Elven Legacy (Part 2)

Chapter 242: Butting Heads

Walking side-by-side with Elaine, we stepped across the golden carpet covered with small golden petals while servants of the Elven Cuisine Pagoda flanked both sides, deeply bowing whenever we walked past them; once we arrived at the building, which wasn't empty, all the commoners who were sitting down and enjoying their meals instantly stopped what they were doing, stood up and bowed. Even those who weren't citizens and were merely visiting for various reasons also bowed as it was my birthday, and everyone knew such a thing in the Elven Empire.

Ignoring the commoners, I glanced at the manager, who was also giving me a bow, though when he noticed my gaze, he stopped and approached Elane and I.

"Congratulations on your coming-of-age birthday, Prince Elif; it fills me with immense pride and joy that you and Princess Elaine would visit my measly establishment on such an important day." Said the plump manager with a large, subservient smile as he stood before Elif and gave him another deep bow before doing the same to Elaine, who merely nodded before ignoring him.

"Well, I had no intention of initially coming here, but this place serves as a good spot to escape the annoying guests. I also heard from Eyvor that you had prepared a special dish for me, and it piqued my interest." Remarked Elif lightly as he dismissively waved his hand at the manager while giving him a curious look.

"Ah, yes, I must thank you, Mistress Eyvor, for relaying my message. She is correct, Prince Elif; as I knew your birthday was approaching, I acquired several unique ingredients and had my chefs prepare a unique dish specifically with you in mind." Replied the manager as he turned and gave Eyvror a bow of gratitude before shifting his focus back to Elif, sporting a slightly pained expression when he remembered the cost of the several ingredients.

"Is that so? Well, I'm already here for that reason, so lead the way; I'm intrigued to taste this dish. What about you, Elaine?" Said Elif with a raised eyebrow while prompting the manager to nod as he had everyone follow him up the spiraling staircase.

"Yes, I'm also quite interested." Replied Elaine with a nod while walking beside Elif as they followed the rest of the group, Maxim, Illumia, Marley, and Idonea right behind them.

Once we left the first floor, all the commoners sat back down and returned to eating, and this happened for every floor Elaine and I happened to pass; the only floors exempt from this unspoken rule were the final three, two of which were reserved for nobles with the last being specifically for Royalty. However, as it was my birthday, the last three floors were empty as all the nobles, whether it was an Arch-Duke or a Baron, were all attending my birthday and were at the palace right now.

'Heh, I've hardly shown my face today, so they're probably confused where I'm at; oh well.' Mused Elif with a slight smirk as he wrapped his arm around Elaine's shoulder while she leaned into his side, garnering envy from women like usual.

Arriving at the topmost floor, we walked down the long hallway leading to double doors before two servants, who flanked the double doors, opened them, revealing a large room with a stage to the right, a big circular table in the middle with several small thrones and two large ones along with an entire side of the wall being made entirely of glass, giving one an excellent view of the surroundings. Like how all formal seating arrangements went, the ones with the lowest status would sit farther out, while those with a higher status would sit closer inward, which prompted Sarah, Echo, Shelia, Birger, Goliath, and Eyvor to sit at the outer edge.

Following that, Queen Nerthus was next, and while she may also be of a divine lineage, unlike Birger, who is only a prince, she's a Queen and holds full authority over the Divine Druid Kingdom; next would've been Suscila. She's from an Immortal hegemony like Elaine and I, but not only is she a guest, but she's also isn't the current heir. Her older sister, Cordelia, is, so by all accounts, Suscila is of a slightly lower status compared to Elaine and I, who are the Crown Princess and Crown Prince, respectively. However, she didn't sit down; she was instead looking at me, and it didn't take a scholar to realize she was waiting for me to sit down so she could sit right next to me and not Elaine, though she was going to be for a rude awakening.