Chapter 87: He Is Who He Is, and I Am Myself

The call of the Moonwheel woke Angel from her slumber. Lazily, she opened her eyes and propped herself up with her arm.

"Welcome back," she greeted the Moonwheel at her bedside, which spiraled around her and imparted its memories.

"So that's how it is—the Valkyrie won... Which means I won." Angel rose and dressed. Whatever the process, she had slept, Bard was dead, and the Twin Moons Wheel had returned to her hands.

A pity the Valkyrie was exposed; she had entrusted the Moonwheel to Angel, confided so much, yet Angel had failed to play her part well. Acting truly depended on talent.

"Xiao Qian!" Angel called out.

"Your Majesty, you've awoken," a night elf maid entered carrying water, attending to Angel's washing. "We've already followed your previous plan and captured all the rebels."

"Well done." Angel finished her wash and patted the maid's shoulder, which filled the latter with joy.

"Your Majesty," the maid watched Angel leave the room, "will you retrieve the Twin Moons Wheel?"

"No," Angel replied without turning. "Until I've acquired the Soul Gem, the Twin Moons Wheel must be kept safe—I've sent Barlow and the others over. Xiao Qian, you should help if you have nothing else to do."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the maid answered and withdrew.

Outside, a group of maids followed Angel.

"Where's Telly?"

"It's hiding," the maids answered. The Queen was about to meet the little prince, and upon hearing that, the bear cub hid away.

The chaos in the palace had not yet subsided. Angel moved with nimble steps; wherever she went, all the night elf nobles made way for her.

This woman had once been nicknamed the Princess of Golden Broom, regarded by the night elves as gentle and kind. Yet four years ago, she became the queen with a cold, icy smile.

After a brief change, the nobles saw her smile again and realized she was still the master of this ancient palace—the new king had not truly harmed her.

"Why are you arresting us!"

"Queen, you've betrayed us!"

Yet not everyone feared Angel. At least those night elves from outside the palace, now rounded up by the guards, were far more angry than afraid.

Just moments ago, the queen had stood with them, and in the next, her subordinates turned their blades upon their companions.

The night elves had all been captured, cursing loudly, but Angel paid them no heed. Instead, she noticed a peculiar figure.

"So that's the forest elf?" She halted, studied the person for a moment, then turned and left.

Eve frowned. The night elf queen appraised her as if she were judging some object, and apparently thought Eve was of no value.

"Arrogant woman," Eve muttered.

Frustrated, Eve was locked away. Unlike the other night elves, she was placed in a room, and as soon as the guards left, someone emerged from the wardrobe.

"Little stargazer, I've come to rescue you." Hera said, a pair of pants draped over her head.

Eve looked over. "What are you doing here?"

"I foresaw it. I knew they'd lock you here." Hera freed Eve from the anti-magic chains. "The queen is crafty—I suspected she had ulterior motives in our alliance, and look, she betrayed us."

She handed Eve a maid's outfit. "Quick, put this on. The palace guards are back in order. We'll disguise ourselves as maids to retrieve the Twin Moons Wheel. The general and prince are already ahead."

Eve changed clothes. "The queen didn't take charge of the Twin Moons Wheel?"

"She occupied the Hall of Fate, but the Soul Gem is with the young prince. Without it, perhaps she doesn't dare to take command of the Twin Moons Wheel." Hera glanced outside, then teleported herself and Eve nearby.

The palace's magic array was quickly recovering; she dared not cast greater spells, so she disguised herself and Eve as maids, heading for the Hall of Fate where the Twin Moons Wheel lay.

"The Twin Moons Wheel ended up in the ruins of the Hall of Fate. We have a chance to seize it," Hera said. Eve was astonished at her plan. "You're going to take the Twin Moons Wheel?"

"Of course... I don't want to be at the queen's mercy."

Hera knew the queen would surely settle old scores; she had to look out for herself. She and many night elves had no intention of surrendering.

Outside the ruins of the Hall of Fate, the prince and general led their followers and black-clad elves in battle against the queen's forces.

