393 Obstruction
Dorothy’s POV:
I’d been to the Elven Palace many times, but I’d only been to a few areas. It was either the Town Hall or the conference room, and I had to go through some routine inspections every time. This was the case for the place open to the public, not to mention where the Elf King’s ‘body’ was preserved. Thus, my father and I went through three layers of inspection. I felt we were just short of explaining to my three generations of ancestors.
Although such a cold attitude was understandable, it was indeed insulting. I was only holding back my complaints for a win-win situation for both sides.
However, someone leaked the news at the last moment, and this matter was still revealed. When the Crown Prince, the president, and the others aggressively barged into the Elf King’s bedroom, I knew that this wouldn’t end peacefully when I saw the astonishment on the face of the Council of Elder members.
The Great Elder was the first one to regain his composure. He gently nodded to the man and said, “Good evening, Your Highness, Your Excellency.”
Obviously, his gentle attitude was taken by the other party as a kind of guilty conscience and concession, so they did not give the same respect to the Great Elder.
The Crown Prince’s expression almost said, ‘I’ve caught your little braids’. He asked sternly, “What are they doing? Grand Elder, why did you lead a group of foreigners into my father’s bedroom? I’m sure you’re well aware of Father’s current condition. Any accident could be fatal to him.”
How beautifully said! He couldn’t wait to put my father and me into the ‘dangerous people’ faction. What a filial son!
I couldn’t pay any attention to this idiot. Come to think of it, could it be that a successor like Selma was rare? I crossed my arms and stood expressionlessly to the side as I counted how much time I had left for them to waste.
The Great Elder was not a fool. The Crown Prince’s words were full of criticism, and the president, who had always been at odds with him, was actually on his side. Of course, he knew that this group of people had come with ill intentions.
“That’s confidential, Your Highness. I’m sorry I can’t reveal it to you.” He chose a roundabout way and easily blocked the Crown Prince’s path. “The group of elders has carefully discussed everything. Please believe that we will not disappoint His Majesty’s trust in us, old men. Also, you’re being rude by criticizing our guests. They’re our honored guests who our clan has invited to come all the way here to help. You should show some diplomatic etiquette.”
The Crown Prince’s face reddened, and he revealed an expression as if he wanted to retort but was weak on the inside. After stammering for a long time, he still couldn’t say a word. In the end, he vented his anger on us and glared fiercely at my father and me.
Now, I kind of understood why the Elf King didn’t pass the throne to this eldest son. The Great Elder hadn’t even said anything harsh, but he was already so angry. With such shallow thoughts and easily angered emotions, he was an excellent seedling for a tyrant of the generation.
Seeing that his disappointing teammate had been defeated in one round, the president, who had been silent, finally spoke, “Forgive our sudden arrival, elders. The Crown Prince was really worried about his father. He had rushed over after hearing some rumors. His Highness is straightforward and doesn’t have any ill intentions. Please forgive him.”
‘Look, this is a true old fox.’ The president reminded me of those ministers and officials who were even more slippery than mud skits I met when I was with Selma. There was no doubt that they were the same kind of people.
As for the Crown Prince... Oh my god, I didn’t even want to talk to him anymore. This idiotic Prince didn’t realize that he had been used as a tool. He was even proud of himself for ‘bowing down’ to the president and ‘explaining’ himself.
I called out to Selma in my mind. She was currently keeping watch at night, so I shared with her the drama of our internal strife.
The upper president’s rank was higher than the Crown Prince’s. Under his superficial questioning, the Council of Elders gradually could not hold the fort anymore.
The other elders kept looking at the door of the bed chamber or their time-measuring tools as if they were worried that more disrupters would come or that their plan would fail if they were delayed too much time.
Some elders even looked at us, but my father and I were no fools. This was an internal conflict within the elven race, so how could we casually join in and let it go? Besides, I always kept in mind the ‘principle of non-interference in internal affairs’. Our goal was to eliminate the cultists, so let us forget about the rest.
This confrontation lasted more than ten minutes, and this group of people seemed to have taken root at the entrance of the bed chamber, not entering or leaving. Looking at the moon outside the window, I could feel that my strength was gradually increasing with the blessing of the moonlight. Now was the best opportunity. If I missed it, it didn’t mean that the plan would fail, but the chances of success would be smaller.
The group of elders also realized that they were gradually approaching the time set in their plan, so they also became a little anxious. The Great Elder was no longer as friendly as before when he faced the president and the Crown Prince. He was just short of shouting, “Get out of here and don’t delay the crucial matters “.
In fact, I’d also wondered why the Council of Elders didn’t directly tell these people about the plan. It was an excellent opportunity to eliminate the bandits in one fell swoop, so there was no reason for them, as high-status elves, to stop it.