Silence.

Absolute silence.

Everyone present stared blankly at the sleepy elf sitting on a cloud, their minds simultaneously exploding with a single question:

Who on earth is this person???

Sensing the gazes around her, Cocotte also came to her senses. She stuck out half her tongue, scratched the back of her head, and said with a grin:

"Oops, my bad, I forgot."

"You're already the Emperor now.Adapt to local customs. I should call you 'Your Majesty.'"

The others were utterly confused.

This familiar tone, and the feeling in these words...

It seemed that... the person who arrived was some kind of big shot.

Aubrey was all smiles, not looking at all like an emperor with any authority.

"Councilor Cocotte."

"I still remember the last time we met, my father had not yet passed away."

Coun... Councilor?

Another one?

The group of people immediately looked at Cocotte, feeling a wave of surprise in their hearts.

Most importantly, she was brought here by Lia Kravina.

Just how many councilors did the Kravina family have?

Some people paid even more attention to His Majesty's words.

His Majesty said... during their last meeting, the previous emperor had not yet passed away?

That meant... His Majesty and she were old acquaintances.

That was at least thirty years ago.

After all, Emperor Aubrey only ascended to the throne in his twenties.

So how old was this councilor???

Aubrey slowly said:

"Given your status, you deserve a seat... but now it seems you don't really need one."

Aubrey was referring to her being by Lia's side, beside the vassal of his subject.

However, this shut-in elf obviously didn't realize the emperor's deeper meaning. She just yawned, stretched lazily, looked at the cloud beneath her, and said absent-mindedly:

"Ah, indeed, I don't need one."

"But you don't need to call me councilor anymore. I'm currently working for Viktor."

...

!?

After a moment of silence, the entire palace instantly erupted into commotion.

"What!? A councilor of the Mage Council is working for Viktor?"

"What kind of ability does Viktor have to make a former councilor willingly do this?"

"This councilor is also an old acquaintance of His Majesty!"

People in the hall began to chatter, and for a moment, the entire palace became somewhat chaotic.

But even more shocking things were yet to come. The emperor, as if intentionally hinting at something, said:

"This Viktor lad, even the next Elven Queen is working for him?"

The next Elven Queen!?

The heavyweight news came too densely, stunning all the nobles present for a moment.

The entire palace seemed to have become a chatting place for these two. Each word they threw out was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake bottom, stirring up waves tens of meters high.

Although Viktor wasn't in the palace, every sentence, every word...

All pointed towards Viktor.

At this moment, everyone understood.

The elf before them was actually a queen who was originally about to ascend to the throne.

No wonder she looked so young, yet her words carried a maturity that seemed to have lived even longer than the emperor.

Because the longevity of elves was no lie.

Even a three-hundred-year-old elf would possess the vigor of a human teenager.

Elves are very mysterious beings. They can sense powerful natural energies and are even more likely to receive blessings from deities compared to humans.

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Moreover, some people favored by elves would be extremely lucky.

These special beings lived very secretively, rarely detected by humans, let alone anyone daring to capture elves.

Such behavior would easily bring great calamity.

At this moment, the crown prince's return was completely overshadowed by the appearance of this elf.

She made everyone feel a sense of unreality.

"Can't help it, I'm not in control of my own fate," Cocotte complained a bit annoyedly, then seemed to realize something.

"Oh, oh, were you guys talking about something? I must have interrupted you then. I'll shut up now."

"You guys continue. I'm just here to protect this girl."

Cocotte pointed at Lia beside her, then flopped down on the cloud and went back to sleep.

However...

At this moment, no one knew what to say anymore.

The crown prince was still kneeling on one knee in place, almost forgotten by everyone.

This should have been a moment of glory belonging to the crown prince.

Noticing that everyone's gaze was on her side, Lia finally made a move.

She smiled and curtsied to His Majesty, slowly saying:

"I apologize, Your Majesty. My brother is preparing for the princess's lessons, so I came on his behalf."

There was nothing wrong with these words. It was the emperor who made Viktor the princess's teacher, and now he couldn't come because of the princess. There really wasn't anything to pick on.

Moreover.

Viktor Kravina was a current councilor.

A mere prince was not enough to summon a councilor.

Lia turned her head to look at the crown prince kneeling on one knee, her eyebrows slightly raised, but her tone carried the most sincere congratulations.

"As for Your Highness, your fame precedes you. The news of you slaying the dragon has spread throughout the empire, north and south. Everyone knows about it."

"My brother also said that you already have half the prestige of His Majesty in his prime."

But many people heard the sarcasm in her words.

Half the prestige.

Isn't it just half?

Aubrey could single-handedly slay a dragon at seventeen, while you, in your thirties, still needed to bring an army...

Perhaps it's not even half.

These words were somewhat piercing to the heart.

Lia, however, seemed unconcerned, covering her mouth with a light laugh, and continued:

"Your Highness."

"You truly are a great hero."

Aubrey was still kneeling on one knee in place, but others could only see his still straight back.

