An Invitation from the Dark
Clink!
Chime!
With the sound of countless glasses clinking together, music began to flow through the banquet hall once more.
In the very place where bloodlust and screams had run rampant just moments ago, laughter now echoed as if nothing had ever happened.
"You never fail to amuse me," the Emperor said, personally pouring me a drink.
"I was taught from a young age to show filial piety," I replied.
"Splendid. Truly splendid! Who else but you would have thought to slice off all of that bastard's fingers?"
"It is a pity I could not cut off the remaining five."
"Hahaha! How can you resemble me so much!"
Laughing heartily, the Emperor gulped down his fruit wine.
"T-To think the Emperor would laugh like that..."
"He looks more pleased than ever..."
Whispers drifted from all directions, accompanied by a barrage of intense stares.
"..."
The Crown Prince averted his gaze the instant our eyes met.
Come to think of it, that guy...
"Lord Taepyeong," Nairin, standing behind me, whispered cautiously.
"The nobles are coming to greet you."
Looking up, I saw nobles dressed in splendid formal attire approaching.
In contrast, my own formal wear was drenched in blood. Crimson blood dripped over the red jewels adorning my clothes.
Though my appearance was a complete mess compared to the pristine nobles, I didn't care.
It doesn't matter.
In fact, this was better.
To show them who the predator was and who the prey was, this blood-soaked look was far more effective.
"Wine."
As I raised my glass, Nairin filled it with fruit wine.
I took a sip.
The sweet aroma of the fruit wine brushed against the tip of my nose. If there was one good thing about this place, it was the alcohol.
Sensing someone approaching, I glanced over.
"It is an honor to meet you, Youngest Imperial Prince," a middle-aged elf noble with a benevolent face greeted me.
The other elf nobles behind him followed suit, bowing in greeting.
I remained seated, merely giving a slight nod of my head.
"..."
The elves looked flustered.
But really, what are you guys going to do about it?
"...Your decisiveness just now was truly astonishing," the middle-aged elf noble continued, quickly regaining his composure.
"Is that so?" I replied casually.
Perhaps because of my utter lack of manners, one of the elves standing in the back flushed red with anger and walked away.
Well, yeah. A mere human sitting askew and speaking informally to them would naturally make their blood boil.
But like I said.
What are you guys going to do about it?
"To see through the culprit in such a brief moment..."
"..."
"I could not help but be filled with admiration."
It seemed this middle-aged elf noble had plenty of experience navigating high society, as he kept a smile on his face while showering me with praise.
"I was just lucky."
"And humble to boot!"
I smirked and tilted my glass. Seeing this as their cue, the other nobles eagerly chimed in.
"Indeed, you are truly the son of His Imperial Majesty."
"It is certain that you will perform exceptionally well in the upcoming martial arts tournament."
"The future of the Empire is bright indeed."
Once one started, they all began flapping their lips.
"With the Youngest Prince here, the Elf Empire can rest easy."
"After all, there is a reason His Majesty treasures you so, is there not?"
The elf nobles burst into laughter in unison, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.
Grind...
Hearing a strange grinding sound amidst the laughter, I turned my head and saw Nairin with her mouth tightly shut.
"..."
Though she was doing her best to hide her expression, the nobles' sycophancy was clearly grating on her nerves.
Well, it made sense. These were the same people who had secretly hoped I would succumb to the poison, and now they were wagging their tongues like this. It was bound to be disgusting.
I clicked my tongue and scanned the elf nobles.
Every single one of them was smiling, but their eyes remained cold.
They were all busy calculating.
They were measuring the extent of the Emperor's favor, figuring out how low they had to grovel before this human, and ultimately...
"Haha..."
A relatively young noble, his face flushed red as if drunk, laughed while swirling his glass.
"I am almost afraid the Crown Prince might change yet again at this rate."
In an instant, the surrounding air froze.
Every single elf noble who had been showering me with flattery shut their mouths. The idiot who had just spoken also realized his mistake.
"Ah, I-I mean, what I meant was..."
He blinked and looked around frantically, but it was already too late. Spilled water cannot be gathered back up.
Thud.
I quietly set my glass down.
The Crown Prince changing "again"?
"..."
The last person the dead noble had looked at was definitely the Crown Prince.
And the blue flash of light that had pierced the noble's chest right before he could speak... that also belonged to the Crown Prince.
I had suspected it, but as expected...
Targeting me over the succession?
It was absurd. The Emperor would never hand the Empire over to me. After all, I was a human.
I knew this fact all too well.
Was I angry about it? Of course not.
Why would I want the burden of taking responsibility for a crappy empire like this? It was much better to just sit back, enjoy the status of the youngest prince, and reap all the benefits.
This was a sort of contract. A mutually beneficial agreement.
Yet, the Crown Prince dared to mess with me?
This went beyond a simple lack of understanding. Whether it was out of jealousy or a sense of crisis, it didn't matter.
Whatever it is, I don't care.
If worst comes to worst, I'll just kill—
...
...
...
Well, it would be best to resolve things through words if possible. But killing is also a form of "resolution."
