"Good morning, Your Royal Highness the Queen and Your Royal Highness the Prince, may the glory of the ancient tree be with you." Eight old and powerful voices echoed in the hall, which seemed to be shaded by a giant tree. I looked at the eight old men, nodded, and bowed.

After getting up in the morning, both my mother and Lucia calmly made me feel embarrassed... The two of them changed their clothes in front of me as if they didn't see me at all. I doubt that these two people ever regarded me as a man, or did they feel that it didn't matter if they were naked in front of me because they thought "this is my son" and "this is my husband"?

Afterward, I had a simple breakfast... The Elf's breakfast turned out to be just a strange tree fruit... Although there was meat and bread at night. But the fruit was very sweet. Then, I followed my mother to the conference hall inside the palace. The conference hall is a Roman-style building with a cylindrical tower and a semi-circular dome above. The dome is not sealed. In the center of the conference hall grows a huge ancient tree. The trunk of the ancient tree extends from the top of the dome, and its lush branches and leaves cover the dome, casting green light.

Dust dances leisurely in the light columns cast by the sunlight. The ground is not a floor but overgrown with wild grass and wildflowers scattered around. Butterflies fly among them. Also, there are small spheres of light, like fireflies, flashing back and forth. These seem to be the construction workers and gardeners of the Elf clan.

It seems that this palace only looks like a Human-built structure on the outside, but the interior still has the Elf's consistent close-to-nature style.

Upon arriving at the conference hall, my mother said she wanted to meet with the eight elders in the Elf royal capital, that is, the eight old people who just greeted me. I don't know how long Elves live, but looking at their appearance, they are also quite old in Human terms.

"There is no need for formalities, my lords. Today, I have asked for your presence because of the concerns in my heart." My mother sat on the throne behind the largest pillar of sunlight, smiling at the eight bowed elders below.

"I dare to ask your Highness what troubles you? Since your Highness ascended to the throne, I have rarely seen your Highness troubled."

An elder raised his head and spoke respectfully to my mother. I stood by watching them. Lucia, on the other hand, was standing to the side in a green dress, looking bored and glancing around. Although she is supposed to be a servant, she does not care about her own etiquette. This can be said to be fearless.

"I'm concerned about the issue of the Earth Dragons. There's no need to hide it from you all. My child personally fought against the Earth Dragons and failed, almost dying there. This made me realize the severity of the Earth Dragon issue. Therefore, I'm thinking of transferring the Northern Legion back here. They are good at hunting fierce beasts. What do you think?"

The eight elders looked at each other in dismay. The leader quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, the north is the border with the Trolls. The Trolls have always been raiding our border. We cannot move our legion back at this time, or else there will be heavy losses. No, no."

"Then I plan to take my guard team with me personally. My guards are all experienced warriors who will not fear the Earth Dragons. Even if we face a group of Earth Dragons, I am confident of winning."

My mother played with her long golden hair and sighed.

"Absolutely not! You and your guard team are the foundation of the nation. How can you be moved by such a small matter as Earth Dragons? Please think twice, Your Highness!"

"Do you have any good strategies?" My mother took a deep breath, rubbed her temples irritably, and said, "You are the elders trusted by my late brother, and I have never treated you unfairly since inheriting his throne. You all had brave performances in that war. But why did none of you follow my beloved son on the day he set out to fight? "

The eight elders looked at each other, and the panic in their eyes was so visible. Even I could feel the burning anger rising in my mother. She stood up, looked at the eight elders below her, and her long white dress seemed to ignite with her anger. She looked at the elders below, sneered, and said: "Ah, I see, I see your hearts, I see the cowardice in your hearts! I see your fear! You are afraid, you are scared, but will my child not be afraid?! On his first expedition, you eight elders should have accompanied and guided him. Instead, you pushed some beginners to take your place! You were once the trusted elders of my late brother! But now you are so afraid of death that you have no right to stand under this ancient tree! Do you deserve the vows you made when you swore allegiance? My child almost died under the hooves of the Earth Dragon! Are you still indifferent?!""Your Highness, please don't be angry! We didn't deliberately avoid it... it's just that we were unwell at the time and couldn't go into battle with the prince!"

"Oh, really?!" The queen sneered twice, looking at them, arms crossed. If the queen were usually as warm as sunlight, she was as cold and untouchable as ice at this moment. Her blue eyes were as sharp as knives, looking at the eight people below. "Well then, your bodies should have recovered by now. So, go on a campaign, bring your skills, and wipe out that group of earth dragons!"

"Your Highness!"

I saw the faces of the eight people turned incredibly pale. To be honest, these eight people did not leave a good impression on me. They did not participate in the battle themselves and even tried to stop others, rejected every suggestion made by others, and retreated to the back. Can these eight people really serve as elders?

"Growing old is not terrible, it's the meaningless death that is. When you were young, you weren't afraid of death. Why are you so afraid of the inevitable now that you're old?" The queen turned around, her golden hair like a whip, striking each of their hearts, scolding harshly. "As the Elf King, I order you to resolve the earth dragon issue within two weeks. Otherwise, go apologize to my elder brother! Dismissed!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please reconsider! We are already old; how can we command soldiers! Your Majesty!"

The eight of them, trembling, tried to catch up with the departing queen. Suddenly, Lucia rushed in front of them, blocking their path. Her arms spread out, her eyes sweeping over them emotionlessly, said, "The queen has ordered, dismiss! Don't bother, please return."

"Your Highness, the Prince! Your Highness, the Prince!"

