The Elven King explained the actions of his people towards their visitors.
As his old comrade, Demittry couldn't help himself but to get nosy to their problem.
"Ray, I am once your comrade from the Great War, please let me help you again this time."
Demittry raised his head looking directly at Ray's eyes.
"Demittry, as much as I needed your help, I can't trouble you again from the problem that doesn't concern you even a bit. Although we had a great past, I can't let my friend get their hands dirty once again just to help me and my people with our problems."
Ray responded with a pain in his eyes.
"No Ray, the people in you Kingdom is also my people. And I can't let another war that kills many lives and families ever happened again."
Ray stood from his throne and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry Demittry, but this time, I don't want you to meddle with our problem. However, if push comes to shove, I will definitely let you know."
"Thank you, Ray. It's actually been so long since we've worked together, this might be a great opportunity for us to work again, right?"
Demittry stood from the ground.
"Now, who do we have here?"
Seeing Ash kneeling beside Demittry, Ray lets Ash rose and stood up.
"I apologize for not showing a proper etiquette towards the Elven King, as it is my very first time seeing one in my entire life. I am Ash Magnus, from 'the slumps'. I have been raised by David and Sarah Mills. And Thank you for letting us here in your magnificent place."
Ash once again bowed his head towards the Elven King.
Hearing Ash's name, Ray immediately ordered Ash to raise his head.
"Humble young master. Please raise your head. I am Ray Timbers, the father of Aurora, and the King of this place."
After Ray introduced himself, he purposely raised his Ki in order to put pressure onto Ash.
Feeling the King's Ki, Ash thought that it was really different from Demittry's Ki, or is it because he thinks he made a mistake along the way.
"So, tell me Ash Magnus! How do you like to mend my daughter's distress? Would you like to choose death, or the harder one which is to marry her?"
Ray raised his Ki once again and Ash was sweating from nervousness. However, Ash couldn't help himself but react after hearing the second choice.
"Marriage!? But... Why!? I mean, don't get me wrong, your Majesty. Your daughter is beautiful but... I can't yet marry someone as I am still a kid, and it wasn't yet on my plans. On the other hand, I cannot accept death as well as I didn't know what have I done wrong towards the princess. If your Majesty could clear that topic, I might have a change of mind."
Hearing Ash plead his case, Ray - the Elven King couldn't help but laugh.
"HAHAHA!"
His laughing voice was effortlessly loud as well.
"Has he lost it?"
Unable to understand the Elven King's action, Ash didn't have a choice but to ask the system.
[No. I don't think that was the case, Ash.]
"I... I apologized your Majesty but it seems I have no understanding on why would you give me choices when I didn't know what have I'd done wrong. I mean, just by seeing your Majesty and letting us in is a great privilege that a boy from the slumps couldn't afford, let alone marrying the elven princess. But as a normal human being, I have no idea on why would you choose me to marry your daughter. And what was the cause for all of this?"
Ash couldn't hold it anymore and ask Ray directly.
"Father... I mean, your Majesty. Please let me talk to him, I think what happened earlier was an accident, and he doesn't know it yet. And I also think it was too early for me to marry someone, let alone a stranger who came from I don't know where."
With a grumpy and strict face, Aurora look at Ash with disdain.
"Hmm, alright. Leave the room as I want to continue talking with my old friend, Demittry. Come back when you're done talking. And leave the bodiless bear to the guards, and call for the cleaners as well to clean the floor."
Ray ordered and Aurora immediately bowed her head.
"Yes, your highness. Thank you."
Aurora walked pass Ash and coldly ordered him to follow.
Gulping his saliva from fear, Ash had no choice but to follow Aurora after bowing his head to the Elven King.
"You may also leave the room."
The King ordered his Queen and his son to leave to room as well.
Demittry bowed his head to the Queen, which she responded with a curtsy.
After everyone left the room, Demittry and the King discussed something more private that no one knows except for the Queen.
"Demittry, other than my wife, no one else knows about this, so you better take this information to your grave."
Ray glared into Demittry's eyes.
"I have no plans on dying yet, though. But Ray, you know you can trust me, even before all this. We always had each other's back. So, you have nothing to worry about."
"I know, I'm just playing with you."
The King lift his clothes in front of Demittry.
"Whoa, whoa. Stop what you're doing Ray, I don't swing that way!"
"Fool! I'm not doing what you think I'm doing!"
Ray yelled in embarrassment.
As the King undresses, Demittry could see a huge scar in the King's back, that shocked him.
"What… what happened to you? How could you get a scar this huge, Ray!?"
"It was about a year ago when the Dwarf King and I decided to have a friendly duel that only the two of us knew. However, in the middle of the fight, I was hit by an attack from an unknown person."
Ray slowly put down his upper clothes as he continues to tell his story.
"At first I thought, it was an outsider, however, when I take a look at the Dwarf King, he was smiling. And that exact time I knew, he didn't intend to fight me alone. So I cut one of his arms before retreating, it was the biggest humiliation I have ever made in my life. Running away from my enemy like a dog with its tail between its legs."
Picking up his clothes, Ray slowly put his clothes back on.
"How can you not tell the "King" this, or maybe at least tell me?"
"Demittry, you know the current King doesn't meddle in different races' problems, and I don't have any proofs that the Dwarf King cheated on our duel since we have no other witness in that duel."
The Elven King shook his head.
"You stupid old fool! Why did you two made a duel without having a witness or a middle man!?"
"It was a friendly duel, and yes, having that duel is a foolish mistake of mine. And I am paying for that mistake right now, but I couldn't let my people suffer for my mistakes, Demittry. So, I ordered them to train harder, and told them to prepare themselves as the war against the Dwarves is inevitable. That is why they are so tensed when you guys arrived."
"Sigh. I don't know what to do with you, Ray."
"What you can do for me right now it to hide this secret, and prepare yourself to aide me when I needed one."
Hearing the Elven King, Demittry nodded in agreement.
"Now, why don't you tell me about the kid you brought with you. What's his name again?"
"Ash Magnus."
"Ah right, tell me something about this Ash Magnus. And how is he related to the... Old King."
"I still don't know how he is related to the King, as I only met him yesterday, but I have a hunch that he was King Magnus' Son. We are actually on our way to the Capital when we saw your daughter. Which is why we are here now."
"Hmm."
Ray was scratching his chin as he was having his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Ash and Aurora went to a lake inside the forest. They walked in a small wooden pathway beside the lake where they could see many colorful fishes swam beneath it.
There were silence between the two as they didn't know how to start their conversation.
Steeling his resolve, Ash made a joke to break the ice.
"You know why number 6 is afraid of number 7? Because 7 ate(8) 9. Haha!"
However, after making a joke, he still felt Aurora's indifferent treatment towards him. So, he directly asked her the question that's been bugging him all this time.
"What did I really do wrong Aurora? And why did your father wants me dead or marry you?"
Hearing this, Aurora sat at the edge of the wooden pathway.
"Elves had a law for all the female elf. And that law is absolute, whether you're a kid or an adult one."
"What law is that?"
"It's a law that whoever was the elf's first kiss must marry her."
"Kiss!? What!? When!? We didn't kissed as far as I know."
[The user's heart is beating rapidly.]
"What... what is she talking about?"
[Replaying what happened earlier…]
The system automatically replayed the time when Ash and Aurora bumped each other, and slowed the time when their lips touched.
Seeing this, Ash's face was bright red after seeing the replay.
"What... what have I done? I'm gonna get sued for sexually assaulting a minor!!!"
-End of Chapter-