Chapter 591: Waiting
They would have never imagined being kept waiting by a young man who had not even lived long enough to see two decades of life.
"Then are we expected to wait for him?" someone asked from the terraces.
Wendy glanced in the direction of the voice.
"Not necessarily. There are several matters to be addressed today, and we may begin with those until the summoned party arrives."
One of the elderly councillors at the back cleared his throat, making his intent to speak clear.
"Perhaps the summons never reached him. What are the chances that he simply isn’t aware that his presence is required here?"
Another councillor spoke, this one an elderly woman.
"Assuming the vampires have been sheltering him this whole time, then they are definitely aware that his presence is required here. I was informed that his summons was communicated to every place he could have possibly been before we even made clear our intention to call him here."
She began counting them off.
"That includes the empire to the east, the Beastmen Clans, the Elven Kingdom, the Dwarven Kingdom, and the vampires’ territory as well."
The woman looked toward Wendy as she said this, and Wendy nodded, confirming it, since she was the one who had been tasked with overseeing the matter.
"In that case, it is simply a matter of waiting patiently, as the King’s assistant said," another councillor voiced his opinion. "In the meantime, we can address the dozens of other matters we have on the agenda. If he hasn’t presented himself before then, we would have to consider sending a delegation to the Vampire Kingdom to bring him back."
He paused thoughtfully.
"Of course, that would include actual punishment for failing to answer a royal summons. However, the initial condition of him admitting to the accusation if he fails to show would have to be reconsidered. After all, I don’t think the vampires would agree to such a thing..."
"Come now, Quan. Surely you don’t expect us to bend our rules simply because another royal family is involved?" another councillor interjected. "We should stand by our promises. It is no one’s fault but his own if he fails to show today."
Dawncrest frowned.
It was something like this that he had been afraid of.
The council was already making suggestions to give Elion some leeway simply because he was now affiliated with the vampires. At this rate, he couldn’t see things going his way at all.
Of course, that was only one out of the six councillors who had suggested such a thing, while another had immediately opposed bending their rules.
"No need to get all worked up," one of the remaining councillors said calmly. "Let’s simply wait for now. Wendy, please... lead us through the rest of the matters on our agenda."
Wendy nodded.
"Of course."
...
Meanwhile, within the comfort of the Ark, Elion was feasting on a scrumptious meal that Nadia had just cooked while watching the proceedings within the Royal Court through the screen.
"Damn, you’re such a good cook, Nadia!" he commented loudly while tearing apart the large, cooked leg of a boar.
There were a bunch of delicacies that she had made in the kitchen. They were spread across the table that had risen from the floor in the middle of the seats.
To put it simply, Nadia could easily make it as a cook at one of those high-class restaurants where rich people ate.
The boar was perfectly cooked, and the mashed potatoes, which had been in a now-empty bowl, were the best he had ever had.
There were a couple of other things that the others had been eating as well, but the boar’s leg had him preoccupied right now.
Nadia nodded from the side, still wearing her apron.
"Thank you," she said simply.
The others couldn’t help but twitch their brows.
After all, they could all hear and see what was going on inside the Royal Court. The Ark’s functions were rather convenient for espionage like this.
So the fact that an entire congregation of powerful people, nobles, rulers, and the actual King of Velorira were waiting for him, while the person they were all waiting for was taking his time feasting...
It was very comedic.
"Surely, you don’t intend to keep them waiting for too long, do you?" Veyra asked.
She was shameless, sure, but this level of shamelessness... she had simply never seen it before.
"Hmmmm..." Elion looked toward her, gulping down the meat he was chewing. "Why not? You heard them. They said they would wait until they were done with whatever else they have to do, so why not keep them waiting until the very last moment?"
Veyra’s brow twitched as Elion casually looked away and tore another chunk of meat from the leg.
Wouldn’t that clue them in that he was doing this on purpose?
Surely, some of them wouldn’t simply believe that his late, but timely appearance was a coincidence?
They had arrived in Haven a day ago, and they hadn’t done much else besides venture into the city for a short while. That was until Zenith sensed a disturbance further south, within the ocean...
Elion had been shocked when she told him that it was an entrance leading to a large pocket containing fragments of another world. Of course, since the entrance was yet to stabilise, nothing could go in or come out, so even though Elion was tempted to enter, he couldn’t.
The place was heavily guarded, of course, but once again, the Ark came in clutch.
What currently occupied Elion’s thoughts, however, was the sight of Alexander...
The prince, now King, looked older, but Elion would never fail to recognise that naive yet regal face despite all the changes. Well, the naivety was entirely gone now, and his posture and gait seemed to have hardened over the years.
He was no longer a boy now...
’Of course not, you idiot. He’s all grown up!’
More than a century had passed, after all...
Elion quickly shook his head, putting down the large leg in his hand.
’What am I thinking? They’re not even the same person...’
He had already made the first mistake he had told himself not to make when he met this Alexander, which was assuming they were the same person.
He glanced toward Isla, who was seated near the control unit. Her eyes were glued to the screen showing King Alexander.
Of course, he could see the troubled expression on her face, and the complicated look in her eyes...
No doubt, she was hoping that the man she was seeing now was the same brother she remembered, but he couldn’t be...
The sight of him must have been reminding her of the life she left behind.
Elion sighed and got up, thanking Nadia once again before wiping his greasy hands and walking toward where Isla was seated.
He gave her small head a gentle pat, and she looked back at him, a little startled.
"What are you thinking about?" Elion asked, even though he already had a good idea.
Isla stared at him for a moment before her gaze slowly returned to the screen.
Elion’s hand remained on her head, gently brushing through her soft blonde hair.
"He looks just like him," Isla said after a moment. "Older... but it’s definitely him."
Elion sighed softly.
"Yeah..."
That was exactly the problem.
Isla’s fingers tightened slightly against her dress as she continued staring at Alexander.
"Do you think..." She hesitated. "Do you think he might remember?"
Elion remained silent for a few seconds.
"I don’t know, I can’t say for sure," he eventually admitted. "But you shouldn’t get your hopes up."
Isla lowered her gaze.
"I know..."
Elion could tell that she understood. She wasn’t stupid. They had already discussed this before, and everything they knew suggested that the people they had met during the trials weren’t necessarily the same people who existed in the present.
Still, understanding something logically and accepting it emotionally were two very different things.
Elion knew that better than anyone.
He looked back toward the screen.
Alexander sat upon the throne with a calm, almost indifferent expression as he listened to one of the nobles presenting some dispute over territory.