As the queen's ivory figure disappeared at the door, the eight people immediately turned their heads, knelt before me, and cried, "Your Highness, the Prince, please speak to the queen on our behalf, we really can't do it! We..."

"Shh!"

Before I could speak, Lucia suddenly rushed forward, her speed so fast that she was just a green shadow in the air. The next second, a dagger was held to the neck of the leading elder. Lucia looked at them coldly, her anger evident. "The queen has ordered, dismiss! If you dare to pester the prince, don't blame me for being rude. Even if you are an elder, you are not allowed to approach my prince."

"Well... Lucia, I don't think it's necessary..." I smiled bitterly and reached out my hand. These eight people were still elderly, after all. It wasn't a good idea to treat them like this. Moreover, they hadn't done anything terrible; they were just being cowardly. I didn't respect people like that, but I understood that they were old and naturally afraid of death. Sending these old people to battle was also pointless.

"Really? Since the prince said so." Lucia obediently nodded and instantly put away her hostility. She put away her dagger and stood aside, vigilantly watching the eight people. There was no need; these eight people wouldn't suddenly attack me...

Furthermore, I felt that the queen didn't really want them to go to battle. What's the point of sending eight old men to the battlefield? She probably just wanted them to pool their resources and deal with the earth dragon issue. The eight elders were respected figures in the city, with considerable wealth accumulated over the years. The queen likely wanted to threaten their lives to make them spend their money.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Your Highness, please persuade the queen to calm down. We have lived for hundreds of years and only wish to spend our last days peacefully under the ancient tree, giving thanks for divine grace. We don't want to return to the battlefield. Besides, what use would we be against earth dragons? They are immune to swords and spears and, yes, un-killable!"

"You're lying."

I lowered my head, looking at the eight people with tears streaming down their faces, and spoke slowly.

"Your Highness, do you need me to shut them up?" Lucia took out her dagger and glanced at the eight people. I shook my head, squatted down, looking at them, and said, "If earth dragons are un-killable, then how do you explain the earth dragon scales in my possession? There must be a way to kill them if they are living beings. Tell me everything about their habits and anything relevant to earth dragons, and I'll persuade the queen."

The leading elder wiped his eyes, looking at me in disbelief, trembling, "Your Highness... what do you intend to do with this knowledge? You must not put yourself in danger again. If something happens to you again, our heads will roll! Do you know how many people the queen killed when you almost died last time? You absolutely must not put yourself in danger. If anything happens to you, the queen will slaughter everyone in the city!"

"If you don't speak up now, you'll lose your heads." Lucia looked at them, folding her arms and kicking an old man in the waist. "His Highness the Prince is asking you questions. Don't say useless things and hurry up!"

"Yes, yes, yes...but all the books related to earth dragons are at our home, not here."

I stood up and said, "Then I'll go to your house, let's go now."

"By the way, Lucia..."

I suddenly turned back to Lucia, who was ready to leave with me, and asked. Lucia was stunned for a moment and said, "What's the matter?"

"Well... it seems that the palace gate has been cursed by my mother... I will be notified as soon as I leave... Can Lucia help me take another route?"

Lucia nodded and said, "It's just that the door has been cursed. We just need to jump over it from above. Traui can't fly...nor does she have the agility like mine, so I'll take you over it."

I stared in amazement at Lucia's much smaller body than me. It would be a problem for her to just lift me from the ground, let alone take me over the palace gates. Don't underestimate the palace gates, they are at least four or five meters high. Lucia is agile, and it's no problem for her to jump over them by herself, but with me?

"It's okay, I have the protection of a Wind Elf." Lucia seemed to see my doubts, and she jumped in front of me. With just a light leap, she jumped to a height that normal humans could never imagine. It was more like a bird flying than a jump, except she was gliding in the air.

Well... you're wearing a skirt, can you be more careful?

"And...Lucia, I'm obviously going against my mother's wishes. Why don't you stop me?"

I asked the final question. Lucia is the captain of the Shadow Team, which is responsible for protecting the palace's safety secretly, and is directly led by my mother. In my mind, Lucia's identity is not only my fiancée, childhood sweetheart, and bodyguard, but also the eyes that monitor me and prevent me from running around.

"Ah? Why should I stop?" Lucia tilted her head in confusion, squinting her eyes that already looked sleepy, and then said, "It's Traui who wants to go out, so I'll help him out. I'm Traui's fiancée, isn't it natural for a wife to support her husband? And besides, even if there is danger, Traui will protect me, so I'm not worried."

Could you please not say such heartwarming words with such a natural look on your face? I can understand why this Elf Prince would fall in love with Lucia. Lucia is clumsy, always looking sleepy, without any cunning or hidden intentions. Precisely because of this, her love for the prince is the most sincere, without any selfishness or desire. No one can resist such intense and genuine feelings.

I reached out and held Lucia's small, delicate hand tightly. Lucia's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She grabbed my hand in return and gracefully moved in front of me, tiptoeing to give me a gentle kiss on the lips, laughing, "I love you the most...my Prince."

...

I'm sorry everyone, I've fallen.

Whether I am the Elf Prince or not, I am in love with Lucia now! In the end, I will marry Lucia, regardless of whether I am genuine or not. Besides, I am real now!

I gently wrapped my arms around her waist, and Lucia obediently leaned into my embrace, hugging my neck. The happiness in her slightly squinted eyes sparkled, and I slowly lowered my body, approaching the soft and delicate lips...

"Um...Prince, let's set off!"

Shoot...

You guys are really good at interfering...

Perhaps it would have been better if Lucia had just wiped their necks before?