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Chapter 222: Diner With Queen Althea and Princess Zaria
"I heard you had arrived at the palace, so I came to greet you." Zaria’s nervousness only grew stronger as she stood before him.
’Calm down. Calm down.’
Perhaps because it was her first time visiting a man at night, she struggled to control her nervousness.
Of course, Ren noticed it.
However, he didn’t tease her or make fun of her.
She was a princess, so he believed she was not used to visiting a man’s place, especially at night.
"Come in." Ren closed the door once she stepped into his chamber.
The duo didn’t sit on the sofa but on the wooden chairs beside it.
’What should I say? Should I ask about Nightshire City’s condition? But I said I came to welcome him, so I should avoid bringing up something that might make him sad.’
She fidgeted with her thumbs, twisting and pressing them together in a nervous rhythm without even realizing it.
"I didn’t expect our encounter in the forest would lead me to your kingdom," Ren broke the silence.
"Me too." Zaria responded.
"Ah, right! Luna talked about you after I returned from our previous meeting. She said she missed you and wanted to meet you." The atmosphere was a little awkward, so he brought up Luna to lighten the mood.
"Luna? I also missed her. I will visit Nightshire City once I have free time." She also missed Luna, especially when she remembered Luna’s cute face and behavior.
"I’m sure she will be happy later." Ren uttered.
The duo kept talking.
The more they talked, the less nervous Zaria felt.
Before long, she no longer felt nervous.
She even found herself giggling happily because Ren effortlessly lightened the atmosphere.
As the duo was chatting happily, a servant knocked on the door.
"Lord Ren, we’ve brought your dinner." A female servant’s voice rang out from the other side of the door.
"Come in." Ren responded.
The two female servants were shocked when they saw princess Zaria in his chamber, causing them to stop their footsteps instantly.
"Don’t be nervous. Just serve the food", Zaria said with a smile.
The servants came to their senses after hearing her. "Our apologies, Princess."
They quickly placed the food on the table.
Once they finished, the blue-haired servant asked, "Princess, would you like us to bring food for you as well?"
Zaria didn’t answer immediately and turned to Ren.
Of course, she would love to have dinner with him, but she needed to ask his permission first.
Even though she only stared at him, Ren knew what she had in mind. "Please bring food for her too."
"Bring Lamb’s Hearth Stew and Royal Sunfire Stew." Zaria added.
"Understood." The blue-haired servant responded politely.
Several minutes later, the servants returned with her food.
Once they finished, they left his chamber.
"Ren, try this Bring Lamb’s Hearth Stew. It’s a special dish from our kingdom," it was his first time coming to her kingdom, so she wanted him to experience their local dish.
"Sure." He agreed instantly.
"How is it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"The lamb is so tender, and the herbs warm me right up," Ren liked the stew, especially the tender lamb.
Zaria’s face turned happy. "Try Royal Sunfire Stew next. It’s one of my favorites foods."
"It’s so tasty as well!" Ren praised it.
"You won’t find this Royal Sunfire Stew outside the palace, so make sure to eat plenty," she said with a smile.
"Un." He nodded.
As the duo enjoyed their dinner, Queen Althea stepped into his courtyard.
"Ren, do you have free time now?" even though it was her place, Althea didn’t enter his chamber right away because she wanted to respect his privacy.
Ren and Zaria instantly stopped eating.
"Mother?" Zaria murmured in shock.
’Why did she come to his chamber at night?’
A question popped up in her mind.
"Zaria, continue eating. I want to open the door first." He didn’t pretend he was busy because they didn’t do anything suspicious or lewd in his chamber.
"Un." She could not hide, so she decided to keep eating.
Ren opened the door and smiled softly, "Queen Althea, come in."
"Hmm?" Althea was surprised when she saw her daughter in his chamber, but she still acted normally.
Once they sat on the chair, Althea turned to her daughter, "I didn’t expect to see you here, Zaria."
"I just wanted to welcome him." Zaria said as she tried her best to hide her embarrassment. "What about you, mother? Why did you come to his place at night?"
"There is an attractive young man at our place, so of course, I came to seduce him," Althea teased her daughter with a mischievous grin. "Your mother is also a woman, you know? I can feel lonely, especially after not having the warmth of a man’s embrace for thirty years."
