Chapter 16: The Art of the Bait

The Elf Queen gracefully swept a strand of hair behind her ear, then spoke softly. “As a member of the Elven Royal Family, she committed such a grave error that I have already exiled her. Unless she can make a sufficiently convincing contribution, she will never again set foot in Avasilon.”

Theodore and Theresia, who had just regained their composure, shivered instinctively, casting wary glances at the Elf Queen who had moments ago appeared so kind and responsible.

Her current demeanor, no matter how they looked at it, seemed intent on sacrificing her own daughter to orchestrate something monumental.

A spark of cunning flickered in Theresia’s eyes. The mere two-hundred-year-old hatchling prepared to showcase her wisdom to the millennia-old elder. “Your Majesty, your sincerity makes me feel deeply humbled. Alas, to be frank, if the lost item weren’t of such immense importance, I would not have acted so impulsively.”

“That is a terrifying curse, one that has plagued countless kin of the Dragon Race for tens of thousands of years. Innumerable dragon ancestors have shed their blood and sacrificed their lives attempting to resolve it, yet none have succeeded.”

“Now, they have placed their hope solely on me. Furthermore, according to the art of astrology, three days from now is the optimal time to break this curse. But this unfortunate incident occurred. Oh, I have failed their expectations, failed the Patriarch’s tutelage, and, even more so, failed the future of the entire Dragon Race!”

Theresia sank to the ground, pounding her fists against the earth, hot tears streaming from her eyes. Her performance was so convincing, so daring in its challenge to the ancient Elf Queen, that Theodore watched, utterly dumbfounded.

Her personal transgression had instantly escalated to a matter concerning the entire Dragon Race.

The Elf Queen’s smile widened; what an interesting little dragon. She covered her cherry lips with a slender, fair hand, feigning surprise. “Lola actually committed such a grave error!”

Theresia continued to sob in anguish, unable to utter a single word. However, the Elf Queen’s next words abruptly silenced Theresia’s cries.

“It seems my immediate contact with your esteemed Patriarch after the incident, and reaching a consensus on how to handle certain matters, was indeed correct. My actions were profoundly right.”

‘This old woman acted so quickly?’

‘No, if you’ve already reached a consensus, why are you still bothering us with all this talk?’

‘Such a minor matter, why contact the Patriarch directly? Elves always love to make a mountain out of a molehill.’

Theresia completely disregarded her own identical maneuver from moments earlier. Wiping her tears, she asked with a look of feigned astonishment, “You’ve already contacted the Patriarch? Oh, my, there was no need to trouble the old dragon. He’s already so advanced in years, managing so many affairs for the Dragon Race. And the Patriarch has always valued the friendship between our races; he surely wished to minimize the issue.”

The Elf Queen nodded with a faint smile. “Indeed. Your esteemed Patriarch told me that this matter is entirely your personal conduct, Theresia, and has nothing to do with the Dragon Race as a whole. He even mentioned that you would undoubtedly try to drag the entire Dragon Race into this, and advised me not to worry, entrusting your disciplinary authority entirely to me.”

“I wasn’t talking about this kind of ‘minimi—'” Seeing herself utterly sold out, Theresia desperately tried to make a final struggle against the combined efforts of the two elders. However, the Elf Queen began her offensive.

“But rest assured, after all, the root cause of this incident was entirely on our side. In the end, the Old Patriarch burdening me with the task of troubling a junior is quite challenging. Although the Elven Tribunal’s sentencing currently suggests eighty years of imprisonment—given that you are guests of Dragon Island, the sentence has already been lightened considerably. Still, let’s just forget about it.”

Theresia’s eyes, brimming with tears, sparkled brightly as she exclaimed, “As expected of the gentle, beautiful, and kind Elf Queen! From your words alone, I know that even if that old man lived another ten thousand years, his magnanimity wouldn’t even reach a third of yours!”

Theodore, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat. The longest lifespan for human powerhouses was only two hundred years; eighty years was practically half a lifetime gone.

Theresia, however, was desperate because her trial was set to begin in three days; she couldn’t possibly wait eighty years!

Seeing that she wouldn’t have to bear any responsibility, Theresia, who deep down still felt she had done wrong, decided to make a quick exit. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave. Once I return to Dragon Island, I will surely tell everyone what a truly great and wise ruler the Elf Queen is!”

“Oh, leaving already? Mm-hmm, goodbye.” The Elf Queen seemed to have no intention of stopping them. Theresia and Theodore quickly stood up, and just then, the Elf Queen’s voice, seemingly a murmur to herself, drifted over. “What a pity. If only I had that divine artifact, perhaps I could have helped unravel that curse. What a pity…”

At these words, Theresia’s feet seemed to root to the spot. She abruptly sat back down, looking expectantly at the Elf Queen. “What did you say?”

The Elf Queen blinked her ethereal eyes and waved a hand. “Oh, nothing. Just that the Elven Race once possessed a divine artifact, left behind by the God of Elements, capable of breaking all curses.”

Theresia echoed excitedly, “Oh, oh, oh! It can break *all* curses!”

Theodore almost saw a small black dragon’s ears and tail wagging frantically. But wasn’t the Elf Queen clearly fishing?

He cleared his throat twice, saying, “That divine artifact is now…”

The Elf Queen spoke with great regret. “It’s lost. Stolen by some despicable individuals. Although our Elven Race has searched for thousands of years and found clues, unfortunately… alas…”

Seeing the Elf Queen’s sigh, and then Theresia’s bright, eager eyes, Theodore knew they had no choice but to take the bait.

“Your esteemed Majesty, I apologize for our previous rashness. But as you know, I am human, and eighty years is almost half my life. Theresia also has extremely important matters to attend to very soon. To be so casually pardoned leaves our consciences uneasy. So, if you don’t mind, may we also assist in this matter?”

Theresia also caught on, her small head nodding like an automatic clicker. “Yes, yes, let us also make amends!”