The Villainess Wants To Go Home

Chapter 78 - Queen

"Say, old lady Alethia"

"hmm" I glanced down at Ben who stared at me, his violet eyes holding curiosity. "What is it kid?" I said

with a bored tone.

Ben was silent for a second, his almond shaped eyes widening a little, pulling into a shocked

expression. "You're the first to call me kid other than big brother Lykos" he said.

I rose an eyebrow still containing my monotone face. Of course, he would be confused since he is a

prince and the only title that's called to him by people whose lower statues than him would call him

'Your highness' or 'Your majesty' or something, something.

Either way I couldn't give two fucks who he is, my only priority is getting the **** out of here before they

start throwing questions at me that I do not have the mood to answer.

I looked away from him and stared endlessly at the wall.

A soft giggle was heard, and I side glance to the silver haired queen standing not far from me.

"It brings peace to my heart knowing how delighted they would be when they hear the revival of prince

Benjamin" she said, her violet eyes softening at just the thought of their faces when they see the

cheerful prince back to health again.

"I don't know how grateful I am to you, Lady Alethia." Her voice tremble when she spoke. It was the

sound of relief that couldn't be breathed days ago but now can be released. "Thank you for saving my

son" Arabella grasped my hand, cupping it between hers and locking her teary violet eyes into my icy

blue ones. I could see the sincerity in her eyes and the overwhelming joy that was contained in those

lavender orbs of the empress.

The colour in her face had returned from yesterday and she can sleep in peace tonight.

I looked down at my hand that was trapped in hers. Her hands were warm against my skin like they

were heat packs I keep in my gloves in the middle of winter. Her hands were gentle to the feeling as if

she was holding something so delicate.

I didn't like it.

My brows knitted together, and my lips turned into a little scowl that was invisible for her to see. I

wriggled my hand from her gasp. "I appreciate your gratitude towards me but if there is nothing else

you wish to discuss, I shall get going." I explained avoiding her gaze from and bending down to scoop

the clingy bird that was busy blabbering about how amazing and beautiful he was in his fox form to the

boy who didn't have a clue what he was saying and just kept smiling and patting his head so he

wouldn't hurt the birds feeling.

"After all I have a quest, I need to accomplish" my words came out lazy yet cold.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Homura squawked, his head turning side to side at my hands that grabbed

him. "I haven't finished talking to the human cub. Hasn't anyone told you to not interrupt creatures

when they are speaking?" he raised his feathery fist in the air as he ranted but I ignored him and

placed him on my shoulder.

I gave him the potion when we were coming here to still keep him under the same disguise for another

hour but now, I only got 30 minutes before he turns back into the annoying pesky fox he is. My

belongings were also given to me when I arrived in Ben's room. Everything was placed neatly back in

my bag and my Kunai knives were also polished in return. How nice of them.

Ben grin turned upside down when watching Homura being taken away from him by me and place on

my shoulder, like I had taken away his toy.

He jolted up from his spot, his hands clenched into a fist in front of him and his eyes speaking

confidence. "Can't you stay a little longer lady Alethia?" Ben spoke, his tone a little shaken.

I gazed into his little saddened eyes that begged for me to stay, his light pink cheeks puffing into a

chubby little ball. I have never seen kids as adorable as what people would say they are, but Ben is a

little exception.

I brought my fingers near his forehead and his eyes shifted to them "sorry kid, but maybe next time" I

flicked his forehead making him close his eyes shut.

It was a lie. There is no more reason for me to return to Ventus after this. 'Sorry Ben but this the last

time you will see Alethia even me' I didn't have any guilt by lying to him, it was for the best.

"Lies" Homura said bluntly loud "Your never coming back. Stop stirring up hope to this human cub" I felt

my hand move on its own and snatched his beak shut, my lips forming into an irritated smile that tried

to be nice.

"DONTHMHMH LISTENHMHMH" Homura still tried to speak with his mouth closed resulting in Ben to

giggle behind his hands

I didn't need to look but the warm presence of the empress beside me felt as if she was smiling at me.

