Strange

Queen Helen was pretty anxious in the palace. It had been a while since Andrus returned alone but he couldn't tell her anything about the Princess.

It was what they promised Yara - to not intervene in what she did or who she met as long as she was safe. Despite being the King and Queen, they only intervened when her safety was concerned.

"Are you sure that the Princess will be fine?" Queen Helen asked Andrus who was standing three steps behind her. "The sun is about to set and she never breaks her promise to me."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Her Highness will be fine," Andrus responded to the Queen. In the Muric Forest, he cannot follow the Princess because General Cassius blocked him. He thought that the Princess would return to the palace but he realized that she still haven't returned when he reached the palace.

"Whom did she met?" Queen Helen suddenly asked but when she noticed the reluctant expression of Andrus, she realized that she couldn't ask the question. Then she let out a sigh. "I won't ask anymore."

"You talked about me? I think I'm not that late."

Both the Queen and Andrus darted their eyes in the direction where they heard the Princess's voice. Seeing Yara's face, Queen Helen heaved a sigh of relief.

"Andrus returned alone but he can't say what happened. Do you expect me to not be worried?" Queen Helen said as she walked towards the Princess.

"I apologize, Your Majesty," Yara Amiel said with a smile. "Something came up but I still tried my best to return before sunset." She shifted her gaze to the windows and added, "I reach on time."

The Princess nodded at Andrus and the latter bowed and walked away. Then she shifted her gaze back to the Queen. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you worry. The hunters suddenly appeared and -"

"I know that," Queen Helen calmly said. Her anxiety had gone down and there was a little smile on her face. "What did you do after running away? If you come back right away, you will already be here long ago." She eyed the Princess, giving her a suspicious yet playful look.

Yara Amiel let out a sigh when she looked at the Queen's face. "You and your imaginations," she muttered as she shook her head. However, it was soon followed by a chuckle. "Is my brother busy?"

Queen Helen gently poked the Princess on the forehead when she heard her question. "You're still cunning as ever, always tried to change the topic whenever I'm curious." She briefly paused and responded to her question by saying, "He is having a meeting with the officials. He will be here soon."

"Alright. Then I'll go and take a bath. It's almost time for dinner," Princess Yara said with a smile and when the Queen nodded, she retreated to her chamber.

Queen Helen Amiel stared at the disappearing form of the Princess with a flustered face. She seemed like a different person in comparison to two days ago!

Just what happened to make her smile like that?

With a confused mind, she retreated to her chamber and took a seat on the chair. It wasn't long before her husband the King returned but... she didn't even know his presence as she was too fixated on her thoughts!

There was a little smile on the young King's face when he saw his wife who was lost in her thoughts. He approached her slowly and carefully, trying to not make any sound. Then he took a seat on a chair beside her. For a while, he do nothing but stared at her.

Queen Helen flinched when she suddenly saw her husband sitting next to her, watching her with a smile. At her reaction, King Malon chuckled.

"What are you thinking? You don't even notice me while I'm sitting right beside you," he mused.

"You almost scared me," Queen Helen complained with a displeased face but soon, her face lit up again. "The meeting took longer than I thought. You must be tired."

King Malon shook his head. "I think I already regained all my energy while staring at you," he jokingly said. "But... you don't even know my presence. It's a bit upsetting."

Queen Helen glanced at her husband who whined like a little child. She knew he was faking but... he was too bad at it. "I'm thinking of someone more important than you, as of now," she playfully said to him.

King Malon's face was instantly plastered with disbelief. "What? How can you say that?" He shook his head with displeasure and asked, "Who is the person? How could -"

"Yara."

The King's upset face was gone in a blink of an eye. He glanced at his wife who seemed to enjoy playing around with him. Seeing her smile, he finally smiled again. "You have become better and better at playing around with me, My Queen."

"The credit should go to you. I learnt it from you," Queen Helen simply said, making the King chuckled. But when the Princess crossed her mind, she quickly said, "By the way, Yara appeared quite strange today."

King Malon raised a brow. "Why? Did she struggle again? Let me check on her." He tried to rose from his seat but his wife held him back.

"That's not the case. She seems to be in a good mood," the Queen explained.

King Malon sat down again and looked at his wife with a confused face. "Are you sure? Maybe she fakes it not to make us worry."

Queen Helen recalled her memory of the Princess just a while ago and shook her head. "I'm sure. She smiled all the time and... her smile seems genuine. I don't notice any fakeness in it."

Malon Amiel became even more confused yet curious. His sister appeared so dull even just yesterday and now, she suddenly changed?

How come?

"If you don't believe me, you can see it for yourself during dinner," Queen Helen said and King Malon blankly nodded.....