I reincarnated as an elf .......and married the yandere villainess.

Chapter 251: 251:Access.

Everyone in the room stared at him. A normal person would have fainted from the pressure but Prince Lucifer stared back.

Silence filled the chamber. Eventually, Atheline spoke.

"You know asking the same thing every day isn’t increasing your chances."

He looked thoughtful.

"Maybe not," he paused, smiling to himself," But eventually you’ll get tired of hearing me ask."

The entire room froze. Both Lilith and Atheline turned towards him.

Prince Lucifer smiled.

The realization struck everyone simultaneously. That was his strategy, he was going with pure persistence.

Atheline was horrified while Lilith looked mildly impressed. Prince Lucifer sat back comfortably.

"I have nowhere important to be."

Atheline closed his eyes.

Of course, he didn’t. The Demonic Continent was on the other side of the ocean.

Since he was still just a prince, he didn’t have a lot of duties. And now he had apparently decided his official residence was the Dark Elf palace.

He was never permitted past his allocated stay time. He simply acted as though it were true.

He continued.

"I can stay another month."

Several ministers looked ready to declare war. Atheline could only sympathise with them.

Lilith finally spoke. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"What exactly do you want?"

Prince Lucifer immediately sat straighter. Everyone noticed.

"A long-term trade agreement."

She listened.

"Access to moon crystals imports."

That was reasonable.

He continued. "Technical operations."

That was less reasonable.

"And research access."

Lilith immediately shook her head. Prince Lucifer sighed in return.

Atheline almost felt bad for him. The discussion continued for another hour. The terms and conditions, possibilities, and compromises.

Prince Lucifer negotiated aggressively. And Lilith negotiated mercilessly.

Atheline mostly observed. Watching two powerful individuals attempt to outmaneuver one another was surprisingly entertaining when he wasn’t directly involved.

Eventually, the meeting ended. There weren’t any interruptions from the Councillors with was a surprise in itself, given how crazy they had been about the moonstones.

Nothing was finalized, again.

Prince Lucifer stood. Looking no less determined than when he’d arrived. Atheline admired that, a little.

The prince bowed.

"I’ll return tomorrow."

The room groaned collectively. Prince Lucifer ignored them and left.

Silence followed as his footsteps receded completely. Then one minister finally spoke.

"Can we ban him? Or send him back by force."

Lilith answered immediately.

"No. That will turn us into the aggressors. It will give them an advantage. "

The minister looked devastated. Atheline couldn’t blame him.

He had also been cornered by the prince enough times that he’d gotten used to it. They could even be considered somewhat friendly now.

.

.

.

Later that evening, Atheline, finally, temporarily escaped his responsibilities. He found himself walking through one of the palace gardens with Lilith beside him.

The winter air was cool against their skin, but none of them reacted. The pathways were quiet, a slight relief from everything going around them. It was peaceful at last. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Atheline looked sideways, through the glass that let sunlight inside. Heavy snow fell outside. The Court had turned a beautiful white.

For the first time all day, he relaxed. Lilith walked beside him their hands clasped together. Atheline squeezed it slightly.

Neither spoke for several minutes through the comfortable silence.

Eventually, Atheline laughed out loud. She glanced toward him.

"What?"

"The prince."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What about him?"

"He isn’t going to leave, isn’t he?"

"No, getting the moon crystals deal will help with his legitimacy to the throne."

"There is no one to contend with him."

She nodded. "But he has to do something. The Demonic kingdom would have sent someone else anyway if not him."

He chuckled lightly.

"I almost respect it."

Lilith considered that then nodded.

"So do I."

Atheline was caught by surprise. Lilith continued walking.

"He crossed an ocean," she calmly continued," Most people would have given up already after a few rejections."

That was true. Prince Lucifer’s persistence bordered on insanity, yet, there was something admirable about it.

His people genuinely needed help and unlike many rulers, he was willing to inconvenience himself personally to obtain it.

Atheline smiled slightly which she noticed.

"You have an idea."

"I might."

Lilith sighed. That has never been a good sign. Atheline looked entirely too pleased with himself which made her suspicious.

Every time her husband looked pleased with himself, something interesting usually happened afterward.

The two continued walking, silently. Eventually, they reached a small pavilion overlooking one of the artificial pools.

The water reflected the crystal’s lights beautifully. Atheline stopped there, resting his arms against the railing.

Lilith joined him.

For a moment neither spoke then he said quietly,

"I think we should help him."

She immediately looked toward him, unsurprised. There was only budding interest in her eyes.

"Why?"

Atheline considered the answer carefully.

"The moon crystals," he started, while Lilith remained silent, "The goddess promised more."

He paused, his gaze on the shimmering pool.

"One of the locations is in the Demonic Continent."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly, now they were discussing something important.

Atheline continued.

"You already know that right?"

The queen nodded. Of course she did, she was the one who held the coordinates in the first place. Atheline had to physically look through the continent’s map to even find a clue.

He hadn’t found the exact location, but it was somewhere in the demonic continent. He just hoped the gamble would be worth it.

The problem was obvious.

Access.

The Demonic Continent was notoriously isolated. Foreigners rarely entered while visitors were heavily monitored.

Exploration was nearly impossible. Even merchants faced significant restrictions.

Lilith folded her arms and leaned slightly on the railings.

"You want access."

"Yes."

Atheline looked toward the lake.

"The prince wants moon crystals. "

Lilith knew what this was. It was a trade, not for resources but for access.

Atheline smiled slightly.

"They need something, we need something."

Lilith continued thinking. He could practically see the calculations happening behind her eyes. The political risks, military implications, and economic value.

She never approached problems emotionally only strategically. Eventually, she spoke.

"The Demonic Continent will never grant unrestricted access."

"Not publicly, though."