"Does old Lady Alethia promise?"

I stared at him expressionless, but I could feel my eyes widening a little from the little shock I

experienced a moment ago.

"No, she doesn't" Homura answered with a loud annoying squeak. Ben titled his head to the side trying

to figure out what the bird's tone indicated his answer to.

A long sigh escaped my lips, shuffling the side of my hair before opening my eyes to look back at him.

Ben's violet eyes grew three times bigger as he waited for his answer patiently.

Stretching out my hand, I placed my palm on his head resulting Ben to lift his eyes up to look at the

hand that was placed on his silver hair.

Ben's hair wasn't just shiny but soft against my skin. It reminded me of Daisuke's hair whenever I

ruffled his hair. It was a nice feeling to remember.

"I cannot make promises I can't keep" I watched his face melt down into a frown, his lips twitching to

keep his smile together, but his eyes failed to.

"Forgive me kid but this might be our last goodbye"

Ben stared down at his feet in defeat, those wistful violet eyes shaking from in sheer dejection by the

words he just heard.

"There is nothing I can say is there?" he said with a soft tone that sounded as if he was about to cry.

"No, not really human cub. Artemis' black heart is set on returning to her world where humans open

each other up." I glance coldly to Homura who slowly turned to face me, those beady eyes reflecting a

mischief smile. "Bleh" he stuck his tongue out to hint how disgusted he was.

I looked away from him.

Ben lifted his head to face me again, eyes lifting up into a determined look when he locked his lavender

orbs with my blue icy ones. He took a deep breath, puffing his chest up and releasing out a long

exhale.

He reached his hands into the pockets sewn on the sides of his black pants before taking it out with a

clenched fist and stretching towards my direction.

Ben slowly opened his palm to reveal a small oval shaped stone.

"I don't think you will accept anything rewarding but I hope you accept this small gift from me." Ben's

expression turned to a stone confident look, his bright aura changing drastically into a determined king

like his father.

I examined the stone in his palm. It wasn't like any stone I had seen before; it was like a glowing light

tint of blue with pure white fog encircling the baby blue light within like it was fading away from the blue

light in the middle, but the time had stopped resulting it to stay like that forever, trapped in a stone.

It was pretty.

"Tch more pretty stone" Homura grumbled. "What's with you humans and pretty coloured rocks. I don't

get it"

'Because your not human'

"This stone had got me through many life-threatening events that's why I had it with me all the time just

in case something bad happened to me" Ben explained with a gentle smile on his little face "I know it's

a childish belief, but I hope it brings you luck like it had to me"

I accept the pretty oval shaped stone from his hand and clutched it between my two fingers to examine

it some more. 'Saved you from death many times, huh. I think it failed you in the novel'

"Thank you" I nodded. This can be my souvenir when I return home. I can pawn this into a necklace

and where it every day as a memory for saving a prince in a fantasy world. A pleasant gift from the

heart, I like it.

With an inhale of a breath, I slid the stone in the pocket of my skirt "Well then, I shall be leaving" I said

looking at Arabella who nodded in understanding, her hands gracefully in front of her as she stood

elegantly in front of me.

"Stay safe kid and don't do anything stupid" I said placing my hands on my hips.

Ben's lips formed a big grin across his face which held pure innocence, but I could see in his eyes he

was going to either way.

"Bye human cub" Homura waved his wing to him, a long sad tone came from "I hope to see you again

one day." Homura sniffed, whipping away a tear.

I sweat dropped at his farewell 'Well, that's the first time I heard Homura say that to someone. I guess

calling him beautiful will change his thoughts on you.... Like hell I'll say that to him, I'm not feeding his

already massive ego'

"May the Gods bring protection on your journey, Lady Alethia" Arabella said her farewell.

'Thanks, but I don't need mighty beings protecting me. One already hates me and sent me here as a

punishment' of course I said that in my head, so no one heard me except for myself.

