Kingdom Era

Chapter 8 Friend

“Take it easy, I can help you!” Alan said, trying to comfort her. He could tell that the elven girl was very nervous.

“Would you like some fruits?” He picked up a red fruit on the table and passed it to her, trying to make himself look less threatening.

“Go away. All humans are evil!”

The older elven girl remained unmoved as she continued glaring at Alan fiercely. However, the younger elven girl looked at the fruit in Alan’s hands with a hint of eagerness in her eyes and swallowed involuntarily.

“Look, this is for you. You two look like you’re starving!” Judging from their condition, Alan guessed that those who guarded them locked the girls up without providing them with food for many days for fear that they would escape.

Although the older girl was still looking at Alan with hostility, her moving throat betrayed her hunger. 

Alan tossed two fruits on the tray to them. The older elven girl didn’t even look at it and just let it fall on the floor, while the younger one’s eyes lit up and caught one of them before she exposed her tiny canine teeth and bit down on it.

“Hmm, sister, this fruit tastes good,” the younger elven girl said after she took a bite and lifted her fruit up to her elder sister. 

“Betty, it might be poisonous. Have you forgotten how you were caught by those hateful humans?” The older elven girl exclaimed loudly before immediately asking her younger sister to throw the fruit away.

“But, sister, I’m hungry.” Looking at her sister, Betty responded piteously as she rubbed her small belly.

The older elven girl caressed the younger one, Betty, as her heart ached for her, but she firmly took the fruit away from Betty. The younger elven girl had no choice but to look at her sister pitifully. 

“Don’t worry, the fruits are not poisoned. You might not believe it, but I’m sure time will tell that I’m not one of those bad guys who will catch and sell you away,” Alan told them smilingly.

“Humph! I can’t trust a single word of the humans!” The older elven girl still refused to trust Alan. She crouched over her younger sister in a protective stance with a vengeful look on her face.

“I can swear by the name of Goddess of Light!” Alan raised his hands and said sincerely. Somehow, toward these two angel-like elven girls, he did not have any wicked thoughts.

Unbeknownst to him, Derya, who had been standing next to him silently all the time, was astonished by what was happening. If it were in the past, the prince would have turned into an animal and pounced on the girls. Why did it feel like he was a completely different person today?

No, to be more precise, he had been behaving like a different person over these few days!

Could it be that he was putting up a pretense in the past? Now that had has left the imperial palace, the capital and all those big shots, he was finally showing his true colors?

Casting a discreet glance at Alan in fear, Derya was immersed in his wild imagination...

“You want me to trust you? Fine. Remove our handcuffs first!” The older elven girl snorted with a hint of mockery in her voice.

“No, Your Highness. I’ve heard that the elven are blessed by the forest and they are born with peculiar abilities!” Derya immediately stopped Alan, worried that the young man who always acted unexpectedly might nod and agree to her request.

Alan and he were both ordinary humans, after all!

“Besides, Your Highness, you need money to govern the city, right? Given the beauty of these two elves, you’ll definitely sell them at a wonderful price if you put them up for auction. It’ll be a great loss if they escape!” Derya reminded him in a low voice as he looked at the two elven girls like they were two extremely precious treasures.

“If you let us go, you’ll be a friend of the elven. As long as you send us back, I swear in the name of God of Nature that you will be rewarded generously.”

The older elven girl seemed to have overheard Derya’s words and immediately said to Alan.

“Really?” Alan looked at her in surprise.

“Yes, the elven don’t lie. As long as you release us and let us return to the forest, we can give you whatever you want!” The girls responded in no time as if she was afraid that Alan might go back on his word.

“Then, can you be my girlfriend?”

The older elven girl opened her eyes wide and was rendered speechless. Looking at the smiling prince, she was so stunned and angry that her face flushed and she almost lost her breath.

“Another condition, please!” she demanded in a huff.

“Well, I’ve heard that the elven has an artifact called the Wand of Life. Can you give it to me?” Alan asked after pondering for a moment.

“The Wand of Life?” The older girl couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

The Wand of Life was one of the most precious treasures of the elven and only the queen was in possession of it. Even she had never seen it herself before. How could she possibly give Alan the Wand of Life?

“I can’t have this, and I can’t have that either. I might as well sell you both away and get some gold coins in return.” Seeing the elven girl speechless, Alan shook his head and muttered.

The older girl gritted her teeth in anger while the younger girl seemed frightened by Alan’s words as she cowered behind her sister.

“Sister, just say yes to him!” Betty shook her sister’s arm.

“Say yes to what?” The older girl rolled her eyes at Betty and said snappishly.

Give the man the Wand of Life?

She had only heard about this legendary object. Even if it really existed, the elven would never exchange the Wand of Life for them.

Agree to be his girlfriend?

At the thought of that, the tips of her ears turned slightly pink.

That...might work! Although this guy didn’t look like decent, she could always lie to him first and find a chance to escape later. By then, it would be too late for him to go back on his word!

With that thought in mind, the elven girl’s eyes gradually brightened up.

“Yes, I agree to it!”

What she said stunned Alan to the core. He was merely playing a joke on the two girls but he didn’t expect the older girl to actually agree to his condition!

“Really? Are you really going to give me the Wand of Life?” Alan wasn’t sure if he heard her right, so he asked one more time with a suspicious look on his face.

“No, I... I mean...” The older girl shook her head. She found the words that were on the tip of her tongue difficult to say out under Alan’s gaze.

“My sister means that she agrees to be your girlfriend!” Betty poked her adorable face out from her sister’s back and told Alan.

Whoosh! A blush of red spread from the older girl’s face to her ear in an instant. She couldn't help but avoid Alan’s deep, passionate gaze. 

“I’m just lying to him! That’s all!”

She consoled herself in her heart.

“Pfft!”

Alan burst into laughter after being stunned for a while.

“What are you laughing at?” The older elven girl suddenly lifted her head in indignance. Alan’s loud laughter somehow made anger rise in her chest!

“Nothing, I was just wondering if you’re really willing to be my girlfriend?” Alan stopped laughing and looked the girl over, the smile never leaving his face.