Chapter 87: The prince's heart (4)

After we spent hours upon hours at the orphanage, it was finally time to walk back to the Palace to have dinner with 'our' Father, the elf king.

Even though we had spent our time doing various plays ranging from the mild hide-and-seek, skipping rope, and sandcastle building to full-on climbing and sparring, our body didn't feel tired even one bit. Instead, I kind of felt refreshed.

Not my mental health though, I wanted to get out of this body as soon as possible. One moment I felt all warm and fuzzy while playing with the kids, and the next moment I remembered that most likely, some of them were already dead. Particularly Harith, which I killed with my own hands.

The more I learned about how Nym loved peanut butter and how Callael was allergic to cow's milk, even though he loved ice cream so much, the harder it was for me to de-attach myself from them.

I wonder, if they were alive by the time I returned to my timeline, what expression should I make when I met them? What should I say to them, now that I had learned that I killed their family? Should I even interact with them, if at all?

...What would they want from their family's murderer?

"Ah! I'm almost late! Sorry, Annie, could I please borrow your back for a bit?" Ioriell suddenly exclaimed out of nowhere. Weird, how could he accurately tell the time without a watch? I couldn't even tell the exact time... Was it an elf thing to be able to read time using environmental clues?

'Neighhh~'

The horse happily snuggled our face, as if agreeing to our request. We quickly hopped onto its back, but somehow, didn't even apply a leash.

"Alright, Annie! Onwards to the Palace! Let's get ourselves some food!"

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As the horse's clops increased in numbers, the distance between us and the Palace grew shorter. And although it was a fairly short trip, I got a fair share of beautiful sceneries to take in during our little adventure.

If only they had bidets instead of wiping using leaves, I could actually see myself living here. The air was so fresh, I had a certain feeling of joy when I took a deep breath to refill my lungs. The villagers we had met so far were also very welcoming. I had never experienced this feeling before, so it was pleasantly surprising.

Of course, I was aware of the fact that it might be because I was in the body of the elf prince, but that wasn't the only reason. The way they greeted us in the marketplace resembled a greeting between friends. And Ioriell even called some of them by name.

...Would I get to be greeted like that by people one day?

Letting out a mental sigh, I brushed away my hopeful thought. No, Chae. Let's be real here. You've tried doing the exact same thing as what this little princey did. You had been nice and helpful to those people, but nothing worked, apparently.

While I was deep in thought, I felt my head suddenly jerk upwards, forcing me to gaze upon the strangely beautiful Palace, which seemed a bit out of place in the midst of this small, worn-down village.

The Palace was pretty big, although not as big as Alistair's town hall. It was covered with a simple white layer of paint, alongside some exposed brick walls. Vines crept up to their walls as various flowery plants beautifully lined their balconies. I could even see some trees' peaks all the way from over here.

Finally, it was time to meet the current elf king, as well as the future elf king.

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"Ah, big brother Ioriell! You're finally here!" Edelweiss happily ran towards us as soon as we entered the dining hall.

It was drastically different from the orc castle's dining hall. Rather than looking like a fixer-upper as the orc's was, this dining hall was looking fly. It had this long, ornate dining table, complete with intricate silverware on top of it, ready to be used. The wooden floorboards were also polished so well, they reflected the huge chandelier's light beautifully.

"Good evening, Edelweiss. How was your day? Was it fun?" Ioriell asked while he gave his sister, who was already in his arms, a few gentle pats on the head.

"Yes! Edmond and I went for a stroll in the forest, and we fed a few antelopes while we chatted about our future, hehe~" Edelweiss excitedly described her day, "after that, we went fishing again, where he taught me this particular way to--"

"Edelweiss, you went fishing yesterday too, did you not? Didn't I tell you to be careful not to overdo it? We need to keep the balance of the ecosystem." A heavier, stern but smooth voice jumped in the conversation.

I recognized this voice for sure.

It was Erenduill, the future elf king. The wack elf king.

"Yes, big brother. We were careful not to fish too much..." Edelweiss flinched and looked down while she bit her lip.

"Well, at least remember to feed those fishes to animals who need them, okay?" Ioriell chuckled lightly, as if trying to lift up the mood.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure our Edelweiss knows how to handle herself, right? Anyway, Ioriell. Why are you late?"

Our head looked up from Edelweiss to land a gaze on a long-haired, middle-aged man that was sitting on the furthermost seat of the long dining table. He had this tranquil smile that seemed as if he was devoid of any troubles, although the wrinkles on his face said otherwise.

