Dyon suddenly felt like stifling a laugh. This poor soul. He took up half an hour of everyone's time telling an epic story, just to end by trying to gift someone with a faith seed the impure blood of dead phoenixes? Was he joking?
However, Dyon said nothing. He instead smiled toward Ri to see how she'd handle this.
Ri couldn't help but roll her eyes, causing Primrose to giggle at the couple's interaction.
Suddenly, Ri sighed. "You just told us all something I assume the Belmont family hold dear and now you want to give me something clearly only your family should have access to? What are you trying to do exactly?"
Elwing smiled. 'It seems she's more than a foul-mouthed air-head.'
However, his words were nothing like his thoughts. "Of course. For the benefit of better relations with the Elvin Kingdom now and into the future, this is but a small price to pay.
"As a princess, I'm sure you can understand the troubles of your kingdom as my family has with theirs. We use phoenix blood to make up for our short comings, maybe you can use a sturdier alliance with us to make up for yours."
It seemed Elwing was oblivious to the atmosphere. He was not only the only person who didn't know how useless these feathers were to Ri, he was also oblivious to the fact she had quite practically spent the better part of the last four months sitting in a chair by Dyon.
Anyone could tell Elwing's meaning. Not only did he want to use these phoenix feathers as a ploy for an alliance, his thoughts on what he wanted for the 'future' were clear.
To Elwing, the choice was simple. He had spent his life with his closest friend being his elder brother, a cold and calculating young man. He saw everything in absolutes and relationships as means to an end. Logic dictated that he was the proper choice.
Unfortunately, he didn't know enough about Ri or Dyon… because if he had, he'd re-evaluate whether even pure logic won out here.
But, he didn't, so he instead continued in his role as a jester, much to Dyon's amusement.
"These feathers are but a token. They only contain enough essence blood to be about the equivalent of an earth level constitution, but I believe that is still quite valuable. An earth level constitution runs the price of several million saint stones. In fact, the amount is usually astronomical enough to be worth dao stones. I'm sure you can see the value of this gift."
Suddenly, a snicker came from the side of the room. Two younger generation members of one of a sub-family couldn't hold it in any longer. The mention of the earth level constitution and its value was too much for them to handle.
Dyon turned his gaze to find the mischievous Cormyth family twins trying to pretend as though the giggling hadn't come from them.
Ri turned an eye towards Dyon, gripping his hand tightly as though she too was holding back a laugh. By now, she was fully aware of what Dyon had done to become the alchemy and formation guild leader. In fact, everyone here knew. The prince trying to gift something of equivalent value to something Dyon could manifest from thin air must have been the greatest joke in existence.
Elwing finally began to notice something was wrong. But, he couldn't fathom the reason. So, he did his best to maintain his calm demeanor as he continued.
"In the past year, there've only been a little over a hundred materials auctioned able to provide this level of boost to the body. One of which was actually provided by what seemed like an alchemy genius who calls himself the Demon Sage."
The eyes of almost everyone in the hall turned to Dyon, but, he just sat there with a small smile playing his features. But, he wasn't even looking at Elwing anymore.
"How could I forget about food?!" Dyon muttered to himself, looking at the grand feast laid out on the table. He was suddenly painfully aware that his only sustenance for the past 4 months was Ri and the medicines he was fed.
Suddenly Dyon looked at Ri, grinning. "Very few things can make me forget about food."
Elwing felt like he was going insane as he watched Ri pause at Dyon's words before blushing.
Primrose laughed at Ri's reaction, nudging her. "So they worked, hm? Mithrandir and I picked them out just for you!"
Dyon laughed at Primrose's words. "Just look at how beautiful my little feu glace is, how could she need such things to keep my attention?"
Primrose pouted at Dyon's words. "I'm still not talking to you. How could you make a fragile lady such as myself think she was going to die."
Dyon was stunned silent by Primrose's words, so he immediately scanned the room for help.
Landing on Aeson who was quietly observing from a corner, he grinned. "Why don't you talk that out with Aeson? Maybe you can tell him why you almost let him die."
Primrose's eyes glistened as though she was going to cry, suddenly searching for her own help. "Ri, can't you tell your fiancé that it's sometimes a man's duty to let a woman win?"
Ri sent a side glance at Dyon, making it clear she was on Ri's side.
Dyon couldn't help but bow his head in defeat. It was technically his fault. His last note to Primrose was intentionally vague so that she would think she was going to die. It was a cruel trick, but he needed her death to seem realistic and it was punishment for not listening to him.
In all of this, Elwing was stunned. His mouth was nearly gaping as he stood with the open box in his hand.
"F-fiancé?" He stuttered. "Aren't you aware that he's promised such a thing to Madeleine Sapientia as well?!"
Elwing felt like he was back into a corner, he had no choice but to use his last trump card. But, his words only made Ri angry.
"Why would I not be aware of something so important? Is your purpose here to give a gift? Or ruin my relationship?"
Ri wasn't in the mood for joking around anymore, Elwing was clearly a sore spot in what would have otherwise been a great day.
Elwing was stunned, 'she knew?...'
"Ha," Elwing laughed at himself a bit, closing the box. "It seems I'm not needed here."
The box flashed, disappearing in his ring as he turned to walk away.
However, before he left he turned back to leave some final words for Dyon.
"My elder brother has already spent the last four months with Madeleine. They campaign together. Plan together. Fight together. Share life and death together. I don't believe my brother to be inferior to a boy years his younger.
"Come four months from now, Madeleine may be the one to decide to no longer be with you. In fact, she may have already decided that. You're not worthy."
However, to these words, Dyon only eagerly continued filling his plate. "That's nice."
And with the conversation left like that, Elwing Belmont left.