No one knew what this crown prince was thinking, but everyone knew.

This moment of glory belonging to the crown prince, after the arrival of the Kravina family, was ultimately destroyed without a trace left.

Aubrey waved his hand, looking at Aubrey who was still lowering his head and kneeling on one knee, and said flatly:

"You may rise, Albanie ."

"After such a long journey, you should go back and rest."

"... Yes, Father."

Albanie Saul slowly stood up, dragging his clanking armor, and slowly walked out of the palace.

As Owiser watched his royal brother leave, he didn't feel much joy either.

At this moment, along with the emperor's attitude.

Many nobles vaguely understood something.

At some point, the Kravina family was no longer limited to their status as counts.

With various titles to their name, they seemed to no longer need to play house with these princes like ordinary nobles.

...

"Ha! Feels good!"

Lia held a cup of wine, gulping it down in large mouthfuls.

In the dim tavern, Lia sat at a wooden table, holding an oversized wine cup, shouting out.

After one cup, her face was already flushed.

Lia had never drunk before. As a merchant, she needed to keep a clear head at all times.

However today, she truly felt what it meant to be refreshed.

Those ugly nobles' shocked expressions, one after another.

The pleasure of no longer having to engage in hypocritical exchanges with these fellows.

She didn't even need to care about the prince's attitude, even mocking the crown prince in front of His Majesty.

Of course, Lia was very clear that she could do all this because of one reason.

She had a brother who could hold up the sky.

But the meritorious official beside her couldn't be forgotten either. Lia raised her wine cup and said loudly,

"Thanks to you, Cocotte. Have a drink too!"

Cocotte hugged a large wine cup, sitting across from Lia, looking somewhat troubled at the large cup of wine in front of her.

She had never drunk this kind of wheat wine before.

As an elf, even in her clan, she only drank nectar and wine made from fresh fruits.

Lia looked at Cocotte with a smile, then raised her wine cup and poured another mouthful of wine for herself.

That's right, this was a borrowed power play.

When Viktor told her to bring Cocotte along, Lia understood Viktor's intention.

A former councilor, Cocotte's value was not just her former councilor status and current fourth-tier strength.

Having stayed in the Mage Council for decades, even if Cocotte were a pig, her followers would be countless.

Not to mention she was an elf.

With Cocotte by her side, Lia could completely ignore those nobles' ugly faces, and even recklessly mock the crown prince she hated the most.

As for why she hated him.

I've never even met you, and you want to marry me?

Lia didn't want to become that kind of marriage tool, and when she got the background sufficient to ignore the prince, she would use this momentum to the extreme.

These things, Viktor didn't even need to teach her.

Soon, Lia drank a bit too much, feeling her head becoming unclear and her vision blurry.

Her words started to become a bit jumbled.

Finally, she forgot where she was, fell face-first onto the table, and started snoring loudly.

She didn't even realize that a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"How much did she drink?"

Viktor's voice sounded faintly, while Cocotte hugged her large wine cup and yawned.

"Just two cups, really. Her alcohol tolerance isn't even as good as mine."

Viktor looked at the eight empty cups in front of Cocotte and raised an eyebrow.

"You're being modest."

Cocotte kept yawning frequently. Her amount of activity today had clearly exceeded her limit. She continued to say:

"Since you're here, I'll head back first."

The clouds outside floated in and out, drifting into the private room. Cocotte fell headfirst onto the cloud, and it carried her out of the room through the window.

Viktor looked at the completely drunk Lia, considering how to take her back.

Looking at Lia who had completely collapsed on the table, he finally gave up on the idea of teleporting away with her.

Teleporting with someone requires the other person to be clear-headed and fully aware that they are in the process of teleportation.

Otherwise, they might fall into a random void in the spatial turbulence.

He tried to prop Lia up, but obviously, her condition didn't allow for normal walking.

So, he could only bend down, put Lia's hands on his shoulders, and carry her on his back.

With no place on his shoulders, Vega had nowhere to stand.

It could only stand on top of Viktor's head, turning his hair into a bird's nest.

"... Viktor?" Lia's confused voice sounded, but quickly received a reassuring response.

"Mm."

Lia, being carried on his back, squinted her eyes slightly and smiled stupidly against his broad back.

"I know... *hic*, you wanted me to vent properly, that's why... you let Cocotte follow me."

"Thank you."

Viktor didn't answer. He casually placed a bag of Geo on the table, then conjured a wind magic in his hand to make his body incredibly light.

He then carried Lia out through the window.

Under the night sky, Viktor carried Lia, steadily flying towards home.

He controlled his speed just right. Under the stability of the magic, not even a whisper of wind could be heard around them.

So, Viktor clearly heard the girl's soft murmur from behind:

"Brother... when I was little."

"Why... didn't you like me?"

Sigh...

The magic seemed to lose some of its stability.

Gradually, the long-absent wind brushed past Viktor's ears.

Like an answer, like silence.