Chapter 139 - Haiten, the Elf King

  Haiten Rhiannon:

  Since we uncovered the possible existence of a lost brany family, I struggled to believe it. My grandfather often told stories about how his own grandfather spoke of a superior elf from our lineage who had supposedly rejected the title of Archduke and fled with a human adventurer. Acc to these tales, the elf had fallen in love with this woman—something I always found absurd.

  I grew up hearing these stories, but ruly believed them. After all, I khat superior elves didn’t fall in love, even among their own kind, let aloh humans. My grandfather, despite his doubts, swore that this was a truth passed down from geion to geion.

  This story remained a legend within our family until the passing of the st Archduke. During the preparations for the tribute and funeral honors, a strange discovery was made: a superior elf from our family was listed as “missing” in the records. This had gone unnoticed for turies, likely due to the influence of the royal family, who probably suppressed the io avoid sdal—after all, a superior elf abandoning his responsibilities and fleeing with a human was unimaginable.

  We had never o review the full history of the superior elven family tree, as they lived for around 300 years. But with the ret death of the Archduke and the o update the records, we finally noticed the absence of a tomb in the sacred crypt for this "missing" elf. That’s when I realized that the stories might be true.

  We couldn’t openly seek information in the human kingdom about my long-lost retive’s whereabouts, as that would draw too much attention, especially if it involved the royal family of the superior elves. So, I enlisted the help of the one elf I knew who could iigate discreetly across all kingdoms: Adrihna. As a superior elf with a diplomatic role even outside our kingdom, she had free access betweehree major kingdoms. Moreover, she was a respected teacher, highly sought after by various human nobles. Her prestige and political eade her perfect for this mission.

  On top of that, her family, the Akoniums, held a highly iial position within the military, with the duke being a close friend of my family. I grew up around the dukes and their children, as in our kingdom, the dukes were the inal families of the royal guards—unlike in the human kingdom, where dukes were territorial leaders.

  With Adrihna’s help, we were able to trace the whereabouts of the missing superior elf fugitive to the human kingdom. He had taken refuge in the most remote nds of the ti, in an isoted agricultural duchy: the Evenhart territory. Known for its vast forests and expansive farmnds, it was the opposite of bustling cities ions. It ce of simplicity and peace, perfect for an elf.

  The choice of such a rural duchy, surrounded by nature, made seaying true to elven tradition, he seemed to find soce living close to the forests, a reminder of the elves’ aral e to nature. By adopting a life as a oner, w as a simple farmer, he mao disappear, keeping his lineage and true identity hidden fr eyes.

  He lived far from political intrigue and nobility, choosing anonymity in a pce where no one would question his past. This superior elf lived with the human woman, and the two built a family and passed away from old age.

  From there, we had to iigate his desdants, but progress was slow as we o proceed with extreme caution. Fortunately, Adrihna, with her freedom of movement and access to dots in the human kingdom, was able to tinue her iigation. The search led to the discovery of a young desdant of the superior elf, an orphan from the fox tribe within the demi-human kingdom.

  There was no doubt—she was of our lineage. I immediately ordered that the young girl be brought to us. We couldn’t allow a member of the royal family to live in poor ditions, even if she was an orphan in another kingdom. However, the High Elf cil was divided. Kihe newly discovered heir, being a demi-human, plicated matters. If she chose to stay in the elven kingdom, she would be uo bear desdants with our kind due to biological inpatibility. Still, I offered Kinue a home in the pace. At the time, she was just a child, barely uanding the situation.

  Adrihna, however, enced Kio explore the world outside before being fio the responsibilities and limitations of living in the royal pace. Thus, I allowed my retive to live outside the kingdom for a while, under Adrihna's prote. Adrihna wasn’t only the most powerful Light mage but also held a position as a royal guard, ensuring Kinue’s safety. Even more so after the little girl awakened her Light element magic, shog everyone, including the High Elf cil. At that moment, I accepted that the best course was to leave Kinue in Adrihna’s care, where she could receive proper training. Adrihna was living in Apsalon, which made it easier to create an ideal learning enviro for Kinue. She was also close to a demi-human friend, the iial and respected Director Victoria, who would be essential in Kinue’s development. Kinue’s rare bestial form oint of , and I khat with Victoria’s vast experieh demi-humans, she could help guide Kinue in this regard.

  I felt I had pleted the work my grandfather, the former king, had started—finding the lost branch of our family. However, the situation took an ued turn when I was informed that, aside from Kinue, I had two more retives… humans.

  This news caught me pletely off guard.

  My retives were living in the human kingdom, and I soon asked Adrihna t them to me as soon as I discovered their existenbsp;After seeing the dition in which Kinue had been living, I didn’t want to risk leaving a mother and her 5-year-old child to fend for themselves, possibly fag hardships. To my relief, Adrihna had already made tact with this family and assured me that they were financially stable and living well.

