Chapter 235: Elif's Plan

After our little reunion, Elaine and I pretty much ignored everyone and everything around us and stayed within our own little bubble, oblivious to what was happening around; though, we weren't the only ones like so, both Mother and Father were pretty much the same. Of course, we didn't ignore everyone; we spoke a little with some of the guests, mainly Eyvor, Echo, and Shelia, though it was really just me talking while Elaine quietly eyed them.

Once an hour had passed, Elaine and I reluctantly parted ways; she was going to prepare my gift, and while I would much rather spend my time with her, she said it would be quick; after all, I did agree to allow her to monopolize me on my birthday.

"I'll be quick, Brother; it'll take a little more than an hour at most." Said Elaine with a slight frown as she kissed Elif and reluctantly removed herself from his comfortable embrace.

"Fine, but you best not leave me waiting for too long; it'll only be a complete birthday if you're by my side, Elaine." Replied Elif while pouting as he looked at Elaine, a sight that caused nearly every woman to blush uncontrollably.

Giving Elaine another kiss, I watched her quickly dash out of the dining room with Maxim following; sighing, I looked to my right and saw Mother and Father speaking with the leaders of all the attending guests, something I wasn't keen on joining, so like a proper prince, I stood up and silently excused myself. It was a much harder task to do when your beauty shines as brightly as mine, but I simply used my movement technique and appeared outside the dining room after nimbly moving through everyone.

"Eh, where did Prince Elif go?"

"How did he just disappear?"

"Was I mistaken; did I not truly see Prince Elif?"

Hearing the various women descend into slight hysteria from my sudden disappearance, I swiftly walked down the hall, leaving the dining room, before someone noticed me.

'Hmm, ahh, perfect; Mada is currently alone; I should speak with him about that plan.' Mused Elif with a thoughtful expression as he spread his divine sense before snapping his fingers and making a sharp right down the first hall, heading straight toward Mada's location.

Thankfully, most of the guests were in the dining room, enjoying the morning feast, probably confused as to why the person of importance wasn't anywhere to be found, but it made it easier on me; I didn't have any desire to speak with a bunch of inferior beings, it gets quite tedious after a while. However, while walking the halls, Marley and Idonea suddenly appeared as they gave me a bow and silently followed behind me, flanking both sides of Illumia.

"Has your mood improved, your Highness?" Asked Marley softly as she walked behind Elif while carefully observing his reaction.

"Yes, it has; after speaking with my Grandparents and seeking their advice, I underwent an epiphany that allowed me to correct my way of thinking. I will be having a memorable night, if you will." Replied Elif with a smile as he summoned his Quạt tay and fanned himself, his every step containing unconcealed enthusiasm.

"Hmm, memorable night?" Muttered Marley with a confused expression as she glanced at Idonea, though when she noticed Illumia's envious expression, it caused her to think of the worst instantly.

"Do you and Her Highness intend to become one finally?" Asked Idonea boldly with an expressionless face as she looked at Elif, who glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

"That's quite a bold question, Idonea; asking your Prince about his nightly affairs with his Princess is worthy of punishment, you know." Remarked Elif rather sternly as he eyed Idonea, though the lovely smile hidden behind his Quạt tay said a different story.

"I know." Replied Idonea calmly with a nod, causing Elif's voice to suddenly soften as he released a melodic laugh that enchanted the nearby maids.

"Hehe, I'll leave that up for you three to decide; however, although it's my coming-of-age birthday, I won't be the only one becoming an adult." Stated Elif as he titled his Quạt tay, allowing the three to view his sly smirk, which left them with a bitter-sweet feeling.

"Should we congratulate you beforehand or afterward, Your Highness?" Asked Illumia with a slight smirk as she shook her head, trying to dispel the envy she felt for Elaine.

"Hehe, why not both?" Replied Elif with a grin, which slightly uplifted Illumia's mood, though the same couldn't be said for Marley and Idonea.

"Um, I don't mean to question your decision, your Highness, but didn't you say you'd only become one with Her Highness once she was a woman? Couldn't breaking your own word affect your dao heart?" Questioned Marley in both concern and envy as she looked at Elif with a frown while Idonea opted to stay silent.

