Annan froze where he stood.
Even without looking back, he could imagine the scorn and mockery on the guests' faces behind him.
"The Elven Royal Court..."
The elderly Elf Grand Elder was still speaking, but Annan could no longer hear a word. By the time he came to his senses, the Grand Elder and the guests had left. He stood alone.
"Annan..." Tadel approached, her face full of regret. "I didn't think this would happen either."
She had thought the Elders' Council would distinguish Annan from Aidan. Its indulgence over the past few days had seemed proof of that, but apparently...
"It's fine. The Elves don't want an alliance, and it's fine that they toyed with my sincere feelings... I can still ally with the Ratfolk."
Tadel gave a bitter smile and let Annan vent, handing him the Fruit Juice she held.
"I'm serious," Annan said, taking the Fruit Juice.
Annan wasn't an idiot who knew nothing about politics, even if he could be too naive at times...
But he could see the consequences of the Elves' "betrayal." His victory over the Rikaner Kingdom and his close ties with the Elves would both lose their luster the moment the refusal to ally was announced.
Annan and his Free City would become a laughingstock. Some people would call Free City "that Champion Sorcerer's city," others "the city-state famous for Magic Films," and still others "that city of heretical Sorcerers." But more than anything, people would call it "the faction the Elves refused to ally with."
If Annan found a new ally now, the mockery would persist. But if that ally was the Ratfolk, the Elves would become the butt of the joke.
"Calm down..."
"I am calm. You're the ones who started this." Annan shook his head and took a sip