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Chapter 92: Janthea’s Flaw

Bright sunshine, clear blue skies, and a warm breeze created a pleasant atmosphere.

In the royal special seating of the West Wind restaurant, discussions about Nia’s fate were once again underway.

But this time, the girl no longer came alone; the young boy accompanied her.

Watching the boy and girl in their school uniforms sitting side by side, Janthea’s brow furrowed slightly.

Not wearing formal attire meant Nia was determined to resist to the end.

Putting aside the issue of Nia’s whereabouts, Janthea hadn’t planned to give any favors to that scummy man who deceived her daughter.

The problem was, this scummy man was no outsider, but rather a friend of an old acquaintance.

The complicated emotions made Janthea unsure of how to treat Roy, and this confusion allowed Roy to seize the advantage.

“Esteemed Chief, I am Roy Ainbrad, and I bring greetings from my father. I have brought some special flower tea from the southern lands as a gift, and I hope you will like it.”

Roy took out a finely carved tea box made of precious rosewood, and at the same time, the maids brought in tea that he had instructed them to brew.

The tea leaves looked like exquisite pieces of art, as clear and beautiful as emerald, infused with the fresh aroma from seven unique flowers of the south, wafting through the air and pleasing to the heart.

The Willow Blossoms Tea, worth 85 favor points, was a royal specialty of the elven race that had been lost since the Second Era. Just the aroma had the effect of soothing the mind and alleviating fatigue.

As mentioned in the original work, Janthea was a standard elven noblewoman, preferring tea leaves over jewelry, especially this refreshing floral tea.

Sure enough, after a ceremonial sip, the slight frown on the beautiful lady’s face eased, revealing a hint of unmistakable enjoyment in her eyes.

“The tea is quite good. I remember Carl didn’t have a habit of collecting tea leaves; it seems you put in a lot of effort for this meeting.”

Roy capitalized on the moment, smiling gently and humbly, “I’m glad the Chief likes it.”

His black hair and dark eyes, similar to an old friend, sent a wave of familiarity through Janthea, while his warm smile felt somewhat unfamiliar.

“Other than your looks, you’re nothing like that reckless and unrefined Rosaline.”

Facing her remark, Roy couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly.

However, he knew this was a compliment.

Based on his notes, Rosaline was quite the wild one, while a younger Janthea had been a shy and simple girl, even affectionately called a “pure little sister” and subject to various teasing.

It seemed the other party had suffered a lot under Rosaline, and seeing her son as a polite young man probably brought her some comfort.

Even though Nia still had a sulky face, resting her chin in her hand and shaking her legs like a rebellious girl, Roy had successfully broken the ice, easing the atmosphere.

After all, the purpose of this meeting was to persuade Janthea, not to argue with her.

Little did he know that Janthea’s next sentence was quite abrupt.

“Roy, would you be willing to return to the Verdant Council with Nia?”

“Huh?”

“Of course, according to our elven customs, foreign adoptees must renounce their titles, but I promise to provide you with an unprecedented status.”

Since last night, Janthea had reflected on the situation.

She felt guilty about forcibly keeping her daughter in the Verdant Council, so she wanted to make amends in other ways.

The young boy was surprisingly decent, so it wasn’t impossible for them to continue together.

But before Roy could respond, Nia erupted.

“Mom! What are you talking about?!”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you—”

Janthea caught sight of the young boy’s bewildered expression, and then looked at Nia, who was flailing around in a flustered state; her eyes narrowed, and her expression became quite entertaining.

Surely they hadn’t really gotten that far, right?

Earlier, seeing Nia’s intense attitude led Janthea to believe they were already a thing, but now it seemed her daughter was only harboring unrequited feelings!

The old mother felt both amused and exasperated.

If they truly were a couple, she’d be the villain breaking them up.

But her daughter hadn’t even gotten him yet—what was all that fuss about last night?

Understanding her daughter’s situation, Janthea immediately adopted a courteous yet distant demeanor: “No, just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“Although I appreciate your care for Nia, I’m afraid you two will have to say goodbye.”

At her words, Nia immediately stood up, gritting her teeth: “I said I don’t want to go back!”

“The academy is too dangerous for you!”

“I’ve said I don’t care!”

“You child…”

With each retort, their glares grew sharper, even the refreshing aroma of the tea was tinged with a hint of gunpowder.

Seeing the mother and daughter staring each other down, ready to start a family feud, Roy hurriedly stepped in to extinguish the flames.

He held Nia’s delicate hand under the table, reminding her to stay calm, while smiling at Janthea, “Chief, please don’t be too agitated.”

Perhaps due to the presence of outsiders and being a younger generation, Janthea quickly quelled her anger, reverting to her usual indifferent face.

Yet her tone remained undeniably firm: “Nia must return to the Verdant Council; there’s no room for negotiation.”

“Roy, I know you mean well, but you don’t understand, our bloodline is unique, and there are numerous malicious individuals coveting Nia because she carries the Forest Elf blood—her only option for safety is…”

“Her only option is to stay forever in the Verdant Council—really?”

Cutting in halfway through, Roy stared deep into her eyes, halting her words.

Was it fitting to say that the ruler of the Verdant Council was unyielding? There wasn’t a flicker of hesitation in those green eyes similar to Nia’s.

Unfortunately, just this morning, Roy learned a truth not mentioned in the original tale from a certain great mage.

“If I had to say, the Verdant Council isn’t safe at all, right?”

Nia couldn’t help but widen her eyes: “Huh? What does that mean?”

Roy didn’t answer Nia directly; instead, he slowly revealed a piece of history:

“There were traitors among the elves in the First Era, those who sold their souls and degenerated into minions of a Cult, leading to a long struggle against the elven race.”

“And those who inherit the Forest Elf bloodline, as Extraordinary Beings, bear the power to suppress those cultists and become their sworn enemies, thus living in unease.”

These were plot points already present in the original work, also mentioned in Rosaline’s notes, and a little-known mission of the Verdant Council.

“But is the Verdant Council really safe?”

Janthea’s expression remained unchanged, like a statue: “What are you trying to say?”

Seeing her refusal to acknowledge, Roy could only sigh slightly and decisively expose her lie: “Chief, let’s not beat around the bush.”

“All Things Wither is not something to be dealt with so easily.”

With that said, the Chief of the Verdant Council’s gaze finally trembled.

 

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