Chapter 486 Misunderstanding
Leaving another annoying snigger, the old man disappeared, not allowing Daneel to say anything in response.
Of course, his words had been branded into Daneel's mind.
Meanwhile, Eloise hurriedly turned around to see the King of Lanthanor standing there, thunderstruck.
"This isn't what it looks like! Elanev and I are childhood friends: his father used to bring him to court many times when he was a kid, and I was the only member of the royal family that he talked to. We maintained our relationship through the years, so that's why he just…"
Seeing Eloise's expression of extreme panic, Daneel's expression softened, as he realized that he had misunderstood.
As for Elanev grasping her hand, even that was explained the next second when Elanev said, "That's true, but who are you explaining yourself to? Is your mom here? And where's the breakfast tray? I'm starving!"
Indeed, it seemed that his elder brother had stretched his hand forward to grasp the breakfast tray, not her hand.
Ignoring Elanev, Eloise walked up to Daneel as tears started to swim in her eyes.
She had missed him dearly all these days, so the fact that this happened when she finally got to see him made her feel like crying.
"Nothing has changed in what I feel for you. I really missed you. Will you be staying for longer this time?", she asked, fighting the tears.
Seeing her up close and hearing what she said, Daneel regretted his action of jumping to conclusions even more.
In her eyes, he could see the same emotions that had quite shocked him on that day, when he had told her that he couldn't promise her anything.
Smiling, he said, "I know. It was my mistake. Yes, I should be here for quite a long time from now. So you and Elanev are childhood friends? How come I've never heard of this?"
Even though the distance was quite large, Elanev's sharp senses of a Warrior picked up their conversation, making him realize who the third person in the corridor.
With stumbling steps, he walked toward them while saying, "So there you are! I was meaning to talk to you, anyway. Well, you didn't hear about it because you never asked, and 'cos I was gone for quite a long. Even after I came back, I was quite busy. When she was imprisoned, if Faxul hadn't said anything, I was going to. I know all about what happened between you two, by the way: she is my best friend, you know. You really shouldn't leave a gal hanging like that, even if you are the King…Ouch!"
When Elanev had started to say the last sentence, Eloise had started to blush a lovely pink, and as she saw that he had come close, she stamped her foot down hard on his to make him shut up.
Yelping with pain, Elanev started jumping around, but because his vision was limited due to the large swelling of his face, he collided face-first with a wall before promptly falling down.
Still holding his foot, he exclaimed on the floor, "Eloise! I told you that you aren't a normal human anymore! Take care of how you apply your strength, woman! Ow! This leg was already injured during the damn training! F-"
As Elanev started to curse, Eloise blushed even more and looked down.
Hearing this, Daneel asked, "So your training is going well?"
"Yes, I've been using every opportunity I got. I'm just a step away from becoming an Exalted Human."
This made Daneel raise his eyebrows, as it had only been a few months since her 'rebirth'.
This speed was, to say the least, quite astonishing.
It seemed that Sister Xuan hadn't been joking when she said that that sect-preserving treasure was worth more than a Kingdom.
As for Elanev's and Eloise's 'friendship', Daneel was surprised, but he took it in stride.
It was true that Elanev had been absent for quite a long time, and even after his return, he had been quite busy.
And of course, nothing needed to be said about Eloise's very demanding schedule, especially before Norcet had come along to share the load.
So, all in all, it wasn't too surprising to hear of this, but it had given him quite a sheer shock when he had seen those things before.
"Elanev, I'll catch you in a bit. You, too, Eloise. Go on, grab some breakfast, you two. I'll be calling for an official meeting anyway, but before that, I should at least go see my parents."
Eloise was still shooting fearful glances at Daneel, as if she was afraid that he was still taking what he had seen in that sense.
She did not want that at all, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it right now.
So, resolving to stamp Elanev's other foot too when she got the chance, she nodded and walked in the opposite direction from where she had been going last time.
Hearing her footsteps, Elanev exclaimed, "Hey, wait for me!"
"Humph! Elanev, next time I catch you flirting with some maid in the palace, I'll be sure to tell your father!"
"Huh? B-but why? Dad would kill me! Hey, wait up!"
Quickly getting up, Elanev started to chase after Eloise's voice, and the two started bickering even before they turned the corridor.
Seeing this, Daneel once again felt that they really did look like childhood friends.
Still, he found himself thinking back to what he had felt before, when he had thought that they were together.
If she really did change all those deep feelings she had for him in a matter of months, should he be really surprised?
After pondering on this for a bit, Daneel realized that if he thought about this with the view of a new-age earthling, then he really shouldn't find it strange.
He had, after all, given her no promises and hadn't spent any time with her. In his absence, it would make sense for her to develop feelings for someone else, especially if that someone understood her heart.
However, he knew that Eloise was an old-school girl. She was the kind who wouldn't fall for someone easily, and her feelings were so deep that she had put them as her priority even when she thought she was dying.
So, for someone with her personality, it wouldn't make sense to pivot those feelings so easily.
Wait…why was he even making such a detailed analysis of this?
As Daneel asked himself this, he realized that he had taken that old man's words quite seriously.
He had no intention of staying alone forever, so maybe, he should just make up his mind instead of constantly searching for that special 'something' which he thought he was supposed to feel if he wanted to be with someone.
The major influence on him in this topic was the kind old lady who had brought him up when he was an orphan: she often told them stories about true, pure love, and as he remembered them, Daneel realized that those incidents, and his parents' advice were directing his thoughts, but maybe it was time to change them.
Still, it was a major decision, so Daneel decided to put it aside for the time being. However, it was a fact that this incident had changed him: first, the old man's words had affected him like so, and second, his misunderstanding about Eloise had informed him that the woman who were showing interest in him now might not wait around forever, which might actually be the true reason behind the doubts and line of thought that had just appeared in his head.
Shaking his head, Daneel did what any normal son would do when his mind was troubled: he went to spend time with his parents.
Mary was ecstatic to see him out of closed-door training, and she took him into a bear hug before sitting him down and telling him about everything that she had been up to.
His father was seemingly out training the troops in his new charge as the commander who had replaced Luther after his departure, so Daneel told her that he would come back at night before leaving to call that meeting.
A few minutes later, Daneel felt nostalgic as he sat in the seat with the tall back, while facing all of his key personnel.
Eloise, Kellor, Robert, Elanev, Cassandra, and Aran were in front of him, eying the king and wondering what kind of breakthrough he might have had after his closed-door training.
The meeting did seem a little off with Faxul and Luther's absence, but Daneel knew that they would just have to get used to it for the time being.
Looking at the commanders and his father, Daneel saw one thing: their power level was still more or less the same, so he immediately decided that this would have to be verified ASAP.
But first, he decided to speak about what he had in mind for this meeting in the first place.
Taking a deep breath, Daneel said, "Everyone. First, allow me to say that I am greatly pleased with the way you all have handled everything in my absence. I consider it my honor to have such capable people by my side."
As they heard this, smiles broke out on their faces, but when Daneel changed his tone into a more serious one, all of them leaned in a bit with stoic expressions.
"Now, it is time to take everything up a notch. First things first: the Network of Angaria has been a grand success, but haven't you ever imagined how it would be if instead of just voice, we could have a method to capture the attention of almost each and every citizen by giving them something they cannot turn away from? This will be our main focus for now, and it will change Angaria forever."
Everyone's eyes widened as they heard this, wondering what the King meant exactly, but before they could ask, Daneel continued to say something which made all the people in the room except one collectively drop their jaws.
"Oh, and by the way, I'm a Peak Exalted Warrior now."