"I understand." Prince William nodded quickly. It was unclear whether he truly understood or just wanted to lie to avoid his father''s me.


    The old king seemed slightly disappointed.


    This motto of the Modiwen family carried so much blood, tears, and suffering of the half-elves.


    It also bore the weight of shameful and dirty dealings.


    What a pity...


    The old king sighed and asked again, "Now that Prince Tupe has married Vera, we have allied with the Duke of the North. This will offend the other dukes. So, we are caught between many forces. Do you know what to do?"


    "Got it. As long as they haven''t decided the winner, we won''t take sides or ce any bets!"


    The old king''s lips curled into a faint smile, as if reassured that his son wasn''t entirely beyond hope.


    "Good. Then think again. Was it truly my arrangement for Tupe to marry Vera?"


    Prince William was smarter this time. He shook his head emphatically. "No, Father. You are too wise to gamble on the North at such a critical moment."


    Seeing the old king nod slowly, William grew bolder. "So, this must have been my brother''s decision?"


    A sh of anger crossed the old king''s face. "Hmph! Of course, there was that woman stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"


    Prince William kept silent, knowing full well who his father meant.


    The "woman" the old king referred to was none other than the queen herself.


    Continue your journey with empire


    To outsiders, the Half-Elven King and Queen appeared harmonious, but William knew better. His father had harbored dissatisfaction with the queen since the day she married into the royal family.


    The adoption of Prince Tupe had driven a deep wedge between them, almost turning them into enemies.


    The old king, who valued blood inheritance above all else, never fully epted Prince Tupe as his son, even though, legally, he now was. If not for the Miller family''s powerful backing, the queen''s position might have been stripped away long ago.


    Now, it seemed the queen sought to use Tupe''s marriage to Vera to strengthen ties with the Duke of the North.


    Her disregard for the delicate political bnce had enraged the old king, who was determined to remain neutral and maintain a precarious equilibrium between the Eastern and Northern territories.


    "The Eastern Territory will send an envoy in a few days," the old king said. "You will handle their reception."


    "Yes, Father."


    "Remember," the king warned, "no matter how much the Easterners try to woo or threaten you, do not get personally involved. Provide them with only the necessary courtesies and let them sh with the North on their own."


    "I understand."


    Having said so much, the old king looked visibly tired. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Prince William.


    Prince William immediately bowed and excused himself. However, before he could leave the pce, the king called him back.


    "By the way, how is the Spiritual Field I asked you to investigatest time?"


    "I checked, Father. There''s nothing wrong with it. As the rumors say, it makes crops grow ten times faster—"


    "Idiot!" The old king''s anger red again. "Did I ask you to investigate the speed of the Spiritual Field?"


    Prince William froze, dumbfounded.


    The old king exhaled slowly, regaining hisposure. Finally, he waved his hand in frustration. "Keep investigating."


    "Yes, Father," Prince William replied timidly.


    "How''s little Charlie doing?"


    At the mention of his son, Prince William couldn''t help but smile. "The little one is doing well. He''s started learning the sword recently, though he''s a bit too mischievous. The pce gardens are suffering because of him."


    "Send him to me tomorrow. Let him keep mepany for a while."


    Prince William had no doubts and nodded eagerly. "Yes, Father."


    At that moment, light footsteps echoed outside the pce doors. Prince William turned his head, only to see his father quickly lie down on the bed and feign sleep.


    Fast asleep in an instant.


    "William, has His Majesty gone to bed?" The Queen entered softly, her voice low.


    "Yes, Mother. He fell asleep as soon as I left."


    "Good. You should go back too."


    "Yes, Mother," William said, bowing before leaving.


    Outside the pce, another scene unfolded.


    "Sir, do you need a half-elf ve? Our Chamber of Commerce has just trained a fresh batch. The quality is excellent. Would you like to take a look?"


    As soon as Luis approached the door of the Hyacinth Chamber of Commerce, a salesman eagerly intercepted him.


    "I''m here to find someone."


    "Who might that be?"


    "A merchant named Sith. Do you know him?"


    The salesman''s expression turned cautious. "What business do you have with our president?"


    Luis raised an eyebrow.


    Noticing the salesman''s wary tone, Luis silently produced a token and disyed it.


    The salesman inspected the badge, his suspicion lingering. Clearly, he didn''t recognize it. "Please wait here. I''ll go inside and inquire."


    Momentster, the salesman returned, followed by a tall, thin, middle-aged half-elf.


