Lord of Caldera - Chapter 356

Chapter 356: Chapter 356 The Human Emperor Did It
Veles couldn’t argue. As a court mage, he held a respected position, but compared to Eldira’s standing, he was insignificant. Matters that elves might endure in Eldira’s presence could easily spiral out of control if left to him.

“Take her with you, or handle everything on your own. Your choice,” Arathion had concluded, his tone somewhere between a threat and advice.

Left with no alternative, Veles had reluctantly brought the Grand Duke’s daughter along, convincing himself that the route they were taking was familiar and relatively safe.

But bad luck always struck when least expected.

“His Majesty has summoned the delegation.”

Under the Emperor’s coercion, the delegation had been dragged to the imperial capital, leading to their current predicament. As he watched Eldira and the Emperor face off, Veles broke into a cold sweat.

“Oh, human Emperor, please don’t do something foolish.”

A wise ruler wouldn’t have forcibly brought the delegation here in the first place, but Veles could only hope the Emperor would come to his senses now.

“If he realizes who Eldira is and lets us go, it’ll be fine. But if he tries to use her as leverage…”

Imagining the worst-case scenario, Veles squeezed his eyes shut. Moments later, the Emperor’s voice echoed through the banquet hall.

“Damn it! Why is the Grand Duke’s daughter here!?”

Even the Emperor was rattled by Eldira’s identity. After all, the delegation had been practically kidnapped. If they were mere envoys, he might still have room to negotiate. But a Grand Duke’s daughter and fiancée to the Dragonslayer? This changed everything.

“Why didn’t these pointy-eared bastards say anything earlier? If they’d told me when I first detained them, I’d have let them go!”

The Emperor glared at the elves, though he knew the answer to his own question. He had forcibly seized the delegation, and they had likely feared he might use Eldira as a hostage once her identity was revealed. Ironically, this secrecy had only worsened the situation.

“Fine, the Grand Duke can’t exactly march on the capital from the western fringe. But if word of this spreads across the empire…”

The Emperor felt his mouth go dry as his thoughts spiraled. This wasn’t just about Sylas, the Dragonslayer. To the eastern Corleone family, Eldira’s kidnapping was akin to abducting their son’s wife. In the west, the principality controlled a critical trade route for magical artifacts. A misstep here could lead to pressure on the imperial throne from the east, west, and south simultaneously.

Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, the Emperor made his decision.

“There’s no turning back now. I’ll have to push forward with everything I have!”

The Emperor adopted an angry expression and roared, “You’ve lost your mind! No matter if you’re a Grand Duke’s daughter, I am the Emperor! Do you think you can insult the Emperor and live?”

Though his anger was calculated, the elves, unfamiliar with his tactics, turned pale. Is this man truly willing to risk war? Their panic emboldened the Emperor to press further.

“These individuals are no longer guests of the empire! Take them all to the dungeons! Even a Grand Duke’s daughter will learn the price of offending the Emperor!”

The Emperor’s command rang out as he directed the Royal Guard.

“Be intimidating, but don’t harm them!” he added quietly.

“Understood, Your Majesty,” the Royal Guard replied.

As the Emperor’s trusted enforcers, they had long mastered reading his subtle cues. Though they would obey, the guards couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Is this really the kind of work knights should be doing?

“Take the prisoners away,” one guard announced, moving toward the delegation with a grim expression.

But before they could act, a voice rang out.

“How utterly despicable!”

Eldira pushed away the Royal Guards and stood up abruptly. In her hand was a knife.

“Not only have you abducted me, the Grand Duke’s daughter, but you’ve also tortured me by cutting my skin with a blade! Is this the act of an Emperor of the Empire?” she shouted.

“…?”

The Emperor, his attendants, the Royal Guards, and even the elven delegation froze in confusion. Torture with a blade? That hadn’t happened.

“What nonsense are you spewing…?” the Emperor began, his face a mix of disbelief and irritation.

But before he could finish, there was a sharp slicing sound.

Schrrk.

“Ahhh!”

“Lady Eldira!”

“What madness is this?!”

The hall erupted in a chorus of gasps and screams. Eldira had slashed her own arm with the knife, blood dripping freely from the wound. She held up her bleeding arm for all to see.

“Look! Did the Emperor not cut my arm himself? This is undeniable proof of the torture I endured!”

“…!?”

Everyone in the room stood agape, their mouths hanging open in shock.

This bizarre spectacle brought back a memory from Eldira’s time with Sylas after he returned from the northern royal succession wars and visited the west. As they conversed, Eldira had suddenly posed a question.

“Sylas, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“It might offend you, but to be honest, I’ve always found your plans to be full of holes,” she said bluntly.

Sylas was a master of strategy, but his schemes were anything but flawless. Often, they seemed rather crude and full of contradictions.

“They’re vague, your explanations are riddled with inconsistencies, and anyone who thinks deeply about them would notice the flaws.”

“You’re not wrong,” Sylas admitted with a small chuckle.

“But people always end up believing you and acting according to your words. How do you manage that?”

Eldira couldn’t wrap her head around it. Humans and elves alike were the type to point out contradictions the moment they noticed them. Yet when it came to Sylas, they seemed willing to gloss over everything if it sounded even remotely plausible.

Sylas smiled at her and said, “That’s because I’m not persuading them.”

“Not persuading them?” Eldira echoed, confused.

“What I do is give people just enough justification to take the final step they already wanted to take.”

“I still don’t quite understand.”