Chapter 316 52

After the sun rose and their conversation ended, Ziel asked Queen Helena to head back to the Cottage first. He didn't want Princess Freya and the girls to see them back together in the morning and misunderstand their relationship. If that happened, Ziel would have difficulty clearing up the misunderstanding, especially with Princess Freya. Maybe she would be disappointed in Ziel and also her mother.

At first, Queen Helena was reluctant to return to the Cottage and kept gripping the hem of Ziel's shirt tightly as if she didn't want to be separated from him. But because Ziel kept urging her and mentioning Princess Freya's name, she finally complied.

Ziel returned to the Cottage after he felt that it had been quite a while since Queen Helena had left. When he returns, he is greeted by Kalya and the girls, including Queen Helena, Princess Cordelia and Princess Irene. But Clara and Lilith weren't among them and seemed exhausted from what they had done last night. After seeing Ziel, the girls asked him to sit on the chair in the middle of them and simultaneously asked one question.

"What exactly happened last night?" The girls urged him to answer. It wasn't just about what had happened but also what he had been doing in that room with Clara and Lilith all night.

Ziel sighed when he saw the girls interrogating him. He glanced at Kalya for help, but the other party smiled weakly and shook her head.

Kalya tried to talk about it with the girls and stop them from interrogating Ziel. But since she was outnumbered, then she could only follow their wishes. If Clara and Lilith had joined her, Kalya might have been able to convince them. But Lilith and Clara are absent now and don't know when they will wake up.

Ziel massaged his head as he was a little overwhelmed by the girls' eyes. He felt it would be better to face off against the guardians of the continent he had defeated than to deal with them.

He could still understand that it was Kalya and the girls he had accepted into his family. But Ziel didn't know why Princess Cordelia and Princess Irene were interrogating him.

Moreover, there is also Queen Helena in that place. She should have told Kalya about what happened, but it seems she didn't. When Ziel's eyes met Queen Helena's, she just gave him a playful smile, which looked adorable.

"Alright. I will answer it. So can you sit down more relaxed? Before I start explaining, I'd like to ask Queen Helena to tell you about what she said to me last night." Ziel quickly threw the hot ball at Queen Helena.

Kalya and the girls shifted their focus from Ziel to Queen Helena and looked at the woman in confusion.

(What did they talk about last night?)

Kalya pondered but quickly dismissed her suspicions. No matter how many women Ziel wanted, she wouldn't mind as long as she was still the most special to him. What's more, Ziel would tell Kalya if something had happened between him and Queen Helena, just like his relationship with Azalia.

"Eh!? I? Why should I!?" Queen Helena panicked when the girls' eyes gathered on her. She didn't expect that Ziel would drag her into that trouble.

"Mother? What happened? What did you talk to Ziel last night?" Princess Freya asked suspiciously.

"That's right, auntie. Is there something you are hiding from us?" Princess Aishia added.

"Wait a minute! You don't get me wrong! I'm not hiding anything from you! I only told him I had met gray-haired people before I had a strange disease." Queen Helena quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. She had to stop before they thought any further and managed to guess how she felt about Ziel. Queen Helena felt now was not the time for them to know that, especially for Princess Freya.

"Ooh… it turned out like that. I thought you were discussing something else and trying to hide something from us." Princess Freya let out a sigh of relief after hearing Queen Helena's answer.

"I was also thinking the same thing as you, Freya. But maybe we're not the only ones who have such prejudices." Prince Aishia smiled at Princess Freya. Then she saw Kyouka, Princess Iris, and the others avert their faces from her. The girls were embarrassed because they had misunderstood Queen Helena.

"Are Lilith and Clara suffering from the same disease as Queen Helena?" Kalya asked. They didn't have much time because they, except Queen Helena, had to leave for the academy.

"They do have a mana disorder like Queen Helena's…" Ziel explained in detail. He told me from when he came to the girls' room to check their condition until the end of the treatment process. Ziel tells how long it will take him to heal Lilith and Clara.

"Oh, I see! I didn't think coming to the village could cause a mana disorder. But are you all right, Ziel?" Kalya looked at Ziel and asked with concern. Queen Helena and the girls were amazed because they could feel how much the elf girl loved Ziel just from her question.

"I'm fine. I have checked my condition, and my body has no abnormality. The side effects probably won't affect people of the same clan. So, I'm safe from mana disorder." Ziel smiled and comforted Kalya. Princess Iris and the girls felt relieved after hearing his answer.

"Then, what did you do after healing Clara and Lilith? Didn't you say that you finished treating them before midnight? We waited for you until midnight, but you didn't come out of Clara's room." Princess Freya asked and then pouted.

The girls looked at Princess Freya in awe. They were curious about it, but neither dared to ask first. The girls didn't expect Princess Freya to ask that casually. Then Kyouka and the others focused on Ziel and waited for his answer.

