Elven Legacy

Chapter 96: Marley's Grave Predicament

Once we arrived at Father's office, the two guards stood beside the door while I entered the room, only to find Father sitting at his desk, which was covered in papers.

"You wished to see me, Father?" Asked Marley as she closed the door behind her and bowed.

"It is Patriarch Eve to you, Marley, do not make the same mistake again. Sit down." Said Nordan coldly as he set aside his papers and stared at Marley with near-emotionless eyes.

"M-My apologies, Patriarch Eve." Replied Marley as she bit her lip in pain from Nordan's lack of affection before sitting down in one of the seats.

"From the spies, I have inside the Royal Palace, they've reported that you've been forced to act as a royal servant." Commented Nordan while looking at his nervous daughter.

"Y-Yes, Patriarch Eve. Prince Elif forced me to be a maid for one month as punishment." Said Marley as she avoided eye contact with Nordan while balling her hand in anger.

Father didn't say anything; he merely stood up and turned around before gazing through the window; his actions made me feel even more nervous.

"Do you know why I summoned you to my office?" Asked Nordan while observing the scenery outside the window.

"N-No, Patriarch Eve." Replied Marley while fidgeting, hoping to ease her nervousness.

"Tell me, Marley, what is the point of your entire existence?"

"T-To surpass the Crown Princes and Crown Princess and display my superior talent." Said Marley, while remembering all the times Nordan had engraved those words into her soul.

"Correct. Your purpose was to surpass the Prince and Princess and become the leading figure in the younger generation, which in turn would grant the Eve family many benefits. However, what happened two years ago during the final match of the Noble tournament?" Said Nordan as he finally turned around and eyed Marley.

"I defeated the Prince in battle and won the tournament." Said Marley as she tried highlighting her achievements even though she knew that was not what Nordan wanted to hear.

"Yes, you won the battle, but was it easy? It took you quite a while to actually defeat Prince Elif in battle, yet he was just six and only had two full years of cultivation. You, on the other hand, were ten years old and had six full years of cultivation, three times as much as Prince Elif; however, the worst part was that Prince Elif was three entire realms beneath you, and yet he still managed to put up a fight against you, Marley." Stated Nordan coldly while eyeing silent Marley.

"That battle alone was enough for me to realize that your purpose was impossible; you were never going to be able to surpass the Prince, and from the intel, I have on Princess Elaine, she isn't too much weaker than Prince Elif. So with Prince Elif's cultivation having finally caught up to yours and your purpose now lost, what do you bring to the Eve family?" Added Nordan as he sat down and tapped his finger while coldly eyeing the ever-silent Marley.

"I-I'm still the most talented descendant among all the Nobles, and if you give me another chance, I know I can surpass Prince Elif!" Declared Marley passionately as she finally found the courage to look Nordan in the eyes, though when she did, she instantly quieted back down in fear.

"Silence! Stop with your foolish thinking, Marley; you can never hope to compare to Prince Elif with your meager talents. While it's true you're the most talented among the younger generation of Nobles, in the grand scheme of things, it hardly means anything. The moment Prince Elif advanced to the Divine realm, you'd become useless; your arrogance over the years has caused you to be greatly hated among all Nobles; some of them even wish to see you dead. I didn't previously care as you still had a purpose, but now you don't; keeping you around will do more harm than good to the Eve family." Declared Nordan angrily while staring at Marley, who trembled in fear, despair, and denial once she realized where the conversation was headed toward.