In any case.
"I-I have spoken out of turn..." the elf noble stammered, bowing his head with a pale, bloodless face.
"It is fine," I said, raising my glass with a smile.
After all, the one who would deal with this guy wasn't me, but...
"..."
The Crown Prince, who was quietly staring in our direction.
I drained the rest of my glass.
And with that, the banquet drew to a close.
The Emperor had left early, and the imperial family and nobles began to depart one by one shortly after.
Of course, there were still those who tried to flatter me until the very end.
"Do not bother me," I said.
A single sentence was all it took to clear them out.
"Lord Taepyeong, shall we prepare to return?" Nairin asked quietly.
"Yes."
Lingering here any longer was getting incredibly tedious.
"I will guide you."
Nairin and I quietly slipped out of the grand banquet hall and walked down the corridor.
Portraits of past emperors lined the walls of the corridor. As the bustling noise faded into the distance and we reached the final portrait, Nairin spoke up.
"Lord Taepyeong."
"What is it?"
"Someone is following us."
"I know."
Nairin looked at me with a startled expression.
Why was she surprised by something like this?
"Then, should I—"
"No."
"..."
"Go back ahead of me."
"...Understood."
Bowing her head, Nairin departed first.
As soon as her footsteps faded, another set of footsteps echoed.
Step.
Step.
Step.
"Youngest Prince."
Emerging from the shadows was the Dark Elf Princess, her red eyes flashing in the dim light.
It was Belakir.
"Aren't you showing a bit too much interest in me?" I asked.
"..."
"You kept staring at me inside the banquet hall, and now you're following me outside."
"..."
"This is the Elf Imperial Palace, so there's plenty to see. You should look around at something else."
"...Ha."
Belakir let out a dry chuckle at my words.
"Ah, did you perhaps come to thank me?"
"Thank you?"
"If I hadn't stepped in, you, a dark elf, would have been framed as the mastermind behind the poisoning."
"The Emperor is not that foolish."
"Of course he isn't."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"That is why he is trying to kill you."
If the Emperor were foolish, he wouldn't have cared what Belakir did. But the Emperor was far too clever.
That was why he had reacted so lukewarmly to the commotion in the banquet hall.
If he could use that incident as an excuse to execute Belakir, it would be the greatest possible benefit to him.
"The Emperor needs a justification," I explained.
"..."
"Executing the Dark Elf Princess who tried to poison his beloved youngest son—is there any better justification than that?"
"..."
A brief silence fell between us.
"...Elves," Belakir sighed softly.
"Watch your mouth."
"...?"
"I am a human, not an elf."
At those words, interest flickered in Belakir's crimson eyes.
"When I heard the Emperor had adopted a human as his son, I thought he had finally gone senile. But it seems that is not the case."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Humans are a primitive race."
"So, what does that mean?"
"..."
The corners of Belakir's mouth curled upward slightly.
"It means you are different."
"..."
"Youngest Prince, you are more like us."
I barely held back a snort of laughter, maintaining a calm face as I looked at Belakir.
Seriously, as if the elves weren't enough, now even a dark elf was claiming me as one of their own...
"You do not belong with these hypocritical elves," Belakir continued slowly.
"I will be honest with you."
Why does everyone become so brutally honest the moment they stand in front of me?
"I participated in the tournament to eliminate all of the Emperor's favored children."
Oh. That wasn't particularly surprising.
I mean, did she really participate just to make friends?
"I was surprised when I heard the Emperor's human son was participating."
"..."
"But I figured I would just have to kill you."
"You really are honest."
"However..."
Belakir's gaze swept over my face.
"Meeting you in person has changed my mind."
Her crimson eyes locked onto me with strange intensity.
"You are completely different from the elves."
"..."
"Far superior to them."
"Thanks for the compliment, but..."
"If Her Majesty the Queen meets you, her mind will change as well."
"What does that mean?"
"..."
Instead of answering, Belakir took a step closer.
"I will spare your life in this tournament."
"..."
"So, come with me to the Kingdom..."
It was at that moment.
Swish!
A sharp stream of silver water sliced through the air, narrowly missing the nape of Belakir's neck.
Almost simultaneously, both Belakir and I moved.
Shring!
Belakir drew a dagger and hurled it toward the direction the water stream had come from.
Clang!
The dagger was deflected by my thrown dagger, Sever.
And then...
Shhh...
My sword, Cut, pressed against the nape of Belakir's neck.
A thin line of blood trickled down her skin.
"As expected, you are different," Belakir said, smiling.
"Nairin, I will ask you about this when we get back," I said.
"...Yes, my lord."
To think Nairin hadn't actually gone back. She was someone who usually followed my orders unconditionally...
I slowly withdrew my sword.
"I apologize for this, Princess."
"And your answer?"
Belakir's gaze remained persistent. It seemed I had no choice but to answer.
"If not for your mistake, I might have gone with you."
"...Mistake?"
"You said you would spare my life in the tournament."
Belakir stared at me, her face asking, What about it?
"Princess Belakir," I replied with a smirk.
"The one who should be begging for their life is you."