"Yes, I did, but were you not listening to what I said earlier, Marley? After my epiphany, I corrected my previous mistake of saying such silly words." Said Elif lightly with a frown as he glanced at Marley, who nodded with a slightly forced smile.

"Eh, I-I apologize, your Highness; I just worried for you, that's all." Remarked Marley with an apologetic smile as she quietened down, copying Idonea, the two becoming silent.

"It's fine." Said Elif with a nod before the four descended into silence.

'Hmm, I'm surprised none of them bothered bringing up my epiphany. Eh, I suppose I'm just so marvelous that experiencing a third epiphany isn't astonishing enough; that must be why.' Mused Elif with a narcissistic expression as he glanced at the three before flipping his hair, not knowing the three were thinking about something that would send every woman into a panic.

While walking in silence, I finally came across Mada, who was, for some reason, wearing a butler uniform at a cross-section in the halls.

"Eh, Mada, what are you doing?" Asked Elif in confusion as he folded his Quạt tay and pointed it at Mada, who was pretending to be a royal servant, though he was doing a poor job at it.

"Shhhh, Prince Elif. I'm hiding from Suscila." Replied Mada softly, doing a quick scan before leaning down and speaking to Elif.

"Understandable, but why are you impersonating a royal servant? You do know that such an action is punishable, right?" Remarked Elif weirdly with a nod as he looked at Mada, who suddenly flinched at his words.

"Let's not even consider the punishment; almost every royal servant is an Elf. There are the occasional Dryads and the few rare Fairies, but there is no Asura; the closest we have to an Asura that I know of is Illumia, and she's only half Demon. She's also my personal attendant, not a royal servant." Added Elif, looking at Mada as if he was foolish, which he partially was, and he must've realized it too.

"Now that you mention it, Pr-" Muttered Mada with an embarrassed expression, though when he noticed someone walking down the hall, he instantly pretended to be working.

'This fool.' Thought Elif with a shake of his head as he grabbed Mada by one of his six arms and started walking away.

"Anyways, enough about your foolishness; how badly do you wish to get rid of Suscila?" Asked Elif as he released Mada's hand and glanced at him.

"Rather badly; since you brought this up, are you willing to help me?" Replied Mada with a scowl before widening his eyes and looking at Elif, who nodded.

"Yes, sort of; I've got a plan that might get her to break the marriage contract. The only problem is, in order for me to do it, I need to get her in a secluded area alone, a challenging endeavor when she's got two people following her everywhere." Stated Elif with a slight frown as he looked up at the grinning Mada.

"So you want me to get her alone so you can do your plan? I can do that; it shouldn't be too big of a problem, though I'm curious: how do you intend to get her to break the marriage contract? I'm all for getting rid of Suscila, but if doing so might bring harm to the Asura Clan, I'd rather suffer by marrying Suscila; she's gorgeous, so it's not all bad." Asked Mada with a nod before giving Elif a skeptical look.

"Seduction." Replied Elif as he flicked back his hair, causing Mada to raise an eyebrow, though he didn't disagree.

"If anyone could seduce her, I think only the Flirtatious Prince Elif could do it. So, when shall we start?" Said Mada as he rubbed his chin and smiled with slight enthusiasm.

"Right now, Elaine is currently doing something, so right now is the only time I'll be able to spare some time. Be quick about it as well, and it doesn't matter which room you choose; just make sure it's in a somewhat isolated area." Declared Elif lightly as he glanced at Mada, who nodded and swiftly turned around, heading in the opposite direction.

"Got it, Prince Elif; I'll have Suscila alone within ten minutes." Stated Mada as the servant clothes he was wearing suddenly transformed into his regular clothes.

Seeing Mada leave, I spread my divine sense, enveloping the entire palace as I waited for him to do his part, and once he got Suscila into an isolated room, I'd use my medallion and teleport inside without anyone ever knowing.

'Ugh, though, I'm going to need to prepare myself; I'm going to be forced to get physically intimate with that fish.' Thought Elif with a disgusted expression as he continued aimlessly walking through the palace while waiting.