Zaria’s face turned red.
’Mother came to seduce Ren?’
She thought her mother was serious, so she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.
"Hehe." Ren could not help but chuckle when he saw Zaria’s face. "Zaria, Queen Althea is only teasing you. You don’t need to feel shy like that."
Zaria instantly turned to her mother. "Really?"
"Hehe. I’ve never seen or heard of you visiting a man alone before, especially at night, so I can’t help but want to tease you." Althea’s behavior was more like a mother than a queen.
Her aura was even completely different, as if Queen Althea and Althea were two completely different individuals.
"I just wanted to welcome him." Zaria’s voice was low from embarrassment.
"At night?" Althea knew it was an excuse, so she teased her daughter again.
Zaria could not come up with another excuse, causing her face to flush red as she lowered her gaze once more.
Althea tried her best not to giggle as she stared at her daughter.
’She is feeling shy.’
A desire to tease her daughter suddenly arose again.
"Ren, what do you think of my daughter? Don’t you think she’s beautiful and charming?" Althea asked with a playful smile.
Zaria instantly turned to her mother, "Mother, stop it!"
"Why? I only ask a normal question, not inappropriate one." Althea responded, "So, what do you think, Ren?"
Zaria shifted her gaze from her mother to him because she also wanted to know what kind of person she was in his eyes.
"Zaria is a gorgeous and charming lady." He was not lying when he said this because it was the truth.
Althea turned to her daughter and smiled, "Did you hear it? He said you are pretty and charming."
"Thank...thank you." Zaria said shyly.
’Thank God!’
A tiny smile appeared on her face as she lowered her head.
"Queen Althea, have you had dinner yet? If not, how about joining us for a meal?" he changed a topic to help Zaria escape her mother’s teasing.
"Then, I will have dinner with you guys." Althea accepted instantly.
Then, the trio shared a meal together.
That night was a pleasant moment for them, especially for Zaria and Althea, as they hadn’t had the chance to eat together in a while.
----
The following morning, General Lara took Ren to the throne room after breakfast. To his surprise, he saw Zaria there.
Not only that but both she and her mother also wore black veils.
Ren was curious about it, but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to overstep his bounds.
"Are you ready to go to the border, Ren?" Althea inquired.
Instead of answering, Ren asked, "Queen Althea, are you coming with us as well?"
"Yes," Althea replied. "The four of us will go together."
After hearing her answer, Ren finally understood why both Althea and Zaria wore veils. "I’m ready."
Althea rose from her throne and approached him. "Then, let’s go to the border now."
"Un." Everyone nodded.
----
"I didn’t know you were good at cooking, Ren," Althea praised him.
Altea and the others were currently eating dinner in the forest. Ren didn’t use his Void Steps skill, so they could not reach the border instantly.
"I just happen to know a bit about cooking." Ren had mastered a cooking skill, so he could cook many delicious foods.
Althea turned to her daughter and asked, "Zaria, don’t you think Ren is a perfect man? Not only is he attractive, but he is also powerful and knows how to cook. I’m sure not every man can cook as well as he does."
"Mother, why are you asking me this question?" of course, Zaria knew her mother’s intention, but she pretended as if she knew nothing.
"Hehe." Althea giggled.
After dinner, the group of four chatted around a bonfire.
At 10:00 pm, they went to their tents to sleep.
They didn’t sleep in the same tent. They each used their own tent because they wanted to keep their privacy.
After contacting his women, Ren went to sleep.
At 02:00 am, Althea got out of her tent to pee. The color of her tent and Ren’s were the same, so she accidentally entered his tent without realizing.
"It’s so cold!" she didn’t realize that she was lying next to him because she was still half-asleep.
As she shivered from the cold, Ren grabbed her slender waist and put her in his arms.
No!
He didn’t know she was next to him.
He was dreaming about his women, so he thought she was Scarlett, not Althea.
Althea also didn’t fight back.
She was feeling cold, so the warmth instantly enveloped her when she lay in his arms, especially after he draped the blanket over them.
’It’s warm.’
She smiled softly as she placed her left hand on his chest.
And so, two mature people who were neither lovers nor a married couple ended up sleeping together in an intimate position in the tent.
