Chapter 48: Reunion

"I've started something that I'd have to fix eventually," Estelle's look was grim. Her words were meant for both Minerva and herself.

In one way or another, her arrival must've triggered something unpleasant.

"First of all, schedule a meeting with everybody. Tell me what happened over the past year.. I mean, months," Estelle realized that although it had only been several months for the surface's inhabitants, her body had undergone four years' worth of change.

Minerva seemed to have noticed the anomaly as well, a questioning look surfacing inside her eyes.

"I.. this is a long story. Don't worry, I do plan to tell you guys everything. Just gather everybody first.. Oh, and.. the two Sullivan siblings, are they still imprisoned?" Estelle remembered the two servants that used to be under her.

If she wants to concoct a plan that could potentially solve the surface's problems, Sierra Sullivan's assistance was needed.

If she could make Sierra submit and offer her loyalty to her, that is.

"Un. Although.. I'd like to say that your plans might have to be altered. The world is way different now. You might as well take a look by yourself," Minerva shrugged, a troubled expression showing up on her face.

"I'll do that once I set myself straight. I'm still a little jumbled after my journey.. Went through a lot," Estelle pinched the space between her eyebrows and snuggled herself back inside the bed.

Minerva looked at the young girl's foreign figure and sighed. Sometimes, the world was truly mystical.

"I got it. You can rest for as long as you need, I'll make sure to inform your family. Rest well, little lady," Minerva turned off the lights in the room and left.

Estelle rested for another three days before she felt her overall condition improve. The claws of the Underworld seemed to weaken after she got back to the surface, which was great.

Although she still felt the reins of Arayle's magic on her, it was considerably weaker and was as good as naught. Once she got back to her full state, she should be able to dispel it.

Though, the real problem is that Arayle knew of her entire biodata, including that of her close friends and families. Obviously, they were bound to meet.

However, Estelle instinctively felt like the Underworld's people had some repercussions for trespassing the other realm, so as long as she stayed wary, she should be fine.

A meeting was organized the next day after Estelle's recovery, with Alan and Sheila storming into the room Minerva prepared with great haste. They hugged Estelle tightly. Although no tears were shed, Estelle felt their great emotions and her heart also ached.

Heine was also invited. Although he was still debating hard and beating himself in his heart, he moved closer to get a light embrace from Estelle as well.

Estelle reported on her condition, then went ahead and solved every misunderstanding that happened. After that, she began to tell the story she experienced.

"So you're telling me that there's a separate realm called the Underworld that mirrors our land, the surface?"

"Well, I'd say that it's backwards. If the rule is that one year equals to a month in the surface, then according to the chronological order, the surface was created after the downfall of the Underworld,"

"..It's hard to believe, but you really grew up to this point.. I've got no other choices but to believe, do I?" Heine still looked sullen, wary on how to interact to Estelle even though she had expressed that she didn't hold anything against him.

"Yep. I'm ten now," Estelle held up all her fingers and grinned.

"Ahh, I don't even know anymore. The world has been freaky nowadays, I don't have time to scrutinize your change. Happy belated birthday, though," Minerva complained, congratulating the girl and reminding her of the ongoing situation.

"..Thank you!" Estelle was happy that Miner a stayed unchanged.

"Happy belated birthday," Alan followed suit.

"Happy birthday, little star," Sheila caressed Estelle's hair with care.

"Happy belated birthday," Heine said.

"Thank you, thank you. With that said, I haven't fully recuperated yet after the blow from my kidnapper. I haven't seen the world. How bad is it again?" Estelle questioned.

"Yeah.. About that," Heine frowned, switching back to his professional attitude. Telling everything he knew, he watched as Estelle's expression warped here and there as she heard the story.

"HUH?!" Estelle almost jumped out of her bed after hearing Heine's story.

"You're telling me to believe that the monsters I saved evolved into a sentient being and started to drop prophecies about their own race..?" Estelle's mouth gaped in shock. A simple action from her caused a huge discovery.

The small group of monsters she stayed with foretold the future of the monsters' evolution. Be it power, intelligence, morphology and its variations, everything would undergo a drastic change in the near future.

As of now, the monsters were still held inside the Sylvania's castles. If the spirits had been skeptical at first, those suspicions had been melting down bit by bit ever since things that the monsters prophesied slowly came true, one by one.

