241 Chapter 241: Elven Cuisine Pagoda

Seeing Elaine and Suscila angrily glaring at each other as if they were about to fight each other at a moment's notice, Queen Nerthus stepped between the two while clearing her throat, soothing the hostile atmosphere.

"Mistress Suscila, Princess Elaine, there is no need to be so hostile; it was just a little honest mistake, that's all." Said Nerthus softly with a slight smile, causing Suscila to huff and look away while Elaine grunted in annoyance before grabbing Elif's hand.

"Queen Nerthus is correct; it was a mistake on my part to stare. I apologize for my rude behavior." Remarked Suscila as she ignored Elaine before smiling at Elif, giving him a slight bow, though Elaine responded on his behalf.

"Hmph, since it's my Brother's birthday, I shall not pursue this matter any further, though it would be best not to make the same mistake again." Declared Elaine, snuggling against Elif while squinting her eyes at Suscila, who was currently glaring at her.

Before things could get out of hand again, I rubbed Elaine's head, which helped calm her down, though I saw Suscila take on an ugly expression, not that I really cared; I had only seduced her to learn more about her sister because I was interested, other than that she served no purpose to me, and her feelings were of little concern.

'Still, I dislike how she calls me by name without any honorifics; it's rather infuriating that such a low-bred mongrel constantly acts as if we are equals.' Thought Elif with a soft expression, which was a facade of his annoyance and irritation for Suscila.

"Anyways, if you don't mind me asking, what were you two speaking about, Queen Nerthus and Suscila?" Asked Elif curiously as he glanced between the two, one looking at Elaine in envy while the other looked at her in concealed wrath and frustration.

"Oh, nothing you'd find interesting, Prince Elif; it was just politics and whatnot. I know how you don't find that stuff interesting, so I shall spare you the conversation." Replied Nerthus lightly with a smile as she dismissively waved her hand, though her words caused Elaine to furrow her brows while eyeing her in suspicion.

"What about you all? With such a big group, you eight must've been heading somewhere, No?" Asked Suscila with a raised eyebrow as she folded her arms and did her best to ignore Elaine, who was snuggling in Elif's embrace.

"Yes, we were actually heading to the Elven Cuisine Pagoda, Mistress Suscila; the manager apparently has prepared a special dish for Prince Elif's birthday." Stated Birger respectfully, speaking in a much more reserved and formal tone than when conversing with Elif, or even Elaine for that matter.

"Elven Cuisine Pagoda? Sounds interesting; I'm sure you all won't mind if I tag along and join you?" Asked Suscila as she nodded before looking at the group, though given her status, she was only searching for Elif's approval on the matter while utterly ignoring Elaine.

"No." Stated Elaine bluntly while eyeing Suscila, whose face twitched at her response.

"Hehe, it's fine, Suscila, you're more than welcome to join; the more merrier, no? That includes you as well, Queen Nerthus; you're not too old to roam around with us younger generation, are you?" Stated Elif with a chuckle while kissing Elaine on the cheek as he glanced at Suscila before slyly smirking and looking at Nerthus, whose face twitched.

"Well, I wouldn't wish to intrude upon you all, but now that you've said that, I can't really refuse your request, can I?" Remarked Nerthus with a light smile as she locked arms with Birger while eyeing Elif, who chuckled in amusement.

"Haa, great, I'm going to be embarrassed, aren't I?" Muttered Birger in defeat as he looked to the ground and sighed, earning a light slap on the head from Nerthus, causing everyone watching to smirk.

"Well then, let us get to it, shall we?" Said Elif lightly with a smile as he continued walking while Elaine stuck close to him.

With the addition to our party increasing the group total to ten, though that's only if you exclude the servants and followers; otherwise, it'll surpass twenty, but the only servants that'll be leaving the palace will be mine, Elaines, and Suscila's. However, thanks to Suscila, the walk through the palace made it a little awkward since she was right beside me, and she was a little too close for comfort, though since she didn't do anything, I didn't bring it up; thankfully, Nerthus stayed more toward the back beside Birger, which I appreciated.

