Chapter 155: Parting Words and a Commander's Breakdown

All eyes swiveled toward the source of the sound.

The one who had spoken was none other than Princess Liliane, who had remained as silent and still as a statue since the proceedings began, overlooked by nearly everyone in the room.

Slowly, she rose to her feet.

The numb, vacant look that had clouded her stunningly beautiful face was gone, swept away and replaced by a fervor that was almost incandescent. Her gaze swept past the assembled dignitaries, finally nailing itself, firm and relentless, onto Eldara, who sat in the main seat of command.

“Commander Eldara, I admit it,” Liliane declared. “It was I who took the initiative to steal those magic images depicting Her Majesty the Queen.”

Upon hearing this, the old Duke felt black spots dance before his eyes. His body swayed, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

‘My little ancestor!’he screamed internally.’How could you possibly admit to such a fatal matter in public!’

However, Liliane’s next words caused everyone’s brain to short-circuit.

“But I did not steal them out of blasphemy,” she proclaimed, her voice rising, “but out of the purest… pilgrimage!”

Her tone grew high-pitched, taking on an aria-like quality, as if she were chanting a sacred poem.

“Before this, I thought I had seen all the beauty this world had to offer.”

“Until I saw those images—those perfect contours, those divine proportions, that texture where every inch was sculpted by the gods themselves under the interplay of light and shadow!”

“That is not some mundane beauty; that is the embodiment of the very concept of ‘Beauty’! It is the ultimate expression of art! It is the supreme, ‘pure beauty’ itself!”

Liliane spread her arms wide, her expression a frantic, devout mask, looking for all the world like a zealot preaching dogma before the statue of a god.

“What does Alex know? He saw only desire; that is the vilest insult to art! But what I saw was a miracle! It was a holy light that could cleanse the very soul!”

Celeste watched from the side, the corner of her eye twitching uncontrollably.

‘Good heavens! I thought she was just playing for the other team, but it turns out she’s some kind of art-crazed zealot willing to die on this hill?”This isn’t just some perv; this is a fanatical, die-hard stan, the most extreme kind! The type to start a cult.”If this were back on Earth, it’d be a criminal waste for her not to open a studio making high-priced, limited-edition garage kits!’

Liliane took a step forward, flames of passion burning in her azure eyes as she stared directly at Eldara. She then made a request that caused the old Duke to finally lose his wits.

“Commander Eldara! I implore you, allow me to go to Silvermoon City! Allow me to once again behold the source of that ‘pure beauty’ with my own eyes! I am willing to pay any price for it!”

“I need more detailed material! Different angles! Different lighting! Even dynamic poses! Only then can I create a masterpiece that will endure through the ages, forever etching Her Majesty the Queen’s divine beauty into the river of history!”

‘Holy crap!’Celeste’s internal alarm bells rang wildly.’The Pure Beauty Knights have been founded, and their first commander is a princess!’

This was no longer a simple diplomatic incident. This was a fanatic demanding to break into an idol’s backstage dressing room, wanting to take 360-degree, no-blind-spot photos for her “art.”

“Presumptuous!”

Eldara finally spoke, and every word she uttered was coated in a thick layer of frost.

A tangible killing intent exploded from her, instantly sweeping through the entire council chamber. The air grew heavy and cold.

The old Duke and the rest of the human envoys shivered in unison, a dreadful chill seeping from their very bones, feeling as though their blood was turning to slush.

For the first time, Eldara’s scarlet eyes revealed an undisguised, naked killing intent. It was the pure, primal wrath of a guardian whose sacred territory had been violated and whose most precious treasure had been coveted by the unworthy.

“Is Her Majesty the Queen’s honor something the likes of you can pry into at will?”

Her voice was not loud, but every word landed like a hammer blow of solid iron, carrying an absolute will that brooked no rebuttal.

“Take your delusions and get out of Dawn Harbor.”

“If there is a next time, I don’t mind making you shut up forever.”

This was not a threat. It was a verdict.

The fanaticism on Liliane’s face instantly froze, replaced by a deathly, ashen gray. She could feel it in her soul—the other party meant every single word.

