Bab 100: Chapter 100: Another One Bites the Dust / Volume 4 End!
"Marcus, can I punish him now?" Asked Maria after a moment of silence, the apparent anger in her voice unsettling Elif.
"B-But didn't you say I wouldn't be punished if I gave you a valid reason?" Asked Elif nervously as he eyed Marcus, who merely smirked in response.
"I said I wouldn't punish you, not that your Mother still couldn't punish you. He's all yours, Maria." Replied Marcus with a smirk while watching Elifs expression shift to fright.
"Good, good! Elif, do you know how angry your actions have made me?" Asked Maria calmly, which only intensified Elif's fear as Maria was usually explosive.
"Um, I would Imagine quite angry?" Replied Elif quietly, not wishing to further enrage Maria.
"Yes. However, I'm not mad at you for defying your punishment and sneaking out of Yggdrasil; I've done that plenty of times when I was younger. What I'm furious about; is you sneaking out of Yggdrasil with no form of protection whatsoever!" Stated Maria, the anger and power in her voice intensified with every word that was said until just her voice caused the entire throne room to shake.
"B-But-"
"Do not talk back to me!" Said Maria angrily as she silenced Elif.
"You were going to say, 'I don't need any protection as long as I'm within the Empire. You both are always watching over me.' Yes, you're correct; as long as you're within the Empire, you'll never be harmed. However, it's the principle of the matter! Even with your identity as the Crown Prince, that person still attempted to kill you within the Empire! Tell me, Elif, what can you do against a Celestial cultivator!?" Said Maria; although furious, she was more concerned about teaching Elif than actually punishing him.
"Nothing, Mother." Replied Elif rather timidly.
"Exactly! Listen, Elif; you can make mistakes here; as I said before, within the Empire, you're safe. However, in the future, when you leave the Empire and step foot out into the deadly and dangerous world, you won't be given the luxury of making mistakes. One mistake could be your last." Stated Maria, her anger slowly getting replaced with concern while her voice softened considerably.
"Sorry, Mother. I admit I was quite hasty and somewhat reckless when I snuck out of Yggdrasil; it won't happen again."
"No need to be so concerned about the future, Maria; Elif is still a child right now; he still has some more years before he'll be allowed permission to explore the OverRealm. When that time comes, he'll be much wiser and more thoughtful of his actions; he'll also have protective artifacts." Said Marcus as Maria released a sigh before focusing back on the other issue.
"Anyway, you'll still be punished; however, I don't know what it'll be. So, for now, you can return to your room and finish whatever you started when you snuck out of Yggdrasil." Stated Maria as she waved her hand while rubbing her forehead in frustration and exhaustion.
Turning around, I signal Illumia and Sarah to follow me while I exit the throne room. With the two following me, I navigate through the castle halls before eventually arriving at my room; stepping inside, I let out a sigh of exhaustion as I flopped onto my cozy bed—something I don't even use anymore.
"Is Marley fine, your Highness!?" Asked Sarah worriedly the moment the door closed.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Responded Elif as he eyed the corner where Marley was masking her presence.
"Where is she?" Asked Sarah as she looked around the room, though with her low cultivation, she, of course, couldn't sense Marley.
"Stop concealing yourself; you'll have to confront her eventually, so stop being a coward and do it. While you two are having your little talk, I'm going to bathe; after everything that happened, I'd enjoy some downtime." Said Elif as he disappeared into the bath, leaving Illumia, Sarah, and Marley in the room.
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Watching Prince Elif vanish into the bath; for a few seconds, I pondered about staying hidden until Sarah left, but his words hit my pride, and with gritted teeth, I slowly revealed myself.
Once I was no longer concealing my presence, I looked at Sarah, and when our eyes met, I swiftly looked away while in my heart, various emotions were rampaging inside me—fear, shame, happiness, anxiousness, dread, anticipation, and many others.
'W-Will she forgive me? Will she hate me and abandon me like Father?' Thought Marley while nervously squirming.
Sensing her approach me, I timidly lifted my head, and when I did, I saw her smiling expression, which instantly eased my nerves.
"I'm glad that you're safe, Marley!" Exclaimed Sarah as she hugged Marley while displaying a lovely smile, which caused Marley to break into tears for the second time today.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Said Marley repeatedly as she hugged her back while crying.
