Chapter 278 14

"So, who exactly is that boy?" Queen Helena looked at Princess Freya and asked with a big smile. Princess Freya was shocked after hearing her mother's words. She quickly took her eyes off Queen Helena and answered in a low voice.

"Hmm? What are you saying, mother? Why are you asking me that? I don't know him because this is our first meeting. Could there be something fishy about that boy?" Princess Freya pretended not to know Ziel. Her acting is excellent, and her words sound convincing. Unfortunately, Princess Freya was up against the wrong opponent.

"Hehe... Freya. Have you forgotten that I am your mother? So how is it possible that I don't know you're lying right now?" Queen Helena reached out her hand and pinched Princess Freya's cheek.

"Ugh! Mother! I'm no longer a little girl! I really don't know him! After all, why should I lie to you!?" Princess Freya insisted on her lie. But it only made Queen Helena grin.

(Hehe… this is so interesting! That boy can even make Freya insist on lying to me like this!)

"Then why did you rush to finish your dinner and come here? Then why do you keep looking at him with eyes full of love and longing when he's gone? Do you think your mother is not a woman and doesn't understand how you are feeling right now?" Queen Helena teases Princess Freya. She gave one reason after another about why she suspected her daughter and made Princess Freya cornered so she couldn't dodge anymore.

Just as Queen Helena had said, Princess Freya passed by that place because she wanted to return to her room to retrieve something left behind. She finished her dinner in a hurry, which made her mother suspicious. Queen Helena decided to come with her when Princess Freya was about to leave.

Princess Freya initially refused because she didn't want her mother to know what she wanted to do. But because of King Leonida's insistence, she reluctantly agreed to go with her mother and Aryana.

After meeting Ziel on the way and Princess Freya interfering, Queen Helena's suspicions grew even greater. Then she became even more convinced after seeing her daughter's anger when Ziel was slandered and the loving look in her eyes. Princess Freya might be able to hide it from other women but not from her.

"That is… Yes, that's right. It was just a coincidence! It was just a coincidence that we met him on the way!" Princess Freya still didn't want to admit it even though her mother had told her various reasons.

"Is that so? But if you bring him to be introduced to me someday, I won't approve of him. Is that okay for you?" Queen Helena smirked and threatened Princess Freya.

"Mother! Why are you so cruel to your daughter!?" Princess Freya sulked after hearing Queen Helena's threat.

"So you're ready to admit it?" Queen Helena smiled when she saw her daughter's adorable behavior. She couldn't help but pinch Princess Freya's nose.

"Yes, yes, I admit it! I already told you that I am not a little girl anymore, mother!" Princess Freya pursed her lips and finally gave in after being pressured by her mother's words.

"Hehe... Then, it would be best if you gave me the full story. Starting from how you met, when and why you fell in love with him, and what you have done in your relationship. You must tell me everything without exception." Queen Helena looks very happy. She didn't care that Ziel was just a butler. The most important thing for her as a mother is her son's and daughter's happiness

"Telling it in full!? That is…" Princess Freya hesitated to agree to her mother's request. She was afraid that her mother would tell her father about it. King Leonida was strict and overprotective of his son and daughter. Therefore Princess Freya was sure that her father would forbid her relationship with Ziel if he found out about their relationship.

"Why? Is there anything you need to hide from your mother? You don't have to worry. I won't tell your father." Queen Helena smiled even more and knew the concern in her daughter's heart.

"Okay. I will tell you everything. But we'd better not continue chatting here and move to another place because the conference participants will finish dinner soon and pass through this place to return to their rooms." Princess Freya sighed in relief after hearing her mother's words. But then she realized they were still chatting in the middle of the corridor.

"Alright." Queen Helena nodded and answered curtly.

On the other hand, Aryana opened her mouth wide in surprise at the content of their conversation. She didn't expect Princess Freya to stop her dinner in such a hurry and come to that place to see a servant.

"Wait, why do I feel familiar with him. Did I perhaps meet him somewhere?" Aryana muttered and put the tip of her index finger on her chin while recalling the people she had met who might be similar to Ziel. But no matter how deep she dug into her memories, she felt she had never met the black-haired boy. As Aryana was deep in thought, Princess Freya's voice woke her up.

"Arya… Arya…" Princess Freya called out and patted Aryana on the shoulder. She didn't want to stand there any longer because some conference participants had already left the dining room.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Princess. I was so deep in thought that I ignored my surroundings." Aryana bowed her head slightly to Princess Freya and Queen Helena. She quickly pushed the thought of Ziel out of her mind.

"What were you thinking that made you lose focus like that? is that a serious matter?" Princess Freya asked with a worried face.

"It's nothing, Princess." Aryana couldn't tell Princess Freya that she was thinking about Ziel. She already knew from the previous mother-daughter conversation that Princess Freya seemed to be in a romantic relationship with Ziel, and she didn't want Princess Freya to misunderstand her. She thought the same as Queen Helena. Aryana didn't care if Ziel was just a butler. The most important thing for her was that Ziel could make Princess Freya happy.

"Is that so? Then, let's get out of here right away. It seems like my mother can't wait to hear my story." Princess Freya wouldn't have asked further if Aryana didn't want to talk about it. Moreover, her mother's face kept urging her to get out of there and find a place where they could chat quietly.