From the appearance of a mutant species, to that of a fully operating clan that cooperated with each other genuinely, things that people would've never imagined started happening.

"Yes. They also kept grumbling to see the 'Princess'," Heine added. "Which I suspect to be you, obviously,"

"Uhh..." Estelle hadn't told them about how she lived in the Underworld as a Princess, but she mentioned Arayle, Yion, Kalis, and the hidden Elias. She hadn't explored much of the other world as she was focused on doing her research to maximize her chances of escaping.

"Well, if I were you, I'd meet them just to see how things goes, but it's entirely up to you," Heine suggested.

"Of course I'm going to meet them. By the way, didn't you ask me to bring those creatures? You're not utilizing them?"

"They're variants, important variants at that. We'd be crazy if we used them," Heine nonchalantly replied.

After the group conversed on a deeper level, Estelle got to find out other changes to the world in the short period she went missing in.

First, although some people did hunt monsters for special materials and defense prior to the change, the occupation's number started increasing as the monster's count also rose.

Especially after the monsters began to formulate detailed plans to attack, the defenders must be prepared to handle all kinds of situations. Thus, there has been an outbreak of organizations that amassed like - minded individuals and sought to fend the monsters back.

Every country had its own form of defense by now, although it's still far from perfect due to the exponential growth shown by the monsters. It had been built in a rush, but once the foundations stabilize and strengthen with time, it would provide a sufficient

"What happened to Duke.. What was it? Alfonso? And there was the Duke Miller too,"

"Well, dukes are of a high standing, it's hard to try and convict Duke Alfonso. There are only five households with the duke title.. The royalties won't like any of those houses falling since it'll do nothing but cause trouble. Even if we piled up his crimes, the King would just cover it up," Alan interjected, voicing his opinion.

"Right. If we want to judge him fairly, we'd have to get other countries involved. Though, that doesn't limit us from planting spies. I've gotten some of my acquaintances to infiltrate here and there, but Duke Alfonso is actually very careful with his plans.." Heine chimed in.

"Hmm.. Four months and you did all of that? How's things going in your country, Heine?"

"The matter with the Spirit Tree hasn't been resolved yet, but.." Heine was hesitant on whether he should spread the news to everyone.

"...Clear out the room if you must. I need to hear each and every hint I can get," Estelle sensed the uncomfortable position Heine was put in and took the matters into her own hands, asking everyone to evacuate.

Once the room was cleared out and only the two was left, Estelle went a step further and laced the room with soundproofing magic, making sure nothing leaked.

"Well? The report?" Estelle gestured for him to speak.

"The matter with the Spirit King.. The dubious title he had

"Kalis. I'm familiar. What about him?"

"Right.. he managed to dupe the entire Spirit race.. Hell, even I believed it. should've known that something was wrong with him," Heine clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I might have the reason to how he was able to execute that role, but.."

"But?" Estelle's curiosity was raised. She had been interested in finding out the truth, she'd take any clues, no matter how small it was.

"I have a question,"

Estelle then tilted her head, as if expressing for Heine to go ahead with his ideas.

"When you went to the Underworld, did you get treated as a Princess?" Heine raised up the question warily. He himself wasn't sure about the integrity of his worries. His intel revealed that Estelle's identity was special from the start, but he just couldn't form a perfect picture from all the clues he got.

Estelle grew silent. Indeed, she had masked her complete experience since she hasn't confirmed the reason Arayle and her had some sort of blood - carved feud between them.

"I was, but it's not the same with Arayle. I'm an inhabitant of this world, the Surface, while they have a completely different realm over there. Arayle's a proper royalty whilst I'm just my parents' daughter," Estelle explained.

"A faux princess?" Heine mentioned the term that had been attached to Estelle for so long.

"..Exactly," Estelle confirmed.

"That checks out, then. The Surface, the fallen Underworld.." Heine hummed, delving into a focused mode.

"What checks out?" Estelle became even more confused. Could it be, Heine knew something about the story behind the whole fiasco?

"Your identity.. the reason why the Spirit Tree decided to move.. and why you're the direct cause and cure to it," Heine held up his index finger to point at Estelle, smiling sweetly as if he had been relieved of his troubling matters.