As the door swung open, it revealed a moderately sized room, high in ceiling, nicely lit by chandeliers carrying plenty of candles, along with burning wall-scones along the walls. Most of the room was occupied by a massive wooden table, with delightful cushioned wooden chairs lining the table itself. Large glass windows covered the wall which faced the lake, giving the diners on one side of the table an amazing view of the glistening lake and the small island it contained.
Sitting at the end of the table was the Emperor himself. Seemed to be in his 50's. Tall, broad shouldered, slightly faded blonde hair, neatly trimmed beard. Unlike before, he seemed animated, happy and jovial. Then again, why wouldn't he be? On his left, sat the Empress. She had seemed very cold and hostile in the Audience Chamber, but now there was none of that. She even offered a smile, faint but it was there, towards Lyra as she entered. Beside her, one chair down the table, sat a man who looked similar to Henry, except his hair was brown and he had green eyes, just like the Empress. Her son, the First Prince, Lyra assumed.
On the right-hand side of the Emperor, the first chair was empty. Next to it sat Henry who in turn offered Lyra a massive bright smile as she stepped into the room. And beside him, another person she had never met before. A young woman, late teens to early 20's, with long flowing bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim build. Henry's younger sister, the First and Only Princess of the Empire, or so Lyra assumed. She too offered a faint smile and a nod in Lyra's direction.
"You're here! Good, good. Please, be seated." The Emperor said, gesturing for the chair to the right of him. The seat reserved for very important guests. Lyra offered a nod, and walked on past the 1st Princess and 2nd Prince, before sliding down into the seat, straightening her dress as she did.
"I did not know what food you like, so I asked to chefs to prepare everything. The starter course should be here any moment now." The Emperor said, looking at Lyra. He seemed like the kind of man who did not get hung up on formality, but rather preferred results. Why get sidelined by minor details, just get the work done, that sort of mentality. He also seemed quite warm, and now of course quite healthy, despite being in his 50's.
-"I appreciate that, your Majesty. I am certain it will be delicious." Lyra answered, diplomatically but no less true. From what she had seen of the cakes and cookies earlier, she was certain the food here would be equally good and of similar quality.
The Emperor let out a chuckle, then reached a hand out across the table, placing his hand atop that of Empress, as he said: "My wife informed me that you are a so called "High Elf", according to our Royal Inspector. Pray tell, would you explain what that is? I for one have never heard of a High Elf before, despite having dealt a bit with the nearest elven kingdom in my youth."
Lyra sat in silence for a few moments, considering his request. The Inspector had already looked over her status window, then told the Empress. In a sense, the cat was already out of the bag, but more than that, the Emperor certainly owed her. She felt rather confident he would not misuse any information she shared, and more importantly, seeing he had dealings with one of the elven kingdoms before, perhaps she could learn a thing or two from him in return. Thus, she ended up with simple honesty. So she explained that which she had been told by the Goddess upon her transmigration here:
-"I am a High Elf, correct. As I have been informed by the Goddess Hylia, High Elves are a higher form of Elves who are born from the spirits themselves. They- I mean we, are considered the absolute ruling class amongst the regular elves."
The Emperor sat in silence, digesting this information. It was Henry who spoke first, saying:
"So.. when you said you had lived in the forest all your life and never met another elf, that was... because you were not born from two elves, but rather... emerged from the spirits, somehow?"
-"That's right. So I have no mother or father. I woke up one day, in this form, within the forest." Lyra answered. She did not feel the need to mention the Spirit Sanctuary which was created alongside her, because that was not really necessary information. She also felt a bit protective over her Sanctuary, so she opted against sharing any information relating to that.
"Fascinating..." the Emperor mumbled, before adding: "... though one more thing stood out. You spoke with a Goddess, named Hylia?"
-"That's correct." Lyra said simply in response. She wouldn't elaborate unless pressed. She was still unsure if she would like to mention the fact she was a soul summoned from another world. After all, her classmates were enemies of the Empire, since they had been summoned by a nation hostile to the Revean Empire.
