Free Web NovelChapter 430: Chapter 44: Eilvette Is the First One to Be Caught
The Grand Law Officer had no emotional intelligence. To be more precise, he had no concept of reading the room. He always said whatever was on his mind without any regard for others’ feelings, which made him seem arrogant and domineering.
This attitude had always been a potential problem, but in the past, he had never crossed Ailorus’s line, so things had remained peaceful.
However, Duke Qinghui operated on the principle of exploiting any conflict—and if none existed, creating one to exploit. By inserting himself into the situation, he had forcefully driven a wedge into the once-harmonious relationship between monarch and minister.
And under his relentless prompting and insinuation, Eilvette finally lived up to expectations and said the one thing he absolutely should not have.
Ailorus lowered her head slightly, her long, curved eyelashes trembling, obscuring whatever emotion lay within her sacred, cerulean eyes.
The Elf Lolita’s voice was unbelievably cold as she spoke:
"Lord Eilvette, what do you mean by that?"
A normal person would have tried to placate the Monarch’s feelings at this point, but Eilvette was not a normal person. The supremely arrogant Grand Law Officer replied without a second thought:
"I mean exactly what I said, Your Majesty. You and Duke Qinghui are not yet formally engaged, are you? This matter still has room for discussion and negotiation."
The tall, stern, silver-haired Elf paused, then said, "I am not saying we must oppose it. Rather, the previous assessment did not take into account your level of control over the Melody. The conditions of the marriage alliance should be amended."
’Are you sure you want to say that? And in front of Westheid, no less!’
’Disgusting! And doing it right in front of him! How disgusting! Disgusting!’
Faced with this utterly tactless proposal, which made many of the Royal Court ministers extremely uncomfortable, Ailorus took a deep breath. Instead of showing anger, she simply smiled and tilted her head.
"Very well. Let’s discuss it again, then!"
Only after Eilvette had left did Ailorus lift her chin, a deep and lingering shadow darkening her clear, sacred, cerulean eyes.
"That man... does he see my marriage to Brother West as just a tool for bartering benefits?"
’Aren’t political marriages just an exchange of benefits by nature?’
Faticia barely kept a straight face upon hearing this. She supposed only Her Majesty the Queen, so deeply in love, could see a political marriage as something so pure, incapable of tolerating such a pragmatic, realistic interpretation.
Westheid let out a long sigh and said:
"You see? I told you. Eilvette will never bless our union. He was extremely reluctant to even agree to the marriage alliance, and he could tear up the contract at any moment. Even if we were formally engaged, he would have countless ways to stand in our way. As long as he holds power, this is inevitable."
In truth, it wasn’t so dire. As long as Westheid didn’t covet the [Thousand Laws Ceremony], Eilvette most likely would not have interfered. But the Wind Law Queen, clouded by her preconceived notions, was beyond such reasoning.
Ailorus’s sacred, cerulean eyes filled with a cold melancholy as she said:
"Brother West, you’re right... Lord Eilvette is loyal to the Royal Court, loyal to tradition, loyal to himself... The only one he isn’t loyal to is me."
The Elf Lolita clenched her small fists, her teeth gritted.
"That treacherous subject... I have already given him his chance."
Westheid picked Ailorus up and whispered in her ear:
"We can eliminate the threat of the Grand Law Officer once and for all, right now. It will be easy, and it won’t cause too much damage to the Thousand Laws Royal Court... This is the perfect opportunity. If you let him prepare, everything will become difficult. It might even lead to a civil war too terrible to speak of."
"Yes, we’ll do it just as you say, Brother West!"
Ailorus nodded emphatically and wrapped her arms around the man’s neck. Her words made it clear her mind was set.
..........
For the next few days, the Central Royal Court appeared calm on the surface, but a dark undercurrent was stirring.
Many important palace military units were mobilized. The Royal Court Forbidden Army, which was originally composed of half Tuners and half Queen’s Guard, was now filled with large numbers of Yonglan Knights and Qinghui Guards. These allied troops left their garrisons and brazenly moved into the core area of the Royal Court.
Meanwhile, Ailorus had also been cracking and modifying the nodes arranged in the Wind Law Palace one by one. According to the Wind Law Queen, this was simply practice for her Ten Thousand Wind Melodies.
Yet, Eilvette displayed a surprising lack of awareness regarding all these developments.
Even when he received reports from his fiercely loyal Tuners, Eilvette thought nothing of it. In the two hundred years since becoming the Grand Law Officer, it had never occurred to him that he had anything to worry about. This centuries-long mental inertia prevented him from connecting the various signs and seeing the bigger picture.
He was far more focused on how to redefine the relationship with their allies from the Qinghui Territory. This continued until several days later...
At that time, Eilvette received a notice to discuss the changes to the marriage alliance’s conditions. Upon his arrival at the Wind Law Palace, his personal bodyguards were made to remain at the sentry post.
"Apologies, but regulations require..."
The stern, silver-haired Elf waved his hand dismissively. "I know. I’ll have them remain here. But... since when did the Wind Law Palace have such a powerful ward?"
Eilvette looked toward the Wind Law Palace, now encircled by a Barrier. As the foremost living practitioner of the Path of Resonance, he knew what it was at a single glance.
Within this Barrier, all Tuning actions would be sealed. No one, no matter who they were, could establish a connection with the [Thousand Laws Ceremony].
A member of the Royal Court Forbidden Army stated expressionlessly, "This is also Her Majesty’s decree. She said it is a very important meeting and that no interruptions or accidents will be tolerated."