With a nod of my head to her response I left the room, going out the huge double door before it was

closed behind me by the guards.

Once the doors closed, I glanced to the side to see the king standing there, his head hung low and his

silver eyes glancing at the floor.

"Watching him like that makes me not want to shit in his castle anymore. Pity" Homura spoke bluntly

then to sigh.

"I still cannot muster up my courage to face her and apologise for what I did yesterday. I'm too

ashamed of myself" He spoke in a low tone; his voice was hoarse and could be sensed that he has

been crying silently.

"Then this could be a lesson learnt to you, Ambrose" I said coldly avoiding my gaze away from him who

I sensed to have given me a distressful look. The glazed silver eyes that stared at me without an utter

of word to be spoken. "It is wiser to lose your pride for the sake of the one you love than to lose the one

you love for the sake of your pride."

"Your queen is your powerful ally. The only one that would stay when all is gone and the one to trust

when things are dark. The queen is what stands at the bottom of the kingdom, holding it up to prevent it

from collapsing"

"Tell me Ambrose, what is a king without his queen in a game of chess" I asked him finally glancing to

his side. The tips of his brows came down to his eyes, his mouth came to form an upsetting frown, his

teeth clenching together to keep himself from crying out loud.

The aura that surrounded him was just a pity to feel.

"Checkmate" he mustered up to say with a deep crack in his voice.

I blinked back my attention to the window far from where I stood. The sun reflecting through the giant

glass and bringing light into the hall room, I could see white clouds passing by the window and birds

flying freely through those same clouds and disappearing from my sight.

"Hmm" satisfied with that answer I turned a cold shoulder and left him to deal the rest himself.

'Yet a queen can rule her kingdom far greater than a king ever could regardless having a king by her

side'

\~Bedelia P.O. V\~

The red-haired princess rushed her way to the young princes' chamber, her hand clutching the laces of

her skirt to provide the ability to run in a gown while it trailed behind her.

'I was feeding Alvara when one of the maids came to announce that Ben had woken up from his

slumber, I hope he is alright and well' Bedelia thought as she made her when someone was walking

towards her direction.

She was rummaging through her bag as she walked closer to the princess not knowing who she was

walking towards to.

Her long white hair was braided tightly and rested on her shoulder. She wore a common commoner

clothing consisting of a white blouse with puffed up hems and buttoned up, a long brown skirt reaching

to the level of her ankles and brown boots.

She had a raven perching on her shoulder that was constantly squawking as he swatted his wing left to

right as if he was speaking to the old woman that was busy looking through her bag.

Bedelia slowed down her jog when she realised who this was just by the bird on her shoulder. It was

the rumoured female physician who healed Ben with blades.

When she heard about her, she thought it was a rumour the maids had spread around but it seemed it

wasn't when she discussed with Carlos then to Arabella.

Somehow it made her heart at ease to know someone else other than the physician the Rosenborne

invited over from Aureum to heal Ben was not him and her.

Either way she wanted to know who this woman was and how she was able to do it when no other man

can especially since she's a woman. An old one in fact.

"Excuse me madam" Bedelia called out to her to grab her attention and it worked. The old woman stop

midway not far from the princess and rose her head to look at who was the person who called her.

Bedelia froze in her spot when her red eyes met the woman's familiar cold blue eyes. Those icy blue

eyes instantly brought back the memory of the mysterious lady that had humiliated Katherine in front of

all the other aristocrat ladies in the store before coldly walking away and not giving a single courtesy to

her when the mysterious lady locked her icy blue orbs with her flaming red ones before leaving the

store with a chilling air.

But this woman was old not young and beautiful like the mysterious woman was from the store.

"Is there seems to be the problem?" her voice was cold when she spoke and still reminded her of the

woman. The way she spoke and answered felt it would be something the mysterious woman would

say. Bedelia shrugged it off, it might just be her imagination.

"May you perhaps be Ben's healer?" she asked politely.

The old woman had a blank expression across her face, her pupils moved up and down as she

observed her.

