At noon, the sun was shining brightly over the castle of the Aurelia Kingdom. All the participants from the Five Kingdoms Conference had returned to their territory except for the people from the Neigal Kingdom. Princess Aishia was also among them because she had already obtained permission from her father to return directly to the academy with the Neigal kingdom entourage. They are still waiting for Queen Helena, who intends to go with them to the Piqmentia Grand Academy.
Not long after, Ziel and the girls saw Queen Helena appear along with Princess Freya and King Leonida. Queen Helena wore casual clothes that allowed her to move more freely. It makes her look fresher and younger. She was like an older sister when compared to Princess Freya next to her.
On the other hand, King Leonida was gloomy because he didn't want his wife to leave him. He was shocked when he discovered that Queen Helena had suddenly recovered and asked permission to accompany Princess Freya to the academy.
At first, he refused Queen Helena's request, but as his wife and daughter worked together to pressure him, King Leonida finally gave in and reluctantly agreed.
But then, King Leonida felt something strange from his wife. Queen Helena dressed like a girl and tried to match her daughter's appearance. It made him confused and happy because Queen Helena looked more beautiful.
When King Leonida touched his wife's hand, the other party suddenly withdrew her hand. He was confused by Queen Helena's reaction. Usually, his wife would smile while holding his hand back instead of walking away from him.
"We're in front of many people. Please don't do that outside." Queen Helena smiled and gave an excuse after seeing King Leonida's expression. She also didn't know why she reflexively pulled her hand away from her husband. Queen Helena felt strange in her heart after Ziel's checkup. She dislikes when she is touched by a man even though he is her husband.
"Ah, I understand." King Leonida believed in his wife. He thought Queen Helena was nervous when many people saw their affection. This was the first time she had come out after being confined in the castle for so long due to her illness. So King Leonida could understand that.
"Thank you." Queen Helena smiled, and she turned her eyes towards the crowd of people from the Neigal Kingdom. When she saw Ziel among them, her body suddenly heated up after recalling the sensation she felt back then.
"Mother, what happened to you? Why is your face red? Has your illness recurred? Didn't Ziel say that your condition can last for seven days?" Princess Freya whispered. she was worried when she saw her mother's strange behavior and thought the other party was not feeling well.
"I am alright. This is probably because I'm not used to being exposed to direct sunlight. I need to adapt to this weather." Queen Helena said while fanning herself with her hand. Fortunately, she could quickly find a reason for her daughter. Otherwise, Princess Freya might get suspicious if she discovered that her mother's blushing face wasn't due to her illness.
Ziel, Kalya, and the other girls knew about Queen Helena's purpose of coming with them back to Piqmentia Grand Academy because Princess Freya had briefly explained it to them.
On the other hand, Kalya noticed the strange gaze from Queen Helena toward Ziel. As a woman, her intuition told her that Queen Helena's eyes contained hidden meanings. It was not the look a mother should give to her daughter's lover but a woman to the man she loves and feels a little hot.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Ziel, what have you done to Queen Helena?" Kalya whispered to Ziel. But Clara and Princess Aishia, who were close to them, heard her voice. The two girls didn't notice Queen Helena's gaze on Ziel. Therefore, they became curious.
"What do you think of me? How could I do anything to Queen Helena? She is Freya's mother." Ziel shook his head. He didn't know why Kalya asked that. Ziel knew Queen Helena's gaze on him, but he felt nothing strange about it.
"I'm not accusing you of doing anything to her. However, Queen Helena's eyes are similar to my sister's when she looks at you." Kalya explained the reason for asking such a question and didn't want Ziel to misunderstand.
"I didn't do anything strange to her. Queen Helena's illness was the same as Aishia's but much more chronic. So the treatment I did was the same as hers. You can ask her about my treatment and what I do to her" Ziel shrugged his shoulders and threw the question at Princess Aishia.
Princess Aishia was slightly surprised by Ziel's words. She did not know that someone had the same disorder as her, and that person was the mother of her childhood friend. No wonder she felt familiar when she saw Queen Helena's symptoms at that time.
"What is Ziel doing in his treatment, Aishia? Can you explain it in detail?" Kalya asked seriously. On the other hand, Clara nodded vigorously because she was also curious about it. Princess Aishia knew what Ziel meant by throwing that question at her. He wanted Princess Aishia to tell them directly because it would be more convincing.
"I just held hands with him, and Ziel poured his power to cure my mana disorder." Princess Aishia explained it simply.
"Only that?" Kalya and Clara asked simultaneously.
"Yes. Only that." Princess Aishia nodded. Her explanation left them both speechless.
"Do you believe I didn't do anything strange to Queen Helena?" Ziel smiled and flicked the foreheads of the two girls. He did so quickly and made those around him oblivious to his movements.
"Ugh! We believe in you. But Queen Helena's gaze on you is very unusual, and I'm familiar with it. That's why I want to know what you did to her." Kalya rubbed her forehead and said about her suspicion. Not to Ziel, but Queen Helena.
"I'm curious about that too. We didn't notice Queen Helena's gaze on you. But if she said so, then it was true." Clara nodded and added.
"I only did what Aishia had explained to you, nothing less and nothing more. You can also ask Freya since she was also in the room then." Ziel smiled and gently rubbed the foreheads of the two girls. He did so carefully so that the people around him wouldn't see it.
