Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 495: Chapter 293 The Elf Who Whispers Secrets

The Elf Delegation entered Kexlote in the early morning of the second day, but they did not cause much of a stir. The number of people who came out to see them was even fewer than those who had turned out for Greenberg and Dionysio the day before.

The Undead Tribe took no interest in such a bland entrance; in their eyes, these elves were no match for Dionysio’s Knight Corps.

Indeed, the elves were all exquisitely beautiful, graceful in their movements, and lovely in stillness.

Unfortunately, after the elves became abundant, a portion of the skilled modeling Undead quickly changed their own faces.

And the Undead are quite good at sharing.

So without any hidden stories behind them, the Undead were not interested in spectating these fairly similar Elves.

Unless a princess made a shocking move, nothing would compel the Undead to forgo their daily instance adventures.

Had they ridden in on unicorns, there might have been some hope. But the Elven procession, which was filmed from head to toe and replayed hundreds or thousands of times on tablets, failed to arouse anyone’s interest.

As for the Saral People, before it was clear what stance William would take towards these elves, no one was interested in showing any enthusiasm for them.

Nobles are always political creatures.

So only the curious commoners stood on both sides of the street to watch the exotic creatures.

In such a stagnant atmosphere, the Elf Delegation was received at the Reception House by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Hill found it amusing to see that none of the princesses showed dissatisfaction with Saral sending only the Minister of Foreign Affairs to receive them; they alighted from their carriages and entered compliantly.

It showed that the Elves were not ignorant of diplomatic courtesies; they had just looked down on humans before, with even the minor princesses from their lineages considering their status above that of Human Kings.

Hill quickly received the invitation sent by the Guardians.

William made a crisp decision, planning to meet each delegation the next day, and then to hold a banquet that evening.

Hill was genuinely interested. Six delegations had brought dozens of princesses and over a hundred daughters of Great Nobility.

Willing or not, these women would present their best selves tomorrow evening.

And their so-called best could very well turn into a very entertaining drama.

Hill pondered for a moment, touched the hairpin in her hair, and reassured herself that she could go and enjoy the banquet.

These women, in order to stay in Saral, would showcase their best abilities, of course choosing the finest within their range.

If Hill were to be exposed, it would be troublesome.

He didn’t want to draw trouble just to indulge his curiosity.

It would be enough to just avoid that Demigod Ranger tomorrow; although he might see through Hill’s disguise, he probably wouldn’t reveal it. It wasn’t related to the Forest of the Elves, and trouble for William was even better.

It was unlikely that his identity would be discovered.

The King’s Hall at night was brightly lit, resplendent with gold and glitter.

Hill entered the hall early, finding a good vantage point at a corner, bypassing a decorative column. Layers of light veils danced by the open windows to the left, and thick curtains to the right secluded the area, creating a world unto itself.

Hill took out a single-seater sofa and a matching small dining table, settled in comfortably, and sipped fruit wine as she waited for the drama to unfold.

The Saral Nobles were the first to take the stage.

Hill found it amusing to see that every noble young lady was wearing a luxurious dress, decked out flamboyantly, and although the colors and materials varied, their styles were remarkably uniform.

With the heightened attention that the Saral Nobility had given to these visiting princesses recently, it seemed to have incited these local noble ladies.

Their tight bodices and layers upon layers of long skirts, with exaggerated designs and bright colors, made these young women look especially lively, delicate, and beautiful.

This noble and lavish Rococo style made Hill chuckle; clearly, they had sought fashion advice from the Undead ladies.

While maintaining the traditions of their world, they had completely abandoned the religiously austere fashion and hadn’t shown up in the strange attire of the Undead at a formal Saral banquet.

But their appearance was exceptionally eye-catching.

Indeed, the princesses who entered in order based on their arrival, regardless of how softly they dressed, paled in comparison to the exaggerated flounces of the dresses.

What was to be a romantic meet-and-greet banquet between the princesses and the Saral Royal Family instead turned into a courtly fashion show for the Saral noble young ladies.

Even the Elf Princesses, dressed in translucent slender green gowns, could not steal the spotlight from these ladies.

Princess Greenberg fared even worse. She still tried to convey an image of innocent charm, wearing a pure white long dress with her brown curly hair cascading down, accented with a few Sapphire hairpins.

However, for tonight’s banquet, all the Maids were dressed in white-gold long dresses, their golden hair bundled with Blue Crystal hairbands into elegant styles.

Her beauty was completely overshadowed by these Undead Maids.

Among these Undead Maids, only lavish dress could distinguish the honored guests’ status; aiming for plain purity seemed to end badly.