The old Duke couldn’t hold on any longer. His legs gave out from under him, and if not for an attendant behind him catching him with quick reflexes, he would have collapsed to the floor in a heap.

He scrambled on his hands and knees toward Eldara, kowtowing and wailing, “Commander, please calm your anger! Her Highness was just confused for a moment! We will leave immediately! We will leave right now!”

Having said that, he didn’t dare to stay for another second. He hoisted up the soul-less, shell-shocked Liliane and the still-grinning Alex, and led his terrified band of envoys in a panicked, undignified flight from the council chamber.

The farce had finally come to an end.

“Tsk tsk, the world is truly full of wonders.”

On the road back to Silvermoon City, Selene was still savoring the explosive scene from the council chamber. She poked Celeste’s arm, her face a mask of pure gossip as she lowered her voice.

“Sis, tell me, what exactly is in that magic album? How could it drive a princess crazy like that?”

Su Wan pretended to be admiring the scenery, but her ears were perked up higher than anyone’s. Xia Lian’s cheeks were slightly flushed, clearly filled with a contradictory mix of shyness and overwhelming curiosity about the topic.

Before Celeste could answer, Eldara, who was walking at the head of their group, suddenly stopped.

She turned around, her scarlet eyes sweeping over the four of them one by one, her gaze finally fixing on Selene.

“You want to see?”

Her tone was still cold, but the terrifying killing intent from before had been reined in.

“Uh…” Selene, caught red-handed, scratched her head awkwardly. “Just… a little curious.”

Eldara was silent for a moment. Celeste could feel that the Commander’s aura was a complex storm of emotions. There was vigilance, deep reluctance, and even more so, a sense of weary frustration at having to obey an order she clearly detested.

Finally, she retrieved the booklets bound with moonlight threads from her spatial storage.

“Her Majesty the Queen has given an order.” Eldara’s tone was flat, devoid of any emotion, as if she were reciting an instruction that had nothing to do with her. “If you are curious about this, you are permitted to view them.”

She handed the booklets to Celeste, but her gaze deliberately darted elsewhere, as if taking another look at the albums herself would be a blasphemy against the Queen.

‘Elaniel… did she even calculate this far ahead?’

A warmth bloomed in Celeste’s chest. This wasn’t an order; this was clearly a silent gesture of indulgence and closeness. She knew her friends might be curious, so she had warned Eldara in advance, lest they hit a wall of ice when asking her.

Selene immediately leaned in, her eyes wide with excitement. Su Wan and Xia Lian also subconsciously gathered around.

Celeste opened the first page.

In the image, Elaniel stood sideways by a window, wearing a semi-transparent, moon-white nightgown. Underneath the sheer fabric, however, was a form-fitting undergarment that perfectly outlined her body’s curves while keeping her completely covered. The bright moonlight shone from behind, tracing her graceful, undulating curves into a stunning silhouette.

“Huh?” Selene made a small sound of confusion.

Celeste continued to turn the pages.

The second page showed Her Majesty the Queen in a misty hot spring. Her long silver hair was half-wet, clinging to her shoulders. Countless flower petals floated on the water’s surface. She was wrapped in a bath towel, revealing only her delicate collarbones and rounded, fragrant shoulders.

The third page showed her reclining on a soft fur rug, draped in an oversized silk shirt. The collar was buttoned neatly to the top. A pair of long, fair, beautiful legs were crossed, the curve of her ankle as graceful as a swan’s neck…

Every page was a masterpiece of artistic photography, full of narrative and atmosphere, perfectly blending an aura of purity with one of allure.

Celeste flipped through them in a few seconds, then looked up at her three teammates, who had also finished their viewing.

The air was quiet for three seconds.

“…That’s it?”

Selene was the first to break the silence, her face a mask of deep disappointment and utter confusion.

“I thought it was some incredible top-secret material!” she pouted and muttered. “Isn’t this just the same level as the high-end pictorials we have back on Earth? It’s even more conservative than a swimwear catalog! So that princess… when she said she was just admiring beauty, she was telling the truth?”