Bedelia felt frustrated by the sudden rude actions from her, but she kept her roaring anger in check just

in case she hurt the princes' saviour.

What felt like forever, the old woman opened her mouth a little and spoke "Yes" she answered bluntly

without any formalities to the princess.

Bedelia stood in front of her with the same expression across her face, staring into the old woman's

familiar icy blue eyes trying to figure out if this person is who she says she is or just someone in

disguise.

Furthermore, the mysterious lady has been on her mind for a long period of time ever since she seen

her.

The lady in the store also looked familiar as if she seen her before but she only just remembered that

piece.

It's like all those pieces are one whole puzzle but can't be put together unless they are in the right

spaces.

Red orbs continued to examine every inch of this woman, yet this old woman had a chilling aura

surrounding her when she stood there with her hands crossed with an expressionless face, her hands

crossed against her bosom with her index finger tapping on her muscle as she waited impatiently for

Bedelia to hurry up.

"If your going to stand there and scan me then best not call me out and waste my precious time" she

said with a cold tone that sent the same shivers as the mysterious woman from the store.

"May I know your name?" Bedelia asked glaring at her with those sharp ruby eyes that didn't even faze

the old woman a flinch.

"And who's asking?" she shot back with a question of hers, titling her head as she did so with a risen

thing yet sharp eyebrow.

Bedelia puffed her chest up raising her chin in the air to show the true aura of a fire princess. "Princess

Bedelia Drakous of Drakon." She replied with string confident aura that changed to arrogance when

she said "That's whose asking" she couldn't help but smirk a little to see the sudden shock of the face

of the lady who will quickly bow down to her and plead for forgiveness for her impolite manners.

Bedelia waited when she watched the eyes of the old lady widened little but to her shock the old

woman's eyes returned to size and continued to stare at her motionless like she had before.

Bedelia was dumbfounded at her reaction. How could someone as low as her not bow in the presence

of the princess. Even Katherine an arrogant barons daughter pays her respects to her so why does this

mannerless old woman not? Is it because she saved the prince's life is that why she's getting cocky

because Bedelia can't do anything to her, or she will be in trouble by the rulers of Ventus?

It made her furious just having a lowly person like this commoner treat her as if she was in her level of

statues.

"No wonder you look familiar" the old woman pulled a face that revealed a speck of annoyance.

"A lowly commoner should not look down on a princess. Bow down before me" Bedelia demanded, a

hot flaming aura starting to glow an outline of her figure, there was an angry flame soaring her eyes.

'This should get you to realise who your messing with' Bedelia ruby red eyes glared daggers towards

the old woman who was standing there still not a single hint of fear seen in her distant cold eyes that

held the winter wonderland. Her body didn't tremble from terror of getting burnt of punished for treating

a royal like they were commoner.

"Don't flatter yourself" the old lady hissed and the bird on her shoulder squawked loudly that it echoed

the halls. Bedelia was caught off guard for second, but her temper made her look at her with a hostile

stare "Do not think just because you have power to bring people to their knees would have any effect

on me" the old woman growled with cock of her, those icy cold eyes shining brightly as a sudden chill

from her had overlapped her hot flaming heat.

"Have you ever looked at yourself before?"

"Excuse me?"

"It seems you don't even know yourself. How pathetic that is" the bird seemed to squawk as if he too

had mocked her. Bedelia clenched her fist tightly that her nails had dug deep into her scorching hot

skin resulting to ooze blood that evaporated from the intense fiery heat that smoked from her hand. Her

teeth clenched together in anger and her brows knitted into one, eyes glaring angrily at the old lady

who dared to insult her.

"People are to afraid to point out your arrogant spoil behaviour without having their heads burnt off and

with that you grew to believe that your more superior than everyone else, making the girl you are

today" she explained with a hand to her hip, her icy gaze didn't leave her fiery red eyes that was

circling flames that would soon burst.