Once we exited the palace and approached the royal carriage, Mandy opened the door, with Elaine and I entering first, followed by Illumia, Maxim, Marley, and Idonea, and then finally, Suscial with her two servants. Once the three of us were in, the others entered at their own discretion and sat opposite Elaine, Suscila, and I, along with our servants, who also sat beside us. Unfortunately for me, I was sitting directly beside Suscila, and once again, she was sitting unnaturally close, which caused her servant to look at the two of us weirdly, though that was it.

'I swear, if she ruins everything I did, in the name of Progenitor Lourdes herself, I'll kill her.' Thought Elif with a frown as he glared at Suscila, only to display a lovely smile when she glanced at him, which she gladly reciprocated.

Since Mandy already knew where we were going, I just rested my head on Elaine's lap while she played with my lustrous silver hair to pass the time, though in doing so, several looks of envy were directed toward us.

'Heh, I must admit, it's fun teasing women.' Mused Elif with a slight smile as he peeked through his eye, glancing at nearly every woman looking at Elaine and him in envy.

"Oh yes, did you-" Asked Elif as he suddenly remembered something, only for Illumia to cut his question short.

"Yes, I have already spoken to the manager, your Highness; he is preparing for our arrival." Replied Illumia while sitting beside Maxim, who was sitting beside Elaine, though there was a foot of space between the two.

"Hmm, good; I'm always too lazy to bother informing him beforehand." Muttered Elif with a nod as he opened his eyes and blew a kiss at Illumia, causing Elaine's eyes to harden while Illumia hardly reacted.

Chuckling to myself, I closed my eyes and savored the silence of the carriage ride, which I should thank both Suscial and Elaine for; if it weren't for those two, everyone wouldn't be so quiet. Unfortunately, the silence only lasted for so long, and Goliath's loud voice echoed through the carriage as everyone slowly regained their cheerful mood, speaking amongst each other with Queen Nerthus, Suscila, Elaine, and I occasionally joining.

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"Ahh, see, look at my little baby; this was him shortly after his first birthday. He made his first dirt castle; I was so proud of him." Stated Nerthus proudly as she held a crystal ball in her hands while showing a picture of a young birger playing in the dirt.

"He was so cute back then; I wonder what had happened to him over the years." Remarked Eyvor with a smile as she looked at the picture for glancing at Birger, who grunted and looked away, only for Nerthus to embrace him in a hug.

"Ahh, don't be so mean, Eyvor; my little boy is still incredibly handsome; millions of women would gladly flock at the chance of being my son's wife." Stated Nerthus with a smile as she gave Sara a sneak glance, only to sigh when she noticed she was entirely focused on Elif.

"Hmph, millions of women don't mean much when Prince Elif is around, Mother; he's known as Prince Charming for a reason." Said Birger lightly with a huff of annoyance as he glanced at Elif, who was enjoying the feel of Elaine's thick thighs against his head.

"Prince Charming? I haven't heard that one yet; how many more monikers do I have?" Questioned Elif curiously as he opened his eyes and glanced at Birger.

"Flirtatious Prince. Prince of Arrogance. Prince of Lightning Cherries. Perfect Prince. Prince of Dreams." Stated Eyvor, Shelia, Goliath, Sarah, and Echo, respectively, as they all looked at Elif.

"If I'm not mistaken, those are just the most common monikers; there are still several more." Added Birger with a nod, causing Elif to be slightly taken aback by his many different names.

Before I could further question my several different monikers, the carriage stopped, followed by Mandy's voice ringing out.

"We've arrived, Prince Elif, Princess Elaine." Said Mandy as she grabbed the door to the carriage and opened it, revealing the Elven Cuisine Pagoda.

'Seems they went slightly above their usual entrance ceremony.' Thought Elif as he looked out the carriage with his divine sense, spotting the golden rug laid out from the entrance of the Pagoda to the door of his carriage.

Similar to how we entered the carriage, we exited the same way, except in reverse, meaning Elaine and I left last after everyone else.

"I don't like her, Brother." Said Elaine as she watched Suscila and her servants leave the carriage.

"Neither do I, Elaine, but she's from the Immortal Ocean Clan, so we must put up with her for now; besides, she should leave by tomorrow, hopefully." Replied Elif lightly as he kissed Elaine on the lips before standing up and exiting the carriage while holding each other's hands.

"Hmm, if you say so, Brother." Remarked Elaine softly with a frown as she eyed Suscila, who had glanced back at them just before she entered the building.