Dargo walks through the door and is greeted by the sight of two women in a conference room, appearing early 20s and early 30s, with the same silver hair and eyes. His beloved Elira, the Queen, and the First Princess, Alara.
He smiles at them both and bows his head reverently. Elira looks annoyed by his greeting.
"Tch…Dargo dear, how many times have I told you to quit being so formal with me when it's just family. You're my lover, not my servant." (Elira)
"Fufufu…I'm both, my dear Elira. Just as you are both Queen and my beloved. Princess Alara, I hope you're well." (Dargo)
Alara looks back at Dargo like even his well wishes are beneath her, but she nods acknowledgement to him neutrally. Though Dargo is the King, the elves' matriarchal society puts Alara, the next in line for the throne, above him in such socializations.
Dargo is an elf of barely over 500 years, while Alara is a high elf of nearly 2,000 years. Both pale in comparison to the Queen, a ruler of over 7,000 years, but Alara still views Dargo as a child, and it shows in such exchanges.
"Dargo, is it true that little Ilina brought a filthy human into our palace as a royal guest?" (Alara)
In truth, Dargo does not have a high opinion of Alara. He views her as an elitist, with little empathy for others. As her comment suggests, she hates humans, and she also looks down on Ilina. This is in part because of Ilina's youth, but also because they are only half-sisters.
Alara sees Ilina as a somewhat separated member of royalty, who is less deserving of her status. This prejudice is fueled by Alara's knowledge that Ilina has no combat spell affinities, despite immense magic power.
"It is true that a human was among the escorts of her invited guest, Lady Nedonera the Elder Dragon. However, I'd advise against making such prejudiced remarks around Lady Nedonera, who seems quite fond of him. For that matter, the other members of her escort, a wolf-kin girl and an elf, seem to hold him in exceptionally high regard as well. I'm sure that insulting him would antagonize every one of them, except perhaps Mizuki himself." (Dargo)
"Tch…well I'm sure the Elder Dragon is just fond of her little pet. As for the others, the wolf-kin aren't exactly known for their intelligence. I admit that an elf having any affinity towards him is surprising, but I'm sure she's young and hasn't yet realized what despicable creatures the humans are. I'd feel better if we'd turned him away, thrown him in a cell, or something else." (Alara)
Dargo takes note of Alara's flippant suggestion about getting rid of Mizuki from the palace. Angering Lady Nedonera could cause problems for his beloved and their country, to say the least.
"On the contrary, the elf in question was recently taken as a slave by humans before being freed several days ago, and she didn't meet Mizuki until after that experience. I think her admiration is genuine. As for Lady Nedonera, I agree that it's hard to imagine an Elder Dragon truly respecting other races, but I think that her appreciation of him exceeds that of a pet. She insisted that all matters regarding their visit go through Mizuki, and to consider his words a direct reflection of her will." (Dargo)
Alara's eyes go wide in surprise at Dargo's rebuttal, and she balks at the implication. Before she can respond, however, Elira interjects.
"Dargo dear, what was your personal assessment of Mizuki when you chaperoned them to their rooms?" (Elira)
"Quite frankly, I like him. I sensed that he suspected me of information gathering from them, yet he answered my questions directly, without hesitation or concern. The only thing I found odd was how adamant he was about denying his virtues – he's friendly, clever, and reasonable. Most importantly, I'd guess that he doesn't have a shred of prejudice against non-humans." (Dargo)
Elira's eyes light up with curiosity, but Alara interjects.
"Fufufu…how clever could a human be, Dargo. I think you may be too easily impressed by finally finding one with some semblance of intelligence." (Alara)
Dargo shrugs.
"Well, it may be fair to say that I'm unconsciously exaggerating his qualities, because of how surprising they are for a human. However, I can tell you that, when I say he's clever, I'm not speaking relatively. If you told me that my life depended on not letting him outwit me…I'd be nervous." (Dargo)
"My goodness…you'd really go that far, dear!?" (Elira)
The Queen's voice has a rare shrillness to it. She has the highest respect for Dargo's intelligence and ability to gauge people, so such an appraisal by him surprises her. Dargo simply nods with a sheepish smile on his face in response.
"Well, well…I'll be very interested to see him tonight then, and to hear Ilina's thoughts on him. Alara, I'll ask you to keep your animosity towards humans from souring your interactions with Mizuki this evening, if you join us. Whatever you may think of him, he's still the liaison of an Elder Dragon. Setting aside that we couldn't possibly drive Veyron away without her help, if you were to anger her…we couldn't stop her from destroying all of Avalon." (Elira)
Alara makes an incredibly displeased expression, but she nods obediently.
"For what it's worth, I don't think Mizuki would let something like that happen, based on what I've seen and heard from Klaus and other palace guards. If it was purely verbal insults towards him in private, he'd probably ignore it. Even if Lady Nedonera heard about it, I suspect that he'd try to convince her not to retaliate. However, I think that this makes your warning to Alara even more appropriate." (Dargo)
This comment causes some surprise to flash across Alara's face, but it's also mixed with a trace of fear.
"Dargo, you are truly convinced that this human has sway over the actions of an Elder Dragon?" (Alara)
"Yes, I think it's possible." (Dargo)
In response, Alara's brow furrows in thought, and she goes silent. Her expression is that of someone receiving news that troubles them deeply. After a few minutes, she seems to make up her mind about something, and returns a polite smile to Dargo.
"Well then, it's of paramount importance that we avoid this human conveying a negative verdict about us to Lady Nedonera." (Alara)
Though her words sound cooperative, Alara's statement floods Dargo with a sense of unease.