But soon he relaxed.
He sighed inwardly, once again lanting his own tragic fate.
Why had he ever agreed to Seoryun’s request to co and trick this black-haired knight into getting back to work?
After spending too much ti in the human world, Illiya truly felt that he had beco far more devious.
Humans... really were bad influences on elves.
A few more days passed after Seoryun and Darius finished handling the final affairs.
"...So honestly, I’d rather be locked up than continue working," Seoryun said after signing the last of the docunts.
He then slumped lifelessly in his chair and let out a sigh like a weary office drone. "This lifestyle is really not for ."
Darius didn’t respond. He stretched his sore limbs nearby, trying to ease the aching in his body.
He had no idea how many stacks of files he had carried for Seoryun during this ti, how many tis he had poured tea or water for others, and how often he had to soothe the irritable king.
When he wasn’t attending to Seoryun, he was on duty at the royal palace, maintaining its security.
After the hectic days blurred together in a whirlwind of exhaustion, Darius finally regained his scattered sense of reason.
And at that precise mont of clarity, he suddenly realized sothing serious.
This stingy king had never actually offered him a proper salary—and yet he had foolishly worked for free all these days for him.
Good heavens, he was no longer the king’s personal knight, so why was he still doing the duties of one?
Darius couldn’t make sense of it.
He was speechless.
In order to avoiding being taken advantage of any further, Darius decided to take the initiative. "Seoryun, there’s sothing I need to say—"
Before he could finish, soone knocked on the study door from outside.
Seoryun’s attention imdiately shifted. In one swift motion, he sat upright and assud his kingly posture.
Clearing his throat, he called out in a loud, clear voice, "Co in."
Upon hearing those words, Illiya pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
As soon as he entered, the strange atmosphere inside made him pause mid-step.
His danger radar began to spin into action.
Although he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he instinctively knew this wasn’t the right ti to be stepping into the study.
Should he leave?
Illiya’s face twisted into an awkward smile.
Before he could make a move, Seoryun stopped him. "Since you’re already here, why leave? Your Esteed Elf, what brings you here this ti?"
Now Illiya was stuck. Leaving would be inappropriate, but staying felt equally wrong.
And now that he’d been asked a question, his elven etiquette wouldn’t allow him to ignore it rudely.
All he could do was try to pretend he didn’t notice the red-haired knight next to him staring daggers into his back.
"Ah, it’s nothing major," Illiya explained stiffly. "That day when we ca out of the dungeon and ran into the fake king. What he said—about ’sacrifices to the Demon King’—got thinking. If I rember correctly, the Demon race hasn’t had a Demon King appear in the last hundred, maybe even thousand years."
"What are you suggesting?"
Now that the conversation turned serious, Illiya’s deanor grew more composed. "I want to go to the Demon race’s territory. The appearance of the fallen concerns . I want to investigate and get to the bottom of this. From what I know, Areuseon Kingdom has a teleportation array that can reach the mainland."
Seoryun wasn’t surprised that Illiya would bring this up.
The first ti he had t this elf, he had unexpectedly seen so of his younger self reflected in him.
That sa unwavering determination when pursuing sothing they believed in—that was what pleased him the most.
"I understand what you’re saying." Seoryun agreed to the request without much hesitation. "Areuseon Kingdom does have such a teleportation array, and I will allow you to use it.".
Illiya’s eyes lit up at those words, like stars twinkling in their depths.
But then Seoryun’s tone shifted, becoming noticeably more serious. "However, I have one condition."
Illiya’s heart sank. A sense of unease crept up inside him.
His throat tightened from the tension, and his hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, instinctively clenched the fabric, creasing it instantly.
"What’s the condition?" Illiya asked, trying to maintain a calm exterior.
Seoryun, of course, didn’t miss the elf’s subtle nervous reaction.
He deliberately paused, pretending to be carefully considering the condition he was about to reveal.
Seeing the king remain silent, Illiya’s grip on his sleeve only grew tighter. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Your Majesty, please just say it. As long as it’s not sothing overly excessive, I’ll agree."
Seoryun had no intention of stooping low enough to ask what exactly counted as "overly excessive"—that would be beneath his dignity and make him look foolish.
Not wanting to appear ridiculous, the king simply stated his condition: "Can you take with you?"
Illiya began, "As long as your condition doesn’t cross the elves’ boundaries, I can definitely—"
Then he abruptly froze, suddenly aware of what he’d just agreed to. In disbelief, he asked, "Take you where?!"
Seoryun repeated, "Can you take with you?"
"This..."
"Didn’t you say it’s fine as long as I don’t cross the elves’ bottom line?" Seoryun wore an innocent expression. "I just want to go on a journey. It’s not that unreasonable of a request, is it?"
"I’ve been locked away by the fake king for over ten years, you know? Over ten years, stuck in that dungeon. How pitiful is that! Don’t I deserve a chance to go out and get so fresh air?"
"This has gone beyond being just a matter of inconvenience."
Illiya had never encountered a king as willful as this one.
Left with no better options, he turned helplessly toward the red-haired knight in the study, silently pleading for help with his eyes.
Reviews
All reviews (0)