172 Chapter 172: General Freya

Those words spell weirdly on her tongue as she gazed at three pairs of eyes on her. Hazel blinked slowly before her eyes shifted to Stella who was wearing a small smile.

Julie frowned as she looked at her daughter and the princess. Why is she shocked? 

Julie nodded and said, "Stella is my daughter"

Hazel looked taken aback when she heard those words. She looked at Julie for a second before a gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened. 

Hazel covered her mouth in disbelief. 

'What the hell was she thinking?'

She looked at Stella who had cracked a smile on her face. Feeling her eyes, Stella looked up and said weakly, "You never allowed me to complete my sentences"

Gasp!

Hazel widened her eyes in disbelief when she remembered that day where Stella tried to talk to her.

True! whenever Stella wanted to open her mouth, she stopped her. 

'Oh my God!' 

Hazel felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She desperately wished the ground to swallow her. How can she be jealous of his sister?

Now that she thought about it, it explains Usui's overprotective behavior. It was just like how Hezekiah would have behaved in her case.

Hazel let down her hand and smiled embarrassedly at Stella.

Stella let out a quiet chuckle, " I don't mind you coming between us."

Hazel pursed her lips as her cheeks burned furiously.

"I really don't mind if you become my love rival."

Hazel squeezed her eyes shut as her face turned red making Stella laugh out loud. 

Julie looked at both of them and asked, "What is going on here?"

Stella coughed to stop her laugh and shook her head at her mother. She turned to the red-faced woman and asked seriously, "Would you be able to say those words again?"

Hazel opened her eyes and met her golden orbs looking at her seriously, She bit her lips as she thought of what she said before.

'I will never love him, not in this lifetime or next'

Hazel groaned inwardly. She felt like going back in time and slapping her mouth for saying those thoughtless words. No wonder she felt her heart protesting each time she said that nonsense. 

Stella's lips curled up when she saw Hazel hesitating to answer her. 

'Looks like the ship is beginning to sail.'

Stella only wanted her brother to be happy and it looked like only the woman in front of her can do that. Her heart was satisfied with seeing Hazel beginning to reciprocate his feelings.

"Don't hesitate anymore" Stella said making Hazel peer into her eyes before a slow smile appeared on Hazel's face. 

Hazel was about to nod when she heard a derisive snort at the corner of the room. Startled she looked at Zelal who was shaking his head.

"Hesitate? What do you mean by that when she already kissed our brother?"

Stella gasped, "Already?" and turned to look at Hazel and teased, "Ohh... so you did plan to be a rival, after all."

Hazel shook her head repeatedly trying to justify herself but what can she say?

That she was too absorbed with her feelings that she forgot about her? 

She got more flustered when she saw Lily turn towards her and ask, "You kissed my son?"

Hazel gulped as she took a step back, her mind subconsciously making a run for it. But before she could go, she heard a loud squeal and a lady jumping in excitement.

Lily bounced excitedly and skipped towards Hazel. She held her hands and shook it a little too excited and repeated, "You kissed him?"

Hazel looked at the excited Queen in front of her before her eyes shifted to Stella asking for help. 

"Wait" Lily stopped hopping and turned towards Zelal and asked, "He didn't push her away, right?"

Zelal rolled his eyes at his overexcited mother. 'Why would my brother do that?'

He shook her head making a grin appear again on her face. Lily squealed loudly making Zelal, Stella and Julie facepalm themselves.

'Image'

They screamed inside their minds but the Queen was turning a blind eye towards it.

Hazel couldn't help but break out into a smile seeing the euphoric side of the Queen. But her brows furrowed when she saw Lily frown. 

'What's wrong?' Hazel wondered when she saw the Queen and Princess Julie exchange gazes. Lily bit her lips as she looked at Zelal and asked worriedly, "Didn't he say he loved another girl?"

Hazel's eyebrows shot up and her body froze as she looked at Lily in shock. Stella furrowed her brows and looked at Zelal thinking when did this happen.

Zelal nodded.

"So why didn't he push her away?"

Zelal's lips twitched at his mother's words as he asked, "Did you want my brother to push her away so badly?"

Lily glared at her son making Zelal purse his lips. He retorted, "He only meant her from the start"

Lily looked at Julie before both of them turned to Zelal and said in unison, "Explain"

Zelal looked at the mother demons in front of him and wished he had clamped his mouth shut earlier. He looked at Hazel who had a confused expression over her face. 

"Ask her"

Lily and Julie looked at Hazel who shared the same confusion as them. Before they could force Zelal, he asked Hazel, "Don't you have something to tell them, General Freya?"

Instantly realization dawned on Hazel as she exchanged gazes with the ladies. Julie looked at Hazel and asked doubtfully, "General Freya?"

Hazel smiled at the ladies and said, "Freya is my alternate identity, one of the generals of my kingdom." She scratched her nose as she said, "I have my reasons for doing this."

Zelal snorted, "See, all her. He had eyes only for Freya from the start."

Lily squealed as she grabbed Julie's hand and said, "My son really knows what his mother wants"

She walked towards Hazel and cupped her cheek as she said warmly, "I have always wanted to make you my daughter-in-law" 

She pouted, "I was shocked when my son came back and told me that he rejected my daughter-in-law and fell in love with another woman. So, I was planning on making you meet my other two sons." 

Hazel chuckled as she gazed at the Queen warmly. She turned to Jinha who chuckled at her gaze.

How could he not know what she wanted? 

He shook his head before straightening himself and said, "Her Majesty" and looked at Julie and greeted, "Princess Julie"

"You must have come a long way. I will ask the maids to prepare your rooms."

Lily and Julie nodded and looked at their children and said, "We will be back after dinner after meeting Julian and Merlene."

Julie moved towards Stella and kissed her forehead, "I will be back, honey."

Stella smiled at her mother and waved her hand at Lily. She turned to look at her mother who was casting a worried look at the cold man beside her.

"He is fine, Mother"

Julie let out a breath and nodded at her before proceeding to leave the room. As soon as the ladies left, Jinha laughed and asked, "So shall we make a move?"

Hazel let out a smile and nodded before saying, "I will visit you guys soon."

Zelal asked confusedly, "Where are you going?"

Jinha pursed his lips as he said, "Where else other than seeing him?" 

Hazel flushed when Jinha quoted her words she had splurted earlier. Gritting her teeth, she left the room with Jinha trailing behind her.

Stella chuckled slightly before her eyes shifted to the cold man beside her. She furrowed her brows and called out, "Loki?"

Her frown grew deeper when she saw him ignoring her. 

'What happened to him?'

She looked at their intertwined hands and a blush spread on her face. Pressing her lips, she tugged his hand weakly. Stella's face burned when she felt him tightening his grip around her.

Embarrassed she called out again, "Loki?"

Feeling a small tug on his hand, Loki blinked out of his stupor and slowly turned his head to look at his hand. He stared at her hands for a minute before his gaze slowly shifted towards Stella. 

Stella asked him slowly, "Are you okay?"

Seeing him lost in his thoughts made her furrow her brows. Loki nodded absentmindedly and stared at her again. 

She tilted her head and looked at him worriedly making Loki purse his lips.

"Mother?" 

Stella nodded not understanding his words. He looked at her and asked, "So Usui is your brother?"

Stella nodded slowly until a memory popped into her head. How could she forget that Loki also had the same misconception as Hazel!

Stella suppressed her laugh as she nodded, "Yes"

Loki furrowed his brows as he asked, "So what did you mean by always sleeping together?"