"It's not your fault Marley. Father is to blame." Said Sarah as she attempted to comfort Marley, though she didn't seem to hear it through her sobbing.
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After changing my outfit, I left the bath and stepped into my room, only to find Marley and Sarah happily talking to each other, though Marley had tear streaks on her face.
'I was only gone for half an hour, yet they look like two perfectly normal sisters.' Thought Elif as he shook his head in confusion while going to a nearby chair.
"It seems the two of you made up." Commented Elif as he summoned a bowl of lightning cherries.
"Yep. With Father no longer interfering with our relationship, we've returned to what we were supposed to be all along. Loving sisters!" Exclaimed Sarah happily as she lightly hugged Marley, who was equally delighted and embarrassed.
"Well, I'm happy for you; however, now that you both have reunited, what do you plan on doing next?" Asked Elif while snacking on lightning cherries.
"Umm, I didn't think that far ahead." Replied Sarah with an embarrassed smile.
"Well, seeing as the guards that tried harming Marley were from the Eve family, I wouldn't be surprised if Nordan had ordered them to kill her. So It would probably be best if you two don't appear in public; actually, with all the spies in the Royal palace, I would suggest not even leaving my room together." Advised Elif, causing the two sisters to be discouraged and angry.
"Of course, this is all under the assumption that Nordan had personally ordered those group of guards; otherwise, I don't think he will care too much about the two of you. Still, It would be best to keep the knowledge of your relationship a secret for as long as possible." Added Elif, which managed to improve the sister's mood slightly.
"Are you not worried about the possible criticism that'll come with when the public learns you were seen together with an outcast like me, Prince Elif?" Asked Marley worriedly, though Elif chuckled in response.
"Haha, you must've forgotten about my identity Marley; as the Crown Prince, who would dare say anything bad to me?"
"That may be true, your Highness, but given how nobles view and treat outcasts, your reputation may drop among the noble masses." Said Sarah, as both she and Marley worriedly looked at Elif, though he again merely chuckled in response.
"So what if my reputation slightly lowers among the nobles? They are mostly, if not all, just a bunch of cowards who will praise me with pleasantries while they talk negatively behind my back, not people worth my time, in my opinion. Now that I think about it, you and Alf are the only ones who say their honest thoughts about me to my face." Declared Elif with a prideful smirk as he pointed at Marley toward the end of the speech.
"Well, if you don't care, your Highness, I'll stop nagging you about it. Still, I don't know how to handle Marley's situation." Remarked Sarah while sighing.
"It's not that big of a deal; I'm sure surviving in Yggdrasil won't be too hard. Besides, it's not like I'll be all alone; we'll have each other, even if we won't be able to visit often." Stated Marley with a smile as she tried pacifying Sarah.
"But I don't like that; I want to be able to visit you every day."
While the two of them were having their little conversation, I happened to look over to Illumia, and when I did, she gave me a meaningful smirk as she winked at me before returning to normal.
'Tch, you don't need to tell me; I was already thinking about it.' Said Elif via divine sense.
"I've got a solution to your problem, one that'll make everyone happy. Become my follower." Announced Elif, causing both Sarah and Marley to give him surprised looks.
"By becoming my follower, Marley can stay within Yggdrasil, so you will always be able to visit her, Sarah. You will be given cultivation resources, so you won't have to worry about your cultivation stagnating. While I get to have the only person in existence who has defeated me in combat become my follower." Explained Elif, though anyone perceptive enough would be able to realize the last reason he gave was the only one he needed.
"But don't you dislike me, Prince Elif?"
"Yes, I dislike you; however, since you no longer have Nordan subtly manipulating you, I'm confident you'll change, at least to the point where I don't find you unbearable." Said Elif while looking at the pondering Marley.
"Why are you still thinking, Marley? Hurry up and accept His Highness's offer!" Muttered Sarah quietly to Marley, though Elif could still hear her.
"A-Alright, fine. I, Marley, accept Prince Elif's offer to become his follower." Said Marley with slight reluctance as she kneeled before Elif.
"Now Idonea won't be so lonely in the future. Call me, your Highness, from now on." Declared Elif with a light smile as he stood up and extended his arm toward her.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Ozonelayer
Ozonelayer Yolo!
Sorry for the late release; I've been moving houses with my family, so I haven't had much time to do anything. This was actually the first thing I did when I got on my computer.
Also, end of Volume 4: Spirit Realm Adventure!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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