Heart Over Sword-Chapter 228: Elven Beauty

Osian lay back in the heated spring, the steam rising from the water, creating a fog above the surface as he looked outside the tall window frames that did not have any glass to shield guests from the snowy peaks and roaring wind outside. Yet, none of it entered the heated palace. The princeling looked at the oddity of such a bathing chamber, the ground of green and gold marble-type flooring, which apparently was also heated ice.

Slipping a few times on it revealed the truth about Lady Alaya’s words. It was ice crafted to look like marble. It was otherworldly. Like the entirety of Lyvaria, it seemed.

Osian did not know what to think of these elven kingdoms. They were overly extravagant but with exquisite fabrics and technologies that they did not use in their own domain. Still, if Selvin wins over the King and Queen as much as he has pleased King Thalinal, their kingdoms could start trading.

Trading more than just materials but possibly designs and secrets. Though that was a long shot.

Osian sipped on the warm wine the handmaiden gave him. It had a warm honeyed taste to it, a bit too sweet for his tastes, but it did the trick in helping his fatigue, besides this hot spring relaxing his tight muscles. The bed in the chamber connected to the bathing suite through an open space only shielded from those entering with a sheer curtain in between seemed to call to him. But he could not rest properly until the feast was over.

The bed chamber was also grand and luxurious, with silky sheets. The room’s interior was the same as the halls and ceilings they first entered the palace from the tunnels, like the inky night sky with stars twinkling. But outside, through the snow, the sun still shone through the bathing suite and windows on the far side of the bed, brightening the room. The glowing orbs like stars in his room also shone brighter so as not to make it gloomy.

Not that it appeared at all gloomy. Osian was used to luxury as a prince. Even on their travels, they did so in style until recently, but this was beyond his expectations.

Everything, besides the bed and a few other furnishings, was made out of ice. Warm ice!? It was beyond his imagination, but the views and art of this palace were stunning. He wondered if Selvin’s room was better because he was Dunhurst’s next King. Most likely.

"Your highness, the feast will begin soon. Do you require any assistance?"

Osian looked at the handmaiden who had been waiting patiently on the side. Another thing he noticed about the Lyvarian palace servants and nobility was that their clothing was very thin. Unlike the ranger they met earlier, whose attire looked warmer though Loraven still wore less than he and Selvin. Those in the palace wore attire that would suit warmer environments.

Glancing at the brunette, Osian beckoned the elf forward, his gaze roaming her long legs that only had a small piece of material between them to hide her groin, connecting like straps across her stomach and barely covering her full breasts. But half her face was covered with a sheer material dangling over her nose and lips. His attention then went to the tips of her ears, and he got a hold of himself.

Osian was brought up to hate their kind, but he had to admit they were overly beautiful, even the servants. The handmaiden stepped into the water, letting her dress soak and cling to her body further. Osian’s breath hitched.

He was not expecting the servant to get inside the hot spring with him. Was this how they treated their guests or was this a part of some special service for the royals? In Hatherland, the King would also send them courtesans, which they had declined.

Osian soon found out how much more the handmaiden would be assisting him in the bath and in bed before she helped him get changed. The prince had slept with others before but never with an elf or a servant. He glanced at her in the mirror, but she kept her eyes on his attire as she tucked his shirt into his breaches.

The she-elf acted like it was expected of her to complete such duties. Osian didn’t know if he felt slimy or not, but then he glanced at her damp clothing sticking to her body and decided, as a man, his self-control was nil. If he had been treated like this, he wondered if Selvin had a better handmaiden.

Once Osian left his room and the handmaiden, whose name he never found out, he met Selvin in the hallway. Behind his brother was five she-elves in similar clothing to the servant he left in his chambers. They spoke to each other in hushed whispers, frowning and looking wide-eyed at his brother.

Selvin wore dark navy, his jacket with embroidered silver patterns along the sleeves and the high collar of his jacket. His brown hair wasn’t in its usual neat style, swept to the side, but it looked stylishly messy. His strong jaw showed the first signs of stubble, but his brother pulled it off, still looking smart. His blue eyes seemed to pop more with the navy attire.

Osian looked at his own. He was acting more like his personal guard than a prince, but he still dressed for the occasion. Still, he did not want to outshine the future King and kept to a simple black jacket and golden buttons.

"I was not expecting that," Osian murmured quietly as they began to follow some guards. Though his excitement and curiosity caused him to sprout his next words, unable to hold back. "Did you get your fill of FIVE elves!?"

Selvin looked at him with an arched brow. "Do not let down your guard, Osh. They are there to lower it and make you feel comfortable. I did not and would not sleep with them."

He stopped and glanced at the guards, who paused ahead and looked back at them. Their eyes were on them like hawks, slightly narrowed as they spoke in Muranthian to one another, waiting. Their own guards were celebrating in the servants’ quarters. Which was probably why his brother felt uneasy.

"Use this." Selvin pointed hard at Osian’s forehead. "And not this." Then punched him in the groin.

Osian coughed and almost keeled over from the white-hot pain burning in his groin. He also felt sick. "Agh. Did you really.."

"Yes. You are acting a fool." Selvin glanced at the guards and lowered his face close to Osian’s, whispering in his ear. "In history, our kingdoms always praised how the Lyvarian’s treated us fairly compared to the Flori, but they are insincere, deceitful and the most dishonest. One of those servants might have been an assassin or reporting directly to the King and Queen. Remember, this is not a vacation."

Selvin pulled back and straightened his jacket. "We cannot be late. The King and Queen are expecting us."

Osian gulped, feeling young and foolish compared to his brother, even though there were only six years between them. Selvin had a lot more control than him, but his brother also had six more years of bedding women. How could he have turned down that beauty in his chambers?

Rushing to Selvin’s side again, Osian asked, "do you really think they would assassinate us? What would they benefit from it? It would sever ties between the kingdoms."

Selvin remained quiet, his mask slipping into place as elven nobles stopped and stared at them. The princes ignored them. The elves’ stares turned to cruel smirks as they looked the brothers up and down like they were peasants meant to kneel before them. Even in the Flori palace, they had not felt such hostility.

King Thalinal was not pleasant, but he still remained somewhat respectful and hosted their stay well. The Lyvarians, the snow elves seemed to make their palace of backstabbing, two-faced nobles seem like kittens. Both prince’s remained expressionless though as they walked through the arched, sculpted bright blue ice walls. Their backs remained straight, chins tilted up.

"Do not lower your guard." That was all Selvin said. Feeling the hostility, Osian had to agree. freewebnoveℓ.com

Osian let his gaze wander further to their surroundings than to the elves that looked at them with such disdain. It made Loraven’s icy persona seem like the warm sun in comparison. Looking at the walls again, the prince was in awe of such beauty.

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