Chapter 83: Advice(5)

"Your highness, the crown prince of Edlia kingdom, Elton."

"Hoho, it seems that you are quite informative."

"I just happened to hear your name earlier."

"Ho, is that so?"

Elton then drank his wine and passed the other glass to Luke. Luke looked at his reflection in the wine first before slowly drinking it. Elton then rested his glass on the marble railings and spoke while looking into the distance.

"It seems that you are quite close to the kings of Flor, Gron, Thea, and Fairy Kingdoms?"

Luke frowned and looked over at Elton, who was still staring into the distance. Is he one of those people who want to suck off people with powerful connections? Luke flinched when he heard Elton laughing.

"You must have thought that I am the type of person who likes to suck off people with connections?"

Luke avoided Elton's gaze and drank his wine. He then heard Elton speaking in an amused voice.

"Are you soon going to form an alliance with those kingdoms to go against the Dark Eye and the Empire?"

Luke's body stiffened up. He then looked at Elton, who was smiling at him. Elton then patted his tense back.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Actually, I also want those bastards to go down, so I support you."

Luke looked at Elton suspiciously. Now that Elton had started to speak about top-secret information, Luke needed to be extremely wary of him. He then heard Elton's jolly voice.

"Hey, want me to give you advice?"

"....Advice?"

Elton nodded to Luke and continued.

"In the empire, there were a few nobles who detested Duke Britch of the empire. Once every month, they gather and exchange information about the Duke's movements. They are all gathering information and are waiting to strike."

"Hold on. Strike? You mean that they are planning to spark a civil war?"

Elton smiled.

"Yeah, they are the nobles who are extremely loyal to the late emperor and secretly support the young emperor, who is currently being controlled by the Duke."

"Hmmm? Do they know that there is also someone.... You know? Controlling the Duke?"

Elton smiled at Luke's blank face with amusement.

"It's the Dark Eye. Don't worry, I know about it already."

Luke frowned while looking at Elton's smiling face. Just how much does he know?

"The nobles who were on the young emperor's side didn't know about the Dark Eye yet. The only thing they know is that the Duke is controlling the young emperor to satisfy his own greed."

"Who are the nobles that are against Duke Britch then?"

"Hoho, are you planning on meeting them?"

Luke just frowned. Elton chuckled and took a piece of paper out of his chest pocket. He then handed it over to Luke. Luke stared blankly at the paper that had been handed to him.

"It has the names of the nobles, the location of the meeting, and the time written on it."

Luke examined the paper and looked at Elton. He then asked.

"Would you perhaps like to join us in destroying the Dark Eye and the empire?"

Elton stopped drinking his wine and looked at Luke in disbelief.

"What? No."

Elton chuckled while waving his hands, which made Luke feel confused. Why was he helping him then?

"I don't want to side with you and I don't want to side with the empire too. I am a neutral kingdom you know?"

Luke looked at Elton in disbelief. Neutral? Bullshit.

"Don't joke around. What's the catch?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Don't lie."

"Ho, so you are now talking to me like that, huh? Haa, kids these days."

Luke frowned at the twenty-year-old man acting like an old man in front of him. Luke then asked him in wariness.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Hmm? Why you asked? It's because....."

Elton looked at Luke's blank but expectant face. He then smiled.

"It's because I like your eyes."

"Huh?"

Luke was dumbfounded. Elton just smiled and continued.

"I really, really, like your purple eyes."

Luke felt shivers down his spine. He then put his palm in front of Elton to stop him.

"Sorry, your highness, but you are making me uncomfortable. Are you perhaps interested in men? If so, I will pretend this conversation did not exist and will not use the information you have given to me."

Of course, that was a lie. Even if Elton takes back the paper, he has already memorized the contents of it. He just didn't want to deal with this guy's creepy preferences. This may probably be the weirdest encounter he has had.

Elton looked at him in disbelief.

"Interested in what...?"

"In men."

Elton then made a shocked and disgusted face, which made Luke feel surprised. He then heard Elton's unsettling voice.

"What are you thinking? You think I like you? I just said that I liked your eyes. What's the matter with you? You know, I already have someone in my heart."

Luke sighed in relief. He thought that the conversation's atmosphere was going down the wrong road, so he misunderstood, but it seems like it was just his imagination. And what did Elton just say? Does he think he likes him? No, he just thought he was a creepy weirdo that liked men. He is getting too ahead of himself to think that he likes him.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Anyway, what's with you saying that you like my eyes?"

"Hmm? Nothing, I just liked the color."

Luke then looked at Elton's deep blue eyes, who were also looking at him. Luke then smirked.

"You are lying, your highness."

"Hmm? Lying?"

"Yes... You said you liked my eyes, but your eyes said otherwise."

Luke looked straight at Elton's crescent eyes, smiling. Deep inside those crescent eyes, there is a cold and murderous stare.

"Ho? How did you know?"

"Your eyes are literally glaring at me. You look like you want to gouge my eyes out instead of liking them."

Elton smiled and looked into the distance.

"Your eyes remind me of a bastard."

"Hmm?"

"That bastard... Actually, not only one but two bastards. I wanted to punch them in the face if I saw them."

Luke peeked at Elton's breezy face while saying those scary things. Luke then asked him with a questioning gaze.

"Do you also want to punch me in the face?"

"Hmmm? No, I like you. Your personality is completely different from those two."

"Ho, is that so?"

"Yep."

Elton then stood up straight and turned around. He then went back inside, but then he coincidentally met Erdene at the door.

"You bas- I mean, young master, why didn't you-"

Erdene stopped talking and looked at Elton with surprise. He then saw Elton secretly making a 'shush' sign towards him. Erdene stiffened as he watched Elton enter the hall. When Elton was completely out of sight, he then looked at Luke being scanned from head to toe by Liam with worry.

"Brother, what happened? All of a sudden, there is a barrier surrounding you two!"

"Huh? Barrier?"

While Luke was asking what happened to Liam, he then heard Nash's worried voice.

•A barrier suddenly appeared and surrounded you two and we could no longer hear what you two were saying! We can't even enter! Liam kept banging the barrier but none worked! I also tried to cast a destruction spell, but I was afraid of destroying the entire balcony, so I stopped!

Luke was speechless, and when he looked at the balcony's entrance, he noticed Erdene stiffening up in place. Luke then asked Erdene, which made Erdene snap out of it.

"Grandpa, did you see Elton just now?"

"Elton? His name is Elton?"

"... Did you happen to see him?"

"... I just saw him walk by."

Luke sighed. He then saw Erdene thinking hard about something and ignored him. He then looked at the paper that Elton gave to him.

'Just.... Who is he? How much does he know? Should I trust him?'

Luke frowned and decided not to think about it now. He simply stuffed the paper into his chest pocket and drank the remaining wine.

'A barrier huh, did Elton make it? It is quite understandable since what we're talking about is a very sensitive subject. But.... Liam can't break through it? Just how powerful is Elton? Is he a mage? Or something else?'

Luke then drank his remaining wine and sighed.