Bedelia hair blazed with fire, and she stepped forward as if she was going pounce herself on the lady, © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

with an angry yell Bedelia hissed "YOU-" she didn't get to finish her sentence when the old woman

jumped in with a point of her wrinkly finger.

"As a princess you should contain your anger and to never interrupt someone while they are talking."

She crossed her hands, glaring an icy cold chill "Hasn't anyone told you?" a mischievous smirk

suddenly appeared on her face and the raven squawking loudly again but this time he had put his

wings in the air.

"But hey, you're just an obvious fool who believes that chasing away girls from the prince and throwing

cakes at them will get his attention" the old lady shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head as if she

wasn't expecting this from the fire princess of Drakon. The flaming red hair had died down and Bedelia

face went a little pale, her eyes widening in distress and her mouth frozen in place.

"HAHAH" the old lady started to cackle loudly holding her stomach "Your just humiliating yourself in

front of the whole 5 kingdoms without even realising it. Even the prince can't bare to be near you." she

mocked.

The old woman's audacity to mock the princess about this made Bedelia to scrunch her face in fury, the

fire within her stirring up again and twirling around her fingers. The urge throw a fireball at her face to

shut her up. The temperature inside her was rising and she could feel it.

She opened her mouth to soot back something at her, but the woman had gotten to speak first.

"Even if you did force yourself to him, do you think he will stay beside you" she sneered at her as she

raised her wrinkly finger at Bedelia. Her muscles grew tense and she flared her nostrils.

"HAAHAH\~ I could just picture him running through the crowds of the banquet trying to get away from

you. I would hang myself if I married such a snobby spoiled little brat like you" she flapped her wrist

that fanned her hand sideways in front of her face, her venomous words slipping out her cracked lips

with a slither.

She was like a snake who had bitten her pray and injected her poison in them.

These words the woman spoke had felt she was stabbed at the back of her heart; she felt the muscles

of her heart tighten with incredible force. Her body didn't know how to react, it just shut down. She froze

to a point where she was hardly breathing. What did she know about love? How would she know Neil

was feeling?

Bedelia clenched "What do you know?" Bedelia spoke with a thunderous snare that sparked a quick

flare in her heart. Bedelia had enough of the mockery she was getting from her. She didn't like the way

the old woman spoken down at her.

Yet something in her heart told that these words meant truth however she could not bare to believe so.

She didn't want to, if she loved him hard enough and expressed maybe he would look her way. Just a

quick glance.

Bedelia flinched when she was snapped out of her thoughts, her red eyes shaken as she glanced to

the side where the old woman had appeared beside her with her palm resting on her shoulder.

"Everything you don't know" the old woman whispered in her ear. It sounded threatening and sickening

as if a killer was warning her to not move or she will kill her. Terror had suddenly sucked the very breath

from her mouth, it washed over her, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. she was paralysed to

the spot, the menacing aura holding her in a tightening grip.

The angry flame that surged through her was taken over by a cold piercing blow that suddenly rushed

through killing the heat and cooling it with its cold.

The woman slowly cocked her head to her direction, a wicked smile across her face and those cold

distant eyes that held the winter wonderland now held killer that was locked up within the body that

begged to be released.

The colour in Bedelia's face drained out and it left nothing but black, white. Sweat poured down her

body as she stayed still as possible. Her mouth ran dry and when she opened her mouth to speak

nothing came out except for a hoarse breath.

An evil chuckle escaped her lips while she patted Bedelia's shoulder before she walked off her hair

falling behind her back and swinging side to side with every step, she took that was silent like a ghost,

not a single click of her boot to be heard.

Her shaken red eyes followed the backside of woman until she was out of sight. Her stiffen muscles

had relaxed but her legs were shaking that could not hold her up anymore resulting her to slump down

in a thud. Her heart was thudding loudly in her ears and her hands shaking in irregular rhythm.

Never has she felt like this with her older brother. This worse much worse.

"w-what h-happened"

What is a King without his queen in a game of chess? - Checkmate

- Artemis Ray