Su Wan also looked bored. She glanced from the booklet to her own robes and offered a light evaluation: “Indeed, quite conservative.”

Even Xia Lian, who was the most easily embarrassed of the group, only blinked this time and muttered softly, “It feels… not even as revealing as what some girls wear on the commercial street in the summer.”

Selene nodded in deep agreement. “Exactly! Even that foot-worship thing the prince was obsessed with—the foot was still like, half a meter away from the hand! This is what they worship as a holy relic?”

Celeste closed the booklet and returned it to Eldara, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

She now completely understood. For a world that hadn’t experienced the bombardment of internet information, a world that lacked modern entertainment and whose aesthetic standards were still stuck in the classical period, Elaniel’s level of beauty and temperament, coupled with these art-photo-level magic images, had an impact equivalent to the descent of a god.

To a paranoid artist like Liliane, this truly was a “miracle” for which she would offer everything.

Eldara snatched the album back almost possessively, her movements cherishing it as if it were some peerless treasure. She glanced at Celeste, her gaze complex, but ultimately said nothing and turned to continue leading the way.

Just then, a cold notification sound rang out in the minds of Celeste and her three companions.

[Ding! You have helped the Human Kingdom’s return of the Elven race’s stolen books and witnessed the repentance of the “culprit.”]

[The Domain “Shattered Covenant” has been completely restored!]

[The Domain is about to close. The teleportation channel will open in ten minutes. Please prepare, Trial Takers.]

[Calculating mission results…]

[Mission Rating: Perfect (SSS)]

[Rewards will be issued after leaving the Domain.]

It was time.

Celeste steadied herself; the moment of departure was finally here. She looked at Eldara’s straight, rigid back, and a feeling of reluctance unexpectedly arose in her heart.

“Sigh, it’s so sudden. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Her Majesty the Queen in person.”

Eldara, walking ahead, paused. Celeste clearly saw her shoulders, which had been tense the entire time, relax ever so slightly the moment she heard this.

But that relaxation lasted less than half a second.

“Commander Eldara,” Celeste said, finding the situation far too amusing to let go. She spoke deliberately, “Since there’s no time, could you trouble yourself to pass on a message to Her Majesty the Queen for me?”

Eldara turned around slowly. Her shoulders, which had just relaxed, tightened again. The expression on her iceberg-like face was unreadable. She stared at Celeste with her scarlet eyes, as if trying to calculate what kind of trouble she was about to stir up now.

Celeste met her gaze, smiling with an expression of pure, harmless innocence.

“Just tell her that I really liked the incense in her bedroom; I slept very comfortably.”

“The breakfast was also very delicious.”

“If there’s an opportunity next time, I’ll definitely come again.”

Eldara’s expression completely froze.

In those scarlet eyes, emotions surged like a violent tide.

First, there was a flash of relief that “she is finally leaving.”

Immediately following, that trace of relief was completely swallowed by the sheer horror that “she wants to come again.”

Finally, all her emotions collapsed into utter chaos. Vigilance, faint anger, helplessness, and a sense of grim fatalism—’I knew it would be like this’—all wove into a complex, tortured web.

The way she looked at Celeste was exactly like looking at a wild boar that had just finished rooting through her prize cabbage patch, smacked its lips, and declared, “Tastes good, I’ll be back for more next time.”

The aloof Knight Commander was silent for a full five seconds. The line of her jaw was pulled taut, as if she were using every ounce of her strength to suppress the urge to draw her sword.

Finally, a few words were ground out from between her teeth.

“I… will… pass… it… on.”

Before the words had even faded, she turned sharply, her pace so fast it nearly stirred up a wind. Her back was resolute, as if she were drawing a final, desperate line between herself and some terrible, recurring disaster.

Watching her panicked retreat, Selene leaned in and whispered.

“Sis, why do I get the feeling she looks at you like you’re a repeat offender about to get paroled, already planning your next crime?”

Celeste just smiled and didn’t explain.

Ten minutes later, four beams of white light shot up from the outskirts of Silvermoon City and disappeared without a trace.

[Elysian’s Note: Having a good time with the story? Every single bit helps immensely: