"Rowena, you—" High King Eldric began, looking at his wife in shock, but another voice resonated deeply before he could complete his sentence. "I agree," Princess Morgana nodded in agreement with High Queen Rowena's words.
"You've asked me to give you a good reason for my decision. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find one until now. As such, Celeria's bravery and love for my first brother, demonstrated by her defiance of the High King's orders to protect him from harm, prove she is best suited to be the High Prince's partner. Therefore, if Father can please reconsider his decision, I will be willing to give up the Divine artefact," she added.
The vast hall erupted into shocking gasps as no one had expected the Sixth Princess to make such a bold decision except those already aware of what had transpired earlier. Orion and the others were no different; they watched intently, wanting to see how events unfold next.
"And if I do not?" High King Kael spat out.
"If you don't, father, then I'll have no choice but to relinquish my position as the Sixth Princess of the Pixie Kingdom and instead pledge myself to work under Mr. Orion," Princess Morgana responded, her eyes locked on Orion's and the Princess of the Garden's distant seating position.
On the other side of the vast hall, Orion coughed heavily for a few seconds before regaining his composure.
He had done everything he could to avoid getting entangled in the Pixie kingdom's political issues. He knew they could handle it themselves; besides, he had bigger matters to attend to. However, as he listened to Princess Morgana's words, he couldn't help but wonder how he had suddenly found himself embroiled in such a situation.
Especially considering he had only encountered Princess Morgana a handful of times and had spoken to her only twice.
A sudden thought crossed Orion's mind as he narrowed his eyes at her. Perhaps, due to his authority and strength within the Orion's Cities, she was using him as leverage to pressure High King Eldric into making a decision.
It was a clever tactic, but Orion knew he would need to address it after this was settled. Because for her to speak such words boldly in his presence meant she might try it again later.
The Princess of the Garden looked at Orion and chuckled, quickly discerning what he was thinking, finding it amusing.
Meanwhile,
As High King Eldric heard his sixth daughter's words and observed the firm expressions of his wife and children one by one, he felt his body temperature rise suddenly. His heart began to beat rapidly, and his breathing became erratic. Gradually, his vision blurred as a pounding headache assaulted him from the back of his head.
High King Eldric's footsteps faltered, and then he collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain his balance.
"HUSBAND!"
"FATHER!"
"FATHER!"
"HIGH KING!"
High Queen Rowena, High Prince Kael, Prince Alden, Princess Morgana, the guards, and everything around them echoed with their frantic screams as they rushed towards the falling High King Eldric one by one, catching him before his body could touch the ground.
"Husband, are you okay?" High Queen Rowena asked hurriedly, her expression filled with fear as she awaited his response.
However, there was no reply.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET THE HEALERS!" High Prince Kael yelled at the guards.
The guards nodded firmly before swiftly turning around and flying away to rapidly bring the healers to check on the High King's condition.
Meanwhile, all the guests within the vast hall couldn't help but be shocked at the scene that had just unfolded before them.
One moment, they were witnessing an intense scene where the High King would have to decide the fate of the royal family and the entire Pixie Kingdom. The next moment, High King Eldric had collapsed on the floor and seemed to be in critical condition.
They couldn't understand how things had changed so rapidly in the blink of an eye.
On the other side of the vast hall,
"He fainted," the Princess of the Garden said, her voice filled with interest. Just when High King Eldric was about to make such an important decision, he fainted, keeping the decision on hold.
This not only gave him time to think about what to do next when he woke up, but it would surely garner him many supporters no matter which decision he ultimately makes.
After all, this decision seemed significant enough to affect everyone, so there were bound to be people ensuring it didn't take a toll on health again.
She wouldn't be surprised if High Queen Rowena reconsidered her decision and began to support High King Eldric if he continued to stand firm or if she had a breakdown like him while trying to stand beside her husband and son.
The Princess of the Garden exhaled deeply. This was definitely much more intense than she had imagined.
"It seems that the banquet will be ending quicker than planned, so why don't we take our leave," Orion said, standing up from his seat and stretching his hand towards the Princess of the Garden.
"How about High King Eldric? Why don't we check if he is okay first?" The Princess of the Garden responded as she gently grabbed Orion's hand and stood up.
"There is no need for that. I've already examined his body with my Celestial energy. His condition is only due to handling such immense mental strain in his old age, so he'll be back to normal as soon as the healers arrive," Orion responded, shaking his head.
The Princess of the Garden had a look of realization on her face. She understood that there was nothing to worry about. With hers and Aegis of the Arctic Deity's help, she doubted that the Pixies would do something as stupid as turning the entire Pixie kingdom upside down, especially after the intense scene they had just witnessed.
"We'll be taking our leave, Miss Maeve. I promise to visit the Gardener's guild when I have the chance," Orion said, redirecting his attention towards Maeve, who had also stood up to see them out after hearing that they were leaving.
