Book 7: Chapter 14
“Son, have you finished preparing for your journey?” Elizabeth picked up a cup of wine and handed it to me. She then walked over to the bed and patted the spot next to her. I walked over and sat down next to her. Vyvyan sat on the chair to the side and looked at Elizabeth grumpily. She complained: “Elizabeth, that’s not right for you to do now, is it? He’s my child and yet you called him over to you?”
“Pat the spot next to you and let’s see if he goes over to you then.”
Elizabeth glared at her. I smiled helplessly and looked at them while feeling like I was in a dilemma. I’m not against them fighting for me, but could you not summon me like I’m a pet? Pat the spot next to you and I come over? What am I, a dog? I walked over out of habit. Elizabeth always pats the spot next to her and I’d go over to sit there so I forgot about Vyvyan who was sitting there to the side.
Vyvyan clenched her teeth then had a drink and in a somewhat angry tone asked: “Now I’m mad. Why don’t we meet in the elven imperial capital? Why must it be here?”
“You said you wanted to see my son off, so naturally you should come here. He’s leaving tomorrow. Shouldn’t you come and see him?”
Vyvyan knocked the cup on the table over, looked at Elizabeth and angrily exclaimed: “I didn’t agree to this right from the start. My son has met with danger lots of times here in humanity’s lands. When were you humans ever able to protect my son? Elizabeth, my powers are effective against you humans. It’s more relaxed and merry with us than it is with you. Or rather, everybody around you has sinister motives!”
Elizabeth hugged me then looked at Vyvyan, smiled and responded like she was dismissing the claim: “That’s normal. All humans are selfish. Those who aren’t selfish are our propaganda materials. We’d be fortunate to have one among hundred that isn’t selfish. You want me to rely on that minute population to manage such a large empire? What a joke.”
Vyvyan retorted with anger: “You should know that there are people plotting against my son, shouldn’t you?! I noticed someone holding ill-will toward my son at the banquet last time. If we weren’t here in humanity, I’d have hacked him to death! And yet you don’t even think about that?! My son is about to journey far away to the desert in the south. Do you seriously think I feel at ease?”
Elizabeth sat straight up, placed her cup of wine to the side and sternly said: “Who was it? Tell me whoever it is. I’ll kill him regardless of who he is.”