Chapter 002: The Emperor’s Dinner

“Your Majesty, there’s one more question. If the woman by Du Fan’s side is indeed the queen of the elves, then why is she without any attendants, even though she’s by the elf queen’s side?” Duke Wade asked again, puzzled.
“Oh, I’ve also asked Duke Green about this. According to him, as they traveled through the Twilight Mountains, Du Fan was eager to return home, so they left the main group ahead and arrived in human society earlier,” Fisher said.
“Your Majesty, but I still believe that even with this, it doesn’t prove that the woman by Du Fan’s side is the elf queen!” Duke Wade declared loudly.
It was clear that Duke Wade refused to believe it was the elf queen because he had his own motives. If it were truly acknowledged that Nai Xiu was the ruler of the elves, then Fisher would surely take into account the strength of the elves when dealing with matters between Du Fan and Randy. Once Fisher considered the power of the elves, the outcome would definitely be unfavorable to the Lionheart Family.
This was why Duke Wade hesitated to believe that Nai Xiu was the queen of the elves. Of course, for Du Fan, it didn’t matter whether Duke Wade believed it or not. What mattered was that Du Fan had dared to kill so many knights from the Lionheart Family and even sever Randy’s arm—everything indicating his determination to fight against them!
“Duke, rest assured. Even if the elf by Du Fan’s side is indeed the queen of the elves, I will ensure that Du Fan gives your Lionheart Family justice,” Fisher said suddenly with a smile.
“Your Majesty is truly wise!” Hearing this, Duke Wade knelt down in excitement.
When Fisher told Duke Wade that Nai Xiu was the queen of the elves, Duke Wade grew increasingly anxious.

Du Fan killed so many knights of the Lionheart Family, eliminated the Twin Masters of Fire and Ice, and even severed one of Randy’s arms. All this shows that after Randy’s attempt to assassinate Du Fan failed, Du Fan already regarded the Lionheart Family as enemies. Now, not only has Du Fan returned, but he also broke through the Twin Masters’ domain with just one move, which proves that he is at least a domain expert. Moreover, according to rumors, the man accompanying Du Fan is also a domain expert. If these two domain experts decide to target the Lionheart Family, then aside from those old perverts, the rest of the family members are likely to be at Du Fan’s mercy.

However, those old guys act like recluses who live in their own world. As long as there’s one member of the Lionheart Family left, it will be difficult to get those old guys to take action.

“Alright, you may go now,” Fisher said suddenly, waving his hand.

And so, Duke Wade and his grandson withdrew.

At Duke Green’s residence:

“Son, did you really cut off Randy’s right arm?” Duke Green asked urgently, looking at Du Fan.

“Yes, Father. Back in the south, Randy attacked me. It was only thanks to my sudden breakthrough that I stopped that kid from succeeding. This time, in the capital, I encountered him again—there was no reason to spare him,” Du Fan replied, seeing Duke Green’s anxious expression.

“Son, Randy did offend you, and he indeed deserves punishment,” Duke Green said with a smile after hearing Du Fan’s words. “Son, you did the right thing. Otherwise, those two would think our Green Family is a weak bunch that can be manipulated however they want.”

“Father, what do you think they’ll do to us next?” Du Fan asked.

“Of course, if they want to deal with us, their first step will be to target you. They’ll use the fact that you hurt Randy’s body as an excuse to punish you,” Duke Green said with a smile.

“What if the Emperor orders me to be captured and imprisoned, or takes back my territories and title? What should I do then?” Du Fan asked seriously.

“If he really dares to do that, son, we can simply go to the south you go, and I’ll go to the north. We’ll confront them head-on,” Duke Green said with a smile.

“Hearing that from Father, I’m actually looking forward to dinner with the Emperor tonight,” Du Fan said with a smile.

Evening came quickly. Du Fan, accompanied by elegantly dressed Naixiu, rode in a carriage from Duke Green’s residence, slowly making their way toward the palace. In the carriage, Du Fan sat upright, with Naixiu closely nestled beside him. If Duke Fisher or Duke Wade had seen this scene, they would never have believed that such a delicate and gentle maiden could be the current Queen of the Elves!

Soon, the carriage stopped at the palace gates. Du Fan helped Naixiu out of the carriage and they slowly walked toward the entrance.

“Duke Du Fan, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Clear Heart Pavilion,” said a palace servant upon seeing them.

Du Fan gestured for them to follow, and soon, led by the servant, they headed toward the Clear Heart Pavilion.

“Du Fan, come and sit,” Fisher said upon seeing him, pointing to a seat beside him.

“Your Majesty!” Du Fan still bowed as if to a monarch, kneeling on the ground and speaking.