"I understand, Princess!" Aryana felt guilty for lying to Princess Freya. But she didn't do anything for now. Then Princess Freya and Queen Helena walked out of place, and Aryana followed behind.

***

After Ziel returned to the dining room for the Neigal Kingdom, he received a series of questions from Clara and Princess Iris. They did it secretly so as not to attract the attention of King Jonathan and Duke Hazell.

N0 v el Next. CoM

Ziel explained in full what happened on the way after he returned from the inventory room. Starting Alfonso intercepted him in the corridor, the reason he did that and the appearance of Princess Freya and Queen Helena to help him. Ziel also told them that Princess Freya came there because of his request.

Clara and Princess Iris felt the same anger as Princess Freya after they heard Ziel's story. The two girls did not expect that a stupid boy would dare to make a fuss in the castle during the Five Kingdoms Conference. Meanwhile, Lilith responded calmly because such noble children exist in any kingdom, and she was sure that Ziel wouldn't care about a clown either.

After dinner ended, the participants from the Neigal Kingdom returned to their respective rooms one by one. When King Jonathan asked Princess Iris to get back together, his daughter asked him to return to their room first because she still wanted to chat with Clara and Lilith. On the other hand, Duke Hazell wasn't worried about leaving Clara to Ziel because he trusted him.

"Haa... if only your mother could come to this conference, I would feel more at ease leaving you here." King Jonathan sighed, and he glanced at Ziel. He thought Ziel was an insect clinging to his daughter. the queens or concubines could not come to the event because they had to take care of the kingdom when the king attended the conference. They couldn't leave the castle empty without a leader.

King Jonathan reluctantly left the room along with Duke Hazell and the other nobles. Before leaving, he still had time to glare at Ziel, who was far from the girls.

"Finally, they all left." After the nobles disappeared from the room, Princess Iris and Clara could breathe a sigh of relief because they felt uneasy with the nobles around them.

Apart from the three girls, the remaining people in the place were Ziel, a few other servants, and King Jonathan's aide, who was hiding somewhere in the room.

"Can you sit here for a minute, Ken? There's something we want to talk about." Clara suddenly called out to Ziel, who was not far behind her, and patted the seat next to her.

Ziel approached their table and unhesitatingly sat on the chair that Clara pointed out. He didn't care about King Jonathan's aide, who was watching him because it was Clara's request as his master, and Princess Iris didn't mind either.

"So, what do you want to talk about, my lady?" Ziel asked after seeing the severe faces of the three girls.

"Please tell us about your date with Miss Kalya today! I want you to tell the full story without missing anything, including the extermination of the magical beast horde." It was Princess Iris who answered in Clara's place. The three girls seemed to have conspired to extract information about his date with Clara. Ziel couldn't help but sigh when he saw their curious faces and started telling stories.

p ***

At a table in the castle's living room, Queen Helena was silent in contemplation after listening to the story of her daughter, Princess Freya. The explanation was too great for her to accept with her senses. But Queen Helena knows the latest information about what is happening on the Clorius continent. That's why she couldn't help but believe her daughter's words.

Princess Freya and Queen Helena chatted in the room alone, and Aryana stood far from them. Otherwise, she might have reacted similarly to Queen Helena when she heard Princess Freya's story.

Queen Helena was confused about how to respond to her daughter's story. She was surprised to learn that the boy she had just met earlier was the center of all the incidents on the Clorius continent, and according to the story she heard from Princess Freya, Ziel's strength was unfathomable. At first, she thought Ziel was no ordinary butler, but she didn't know he was too extraordinary to be called a human.

Princess Freya smiled in satisfaction when she saw her mother's reaction. She dared to tell all those things because she had obtained permission from Ziel before doing so. If Princess Freya did it secretly without asking him first, Ziel might get angry with her.

"So, that boy, I mean Ziel, is the person your father and the kings of the Clorius continent have been searching for. Besides, the disappearance of the principal of the Arcuz Grand Academy is also related to him." Queen Helena was not asking Princess Freya but was muttering to herself.

"Hmm... you said wrong, mother. Not all kings seek him. Because King Raghnall and King Redis should already know Ziel's identity, it's just that they had to keep it a secret from the other kings on Ziel's orders." Princess Freya explained it excitedly. She was allowed to answer and say anything except about Ziel's past before he was reincarnated.

"What!? So they already knew but pretended in front of the other kings!?" Queen Helena was shocked after hearing another explanation from her daughter. She didn't expect King Raghnall to hide it from the kings of the human region.

"They can't do anything about it because Ziel has bound them with magic so as not to leak his identity. But please don't think badly of him. Ziel only wanted to hide his identity and had no intention of controlling them, let alone ruling the two kingdoms." Princess Freya immediately added an explanation for fear that her mother would think badly of Ziel.

"I understand. But everything you told me was so great that I thought you were dreaming about your perfect prince. If I weren't your mother, I probably wouldn't believe all your words and think of them as empty words from a girl in love." Queen Helena sighed heavily and leaned back on the chair. She looked tired just from hearing her daughter's story. But then she raised her eyebrows after remembering something.

"Then, what does that elf woman have to do with you and Ziel?" Queen Helena looked at her daughter and asked with a serious face.