Chapter 151: Luke Fifth Wife, Elaria
"It..."
"It contains recent news regarding... Her Highness’s husband."
"Hmm." Haldir’s gaze remained fixed on the newspaper.
Seconds passed.
Then another.
He said nothing.
That silence only made Lyra more nervous.
Tiny beads of sweat gradually appeared across her forehead.
She knew exactly what kind of person Prince Haldir was.
He had punished her on more than one occasion.
Sometimes for reasons she never even understood.
Fortunately.
Princess Elaria had always treated her kindly.
Which was precisely why.
The moment Lyra learned about Luke’s achievements.
Her first thought had been to share the happy news with the princess.
Surely she would be delighted to hear about her husband.
But now watching Prince Haldir silently stare at the newspaper.
Hope slowly faded from her heart.
’It seems impossible.’
’I won’t be able to deliver it to Her Highness...’
The thought left her feeling helpless.
Still she carefully raised her eyes.
Prince Haldir remained standing exactly where he was. Lost in thought.
The newspaper still held his attention.
Lyra quietly lowered her gaze once more.
Although she couldn’t claim to know everything about the royal family.
She had heard countless stories while serving within the palace.
Royal elves viewed themselves as the purest race in existence.
They looked down upon nearly every other race.
Humans, Beastkin, Dwarves.
Even other elves lacking royal blood.
Yet among all of them, the race they despised the most. Was humanity.
The reason was simple.
Throughout history countless elves had been captured and sold as slaves across various continents.
And among all races, humans were the worst offenders.
Unlike others, who conducted such trades in secret. The Human Continent practiced it openly.
Its slave markets also held the largest number of elven captives in the entire world.
Renowned for their unparalleled beauty, elves were considered the most valuable slaves.
Many human nobles, Merchant families, Even members of the imperial household.
Kept elven slaves within their residences.
Naturally The Elven Empire demanded that the Human Empire abolish the practice immediately.
However The Human Emperor at the time ignored every warning.
To him profit and political influence mattered far more than the dignity of another race.
As a result the already strained relationship between humans and elves rapidly deteriorated.
Border disputes became increasingly common.
Skirmishes erupted one after another.
Eventually war became inevitable.
And then the final spark arrived.
An Elven Princess disappeared while traveling to another continent on an official diplomatic mission.
The entire Elven Empire was thrown into chaos.
For elves, the royal family was more than mere rulers.
They were regarded as the direct descendants and guardians of the World Tree itself.
To harm a royal, was equivalent to insulting their god.
An unforgivable sin.
So the empire mobilized every available force.
Days of relentless searching followed.
Finally...
They discovered the truth.
The mastermind behind the kidnapping. Was the Human Emperor himself.
The princess had been imprisoned inside the Imperial Palace.
The moment that truth became known The Elven Empire erupted.
Every army marched, Every noble answered the call.
War was declared without hesitation.
And that war shook the entire world.
Millions perished upon the battlefield.
Countless legendary experts fell.
Kingdoms caught between the two empires were reduced to ruins.
Even neutral races suffered enormous losses.
Many races condemned the Human Emperor for his actions.
Yet his pride never wavered.
He refused every attempt at negotiation. So the war continued.
Until...
The number of casualties reached into the billions.
At last The Elven Demigod awakened.
The protector who had slumbered beneath the World Tree for ages.
With overwhelming power. The demigod descended upon the Human Empire.
Half of the Human Continent was devastated.
The Human Emperor was personally executed.
And the imprisoned Elven Princess was finally rescued.
That single event shook every race across Valtharion.
People suddenly remembered something they had nearly forgotten.
Demigods still existed.
They simply chose not to interfere in mortal affairs.
Most spent their endless lives asleep.
Others wandered the world without concern for kingdoms or wars.
Because of their silence... Many races had gradually forgotten the terror such beings represented.
Although countless races pitied the ordinary humans caught in the catastrophe...
None defended the Human Emperor.
After all the disaster had begun because of his own greed.
At that time humanity was still one of the newest overlord races upon Valtharion.
Unlike dragons, Elves. Or vampires.
Humans possessed neither ancient bloodlines nor a long history.
For thousands of years. Not a single human had successfully reached the Demigod realm.
Only much later did the truth behind the Human Emperor’s obsession come to light.
He hadn’t merely coveted the beauty of other races.
He had been desperately searching for a way to create humanity’s first Demigod.
His plan was to produce descendants carrying the powerful bloodlines of their ancient races.
If humans lacked ancient lineage. Then he would simply steal it.
One experiment after another ended in failure.
Eventually his attention turned toward royal bloodlines.
Especially the elves. Unfortunately for him.
Before his ambition could bear fruit.
The Elven Demigod ended both his life and his dream.
From that day onward, humanity’s position among the overlord races weakened considerably.
Meanwhile...
The elves gradually restored their former glory beneath the protection of the World Tree.
Although, that tragedy had occurred tens of thousands of years ago.
Their hatred towards human never truly faded.
Elves possessed extraordinarily long lifespans.
Many who had personally witnessed that war. Were still alive today. They remembered every battle.
Every death, humiliation and even the princess who had been kidnapped and abused had survived.
And she eventually rose to become one of the strongest elves in existence.
A being standing at the peak of Valtharion. Second only to the Demigods themselves.
...
"I’ll deliver this to Elaria, you may return to your duties."
Haldir’s voice suddenly interrupted Lyra’s thoughts.
"H-Huh?" Startled, Lyra blinked several times before finally realizing what had happened.
The newspaper was no longer in her hands. Prince Haldir had already taken it.
By the time she looked up. He was calmly walking toward Princess Elaria’s chambers.
’Did I misunderstand him?’ Confusion filled Lyra’s face.