High King Eldric raised his brows. "What is it?" he asked.
"You mentioned 'we,' implying that you don't intend to meet Aegis of the Arctic Deity alone. How many of you are planning to meet with him?" Orion questioned.
High King Eldric nodded in response. "Don't worry, only a few elders and I have decided to go and meet him," he assured, understanding Orion's concern.
"Alright. In that case, before I bring you all to meet Aegis of the Arctic Deity, I'd like to meet him myself and see if I can persuade him to meet with you all directly," Orion proposed.
Though he might not understand why Aegis of the Deity refused to meet with them, whatever the reason, he had to convince him to do so. If he failed, he would have no choice but to withdraw his promise.
High King Eldric furrowed his brows momentarily before nodding. "Alright. I understand your reasoning, Mr. Orion. You may proceed as you see fit," he replied, exhaling softly.
"Okay. Let's continue then so I can complete this task as quickly as possible," Orion replied.
He needed to deal with the potential threat of the four-star Vylkr Vine and attend the festival scheduled for the end of the week. Therefore, he had to wrap this up quickly to focus on other matters.
High King Eldric nodded, "Since you are unaware of how the Garden is taken care of, I already have someone in mind to help show you how you can properly experience the effort we Pixie put into caring for the Garden. Follow me, Mr Orion," he responded, standing up from his seat and walking towards the door.
High King Eldric couldn't help but inwardly sigh. He would have already cancelled the first task to gain Orion's goodwill and forge a better relationship if he could. Not only was Orion's current position beneficial for them to form a close bond, but it might also increase their chances of convincing Aegis of the Arctic Deity to meet with them.
However, he couldn't do so without angering the rest of the Pixie race and some elders. They insisted that Orion should experience the same efforts they put into caring for the Garden, especially after he had attempted to destroy it more than twice.
Orion rose to his feet and followed High King Eldric out of the room. As they exited, they traversed through several corridors and beautiful areas, each catching Orion's attention and prompting him to take mental notes.
Eventually, they reached a spacious hall with stairs on either side leading upwards, likely to the royal family's residence and other significant areas. Meanwhile, male and female pixie servants bustled about, tending to indoor plants and tidying the space.
Observing the scene, Orion noted that no one was using the stairs; instead, they all darted through the air from one task to another.
Upon reaching the centre of the hall, just as High King Eldric was about to signal a nearby pixie guard, a young man suddenly blocked their path.
"Good morning, Father," the young man greeted with a slight bow before shifting his attention to Orion. He scrutinized Orion's figure from head to toe before bowing again. "Good morning, Mr Orion. I wasn't expecting to meet you again so soon," he added.
Orion furrowed his brows in confusion. From the young man's words, he realized that he was one of High King Eldric's children, but he didn't remember being introduced to him.
"Ahem! I am Prince Alden, the fourth son and fifth child of High King Eldric. We might not have met personally, but I've had the privilege to see you a few times in the Garden, especially this morning up close," the young man quickly corrected himself, clearing his throat.
Orion nodded. "In that case, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Prince Alden," he responded.
Prince Alden nodded with a smile. Just as he was about to speak, High King Eldric interrupted.
"Since you're already here, Alden, why don't you help me and call your first eldest brother? He can assist in showing Mr Orion how we handle and take care of the Garden," High King Eldric ordered.
Prince Alden shifted his attention to his father, furrowing his brows in confusion. "I'm afraid eldest brother has already left the castle, Father. Didn't he inform you of an urgent matter which required his immediate attention?" Prince Alden asked, raising a brow.
A frown suddenly etched itself onto High King Eldric's expression. He had informed his first son that if Orion accepted the task, he would be the one to guide Orion and teach him about the experiences of the Pixie race, aiming to forge a strong relationship with Orion as the next High King of the Pixie race.
However, the sudden disappearance of his first son due to an urgent matter made him doubtful.
"Did he mention where he was going and this urgent matter?" High King Eldric asked, his tone serious.
"Unfortunately, I received news of his sudden departure just moments before encountering you both here, so I have no idea where he ran off to," Prince Alden responded, shaking his head.
Upon hearing Prince Alden's words, High King Eldric's frown deepened. Though he was suspicious about the only thing that might capture his first son's attention to such a degree that it might cause him to abandon everything, he hoped fervently that his guess was wrong. After all, it would be unreasonable and unbecoming of the next High King of the Pixie race.
Nevertheless, since he had no clue where his first son might have disappeared, he pushed his concerns to the back of his mind and dispatched some of the palace guards to locate him and swiftly bring him back to the palace.
Observing his father's contemplative expression, Prince Alden promptly interjected, "Father, since First brother is currently unavailable, why don't I take care of Mr Orion and assist him in understanding the daily efforts we invest in maintaining the Garden's prosperity until First brother returns?" he proposed.