Chapter 207: Princess Luna
After several days of travel the carriage finally stopped in front of the main entrance of the elven palace.
The beastmen who had pulled it throughout the entire journey stopped, panting, and one of the footmen quickly stepped down to open the door and unfold the step for the passengers.
The first to step out was Emi, with a tired expression, and after her came the princess, stretching with a loud yawn while looking at the imposing palace rising before them.
And waiting for them at the foot of the stairs was Ely, accompanied by a group of armored elves lined up on either side.
"Welcome," Ely said with a serious tone and a small bow. "It is a genuine pleasure to receive you in the kingdom... We hope your journey was comfortable."
The princess looked the human over from head to toe for a moment. She couldn’t help feeling slightly relieved at confirming so quickly that, apparently, the rumors were true.
"The journey was fine," she replied with a casual smile. "Though I must say I wasn’t expecting such a formal reception."
"We greatly appreciate the welcome," Emi added with a courtesy that sounded far more measured than her companion’s.
"The pleasure is ours," Ely said, inclining her head slightly. "Please, follow me. The queen is waiting for you inside."
The princess, who had already taken a step to follow her, stopped.
"The queen?" she asked, tilting her head. "Won’t we be received by the Emperor of Death?"
"Yes, of course you will meet with him," Ely replied, turning toward her. "But you will have to wait a little, an unexpected matter has come up that requires his attention at this moment."
The princess narrowed her eyes slightly.
"An unexpected matter?"
"Nothing to worry about," Ely was quick to clarify. "The meeting with him will take place without fail, we just need a little of your patience. But in the meantime, the queen will be delighted to attend to you."
Luna looked at her for a couple more seconds, clearly not entirely convinced.
"Alright..." she finally said with a shrug.
"Perfect," Ely said, turning toward the entrance. "Then please follow me."
The two followed Ely through the enormous palace doors.
The interior was just as imposing as the exterior.
Wide corridors of white stone, extremely high ceilings, tapestries bearing elven emblems, and large windows letting in the light.
Luna took in everything with curiosity, while Emi kept her gaze alert, noting the exits, the guards, and any detail that might be relevant.
After quite a while walking, Ely stopped in front of a door and opened it.
"Right this way," she said, stepping aside to let them through.
Both women entered the room.
It was a spacious hall with a long table in the center, and on that table was a considerable amount of food.
Trays with meats, fruits, breads, cheeses, and pitchers of various drinks were spread across the entire surface.
And at the far end of the table, seated in a high-backed chair, was Emilia.
At her side, standing, was a girl with black rabbit ears dressed in a servant’s uniform.
"Welcome," Emilia said with a gentle smile. "Please, take a seat. I imagine after such a long journey you must be hungry."
Both approached the table and, as they sat down, cast a quick sideways glance at the rabbit-eared girl accompanying the queen.
The princess sat down and, without wasting a second, reached for the nearest meat platter and began to eat.
Emi sat beside her with far more appropriate composure, giving the princess a disapproving look that she completely ignored.
Emilia observed the curious scene before her for a moment before speaking.
"To be honest," she said with a smile, "we weren’t expecting other kingdoms to send ambassadors this quickly. After all, we’ve only had the new administration for a few days."
"Ambassadors? No, no. Actually, we’re here on our own initiative."
Emilia raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean on your own?" she asked with a confused expression. "Your letter bore the royal house seal of the beastman kingdom."
"That’s because I’m the kingdom’s princess," the black and white-haired woman replied with her mouth half full.
Emilia couldn’t help staring at her incredulously for a few seconds.
She watched her eat with her hands, without manners, slumped sideways in the chair with one leg crossed over the other, completely unconcerned about the impression she was making in front of the queen of another kingdom.
None of that matched Emilia’s idea of what a princess should be.
"...I see," Emilia said finally, recovering her composure though with some evident awkwardness in her voice. "In that case, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess..."
"Luna," she finished without looking up from the food. "My name is Luna."
"Princess Luna," Emilia repeated, nodding. "And may I ask, what is the purpose of your visit?"
Luna finally stopped eating.
After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she settled in her chair to look at Emilia.
And for the first time since she had arrived, a glint of shrewdness appeared in her eyes that didn’t match at all with the careless, ill-mannered image she had been projecting until now.
"We want to speak with the Emperor of Death," she said, looking the elf directly in the eyes. "We have a proposal to make him."
"You can discuss it with me," Emilia replied with a friendly smile. "I’ll make sure to relay your message to my beloved husband."
"Eh, no, thanks," Luna said, waving a hand. "We’d prefer to speak directly with the Emperor, if you don’t mind. It’s a matter that requires his personal attention."
Emilia maintained the smile, though inwardly the response irked her slightly.
"I understand... In that case, I must inform you that you will have to wait a few hours to speak with him."
"A few hours?" Luna asked, incredulous.
"That’s right," Emilia said, nodding slightly. "My husband is currently attending to a rather important matter and won’t be able to meet with you until it’s resolved."
"And what could possibly be more important than our meeting?" Luna asked, tilting her head. "After all, I am a member of royalty from another kingdom who has come all this way in person."
"Well..."