“Alright, alright, Du Fan, get up quickly,” Fisher said, slightly relieved that Du Fan continued to bow to him.

As he spoke, Fisher quickly stepped forward, pulled Du Fan up, and said, “Duke Du Fan, since it’s me who invited you for dinner, we should be like old friends here—nothing more than that.”

“I dare not!” Du Fan replied promptly.

“What’s there to dare or not dare? By the way, this is Her Majesty, the Queen of the Elves. Fisher pays his respects to Her Majesty. Please, have a seat,” Fisher said to Naixiu with a smile.

Although Naixiu held the title of Queen of the Elves, she had never received strict royal etiquette training, so in response to Fisher’s behavior, she simply nodded and smiled at him before walking over to Du Fan.

Seeing her reaction, Fisher frowned slightly—though he made sure no one else noticed.

“Du Fan, your elf queen fiancée makes even me jealous,” Fisher said, pulling Du Fan toward the dining table while smiling.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. You’re joking. Your palace is full of beautiful concubines, each one a vision of beauty!” Du Fan replied with a smile as well.

Amidst such trivial talk, the three began dinner. After a few exchanges, Fisher asked, “Du Fan, what plans do you have for the south?”

“Since Your Majesty asks, I must surely tell you. My next move is to reclaim all the lands that the Lannier Empire has occupied in the past, thereby boosting the glory of my Gavin Empire!” Du Fan said very seriously.
“Good, truly worthy of being my key talent!” Fischer laughed heartily upon hearing Du Fan’s words.
“Your Majesty is right. There are countless people in the court who are more capable than Du Fan. It’s just that Du Fan was a bit lucky, which is why he achieved such minor success,” Du Fan said with a smile as well.
“Du Fan, tell me about your experiences among the elves. Since you were able to marry the Elven Queen so quickly, I’m sure you’ve had many adventures along the way. Well, tell me about it,” Fischer said with a smile.
“There’s no problem telling Your Majesty, but I don’t know where to start,” Du Fan said after a pause.
“Oh, Du Fan, start wherever you want,” Fischer said seriously.
“Very well, Your Majesty. I’ll start by talking about when Lord Randy colluded with Gaffield to try and kill me,” Du Fan said slowly after clearing his throat.
Upon hearing these words, Fischer’s expression immediately changed.
“Du Fan, you say Randy attacked you and even colluded with Gaffield to take your life?” As Du Fan began to speak, Fischer pressed further for details.
“That’s right, Your Majesty. Don’t you think Randy deserves to be punished for such actions?” Du Fan said firmly.
After pondering for a moment, Fischer immediately said, “If it’s really as you say, even if he’s the grandson of Duke Wade, I will punish him severely.”
Seeing Fischer’s reaction, Du Fan smiled inwardly. This Fischer is really good at pretending. With such a major incident, how long can you keep pretending? I doubt they won’t come to you to deal with this after I cut off one of Randy’s arms.
“I think it’s better not to mention it, Your Majesty. I met Randy today, and we’ve already reconciled,” Du Fan said with a smile.
“Oh, Du Fan. Could it be that you cut off Randy’s arm and that’s how you two reconciled?” Fischer asked seriously.
“Ah, Your Majesty. Even such a small matter reaches your ears so quickly,” Du Fan said in surprise.
“Sigh, Du Fan. Look at you—once you return to the capital, you cause me trouble. This afternoon, Duke Wade even brought Randy here to complain to me, asking for severe punishment for you. What do you think I should do, Du Fan?” Fischer suddenly said seriously to Du Fan.

“Your Majesty, if that’s the case, then just hand me over to the Lionheart family,” Du Fan said dismissively.
“I must of course investigate this thoroughly before making a decision,” Fisher said with a serious expression.
“What does Your Majesty need to worry about? I admit I cut off Randy’s arm and killed many knights from the Lionheart family. Of course, it was all because they provoked me first,” Du Fan said.
“What I need to investigate is whether Randy truly colluded with Garfield to target you,” Fisher replied immediately upon hearing Du Fan’s question.
“Good, it’s rare for Your Majesty to care so much about my affairs,” Du Fan said, unable to add anything further upon hearing Fisher’s words.
“Duke Du Fan, you are a pillar of my Gavin Empire. Those who try to harm you will be dealt with without hesitation, so as to create a favorable working and living environment for you all!” Fisher said with a smile after hearing Du Fan’s words.
“Indeed, that’s great. Du Fan, I never expected that in such a short time in the south, you’d manage to make it so prosperous,” Fisher said, changing the topic when he sensed the atmosphere turning awkward.
“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace!” Du Fan replied in a formal tone.