Chapter 66 - The Archduke of the Elves

  Nathan Evenhart:

  Chloe, Kinue, and I were having dinner while reminisg about everything that had happened in the past few months. The once-shy fox girl was being a bit more fident, and she had even started learning self-defeh Martha.

  “Do all the maids know how to fight like her?” Kinue asked Chloe.

  “The ones who work ihe mansiohe others in the castle are regur trusted maids,” my cousin replied.

  To this day, I still ’t tell the difference… I treat them all as if they’re equally insane assassin-torturers…

  “Are they members of your allied families?” she asked.

  “Most of them grew up in the vilge he castle or are retives of the soldiers who work here. These are people who have been doing this feions, which is why all their families work in the fortress or on our farms around the castle,” Chloe expined.

  The two tinued chatting.

  “If I could, I’d like to bee a warrior maid when I grow up. They’re so cool,” Kinue said.

  Chloe and I exged gnces.

  Cool? That’s because she’s never seen or heard one of them t someone. Even I, who’ve seey of bizarre things in my previous life, was surprised to see those beautiful women in uniform doing that sort of thing like it was just aask. With the same hands they use to wash my clothes, I’ve seen one of them pluck out an eyeball… and crush it like grapes.

  Me doing it is ohing, but seeing the gentle maid who takes care of you doing that while smiling… would definitely shoyone.

  I left the two to their versation while I thought about battle strategies sidering a mage’s mana reserve.

  Running out of mana in a battle is certainly dangerous. I think that’s why mages learn to fight with ons—to avoid dependiirely on magic.

  Though people like Chloe, whose primary category is aer, naturally have a rger reserve than someone like me, whose primary category is a Transmitter. She aturally cast le spells, while I, with Emitter as my sedary category, will o work hard to master le magic.

  I didn’t bee an Aura General easily; I fought and bled to reach that level, and I’ll do the same with mana. I don’t o worry about battle training; I just then my body and take advantage of the physical enhas of lightning and now my wind element. I’ll have all the time in the world to master mana now that I’ve learo trol my flow better. The progress I’ve made in this short time has already shown that I bee an excellent mage, but I don’t want to be just an excellent mage. I want to be the General of Mana.

  Katherine Evenhart:

  We were in Margaery's room, and the time had e for the children’s initial magic training to clude. Adrihna had requested a private meeting to discuss some delicate matters that couldn’t be overheard by others.

  During this time, she had sent a few messages to the royal family of the elves… She even had an expensive device for limited message sending, which cost a fortune.

  “What are we going to do about Katie and my nephew?” Margaery asked.

  Adrihna had updated us with some information, and we had agreed to the arra.

  “You’ve been offered the opportunity to move to the pa the elven kingdom.”

  “That’s already been deed,” I responded immediately.

  She adjusted her monocle.

  "Very well, but know that I’m just doing my duty by bringing this up again, Lady Katherine," she said.

  "Katherine is just fine for me."

  The superior elf looked a bit fused. By obligation, I should be treated with respect due to my position in the elven kingdom, but that didn’t matter to me.

  "I’m just a oner, Adrihna; I don’t like that sort of thing. It’s just the three of us here, and there’s no need for that. Our is of mutual i regarding young Nathan," I said.

  She looked at me, seeming to uand.

  "But you should know that at some point, I’ll have to address you by your royal title, whether you like it or not... with all due respect, of course," she replied.

  Margaery took a seat in a chair. "Uood," she said.

  I also sat down, but Adrihna remaianding.

  "As for young Nathan, we’re still in a diplomatic limbo, and we’ll keep his existence hidden for now. We don’t want ao discover your preseil he’s older and ready to take on his responsibilities," she said.

  "Is there any way to deny the iance?" I asked.

  Adrihna’s expression grew serious, almost shocked. "Deny the honor of the Archduke’s political position?" she asked, incredulous.

  Margaery pressed her temples, thinking about the problems we’d have to face. She had warned me this could happen, but we didn’t truly believe it until it did.

  "Katie just wants Nathan to have a simple life. I told you they lived in a vilge, and if it weren’t for me, she would still be there."

  "Certainly..." I said.

  Adrihna sat down. "There’s no way to deny what is rightfully yours. You, Nathan, and Kinue are the st of the superior elven royal family lineage. You are a prind princess of the Elven Kingdom. I dey the Archduke’s title since we agree it’s too early, but you must uand that you and Natha ordinary people."

  "Alright, let’s not go around in circles again. We uand the weight of their position," Margaery said, standing up.

  My friend moved close to the window, gazing outside as she pted her steps.

  "The royal family is sidered the pilr of our culture, and you are desdants of the elves who founded our people millennia ago. If it weren’t for the delicate political situation of your nobility here in the human kingdom, you would have already been taken to live with us in the elven kingdom, protected," Adrihna tinued.

  I sighed inwardly, hearing those facts repeated once more.

  Political positions in the nobility are ied by blood… and she es from a culture that values lineage above all else. There’s no way for Nathan ao escape that.

  "We’ll keep pushing this off as long as we . We’ll wait until he goes to Apsalon to address his situation. Is that the pn?" I asked.

  Adrihna nodded in agreement.

  "And what about the other situation involving my nephew? roblem has arisen?"

  Adrihna stood up and poio her single violet eye. "I believe Nathan has Special Eyes."

  Margaery let out a ugh and sat down in the chair.

  What!?

  "You must be joking!" my friend said, pg both hands on her fa disbelief.

  “There’s a strong possibility that his Mana Gem is cultivating those eyes. I’m not sure how to proceed diplomatically, and I’ll leave that responsibility to you. This human kingdom has different ws from ours. If it happens and he awakens those special eyes, what will you do?” Adrihna asked.

  Inform the kingdom that my baby has the rarest thing in the world? NO!

  “We won’t say a word! I ’t reveal this to the kingdom, for my nephew’s sake… and I’ll be forced to it the crime of cealment,” Margie murmured.

  This ’t be happening! My son has this... this thing? This kingdom is obsessed with those eyes.

  “I have a feeling Nathan Evenhart is going to be a handful,” Adrihna said.

  “We agree with that,” Margie and I said in unison, and thehree of us ughed.