Chapter 31: Your Majesty Doesn’t Understand Love

Chapter 31: Your Majesty Doesn’t Understand Love

“What are you doing in the royal palace?”

The lead guard looked at Shadow and Hank suspiciously.

Their faces were tense; even though these two had returned with Lady Celia, it was still their duty to be cautious.

Caught off guard by the question, Shadow and Hank exchanged glances and then turned to face Celia, who was now turning around, awkwardly red in the face.

“Um, sorry about that! I’m just so used to it, I forgot you guys aren’t like me.”

Her “not like me” clearly indicated that Celia could roam freely in the palace due to her status, while Shadow and Hank clearly could not.

After hastily explaining the situation to the guard, Celia turned her gaze back and said, “They are guests invited by Your Majesty. Let them through!”

“Yes, Lady Celia!”

The guard complied immediately, allowing them to pass.

Having narrowly escaped trouble, Shadow and Hank couldn’t say much when Celia apologized; after all, the guards were just doing their jobs.

But Celia had definitely earned herself the label of “not-so-reliable.”

With Celia leading the way, Shadow and Hank navigated through the palace.

Thanks to the previous scare, Celia took the initiative to explain at every checkpoint.

Thus, Shadow and Hank weren’t stopped again as they made their way to the grand hall.

Inside the magnificent hall, Airael sat regally on her throne, casting down her gaze at Shadow and Hank as they entered.

At the sight of Airael, Hank was momentarily rendered speechless.

Airael wore a flowing white gown adorned with golden embroidery, accentuating her noble and striking appearance.

Shadow also had a brief moment of daze, but quickly recovered, bowing deeply toward Airael on the throne. “I greet Your Majesty!”

“Mr. Shadow, it’s been a while! And Captain Hank, it’s been some time since we last met.”

As Airael spoke, Hank snapped back to reality, lowering his head, too shy to meet her gaze, his face turning as red as a tomato.

“It is an honor that Your Majesty remembers me.”

“Mr. Shadow, you certainly left a deep impression on me.”

Back then, she was like a fool, playing hide and seek in front of Shadow.

Only, her Magic Cloak had absolutely no effect on him.

Lost in past memories, Airael continued, “It was Axi who sent you to find me, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed, I was instructed by him to seek out Your Majesty.”

Listening to their conversation, Hank felt like a transparent person standing aside.

He had stopped expecting anything.

His previous worries now seemed like a joke.

As long as Ailia was okay, everything would be fine.

Airael sighed. “He shouldn’t have sent you to find me. And I’ve already told him, as long as he continues with what he’s doing, then there will be another chance for us to meet.”

“Your Majesty, love is something that is difficult to grasp,” Shadow replied.

Though he had never experienced it himself, through various encounters, he understood that love could sometimes defy reason.

It could turn a very intelligent person into a fool, and a very rational person into a rash demon.

Once ensnared in the web of love, everything truly becomes out of one’s control.

So while love is a beautiful thing, it can sometimes transform into a heartless calamity.

“Are you implying that I don’t understand love?” Airael casually remarked.

She couldn’t exactly pinpoint how she felt about Arthur.

Was it true love? Or merely affection for a useful pawn?

Even if she had feelings for Arthur, she had already made her choice between love and duty.

She chose duty.

Suddenly, Airael’s remark hit Shadow like a ton of bricks, making him smile wryly from beneath his mask. “Your Majesty doesn’t not understand love, rather, she actively extinguished her own.”

“You’re not wrong. When I chose to part with Axi, I made a choice. As the Queen of the Elven Race, I must bear the responsibilities that come with my title.”

“I understand.”

Shadow replied, grasping Airael’s reasoning.

By contrast, he felt Axi’s actions were somewhat flawed.

But, given that Axi was his boss, he dared not speak ill of him.

For now, best to work hard for his boss; just do whatever his boss said.

“Please tell Axi that I will not be returning to him, nor will I agree to him coming to me. We both have our own things to do. If he wants to be by my side, then he must strive to become stronger; maybe he can snatch me away from the Elven Race.”

As she finished, Airael’s face broke into a smile.

She genuinely wanted to see whether Arthur could reach that height.

This also indicated her standing in Arthur’s heart.

For a moment, everyone in the hall was left dumbfounded by Airael’s words.

Especially Celia, being an elf herself.

Your Majesty, is it really okay to say that?

And why do I feel like you’re hoping to be snatched away?

“Since Your Majesty said so, I will convey your words to Axi faithfully.”

Shadow raised his head to look at Airael, suddenly realizing that Celia wasn’t the only unreliable one; Airael, the Elven Queen, was also quite unreliable.

Oh, and his master was also unreliable.

Seriously, how could they all be so unreliable?

Communicating was becoming increasingly difficult.

Suddenly recalling something, Airael spoke up, “By the way, it’s best if you don’t casually spread news about my situation.”

“I understand that.”

“So do I.”

The always-invisible Hank chimed in.

Airael looked at them and nodded gently.

“Then let’s end our conversation for today. If you want to enjoy the scenery of the Elven Race, feel free to stay for a few more days. I’ll have people take care of you.”

“We’d rather not. We should head back quickly. Axi is still waiting for our news.”

“Celia, please see them off.”

“Yes!”

Called upon by Airael, Celia responded enthusiastically.

“Mr. Shadow, Captain Hank, follow me.”

Shadow and Hank nodded, following in Celia’s footsteps.

As they walked for a while, Airael remained seated upon her throne, staring blankly, lost in thought.

After quite a while, she sighed softly, stood, and walked out.

She pulled herself together.

She was the Elven Queen, and she had responsibilities to fulfill for her people.

Thus, she would continue working, attending to the matters waiting for her attention.