"May I ask... how exactly, when?" The Emperor asked, leaning forward, clearly curious.
-"It was when I existed only as a spirit. So right before I became a High Elf. She gave me a bit of information, and then I woke up in the Forest as a High Elf." Lyra said. Technically not a lie, though also not the entire truth. She had been dead after all, so a spirit, when she met the Goddess.
"Then, physically, do you not age?" Henry asked, equally curious. The Empress, The First Prince and the First Princess remain silent for the time being.
-"Not to my knowledge. I was told a High Elf will live for approximately 10,000 years. Unless slain, that is." Lyra said, clasping her hands together in her lap.
"That's a lot of years..." the First Prince remarked, speaking for the very first time. Then it was the Empress's turn, who said:
"Do all High Elves have stats like yours? Every single stat was over one thousand, which I frankly find to be extremely unnerving."
Lyra tilted her head sideways slightly, before responding:
-"No. Other High Elves would have stats comparable to your regular elves. The difference between the two would primarily be the lifespan and the closer connection to the spirits and their magic."
"Then, the fact you have such impressive stats would be due to this unique skill Leonel mentioned? An SSS rank skill?" The Emperor said, stroking his beard.
-"Correct, that is the reason." Lyra said frankly. The conversation was then briefly interrupted as a swathe of servants emerged from doors to the side, carrying big trays full with food. The starter course was a lovely onion soup, along with garlic bread and crayfish boiled in water and dill. Everyone also had a glass of wine poured, along with a cup of water.
"How exactly does your skill work?" The Emperor asked, as he reached for the glass of wine and took a sip.
"I rather not say." Lyra said, mirroring the emperor, she reached for the glass of wine and took a sip. Her nose scrunched up, and she smacked her lips as she let out a small cough, her throat stinging unpleasantly. In her past life, she had never tried alcohol, since she died when she was 17 and thus was underage. This was her first actual taste, and to be honest... it sucked. Why were people drinking this every weekend back on Earth? She didn't get it. So she put the glass down, and the Emperor could see the distaste written all over her face. The Empress seemed about to say anything, probably a complaint about how rude she was, but the Emperor stopped her, giving her hand a squeeze and giving her a smile. Then, he spoke to Lyra:
"I understand, you might not want to share everything with me, or rather with the Empire. But, was the wine not to your liking? It is the best in the entire kingdom. 80 years old!"
Lyra smiled gently, brushing a strand of blue hair behind her ear, before adding softly: "No, it is not that. This is my first time ever trying alcohol... I did not expect it to be so... strong."
The Emperor and Empress both looked bewildered for a second, before the Emperor let out a boisterous guffaw, chuckling loudly and slamming the palm of his hand against the table. He wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye after nearly ten seconds of uninterrupted laughing, before he spoke, wheezing slightly:
"Forgive me, I did not mean to insinuate I was laughing at you, Lyra. You are just more innocent than I had imagined, and I find it equally charming as I do entertaining. If you have lived all your life in the forest, it should have been no surprise you had never once tried alcohol. I should have had more foresight, and prepared something weaker. May I interest you in a cider, instead?"
His wife and children looked somewhat surprised, at the Emperor's demeanor. While he had always been a rather friendly and jovial character, he was not the kind to apologize or to change his decisions once already made. But here he was, seemingly trying to please this High Elf, and it was a bit out of character. However, she had just saved his life, so eventually the trio came to accept this likely temporary change in behavior.
-"I think I would like a cider. Do you have pear flavor?" Lyra asked, eager to try something new, and supposedly, weaker. The Emperor gave a nod towards one of the servants, who immediately rushed out the room. The servant came back with a bottle of pear cider, and it was actually quite delightful, despite the weak alcoholic aftertaste. Frankly, Lyra thought it would have been better without the aftertaste, but no matter.