"Are you sure you want me to answer that here?" Ziel looked at the girls and asked for their confirmation. He didn't mind telling them about it, but someone else in the place shouldn't have heard the answer.

The girls' faces turned red when they heard Ziel's question. Although they could already guess what Ziel was doing with Lilith and Clara in the room after the treatment was over, they couldn't help but be curious.

Princess Freya and Princess Aishia were envious of Lilith and Clara. The two girls were already one step ahead, even though the two princesses knew Ziel first. They had planned to give their whole soul and body to Ziel, but Princess Freya and Princess Aishia couldn't find the right time.

Kyouka and Princess Iris also felt the same way about the two princesses. Although they never show it openly, they intend to offer their innocence to the man they love and become one with him. Surprisingly, Princess Cordelia and Princess Irene had the same expression as them.

"Alright. Let's put that issue aside for now. But you can ask Ziel personally if you still want to know the answer." Kalya smiled, and her actions indirectly helped the girls. They could find time alone with Ziel and carry out their plan.

"I understand! We can discuss that matter another time. So, please spare some time for us, Ziel." Princess Freya and the girls looked at Ziel seriously.

Ziel could only nod under their gazes. After all, he had accepted the girls; they were his family now. So sooner or later, he will have them completely, be it heart or body.

When they heard Ziel's answer, the girls smiled broadly. It made Princess Cordelia, Princess Irene and even Queen Helena feel jealous.

"So, what are you going to do next, Ziel?" Kalya asks dan change the topic.

"I intend to secretly go to that village after my class ends." Ziel told his plan to the girls. He didn't want her to suddenly disappear and make them worry. At least the girls knew where he was going.

"Are you going alone? Do you need one of us to accompany you?" Kalya asked worriedly. Princess Freya and the others also looked at Ziel; their faces showed they were ready to go with him wherever he went.

"No. I will go alone this time because I will be watching over the village until morning. After all, I'm just looking for information, and it's harmless." Ziel felt warm in his heart. But for now, he had to refuse their kindness because it would be easier to infiltrate if he came alone to the village. Besides, he didn't want the girls to be affected by mana disorder and was worried that danger was still lurking in that area.

"We understand! But if you need our help, you must tell us immediately! We will try to help you as best we can!" Kalya said seriously, and the girls nodded in agreement.

"Thank you. I will notify you immediately if I need your help." Ziel smiled gently. He feels happy to have good girls who love him and vows to keep them forever in his heart.

N0 v el Next. CoM

Since his emotions gradually returned, he could feel and give love to the girls properly, but he still couldn't control it completely. Even so, his cold and indifferent attitude did not go away even though his emotions returned because they had seeped into his bones and flesh.

Queen Helena felt envious when she saw the intimacy of the girls. Then she looked at Ziel and suddenly smiled as she had thought of something. But Queen Helena quickly took her eyes off Ziel after hearing footsteps approaching them.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Clara and Lilith appeared before them, but their gait looked a little strange. The girls became sullen because they knew the reason.

"Hmm? Why are you looking at us like that? Is there something strange on our faces?" Clara asked confusedly and checked her face. Lilith also felt the same way about her. The girls looked at each other and then answered in unison.

"Nothing!"

***

After his class ended, Ziel returned to his cottage only to change clothes. Kalya and the others still haven't returned because they still have business at the academy. But Ziel had told them that he was going to the village soon. The girls wanted him to be careful even though his purpose there was only to seek information.

Ziel came out of the cottage, and his figure suddenly disappeared. After he left, a pair of eyes appeared from within the cottage, looking at where he had been standing before but quickly vanished as if they had never existed.

***

When Ziel arrived at the village, it was already evening. For now, he decided not to go into that area and watched it from afar. Ziel sat on a branch of one of the large trees around the village.

He kept an eye on the village and the people going in and out. But he didn't get the slightest bit of oddity. Moreover, there were only gray-haired people and no outsiders approaching the area. So that place looks like an isolated village.

Time passed, and night fell. Ziel still kept an eye on the village without losing his focus in the slightest. But he didn't just stay in one place. Ziel occasionally entered the village for a while and returned to watch the area from another large tree.

The moon was shining beautifully, and it was nearing midnight. Ziel still didn't get any clues about the village or the gray-haired people. He didn't even know how mana disorder could affect outsiders after coming to the village.

Ziel hoped he could get an answer before morning because he couldn't keep an eye on the village all the time. While he was leaning his back against one of the tree trunks, he suddenly let out a sigh.

"You've been following me since I left the cottage. After that, you stay silent while keeping your distance, so I don't notice your presence. Aren't you tired of continuing to hide like that?" Ziel said calmly and looked at one of the large trees behind him.