When that time came, as the planner and executor of this operation, Celeborn was undoubtedly the best scapegoat.
First, he was the one who had provoked the Kingdom of Silverymoon's anger; he bore direct responsibility. Second, his status was high enough. He was the elves' plenipotentiary ambassador and a noble of the High Court. By any measure, he carried enough weight. Pushing him out to take the blame was unquestionably the best choice.
Of course, given elven pride, Celeborn himself would never truly suffer any substantial harm. The elves could not possibly hand him over to the Kingdom of Silverymoon. At worst, the High Court would pin a charge of damaging relations between the two nations on him, then cast him aside and leave him alone.
But Celeborn was unwilling to accept that! True, in the end, he would not suffer any real physical harm—but his future would be utterly ruined! The High Court had granted him such enormous authority, so he had to get the job done.
If he messed it up, he would never be able to shake off the label of incompetence. For a rising political star determined to accomplish something in the political arena, that was more terrifying than any punishment! He had obtained his current position only by hardening his heart enough to kill his own sister!
Although House Adaron, to which Celeborn belonged, could be considered powerful and influential within the High Court, its actual rise had only occurred within the last thousand years. To ordinary people, a thousand years was certainly an incredibly long span of time, but to elves with lifespans of two thousand years, it was nothing at all. Strictly speaking, House Adaron had only risen over the past two generations. By that standard, it truly lacked a foundation—especially since its