Already embarrassed by being upstaged in both charisma and beauty, it was a severe blow for the princesses that their dresses were less opulent than even the Maids’.

It’s just that other people, at the very least, wore dresses of different colors; only Princess Greenberg chose white.

Hill overheard a few snatches of conversation from the Undead Tribe girls passing by, who found the Elf Princess far less detestable than Princess Greenberg.

Perhaps women inherently have an aversion to the ’damsel in distress’ archetype? Since Princess Greenberg danced with tears in her eyes, she had solidified her position as an enemy of the female kind.

Almost every maid from the Undead Tribe had made a round about her.

The Salal nobility were smiling as they watched this oddly effective party.

If their daughters wanted to stir up such a big fuss, it was impossible for the Great Nobility to be unaware.

But clearly, although the most important Duke Saral did not attend this matchmaking banquet, these princesses still came to snatch food directly from their tables, and although they could not be refused, it didn’t mean the Salal nobility didn’t make it difficult for them.

Even King Saral wouldn’t have any objections to such behavior.

William quietly appeared upon the royal throne.

The guests this time had no privilege to earn his smile or chit-chat, so he was quite aloof.

Though William only spoke a few words when he appeared, Hill could still feel the oddness of the atmosphere.

Even though everyone knew it was unlikely for the King to fancy a commoner, every princess couldn’t help but present her most perfect self.

Though they didn’t speak, their sudden crowding around the platform where the throne stood revealed their inner thoughts.

Regrettably, William merely expressed his welcome in a lackluster manner, told them to enjoy themselves, and then vanished instantly.

The banquet officially began, with people dancing gracefully and romantically.

Yet, Hill felt a tinge of regret that the fun of the party had been completely overshadowed by the oppression of the Saral noble ladies.

While it was amusing to see the girls triumph, the joy of gossip lay in watching people make a scene!

Hill stood up, intending to leave directly.

However, his movement was interrupted by two figures sneaking about.

Hill blinked and slowly sat back down.

”Druciya!” came a male voice, barely above a whisper, ”Don’t be too willful! If you don’t want to marry a Human, you could simply go to the wilderness! It’s not just the Dark Moon Elves there! Elf Rangers and Druids abound as well, and you could join their tribes!”

”I won’t!” came a soft yet firm female voice tinged with a hint of petulance, ”The King of Saral is also a man! Who else but him is worthy of me?”

”He’s a God!”

”I am also of divine lineage, aren’t I?” Druciya’s laugh was enchanting, ”Isn’t it just because I inherited the thickest divine blood that this wench wanted to drive me out of the Forest of the Elves?”

”You think too highly of yourself! It’s because you are the most ambitious!” Hill recognized the voice, Virginia’s ex-husband. What was his name again?

Seems like he has never given his name? Maybe every time he appeared, things didn’t end well for him, so he kept silent?

”So what? Can’t I be? I’m so beautiful, and the strongest among all princesses! Otherwise, why would she want to drive me away? Her position is insecure; the Divine King could dethrone her anytime!

Infuriating! I was about to catch the Divine King’s attention!”

”Have you been blinded by desire?” Enniaris asked, surprised, ”The Divine King chose the present Empress because only she can pass the Creator’s test!

Our father was banished along with the former empress! It’s not your turn!

Do you truly believe you’re the world’s most beautiful woman? That no one can live without you?

Your skills in bed, you think you can compare with a Divine King experienced with countless women?”

”Enniaris, we share only the same father,” Druciya said coldly, ”You get involved in too many affairs and speak too much foolishness! That’s why you’re not taken seriously even though you’re a demigod. Besides you, who else would be sent to do such a disgraceful task?”

”Because what face do I have left to lose?” Enniaris’s voice rose with anger, ”And if it wasn’t for not wanting you to be killed outright, I wouldn’t have come out! Everyone summoned by the King of Saral knows who I am!”

Even among the Elves, there are expectations for marriage, albeit a bit more easy-going. If affection wanes, they simply part ways.

Like Enniaris’s wife, who still goes by his name but has ascended to the Elven God King’s Divine Kingdom directly, which is quite uncommon.

Initially, only the Elven high-ups knew, and he was able to bear it. But after Virginia announced it to the world, Enniaris probably also felt it was a bit too much to bear.

Hill couldn’t help but laugh.

”Who’s there?”

”I was here first, you two,” Hill said languidly, ”When whispering secrets, shouldn’t you at least check if someone’s nearby?”

Finally, the two Elves realized that the pillar they relied on wasn’t the endpoint of the space.

With their impassive masks in place, they moved past the pillar, and saw Hill leisurely sprawled on the sofa.