    "Boss, you''re finally here!" Sith greeted him warmly.


    "Sith, let''s talk inside."


    Luis nodded and followed Sith into the Hyacinth Chamber of Commerce.


    They passed through the bustling lobby and into a serene courtyard.


    The yard was alive with roses, their elegant fragrance carried by the gentle breeze.


    In the middle of the flowers, there was a pavilion.


    Sith led Luis to the pavilion and sat down, then asked respectfully, "Boss, what would you like to drink?"


    "Coffee, please."


    A waiter promptly brought two mugs filled with steaming coffee.


    Sith waved his hand, and the servants withdrew, leaving Luis and Sith alone.


    "Wee to Silvermoon City, Boss."


    Luis took a sip of his coffee. Sith was a Shadow Guard of the Hartmann Territory, tasked with spying on Silvermoon City.


    Luis studied Sith for a moment, then pointed at the roses in the courtyard and asked calmly, "Are these blood roses?"


    "Yes. If you like, Boss, I can arrange a batch for you."


    "I''m not interested in flowers." Luis shook his head and smiled. "But I heard that Queen Elsa''s favorite flower is the blood rose."


    "Yes. The whole of Silvermoon City knows that."


    "Then tell me about Queen Elsa."


    "Of course. Queen Elsa is from the Miller family and is the youngest daughter of Duke Miller..."


    "The half-elf Prime Minister, Duke Miller?" Luis suddenly recalled the half-elf who had greeted him at the city gate.


    "Yes." Sith nodded and continued, "Queen Elsa married into the royal family three years ago..."


    Sith carried on, "Due to His Majesty''s old age, he has been unable to get the Queen pregnant. A year ago, he chose a young man from the Miller family to be his adopted son, who is now the second prince, His Royal Highness Tupe..."


    "Wait!" Colin interrupted, "You mean Prince Tupe was chosen from the Miller family, not the half-elf royal family of Modiwen?"


    "Yes." Sith nodded again.


    Luis sneered inwardly.


    What does the Miller family intend to do? The queen is from their family, and even the king''s adopted son is one of them.


    Even though Tupe had changed hisst name to Modiwen, would the old king truly recognize this foreign bloodline? Was Duke Miller trying to take advantage of the situation?


    "What about the eldest prince, William?" Colin asked.


    "Prince William is the biological son of His Majesty the King and thete Queen."


    "Which family did thete queene from?"


    "The Rutte family."


    A stern face shed through Luis'' mind. At the weing banquetst night, wasn''t Duke Rutte seated at the main table?


    "So the current Duke of Rutte is the younger brother of thete queen?" Colin asked.


    "Yes."


    "Does Duke Rutte hold any royal position now?"


    "Duke Rutte is themander of the Silvermoon Guard."


    Luis nodded, beginning to understand the politicalndscape of the Half-Elf Kingdom.


    In his view, the kingdom''s top power was divided mainly between two factions.


    The second prince''s faction was centered around the Queen, Prince Tupe, and Duke Miller, while the eldest prince''s faction included the King, Prince William, and Duke Rutte.


    However, it seemed the eldest prince''s faction had the upper hand.


    After all, Prince William was the heir, and with the king''s support, he was in a strong position. Additionally, the kingdom''s most elite army was under themand of his uncle, Duke Rutte.


    No wonder Prince Tupe is going to the North to seek Vera''s hand in marriage. Without external support, Prince Tupe cannot defeat his brother.


    So, is Duke Dressrosa nning to push the disadvantaged Prince Tupe onto the throne to gain control of the Half-Elf Kingdom?


    And what about the other Dukes?


    They certainly won''t sit idly by and let the Half-Elf Kingdom fall under the North''s control. How will they respond?


    And Luis himself...


    His Hartmann family is always ready for war beyond the Vortex.@@novelbin@@


    And Asmon... that kid is very strange. The Smile.... is very weird.


    "There must be a lot of knights among the half-elf royal family members, right?"


    "The Half-Elf King was once a fourth-rank knight. Her Majesty the Queen, the two princes, and even Duke Rutte are knights."


    Half-Elf King is a fourth rank knight, huh? So he might be sealed by the mages soon in his death bed.


    "Okay, that''s all for today. I have other matters to attend to, so I''ll take my leave now."


    "Understood, Boss. You''re always wee to visit! I''ll escort you out."


    The two walked to the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, where they were met by a team of fully armed guards.


    Luis nced at the familiar face leading the group and said in surprise, "Prince William?"