The three girls looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. They planned to ask Princess Freya about what Ziel had done while checkup Queen Helena. They had to ensure that nothing from Ziel's actions caused a flower to bloom in Queen Helena's heart.
"Please don't talk about that matter in front of Freya. I'm afraid she will be burdened with it. I hope what you felt earlier from Queen Helena is just your feeling. If that's true, then it will be very troublesome." Ziel sighed and warned the girls.
"We understand." Kalya and the others nodded at Ziel's words. Nor did they intend to ask Princess Freya about it directly.
After Queen Helena arrived, King Jonathan and the participants from the Neigal Kingdom immediately entered the magic train and prepared for their departure back to their territory. Queen Helena smiled and waved her hand at King Leonida. Then she got on the magic train with her daughter.
After confirming that everyone had entered the magic train without anyone being left behind, King Jonathan asked the driver to depart immediately. The magic train runs on land and slowly floats. Its speed increased and shot into the sky towards the south of the continent, precisely the territory of the Neigal Kingdom.
After the magic train disappeared, King Leonida sighed and returned to the castle because he still had a lot of work to do after the Five Kingdoms Conference. He wanted to finish it quickly and went to Piqmentia Grand Academy to catch up with his wife. King Leonida felt uneasy if he had been separated from Queen Helena for too long.
***
It took more than a day for King Jonathan and the people from the Neigal Kingdom to get to Piqmentia Grand Academy using a magic train. They arrived in the evening and stopped to drop off the academy students and Queen Helena. The magic train only stopped there for a while and immediately departed for the Neigal Kingdom's castle.
Merlick and the teachers at the academy were shocked by Queen Helena's presence amid the students. They didn't expect her to come to the academy to accompany her son and daughter. Merlick and several teachers at the academy knew about Queen Helena's illness. They felt strange about King Leonida letting his wife travel far and come to the academy. But they did not dare to question it and immediately prepared the best room for Queen Helena to rest.
After arriving at the academy, Ziel and Kalya returned to their cottage, wanting to get some rest. The students from the royal family and the heroes also returned to their dorms. Their vacation in the Aurelia Kingdom was very tiring because many things had happened there. It started with the monster invasions and the battle against The Archaic Knight for Ziel. It was very exhausting for their minds as well as their bodies.
When Ziel reached his cottage, he sat on the sofa and took a deep breath. Kalya also does the same and sits right next to him. As usual, the distance between them was zero when they were alone.
"I've asked Freya about Queen Helena's treatment. The explanation matched what Aishia had said and confused me even more." Kalya said to Ziel like a little girl complaining.
"What are you confused about? Shouldn't you be relieved that I didn't do anything strange to Queen Helena?" Ziel saw Kalya and asked.
"I'm sure her eyes on you have a bit of heat and are like my sister when she saw you." Kalya grabbed Ziel's hand and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You don't have to think about it anymore. Soon Queen Helena will come along with Freya. I don't want her to misunderstand because of what you said." Ziel smiled and pinched Kalya's cheek gently.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I understand." Kalya nodded obediently.
Not long after, they heard footsteps approaching the cottage, and a familiar voice rang in their ears.
"I didn't think there was a place like this in the academy." a woman said in a soft and mature voice.
"This place is made by Ziel and not naturally formed." A girl answered proudly. The two people were Queen Helena and Princess Freya, whom Ziel was waiting for. Queen Helena smiled in response and looked in awe at the atmosphere around the area.
"Ziel, are you home!?" Princess Freya said and opened the door like her own cottage.
"Freya! Don't you have to knock on the door first! That's impolite!" Queen Helena rebuked her daughter, but Princess Freya stuck her tongue out at her and went inside. Queen Helena could only shake her head at Princess Freya's behavior and followed her from behind.
When she entered the cottage, she was shocked to see another woman with Ziel and acted spoiled. She knew the woman because her daughter had introduced her to her. Even though Queen Helena had suspected that Ziel had a relationship with Kalya, she was still shocked when she saw it in person. She was even more surprised that her daughter didn't mind it.
"Ziel! I came with my mother!" Princess Freya said cheerfully and then jumped up and sat next to Ziel on the other side of Kalya. Her behavior made Queen Helena open her mouth wide.
"Freya, you should probably keep your attitude in front of your mother." Kalya smiled bitterly when she saw Queen Helena standing silently looking at them.
"Alright. We should start treating your mother immediately because this will take a long time." Ziel stood up from the sofa and invited Queen Helena to sit down.
"Are you going to do treatment here? In front of them?" Queen Helena was worried about having to do her treatment in front of other people. She was worried that the strange feeling when Ziel checked his condition would reappear.
"Yes." Ziel answered curtly.
Queen Helena fell silent after hearing Ziel's answer. She couldn't complain about it because she was the one who needed his help. But still, Queen Helena could not show her unsightly figure to her daughter. Moreover, there were other people in the room.
"Hmm... can you heal me in the room without anyone else seeing it? You don't get me wrong! I feel uncomfortable having others pay attention to me while focusing on treatment." Queen Helena tried to convince him.
Ziel looked at Kalya and Princess Freya. They both quickly nodded in agreement. They had no intention of staying there to see Queen Helena's treatment process.
"Alright. we can use that room to treat you." Ziel nodded and pointed to a place not far from him. Queen Helena nodded, and the two entered the room under Kalya and Princess Freya's eyes.