After that, they shared in calm discussion and conversation as she and the royals ate their starter meal. Once finished, it was another 20 minutes of drinking until the main course was set. A full roasted pig, apple in mouth, on the center table. Then there was grilled fish, roast lamb, and chicken drumsticks. Mashed potatoes and gravy, two different breads, rice and sweet potato fries made up the carbs. Then there was also rich amounts of different salads, cheese and crackers, and boiled eggs as sides.
Everything tasted as delicious as it looked, as well. Nicely seasoned, the various foods complimented each other, and Lyra ate well. Her handling of the cutlery may not have been up to par with the royals, but she was not a messy eater. She did possess that elven grace after all in most things she did, and so despite perhaps not following proper dining protocol, using the wrong kind of fork and holding the knife between the wrong fingers, she handled herself quite well in spite of this. She was graced and poised, and even the Empress found little she could critique beyond the minor details.
Once she had eaten her fill, she wiped the corner of her mouth with the napkin. The Emperor sat down his own cutlery on the plate, and cleared his throat, before speaking:
"Actually, Lyra, I did not ask you to eat with us on just a whim." he said.
-"I figured as much." Lyra said in response, smiling wryly.
The Emperor took another sip of wine. He was perhaps a bit tipsy, as were most around the table except maybe Lyra, but no one was drunk at the very least. Then, the Emperor spoke:
"It is no overstatement to say that you saved my life, Lyra. Perhaps I am coming off as a little sentimental, but I... recall being in a very dark place, barely able to see or hear, almost entirely incapable of moving my body, yet painfully aware of how I was wasting away... then, I saw you, a being enveloped in a warm light, who reached your hand out towards me."
The others around the table looked at him intently, the Empress even wiping a tear from her eye. The Emperor continued:
"I heard your voice. Or... I felt it, rather. And when I took your hand, suddenly, all that heaviness vanished from my body, and I felt warm again. Your light enveloped me, and then I... came back to my senses. And there you were, in the flesh. At first, I thought you were an angel sent by the Divine to save me. Perhaps that still holds true."
Lyra raised an eyebrow and took another sip of cider. She did not interrupt the man however, and allowed him to continue, which he did:
"Whether you are an agent of the divine or not, the fact remains that you are my savior. As such, I would like to reward you. Is there anything you want? Perhaps the Empire itself? If you marry one of my two sons, it would be yours, you know."
The Empress seemed to choke on something, the first Prince dropped his fork, and Prince Henry had to hold back from spitting out the wine he had just ingested, which resulted in it going up his nose instead. Lyra too just sat frozen, blinking rapidly. The only one who did not seem remotely surprised by the offer was the Princess, who smirked a bit behind her wineglass.
"Oh come now, what is with this reaction! My two handsome sons are at the ripe age for marriage! And Lyra is a very eligible and valuable member of the fairer sex." The Emperor said loudly yet with a hint of a laugh.
"B-but, husband darling... she is an elf, first and foremost... nor is she one of your subjects, with no family backing her!" The Empress said quickly. Fair points, Lyra thought as she set down the glass of cider on the table. But the Emperor, he could not be discouraged.
"So what if she is an elf? She's stunning, she saved my life, and she is extremely powerful. Name another young unmarried girl who could offer as much value to our Empire as Lyra? Not to mention, did you not hear she is technically elven royalty? We could surely form closer ties with the elven nations from this marriage! Making her the future Empress would be a tiny price to pay for such benefits. Frankly, the Revean Empire would be the ones standing to gain the most from such a union." he said, laying out his counter arguments.
To this, the Empress had no answer, and the air within the Dining Hall suddenly seemed loaded, with no one wanting to speak first. Thus, the Emperor continued:
"So what do you say, Lyra? Would you not wish to become my daughter-in-law? Which one of my sons do you want?"
His question hung in the air, and all eyes were now on Lyra. Just how would she answer?