  I was surprised to learn that they were the Evenharts, the family of the duchy where my distaive had taken refuge. His desdants who remained in the human kingdom as oners tihe bloodliil it reached the boy’s mother, who had married one of the heirs of the duchy.

  Learning about these two retives was astonishing, and I was also pleased to discover that the young boy was the same age as my daughter, both just a bit youhan Kihey would be the geion of elven royalty. However, the High Elf cil was stuo find out that two desdants of the purest lineage were humans—meaning they were patible with elves. This revetion caused a great uproar among the nobility. Letters poured in from all ers, with nobles the boy moary bes, nds, and even brides. I joked with Siofna about how the boy was dealing with a problem every man would dream of—and earned a swift sp. I never dared make such jokes with her again.

  When the cil began discussing potential marriages for the boy to tihe inal bloodline among the elves, I quickly intervened. I suggested, with a serious tohat perhaps I would marry him to my own daughter, which immediately silehe cil. I knew I couldn’t allow my retive to be maniputed or used in such a way, even though he was one of the st of his lineage. I sought to dey these processes as much as possible, seg at least temporary peace from the cil and the h Elves, who idolized the inal family as sacred figures.

  After learning about the boy’s existence, I followed Adrihna’s pn. At the right moment, she would tact the family to begin her role as a teacher ahe boy awaken his magical potential.

  Adrihna had been in tact with Nathan's family and regurly updated me on their development. I learhat Nathan's mother, like Kinue, had awakened her superior elven blood and possessed the pnt element. This phenomenon, where two half-breeds surpassed the racial barrier to awaken elven blood, was rare. But what surprised Adrihna the most was Nathan's case—he had mao bypass the elemental restri and acquire a sed element, something unique.

  Over the years, I followed Nathan's growth through Adrihna’s reports, who spent seasons with the Evenhart family. One day, I received hat ged everything: Nathan had awakehe Special Eyes. This was unpreted in many ways. Adrihna had alraised Nathan’s natural talent, but even she was impressed when the firmation came. Nathan’s family asked Adrihna to deliver this information to me, aware of the diplomatic impact it could have.

  The awakening of the Special Eyes was highly signifit, especially in a half-breed. This indicated that the tration of elven blood in Nathan was much higher than previously thought. Typically, half-breeds of two races couldn’t awaken the Eyes due to the inpatibility of their manas, but in Nathan’s case, he ied a purity of blood that brought him closer to the high elves. It ossible that the awakening process, which had taken geions in his mother’s family, had accelerated in him, giving him the ahe Special Eyes.

  This revetion made me worry about the growing ihe human kingdom might take in him. Adrihna informed me that humans, especially the royal family, had been obsessed with these eyes sihe time of the Founding Emperor, who had dreamed of possessing eveinct magical creatures. If they learned of Nathan’s power, they might try to trol him—or worse, attempt to take his eyes. I wasn’t sure if the human royal family would have the audacity to it su atrocity, but the idea of a flict of that magnitude was arming, and I couldn’t let something like that happen to a member of my family.

  I immediately asked Adrihna to ihan and his mother to live with us in the elven kingdom, where they would be safe. However, Adrihna thought that such a direct approach might frighten them, and she was right. I also couldn’t igheir wishes if they chose to dee the invitation. To avoid unnecessary tension, we decided to stick with the inal pn and tinue closely monit them until Nathan matured, at which point we could eventually annouhem as official members of the elven royalty.

  Ohan gained his citizenship in the elven kingdom, he would be free from the influence of the human kingdom, protected by over and backed diplomatically. The real dilemma, however, was Nathan’s political position. He already held a duchy in the human kingdom, raising a ing question: how would the human kingdom react upon disc that the elven kingdom ily trolled one of its nds? This was a delicate issue, and the High Elf cil was still sidering the implications.

  Until a clear solutioed itself, we opted to keep Nathan’s identity and lineage a secret, ensuring his safety and political stability betweewo kingdoms.

  "Is the boy here?" I asked Adrihna.

  "Yes, my lord," she firmed with a nod.

  "Good. I've waited 10 years to meet him... and his mother," I said, feeling a slight sense of anticipation.

  I go the side and noticed Queen Agnes watg us attentively. Realizing that, in my excitement, I had been a bit rude by greeting others before addressing them, I quickly corrected myself.

  "My friends!" I said, walking over to them with a broad smile. " After exging nothing but letters for so long, we finally have some time alone, without that army of b people to bother us, haha!" I joked, trying to ease the situation.

  I saw them smile, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Phew… diplomatit avoided.