In short, Elvin refused to back down and ultimately brought Isabella and Ning Busan into the Elven Valley together.
The moment they were out of the other elves' sight, Isabella demanded, “Elvin, why didn't you ever mention that you had a fiancée?”
“That was an engagement bestowed by the King, but Lislene and I have absolutely no feelings for each other. She looks down on me, and I don't like her either,” Elvin said. “My dear Isabella, you know that you are the only one in my heart.”
Ning Busan chimed in, “Actually, whether there's an engagement or not doesn't matter anymore. Either way, in the eyes of those elves, you and Isabella are already a couple.”
Elvin asked, “What do you mean?”
Ning Busan cleared his throat. “Those elves wouldn't let us in, so I lied and told them the two of you were already married.”
Elvin's pupils dilated slightly.
Ning Busan gave a perfect assist. “Why don't you... just pretend to be husband and wife?”
Elvin looked at Isabella and asked quite gentlemanly, “My dear Isabella, would you be willing to pretend to be my partner?”
Isabella grabbed his hand and said as a matter of fact, “Why wouldn't I? You promised to stay with me forever. You're mine to begin with!”
The corners of Elvin's mouth curled up as he tightly squeezed Isabella's hand.
Ning Busan pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did he feel like the air was filled with the sickeningly sweet scent of romance?
“By the way, I heard it just now. That elf called you Prince Elvin,” Isabella said, puffing out her cheeks. “Aren't you an elf who defected from the Elven Clan? Out with it, what on earth is going on?”
“Actually, I am a crown prince of the Elven Clan. As for defecting...” Elvin paused before continuing, “I spoke out against the Elven King and subsequently left the Elven Valley all on my own. That action indeed counts as defection.”
Isabella asked, “Then why did they drag you back?”
Elvin replied, “Besides me, there is another crown prince named Silvin. Right now, Silvin is having some issues, which is why they brought me back.”
Isabella thought for a moment and said, “Another crown prince? Doesn't that make him your brother?”
Elvin quickly shook his head. “He is not my brother.”
Isabella asked in confusion, “Aren't you both the Elven King's children?”
Elvin said, “The Elven King is not my father either.”
Isabella was thoroughly confused. “You're a crown prince, but the Elven King isn't your father?”
“It's complicated to explain...”
Just as Elvin was trying to figure out how to explain, Ning Busan spoke up unhurriedly:
“Because the Elven Clan has the Elven Mother Tree, female elves do not have to suffer the pains of childbirth. When two elves fall in love and wish to have offspring, they only need to make a wish to the Mother Tree.”
“Upon receiving the wish, the Mother Tree will bear fruit. A green fruit means an ordinary elf is developing inside. A silver fruit means it contains a candidate for the next Elven King.”
“Generally speaking, when a new Elven King ascends the throne, two or three crown princes will be born, but they are not the children of the Elven King.”
Isabella asked in surprise, “And then? Aren't they afraid that these candidates will fight among themselves for the throne?”
Ning Busan chuckled. “Don't judge others by your own standards. The Elven Clan has always been highly unified.”
“Furthermore, the final choice for the Elven King is decided by the Elven Mother Tree itself. If anyone actually harmed their own kind for the throne, the Elven Mother Tree would be the first to punish them.”
Having all his words stolen from him, Elvin looked at Ning Busan with a complicated expression. “How do you know all this so clearly?”
When he first met Ning Busan, he had sensed the aura of the Elven Mother Tree on him.
Could it be that Ning Busan shared some past connection with the Elven Clan?
Ning Busan gave a perfunctory reply, “Because I read a lot.”
Isabella still didn't quite understand. “Humans can kill their fathers and brothers for power. Has the Elven Clan truly never suffered any disaster over a struggle for the throne?”
“It did happen once, ten thousand years ago,” Elvin said. “It is said that when that generation's Elven King ascended the throne, one of the unselected candidates, driven by jealousy, brutally murdered the newly crowned king.”
“Is that so?” Ning Busan curled his lips slightly and asked casually, “Are you sure that is how it's written in the Silverglow Annals?”
Elvin said, “An Elven King being murdered by his own kind is a taboo topic within the clan. Not a single word of that history is recorded, not even in the historical archives.”
Ning Busan raised an eyebrow.
So that period of history had been erased. No wonder such absurd rumors had spread.
Faelo, meaning the light of the forest, was a name personally bestowed by the Elven Mother Tree.
A kingslayer driven by jealousy?
Just who was jealous of whom?
Whatever truth lay buried in that forgotten history, Ning Busan would uncover it with his own hands.
Emerging from the dense forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a wonderland-like landscape. This was the true Elven Valley.
Isabella excitedly shook Elvin's arm. “It's so beautiful here...”
The mist in the valley seemed to be plated with a layer of liquid silver, and every breath of air was saturated with shimmering particles, like floating stardust.
Glowing butterflies swept past the treetops in swarms, their wings shedding luminous powder that traced fleeting streaks of light in the air.
Translucent fawns stepped out from the fog, fireflies nesting on their antlers like a crown of liquid light.
Occasionally, owl-like creatures would dive down from the sky, but they had no physical forms. Their bodies were woven from tangled threads of light, and their cries sounded like a chiming string of crystal bells.
Beautiful as the scenery was, Ning Busan felt a complex mix of emotions.
It was hard to imagine that this place would eventually end up as devastated as it appeared in the prophecy.
Elvin brought the two of them to his home, which was a treehouse built in a very traditional elven style.
“You can stay at my place for now. Until Silvin's issue is resolved, you might have to remain here for a while,” Elvin said.
He gave the master bedroom to Isabella and squeezed into the guest room with Ning Busan.
Ning Busan wanted to know what exactly had happened in the Elven Valley, so he started chatting with Elvin. “What kind of trouble is Silvin in?”
Elvin sighed. “Remember when we stole the holy water, and I mentioned a friend who had fallen to darkness?”
“Silvin has fallen,” Ning Busan said thoughtfully. “I want to see him tomorrow. Can you take me there?”
A fallen elf who was also a crown prince—it felt highly suspicious.
Elvin asked softly, “Ning Busan, Isabella came here to find me. But what about you? What is your purpose in coming to the Elven Clan?”
He hadn't been back for long, so he didn't know exactly what had transpired within the clan, but he could feel the oppressive atmosphere lingering over the Elven Valley.
Isabella was simple-minded, but as for Ning Busan, Elvin could not fathom his thoughts.
After a long silence, Ning Busan said calmly, “I am here to help you.”
He needed to find out why the scenes from the prophecy would occur.
Even if the Elven Valley was truly destined to be destroyed in the future, he would find a way to save the Elven Clan, and then...
bring them back to the Dawn Empire to serve as archers!
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