“I never expected Natalia to have this side… She seems kind of cool?”
“That’s just your imagination, Miss Milin.”
Carol took the magic detection device back from the spellbound Milin’s hands.
Though her words were sharp… as she gazed at her mistress standing in the center of the hall, she slowly broke into a smile.
Applause rang out—Nefitalia’s opening remarks drew different reactions from different guests.
The brightly dressed young elves clapped enthusiastically and cheered loudly, while the older elves in traditional garb made only light, solemn motions with their hands, as if hoarding their strength.
Compared to the genuine enthusiasm of the younger generation, their applause felt more like a polite formality.
As Nefitalia’s voice faded, the music started again. It didn’t come from the platform itself, but from a high stand built from a branch extending from a giant tree at the edge of the platform.
On that stand, elaborately dressed musicians were playing a steady, solemn march-like dance tune… Upon hearing it, the older guests’ furrowed brows relaxed slightly:
“I thought she’d even skip the opening dance… Looks like this young lady isn’t that disrespectful of etiquette after all.”
Milin watched a golden-haired young man in a white formal suit step out from the younger guests. He walked up to Nefitalia’s side and gracefully took her hand.
“Is that Natalia’s fiancé?”
Watching them walk hand in hand to the center of the hall—the dance floor—and begin dancing, Milin asked.
“Yes. That is Her Majesty the Queen’s younger brother, His Highness Alvin Aethelshira. Did Miss Nefitalia never mention him in her letters to you?”
“She mentioned him, but only the name… I get the feeling Natalia doesn’t like him much.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Her smile is fake as hell—not as genuine as when she was eating earlier… And His Highness doesn’t look too happy either. But their dancing is pretty synchronized.”
Watching their fake smiles, Milin pouted. She had grown up beside her mother, the Duchess, meeting all sorts of people…
She could see through their expressions in a single glance, discerning whether their feelings matched their faces.
“After all, their engagement was set when Miss Nefitalia was born. And the time they’ve been ‘dating’… if I count, it’s probably been forty or fifty years.”
“Elves’ sense of time is so different from humans… They’ve been dating for forty or fifty years and still aren’t officially married?”
Carol thought for a moment, then gave a number that made Milin sigh in amazement.
The couple’s opening dance ended quickly. Amid applause, they walked side by side back into the crowd and then parted ways.
They engaged in animated conversation with the young nobles who had clapped so fervently…
Meanwhile, the older guests gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves, casting glances at Nefitalia and her fiancé.
“His Highness the Prince Consort has come too…”
“He hasn’t attended events like this in years, has he?”
“And that young hero, she’s over there too…”
Some guests also looked toward Milin. Carol, standing beside her, subtly turned to shield her from the more direct stares.
“Though they’re dazzling, you are just as much the protagonist of this ball in the eyes of the guests,” she said to Milin.
Milin nodded.
Milin wasn’t particularly interested in politics—but as the heiress of a Duke, she had received strict guidance from many tutors, including Vera.
Add to that her mother’s influence, and her political instincts were already sharp.
She knew that the guests at this ball were nobles and officials gathered from various forest territories in the Sea of Trees, and she understood why the traditionally dressed older guests looked at her and Nefitalia with suspicion and wariness.
Though her purpose here was to capture the Demon Race and find clues about Feiyin… that didn’t mean she was ignorant of the situation in the neighboring Sea of Trees.
Not long after the Great War ended, the Industrial Revolution, originating in the Northland, spread across the entire Empire… The Elves’ Sea of Trees was swept up in it as well.
After more than a decade of development, the elven inhabitants of the Sea of Trees had clearly split into two factions: one upheld and preserved the elves’ millennia-old traditions, advocating for restricting the opening of forest lands to humans; the other embraced the changes brought by humans, using the various resources in the forest to cooperate and trade with them.
Nefitalia sometimes wrote to her about these matters, and Milin also heard news of the Sea of Trees from her mother or visiting guests and nobles.
But now, being here in person and attending social events like this ball, those rumors and information were put to the best test.
—These people must be the ones standing in opposition to Natalia… Their attire, demeanor, and speech all revealed their stance.
Just as Natalia had said, they came to confirm the news. Nefitalia was a pioneer of change in the Sea of Trees, and the portion of the Nelf Family she represented had long-established cooperation with various industries under Mother’s name…
Observing them, Milin made that judgment.
These people didn’t know she was here to find Feiyin and capture the Demon Race.
In their eyes, Milin Klauschel was the new hero who made a name for herself in battle, the heiress to the vast industrial empire of the Northern Duchess of Ilancia.
And someone like her was about to be received by the Elf Queen—
They believed her arrival would break the balance.
As Milin sorted through the situation, many guests approached her with wine glasses in hand.
Most were collateral branches of the Nelf Family or nobles from different forest territories with long-standing ties to the Nelf Family… Including both Traditionalists and Reformists.
The young Reformist nobles treated her as a member of their camp, enthusiastically discussing the direction of future changes in the Sea of Trees; the Traditionalist nobles probed her with polite, cautious words… wanting to know what her plans were.
“I believe that the cooperation between Lady Nefitalia and my mother will make the Sea of Trees better than before,” Milin replied.
She didn’t resort to deception when facing their questions—because that was truly what she thought.
Even if she hadn’t come to the Sea of Trees because of the Demon Race matter, she would have answered similarly.
Because she trusted her mother sincerely, and she trusted her close friend Natalia.
“Miss Milin…”
Carol, standing beside her, had a complex expression on her face… because Milin’s words carried a kind of naive certainty.
She could tell that this young girl had no intention of hiding her true thoughts… and in the eyes of those present, those thoughts already clearly expressed her stance.
This was exactly what Nefitalia and the Reformists wanted to see, but it would also make others uneasy.
