The Elf Journey In The Western Fantasy World-Chapter 40: The Uninvited Guest

Today was the King’s banquet, and the security at the palace was much tighter than usual.

Fortunately, Darius’s face was well-recognized.

Thanks to his reputation, they managed to slip into the palace undetected.

Luckily, the palace guards weren’t aware that they had refused the King’s invitation earlier.

Relying on their good memory, they easily found the banquet hall.

As soon as Illiya and his group appeared at the banquet, all eyes turned to them.

Every gaze was filled with intense (gossipy) curiosity.

The bolder guests even walked right up to them, striking up conversations that, naturally, all revolved around Darius.

After barely escaping the "enthusiastic" crowd, they looked up—only to lock eyes with the King, who had just arrived.

Seoryun: ???

Illiya and his group: "..."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Just as the King was about to unleash his mockery, Darius reacted quickly and spoke first, seizing control of the moment: "Hahahahaha! Are you surprised, Your Majesty? Unexpected, isn’t it? Your Majesty, you never thought we’d suddenly show up to give you a surprise, did you?"

Darius’s brilliant move caught the king off guard.

He completely blocked the words the king was about to say, forcing them back down his throat.

And with so many people present, the king couldn’t just blurt out a passive-aggressive remark like, ’Didn’t you say you weren’t coming to the banquet?’

Even if he did, no one would believe him.

After all, who would have the audacity to crash a banquet they had already declined?

However, if Darius had simply wanted to surprise the king, then what was the problem?

And that was precisely the issue—the king’s biggest problem at the moment was that there was no problem.

Seoryun felt like he and his former personal knight, Darius, were destined to be at odds.

No, rather, it seemed that anything related to Darius always led to trouble.

After Darius refused his invitation to the banquet, Seoryun had already made up his mind to get rid of him quietly and without a trace.

But just as he solidified his resolve, this knight had the audacity to show up uninvited.

Once again, his carefully laid plans were disrupted.

Seoryun felt a metallic taste rise in his throat, nearly coughing up blood.

Mostly from sheer rage.

Everyone connected to Seoryun—the real king—was an absolute lunatic.

He cursed them all viciously in his heart while desperately maintaining his smile.

He had no choice but to smile.

The banquet was filled with high-ranking nobles, and their sharp, needle-like gazes pierced into him, making his back stiff with unease.

From below, whispers spread like ripples, and every word that reached his ears seemed amplified.

Were they talking about him? Were those lofty nobles whispering behind his back?

Even though Darius had just spoken moments ago, to Seoryun, it felt like an entire year had passed—every second stretched into an eternity.

The subtle, probing stares, the murmurs reaching his ears... every little thing was driving him to the brink of madness.

In that instant, his already frayed nerves teetered on the edge.

All it would take was a single straw to break them completely.

"Your Majesty, you must be so happy, right? Today is your grand occasion, after all. As your former personal knight and friend, I’m truly delighted to witness Your Majesty starting a family."

Darius’s voice rang out.

That voice yanked Seoryun back from the precipice of his spiraling thoughts, grounding him in reality once more.

As he recalled the overwhelming sense of danger he had just felt—standing on the edge of a mental abyss—his heart filled with lingering fear.

His back was soaked with cold sweat, forcing him to acknowledge the reality before him.

The reality that he had nearly lost control.

He didn’t dare imagine the consequences of losing his composure in front of so many powerful nobles.

All his meticulous schemes from the past decade could collapse in an instant, leaving him with nothing.

Forcing himself to smile in a way that wasn’t too stiff, Seoryun tried to sound as composed as possible. "Hahaha, it really is a surprise. I never expected you to pull something like this on me, Darius. It’s certainly unforgettable."

He deliberately emphasized the last part.

Darius understood perfectly.

He knew exactly what "Seoryun" was referring to. freewёbnoνel.com

But did he care?

No.

Why should he care how "Seoryun" was feeling? What did his mood have to do with Darius, the former personal knight of Seoryun?

"Well, since today is Your Majesty’s joyous occasion, as your dear friend, I had to make a proper appearance," Darius said with a beaming smile, playing dumb. "But... why haven’t I seen the queen?"

Seoryun froze.

There was no queen.

The queen was just a cover story.

His little lover was nothing more than that—a little lover.

How could she ever become his queen?

Besides, she was an idiot.

A troublesome idiot who had already caused him plenty of problems.

The only reason he hadn’t dealt with her yet was out of sentimental attachment to the past.

"The queen?" Seoryun feigned confusion, his tone doubtful. "Darius, you didn’t actually believe the rumors floating around the capital, did you?"

At this point, he chuckled and teased, "Although the entire royal capital is talking about this, you should know better than me whether it’s true or not, right, Darius? After all, you know exactly what kind of person I am."

Darius didn’t even acknowledge the question. "I think you’re exactly the type of person who would do something like this."

Seoryun: "...."

Seoryun’s smile gradually faded.

He should have listened to the demon’s advice—if he had secretly killed Darius back then, none of this mess would exist now.

Regret.

He regretted it deeply.

Illiya keenly noticed the fleeting trace of killing intent in Seoryun’s eyes and he immediately became alert.

Before he could take any defensive action, he saw Darius discreetly give him a thumbs-up from a position hidden from view, signaling that everything was fine and there was no need to worry.