"These creatures—where have they been hiding all along!" The general gritted his teeth. An hour ago, the palace was under their control, but after the Twin Moons Wheel descended from the sky, troops sprang up everywhere, nearly capturing them all in one sweep.

The ruins were now under the queen's occupation, led by four of her close confidants, each as powerful as the prince or general.

"Even with Hera here, our chances are slim..." The prince eyed a familiar face among the four. "Barlow, wasn't he imprisoned?"

The general gave a bitter laugh. "He vanished last night."

He should have guessed it; the queen must have been scheming. How could that fool who stole from the bathhouse possibly control the situation?

In the night elf palace's dining hall, luxurious crystal chandeliers cast a cold light.

Linley sat at the long table, feasting greedily. Angel entered and saw this scene, a gentle light flickering in her eyes.

"You're finally here, sit down!" Linley, his mouth full of meat, waved his greasy hand at Angel. "You're so cunning—I'm out fighting for you, and you sleep in bed!"

Angel smiled and took a seat opposite him, picking up some bread from the table.

"When did you switch the decoy?" Linley asked.

"After you interrupted my sleep," Angel replied. The initial phantom had been her, but it wasn't her who dueled Bard. "I met the Valkyrie in the palace; she offered to help me deal with Bard."

With a fool volunteering to help, Angel simply went back to sleep.

After eating her fill, Angel had the maids clear the food and looked at Linley. "Hand me the Soul Gem."

"Are you kidding? I haven't even knocked—"

Halfway through his sentence, Linley suddenly felt something wrong. "My body feels numb."

"I had them put dragon-specific poison in the food; it should paralyze you for an hour," Angel chuckled. "You only know how to eat—now you've suffered for it!"

She rose and searched Linley, her expression shifting.

"No need to look. I already had my brother take the Soul Gem back to our country," Linley said. "With you being so devious, how could I dare carry it with me—though honestly, what's between you and my brother? Why did he leave so quickly, without wanting to see you at all?"

"He's always been like that..." Angel withdrew her hand and sat back across from him. "What will it take for you to give me the gem?"

Linley's eyes shone—the moment of harvest had arrived.

He had helped the queen so much and now held a bargaining chip; this time, he was determined to strike a big deal.

"Ahem, let's start with an appetizer. The palace treasures—"

"Wait," another voice interrupted, and Linley froze.

His earring suddenly glowed, projecting two apparitions onto the table—his father and elder brother.

"Father, how did you—wait! Brother, what are you doing at the palace?" Linley was shocked; hadn't he sent Lin Wen to the front lines?

"I was summoned back," Lin Wen said with a wry smile. "Linley, the gem is with Father."

Linley's heart sank. With the Soul Gem in the king's hands, was there any place left in this negotiation for himself?

"This negotiation will be handled by me," the king declared.

"Ah, the signal here is terrible!" Linley immediately covered his earring, refusing to let anyone steal his deal. "Father, what did you say? Oh dear, I can't hear a thing!"

"Triple allowance."

"The signal's back!" Linley released the earring.

Angel glanced at the apparitions on the table, a flash of hatred in her eyes, but after Linley's antics she had regained composure.

"What must I do to have the Soul Gem returned to me?" she asked proactively.

"The Night Elf Kingdom must surrender to us," the king said, looking at the queen. "Then deliver the Twin Moons Wheel to Twin Moons City, accepting the rule of our Forest Elves."

"You mean to make us your slaves?" The queen sneered. "Your son has caused plenty of trouble here—what about all the night elves he's deceived?"

"He is himself; I am myself," the king replied, determined. With the Soul Gem in hand, he knew the negotiation couldn't be left to Linley—Linley sought personal gain, but the king wanted the greatest benefit for the Forest Elves.

Linley grumbled, "No, I protest. You're damaging my reputation!"

"I'll increase your allowance again."

"That's not the issue!" Linley's face fell. "No matter how much you pay me, it's useless."

"You've seen Lin Wen's Star-Chasing Bow, haven't you..." the king said again. "I'll give you a similar artifact."

Linley considered—

"I'm not so heartless; you two go on negotiating."