She watched the probing elven nobles retreat and immediately discuss among their companions, their anxiety plain to see.
“Greetings, dear hero’s daughter, Princess of the North.”
Just then, an elven woman stepped out from the Traditionalist crowd. She walked up to Milin and gave a slight nod.
She looked about the same age as Carol—with a face similar to a human in their late twenties.
“…And who might you be?”
Her first address had struck a nerve with Milin, who frowned deeply.
“This is Lady Levianther Nelf. She is the current acting head of the Nelf Family.—Greetings, Lady Levianther.”
“Thank you for the introduction, Carol. It must be hard work looking after Nefi, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. It’s an honor to receive your concern.”
Seeming unaware of Milin’s displeasure, the elven woman called Levianther smiled gracefully and gently at them.
Unlike Nefitalia, who let her golden hair hang loosely, this acting head had her deep green hair neatly pinned up at the back; her attire was quite plain, almost devoid of decoration…
But even an unskilled eye could tell at a glance how fine the material of that dress was and how meticulous the tailor had been.
And when she stepped forward, Milin felt that same overwhelming presence that Nefitalia had shown during her opening remarks… But compared to Nefitalia, she was clearly more dignified and steady.
“As Carol said, I am Levianther Nelf, currently serving as the acting head of the Nelf Family. Though I knew you had arrived a few days ago, I never found the time to meet you… Finally, today, we meet.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Acting Head. Please forgive me for not having visited you earlier.”
Milin had heard that name before. Because she was the Captain General of the Ranger Corps, the law enforcement agency of the Sea of Trees.
She represented that part of the Nelf Family unwilling to cooperate with her mother and humans.
But this was indeed her first time meeting her. So Milin also gave a slight nod in greeting.
“No need to be so formal. Since you are Nefi’s friend, you may call me by name.”
“Then I’ll take you up on that, Lady Levianther.”
Milin smiled at her neither humbly nor arrogantly. But Levianther’s smile faded, and she scrutinized Milin with sharp eyes before asking bluntly:
“I heard you say earlier that your mother’s cooperation with Nefi is making the Sea of Trees better, correct?”
“Yes. Is there something wrong with that statement?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with it. What your mother has brought to the Sea of Trees is indeed far beyond our imagination. What I actually want to ask you is—did you come here on behalf of your mother?”
“That’s a very direct question.”
“What’s wrong with that? You seem to me like someone who hates red tape and beating around the bush, so I asked that way.”
“…Indeed, as you say, I dislike formalities. I can tell you clearly—I did not come on behalf of my mother. She probably only found out I was here a few days ago.”
“Oh? So you ran away from home? After such a great upheaval in your homeland… instead of staying there to stabilize the situation, you ran away to the Sea of Trees?”
“Believe what you will.”
Faced with Levianther’s sharp questions, Milin only responded honestly—skirting around the parts about the Demon Race, of course.
Until the detection device in Carol’s hands lit up red, she had no intention of letting a fourth person know she was here to catch those demons.
Because if Nefitalia’s intel was correct, every guest present was a suspect for being a demon.
“You’re quite mischievous. If you’re here to play, would you let me entertain you? I could let you experience the daily life and work of the Ranger Corps, or let you join the next magical beast hunt.”
“Thank you for your kindness. But with Her Majesty the Queen’s audience imminent, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be running around. If you’d like to invite me after the audience ceremony, I’d be very happy to go.”
Milin flatly refused her offer. She knew Levianther was trying to get close to her… but she had absolutely no desire to get involved in the political struggles of the Sea of Trees.
If she could catch the demon right now and learn something about Feiyin, she would immediately pursue that lead, ignoring the Queen’s summons.
“…”
Her dismissive attitude finally made Levianther’s expression turn slightly displeased. But the elven woman quickly banished that displeasure from her face with her usual grace.
“Is that so? Then I’ll plan things out properly back home and extend an invitation to you later.”
“Thank you very much.”
With those words, Levianther walked past Milin. And as she brushed by her, she murmured softly:
“You and your mother seem to trust Nefi too much. I don’t know what that child has promised you… But if you go along with her wishes, everything will become irreparable in the end.”
“…Are you trying to sow discord?”
Milin’s voice carried a hint of anger.
“Believe what you will.”
Leaving that retort behind, Levianther walked toward the other side of the hall without looking back.
“How absurd… Slandering Natalia like that! Carol, did the device react?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
After Levianther left, several more nobles came up to Milin, exchanging pleasantries, toasts, or opinions that were irrelevant to her.
Carol remained at her side, using the demon detection device to scan every guest who spoke with Milin.
This process continued through the entire round of dances… Some guests even tried to invite Milin to dance, but she, having no interest in entertainment, politely declined each one.
Yet the magic stone crystal in the metal frame remained a warm, calm color, never glowing red.
“…Was the intel false?”
After sending off yet another talkative guest with nothing substantial to say, Milin sighed as she stared at the unmoving device.
“Miss Nefitalia’s informant shouldn’t be wrong. Besides, almost every influential person in the family is gathered here… Could it be that the demons have seen this device and are deliberately avoiding it?”
“Those two demon fugitives might have seen it… But I didn’t see anyone leave the platform midway. And if the demon hiding in your family is a Shadow Demon, then they definitely wouldn’t know about this thing. It’s only been officially in use for less than a week… Oh, forget it! Let’s take the initiative and check every single person in the hall!”
“You mean… you want to chat with everyone?”
“Pretty much… Even if I don’t chat, I can at least greet them or introduce myself briefly. I mean, I could just walk around holding it, but that would look way too strange!”
With that, Milin perked up and walked toward the guests she remembered hadn’t spoken or greeted her up close yet… And Carol followed closely behind her, device in hand.
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