The moment Lexus' words sounded, all eyes focused on Leonardo to see his reaction. After all, no matter what, Bloodthirsty is a very powerful subordinate. Even as a level 41 saint, he could exchange blows with a level 54 powerhouse.
Even though Alfred was holding back for obvious reasons, one can't deny Bloodthirsty and his combat prowess, especially in close-range situations. As for long-range? Rumors speak of a particularly frightening ranger under the man's command, her concealment arts are something out of this world…
"Do you have nothing to say before we start?" Lexus asked calmly, his hands clasped behind his back. Of course, his question was aimed at everyone present, further emphasized by a cursory glance over the crowd.
No one said a word, allowing Lexus to nod silently to himself. "My House Erudite is usually revered as a transcendent existence above the secular soil. However, we won't deny that our foundations are deeply rooted within the secular world in the form of religious beliefs and establishments of faith."
"In our doctrine, we believe that the Forbidden Domain is a land forsaken, abandoned, and excluded from the mercy of Goddess Arcadia. Hence; our eyes, ears, and hearts bask in ignorance when it comes to the development of such a cursed land of death and misfortune"
"However, it is undeniable that this land harbors both good and evil, and within the dark clouds of misfortune lay a silver lining of pitiful yet good fortune. For this bit of fortune, our brethren young and old are struggling amongst themselves and against our neighbors of elven and beastkin blood."
"This war has been going on for over half a year now, by our humble estimates. Sadly, the repercussions of such a war have begun to influence our relations with the elves and beastkin, straining the diplomatic ties and trade routes to the other two domains, especially throughout the Elven Empire. Hostilities are brewing and are inflating in acts of abuse, discrimination, and business in bad faith between our two nations."
Lexus closed his eyes to browse through his thoughts and double-check whether or not he forgot something. Meanwhile, the various representatives snuck covert glances at Juvia who was standing next to Leonardo.
Of course, most of them were feeling uncomfortable about having this open discussion with the presence of an elf, not knowing how to express themselves without indirectly offending Juvia, and by extension, offending Prince Leonardo.
Juvia seemed oblivious to these looks, but Leonardo wasn't about to act like he saw nothing. However, he wouldn't openly say anything about it either. Hence, after a brief deliberation, he hooked his right arm around Juvia's thin waist before pulling her onto his lap.
Juvia gasped in surprise, but she quickly toned down her vocals but it was too late. In the solemn and silent atmosphere, a feminine gasp of shock was particularly loud, drawing everyone's attention. This time, they stared openly at the pair.
Juvia saddled Leonardo's lap, her legs dangling off the throne as she pressed sideways against his chest, her arms instinctively hooked over his neck as she admired his sharp side profile.
Juvia's intoxicated expression and the blush that spread from her cheeks to her neck moved the hearts of plenty of young men.
One particular prince under House Exodia finally couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke with a hint of displeasure in his tone, "Please be mindful of your status, position, and current location. If you can't reign in your frivolities, have someone escort that woman to a private chamber for the rest of the day!"
"That's right! What happens next? Are you going to start indulging in immoral acts just to flaunt your disrespect? We can ignore your insolence and erect a throne, but even buddha's patience has a limit to it."
"Or perhaps he's trying to imply something. Think about it, while our fellow humans are out there suffering within the borders of the Elven Domain, he raised a female elf to the point where she could blatantly intrude on such a sacred and confidential meeting. Who can guarantee that she's no elven spy? Who can guarantee that she didn't bewitch her way into our royal court discussions?!"
The more they spoke, the more rattled Juvia's heart grew. She couldn't deny that she was starting to feel displeased, especially when someone raised a point of her bewitching Leonardo to gain a foothold in the royal court.
Although no one spoke in profanities as a show of respect to the three high crowns, their implicit meanings were as clear as day. Just as the buzzing of these flies start going into Juvia's ears and out her eyes in a display of cold killing intent in response to dragging Leonardo's name into their cursing, the latter pinched her pointed chin and plastered his lips on her own, sending her mind into absolute chaos.
The brazen display of affection lulled everyone into a brief moment of stunned silence before the mountain peak shook from their erupted rage at the total disregard.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ "That fool isn't giving anyone any face," behind the screen of light, King Austin shook his head and laughed bitterly, "On one hand, they're throwing accusations at him, saying that he was seduced by an elven spy. In response, instead of defending himself, he does the unexpected and showers the presumed spy in affection without a care in the world."
"He knows if he takes a step back here today, he will keep retreating for the rest of his life," King Ivar commented coldly, seemingly reading through Leonardo's character.
"You have no idea what he dares and doesn't dare to do," Queen Adeline decided to comment on King Austin's comment, a bitter smile on her face.
"Oh? Did he dare do something audacious?" King Austin asked curiously, even King Ivar turned over to glance at her. Between the three of them, secrets are redundant because they wouldn't stoop so low as to expose one another in front of the subjects.
On their level, it's difficult to find a chat buddy, let alone a friend. Thus, they tacitly agreed to be open and candid with one another, but their conversations are kept to themselves.
Whoever breaks this weird yet mutual trust will find themselves isolated from the other two, which is quite unbearable, especially when the day to pass down the throne comes and they find themselves ostracized from the company.
"What can I say? That brat dared slap me in the face when I tested his character and bottom line," Queen Adeline admitted with a sigh, reaching to touch her left cheek with a vacant expression in her eyes.
"He did what now?!" King Austin almost jumped off his throne, his expression betraying absolute shock. It was an expression begging for details.
Even King Ivar was interested now.
No one would believe that the three high crowns of the ruling powers had such a close relationship while their respective kingdoms fought tooth and nail against each other.
Queen Adeline proceeded to explain the events of that day, putting her emphasis on a conjecture that the small white fox is actually Leonardo's spirit guardian and not any ordinary magical beast.
After brewing over the matter, Queen Adeline also shared that although the little white fox gave off the fluctuations of a saint, even she couldn't see through which layer in which cycle it had reached. Perhaps, it was a high saint on their level…
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