Prime Originator

While the king had left in a pleasant mood, there were two other maids who had remained behind and also seen the ambiguous position the prince and elven princess were in. Oh, how the tables have turned when they only left for a short while. The prince had tried to lay his wolfish claws on elven princess.

Leon could feel their cold contemptuous stares that seem to say, "you disgust me." He smiled ruefully. In their positions, it really did look like he was forcing himself on the elven princess.

'Ah, that's another image down the drain.' Leon inwardly lamented.

After the two had separated, Faelyn's head was a mess as she could not believe what she had done. She had lost her temper and assaulted the royal prince of a human kingdom. 

Although she did not exert much strength at her level of cultivation as she still had some self-restraints, did not seek to harm the prince, and their scuffle could even be seen as intimate playfighting, it did not change the fact that she had indeed assaulted the prince.

She worried that there would be some diplomatic complications due to this and began to consider her apology. 

At the same time, she subconsciously rubbed her stomach and frowned. Something seemed to have poked her tummy just now. 

It was just a passing thought and did not dwell on it. When she looked at Leon while thinking of ways to apologize, she felt her anger rising again. Leon had truly infuriated her. That fella did not have any tact. 

There were many things a man should not say nor question about a woman. For example, her age, her weight, her appearance, personality, her sanity, her—In short, if you do not have anything nice to say, do not say it at all.

Women only like to hear positive things, but even if you compliment them, they might not believe you. Oh, how women are truly hard to please creatures.

"I humbly apologize for what happened just now. It seems I have misspoken and provoked your ire. However, it was an enjoyable chat with your company, Princess Faelyn. How about we call it a day for today?" 

Leon's unexpected apology caught Faelyn by surprise. She did not expect him to be the first one to apologize. She felt a tightness in her chest and veiled pressure from the way Leon had returned to using formal speech.

"Ah? No… I should be the one to apologize... It was my fault for not controlling my temper well. I beg for your forgiveness, Your Highness. I… I also enjoyed your company." Faelyn said apologetically. 

By now, she understood that although Leon had said some infuriating things to her, it was completely unintentional and not him trying to pick a fight with her.

Leon shook his head and said, "Don't think too much. We both made mistakes, but as I said, I really enjoyed your company. If you do not mind, I will invite you for tea another time."

"So, you're not sending me away because you are offended by me, Your Highness?" Faelyn carefully asked.

"Not at all. I can at least tell you were pulling your punches and were not seriously trying to harm me. It's just that I still have things I need to do now." Leon explained.

Despite what he said, Faelyn still felt guilty for the few scratch marks on Leon's face. She was hesitant for a moment, but she still stepped forward towards Leon.

"One moment please, Your Highness."

Leon was a bit surprised by Faelyn's approach, but he calmed down after feeling a cool soothing sensation of Faelyn's hands on his cheeks that were coated in a layer wood element healing property.

It was the first time Faelyn was this intimate with another person of the opposite gender and she could not help but blush as she healed his light scratches. 

Her blush accentuated her beauty and made her look more mesmerizing as Leon felt his heartbeat quickened slightly. 

"Then… I'll be going now, Your Highness." Faelyn said softly and escaped with a flushed face after she was done. 

Leon glanced at her retreating figure with a slightly dazed look. Elves really are one of the most beautiful races. 

Leon shook his head as he made a mental note to be mindful of his words when he is in front of another woman in the future, lest he accidentally offends a powerful woman that can swat him to death with a single slap.

He had not realized the fact that he could say some displeasing words before because he was favored by his status and shared a good relationship with those he had interacted with, but the elven princess was different.

This was someone with a status of equal standing to his, or rather, Princess Faelyn's status could even be considered even higher than his. 

After all, the present Elvengarde was bigger and stronger than the Crawford Kingdom. Just the fact that the Elven King, Queen, and twelve elders of the council were all Transcendent-level figures shows how powerful they were. 

Not to mention, all the elves below them that had some form of accomplishment in cultivation.

As for the people of the Crawford Kingdom, most of them had barely stepped on the cultivation path. There was really no room for comparison. The disparity in the strength of the two nations was just that great.

They had really exhausted their luck for the elves to approach them with a humble attitude and willingness to become their vassals. It was like a pie falling out of the sky. 

After Leon strictly reminded the maids to spread the word of the matter again, Leon went to trouble his father.

"How was it?" 

Leon was dumbfounded by the first question his father posed upon greeting him.

"How was what?" Leon said with a puzzled look. 

"Oh, don't give me that look, son. You know what I mean. How's your progress with Princess Faelyn?" Heinrich said with a meaningful smile.

Leon finally understood his father's meaning and shook his head helplessly. "It's not like that at all, father."

"It's not?" Heinrich's smile froze, before he barked, "Why is it not like that? Son, you better work hard to court Princess Faelyn, understand?"

"Are you asking me to bring home another wife, father?" Leon smiled wryly while scratching his cheek. 

'There's Aria, Lynne, and Rachel. That makes it three already, yet you want me to get another one?? I'm afraid they will not be happy. Just how many grandchildren do you want to hold?' Leon thought. 

Heinrich shook his head.

"Nothing is more unreliable than an oral promise. We cannot guarantee that the entire elven tribe is willing to become our vassals. Don't forget that the envoys are only here as representatives of their tribe. The keyword is 'representatives.' The Supreme Elder is a representative with high status, but he is not the ruler of Elvengarde himself."

"So long as it is not the Elven King of Elvengarde himself that spoke to us in person, there is still a chance that something could go awry. Does it even make sense that someone as powerful as the Supreme Elder would humble himself to us so willingly without an ulterior motive? Even if he has an ulterior motive, we can't do anything about it."

"This is someone with the strength to wipe out everyone in the Capital! However, it is fortunate there is still room to maneuver. A royal princess had accompanied the Supreme Elder on their trip to our kingdom. Marrying the princess will put us in a more favorable position, understand? The binding of marriage is much more reliable than an empty promise."

Leon was given an earful by his father. 

At the same time, he was awed by his father. As expected of a ruler, his father had his own concerns and considerations. The king did not blindly believe that everything they had negotiated with the elven envoys would go smoothly. 

"I understand, father. I will do my best." Leon complied with his father's wishes. 

What his father said was not something that did not cross his mind, but like his father also said, they were too weak to do anything. The only person who could contest with the Supreme Elder when things go south is Elder Evergreen, but the elder was quite far from the Capital.

It was for that reason that he was still mindful of actions and did not dare accept the Supreme Elder's kneel of gratitude.

"Good!" Heinrich nodded approvingly before asking, "Oh right, what did you come to see me for?"

"I was actually looking for some blank paper and a pen to write with. Seeing that father deals with paperwork every day, I figured that father would know where I can grab some."

"Is this enough?" 

Heinrich rummaged his messy desk and pulled a few blank white sheets of white paper.

"Not enough. I need a lot. Preferably about this much." Leon gestured by displaying the gap between his hand. It was enough to fit a few hundred sheets of paper. "Oh, I will also need 10 extra pens just in case."

Dafuq?

"Get lost. Are you trying to empty out my office? Where would I find so much spare paper lying around here?" Heinrich chided. Why would he need so many pens and paper for?

"I'm being serious."

"You know there's are plenty of stores outside that sell these kinds of stationaries. Go look for them and stop troubling me." Heinrich shooed. His son was so crazy about cultivation. What is the need for so much paper and pen? Did he suddenly feel like becoming a scholar? He did not believe it.

Leon smiled wryly. 

His father's study room was just a short walk away from his private courtyard.. Of course, he would come here to check first and save himself a potential trip outside.