A silky, elegant green robe was hung around his shoulders, framing his battle-hardened body. Upon first glance, one could see that he wasn't a weak, fragile old man, but rather, a dangerous, experienced old man.

"I had some business with the villagers, Father." Ioriell replied with a mildly annoyed voice. Was I sensing some tension here or..?

"By business, do you mean visiting those children again?" The elf king questioned. He didn't sound angry one bit, but he also didn't sound pleased at all.

"Yes. They're your villagers, too," Ioriell replied, "so I should ensure their wellbeing."

"Are you doing that to fulfill your duty as a Prince, or to play house and pretend like your Mother is alive?" The elf king questioned with a wry smile.

"Whichever it is, they got the help they needed," Ioriell growled, "and I don't play house. I don't have a dead mother, either."

"You should be respectful towards your late Mother." The elf king clenched his fist, although his smile was still plastered on his face. Creepy.

"She is not my mother, and never will be."

"Big brother, shall we sit down first?" Edelweiss immediately grabbed our shoulders and led us to our seat before the situation escalated further.

Huh, interesting. I had never heard anything about their mother before. What happened that made this elf prince salty?

"...Okay." Ioriell agreed as we nodded and took a seat right in front of Erenduill.

The younger future elf king looked no different from when I saw him in my timeline. I guess elves did age very slowly. But, his body language and the feeling he gave off were a bit different. He looked dissatisfied, only smiling sometimes when necessary, like when someone called his name. Furthermore, his eyes looked... Emptier.

Compared to the future him that was as happy as a drug junkie on a dose, this was a pretty shocking contrast. Was he this unhappy before the massacre? Sheesh, a man who strongly abode by his ideals sure was spooky.

"Why don't you try to be more like your brother, Ioriell? He still respects his late mother, even after her death." The elf king sighed.

"That's--!"

"I'm just respecting her as my previous Queen, Father. As for Ioriell's mother, he has no reason to respect her since she wasn't a Queen."

Before Ioriell could argue, surprisingly, Erenduill answered faster. Although his reasoning was questionable, but at least Ioriell got someone on his side... Right?

"If I say he should respect his mother, then he should respect his mother." The elf king growled as he glared at us.

"...If the King says so." Erenduill replied after a brief pause, while closing his eyes.

Oh? Different mothers? So what did Ioriell's mother work as during her, uh, living times, if she wasn't a Queen?

Ioriell, unlike his brother, didn't reply to his Father's wish, and opted to stay quiet instead. Perhaps a major conflict was going on inside his mind as of now. After all, as much as he had a strong feeling against his mother, but his identity as an elf must've made it difficult for him to go against his king.

"Uh! Anyway! Let's eat, shall we? I and Edmond prepared special dishes today~" Edelweiss clapped her hands together while saying that out loud, earning our attention.

"That human?" The elf king raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Father. He brought some rare ingredients for us today, and so I thought why not try cooking with it! I hope they suit your taste, Father!" She chirped happily, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hmm... I see. Then we must prepare something to give to him in return, too." The elf king pondered, while stroking his well-trimmed beard.

"Pardon me, Father. But I don't think it's a good idea to return his gift," Erenduill interjected, "our resources are diminishing, and he gave it to her as a gift, not as an offering that we should reciprocate."

"Hahaha! You're too stiff, my son! Indeed, it was a gift, but is it wrong to return my soon-to-be son-in-law's gift?" The elf king laughed.

"Normally, no. It is common courtesy," Erenduill explained, "but right now, we're not in a position where we can flaunt our wealth while the villagers are scraping by, Father."

The elf king still laughed, as if taking Erenduill's words as a joke, "but of course we can! We're royalties. It should be a given that we get what we want."

"That was in the past, when the previous King reigns supreme and when nature was still abundant with resources. Now we don't have the luxury to recklessly give our stockpile away." Erenduill insisted, but his face remained stoic.

"Are you saying that we should live frugally?" The elf king's smile dissipated as a frown started to crept its way up to his forehead.

"Yes, Father. I do think that our royal treasury could be split among the villagers."

Whoa, quite daring there to challenge his King, whom he respected so much.

"Are you out of your mind?" The elf king stared coldly at Erenduill, but that didn't make the latter waver, not even one muscle.

"You can't have both, Father. The villagers' wellbeing, or the royal family's wealth. Choose one."

"What do you know? I have more experience as a King than you do. If I say we're giving him a gift, then we're giving him a gift." The elf king sternly said.

"...As you wish, my King."

Again, Erenduill agreed after a brief pause. Not even a shred of annoyance or anger was apparent on his face.

What was this dynamic? I thought he was a good, obedient prince!?