really? You said you will protect her yet it only works if she followed your order? Are you sure you are trying to save the God Tree here, or do you just want to pick a valuable weapon to use for your position in your race?"
Gavin and Vanda were speechless at Argo's accusation. The latter couldn't even deny what her brother said as she had the same scenario in her mind.
However, Argo didn't give her a chance to defend herself as he started firing other questions.
"And you wanted to protect her? How? Have you already identified all of the Queen's enemies who tried to assassinate her? Can you protect this girl all the time from the same treatment as well? And what about this boy? From what I know, he is the one who takes care of her. Can you explain why you separate her from her big brother?"
Vanda furrowed her brows as she felt frustration rose.
"I don't know, okay? But I cannot let this opportunity pass! The Musia Kingdom has already had a suspicion, so I need to bring the girl back for the elf's survival! And who cares about the boy?! He couldn't be more important than our entire race, after all."
To Vanda's surprise and fear, right after she finished her rant, she was forced to kneel down by the heavy pressure that comes from her brother. Gavin, on the other hand, while he didn't feel the same pressure, kneeled too and wait for what his master would do.
Argo just stares at the little girl he saw as his little sister with a blank face and said icily,
"Care to say that again, girl?"