"And you can take me as your sister," Helen smiled. "Feel free to talk to me too."

Cordelia added with a smile, "Me too. I can be a sister too."

They all laughed as their laughter filled the room.

After that, Queen Elizabeth sighed and said, "Your husbands have been trying to look for Felix for some days now. But they can’t seem to find him anywhere..."

Your husbands... Eden guessed he was yet to get used to that tag.

Eden smiled as he shook his head. "Don’t bother. He doesn’t want to be found, so I think it’s best to leave it that way. When he wants to be found, he’ll show himself. I want to respect his decision."

Queen Elizabeth stared at him with a smile. "Okay. If you say so..."

"So cheer up," Cordelia smiled. "When the boys return, we plan on going out and having some fun. So smile."

Eden smiled. "Okay, I’ll try."

The girls launched into a new conversation about the performance they witnessed yesterday when they went to get some stuff in the market themselves. They spoke about inviting Eden to see it.

Eden smiled as he listened to their endless talks with excitement. They were happy. It was a happy atmosphere, one where peace was bound to rest.

Eden found it comforting, and he couldn’t help but pray that things remain this way for as long as possible.

It was the most perfect setting for everything.

But I guess one can’t wish for such things in a chaotic setting. Because that was certainly the calm before the storm.

A few minutes later, a messenger rushed into the dining room, panting loudly while he handed a letter to Queen Elizabeth.

The smiles on the ladies’ faces faded as they watched the Queen open the letter. With the messenger’s expression and all, they didn’t need anyone to tell them that it wasn’t good news at all.

They braced themselves for the worst as they watched her read through it, her expression clearly growing cold and shocked.

"What’s it about...?" Cordelia asked after she was done reading it.

The Queen sighed. "The Emperor..."

Eden knew the worst when he heard that name. "What did he do this time...?"

Queen Elizabeth stared at him as she said, "The Emperor said he has the Empress, and he says that he’ll kill her if you don’t go there now."

Eden wasn’t that surprised. He expected it, after all. This was so typical of him. He let out a soft scoff as he stared at the letter in her hand.

"How..." Helen was speechless. "How can that bastard be that heartless...? Now he’s making use of the Empress?"

Helen stared at Cordelia, who was already shaking, feeling uneasy and worried about her mother. She held Cordelia’s hands to calm her down.

Cordelia shook her head. "No... this can’t happen... this can’t happen..."

"Don’t worry... he won’t do anything. We’ll save her... we’ll make sure we do... so don’t worry... nothing will happen to her," she assured her, but Cordelia was still feeling uneasy.

"What are we going to do about this...?" Queen Elizabeth stared at Eden.

Eden sighed and said firmly, "What else? It’s clear that I have to go there, after all. Isn’t that what he wants?"

Queen Elizabeth hesitated and then said, "But... what if it’s a trap? I mean, he won’t necessarily kill her. It might just be his way of trapping you... so I think you shouldn’t go alone... it’s risky..."

Eden shook his head. "I know him well. He’ll kill her without batting an eye. He wouldn’t care less. So we can’t risk it. Besides, since he wants me, I’ll go. I’ve been meaning to end this, after all, so this might be the best time for it."

Queen Elizabeth was still feeling uneasy about it. She tried talking him out of it. "...At least wait for them to return or something..."

He shook his head. "I don’t want to get them involved any further. This is my fight, and I have to be the one to bring it to an end." He smiled. "Besides, I’m the Wizard of El. So I won’t be killed off that easily," he explained.

Queen Elizabeth was still worried, but Helen said, "It’s also my fight for what he did to my people. So I should come along."

Eden stared at her. "It’s not safe at all..."

"I don’t care at all. When I decided to get revenge for them, I knew what was in store for me. I knew it wasn’t going to be some bed of roses or something. So I’m already prepared for it."

She sighed and said, "So please don’t deny me that..."

There was silence as Eden sighed. "Okay then. If you insist, you can come along. But you should know the dangers involved."

"Don’t worry. I already know."

Eden turned to Queen Elizabeth and assured her, "Don’t worry at all. I can handle it, and I’ll handle it well. I’ll make sure I save the Empress and end all this which started with me... okay?"

Queen Elizabeth was scared, but she had no alternative. She knew she couldn’t stop him, so she nodded with a sigh. "Okay then... if you say so, then I guess there’s no way to stop you."

Helen turned to Cordelia. "Stay here. When everything is done, we’ll be back after saving your mum. And then you can go home peacefully, okay?"

Cordelia wanted to trust them as she nodded and only hoped for the best. "Okay then..."

Eden turned to the Queen and said, "If they return..." He hesitated and then said, "Please don’t tell them where I went and what I went to do. I don’t want to get them all worried. I’ll handle everything and then return. Okay?"

Queen Elizabeth didn’t wish to agree. She didn’t wish to hide it from his husbands. But hearing his reason and given that it was his wish, she reluctantly agreed. "Okay... I’ll do that for you."

Eden smiled. "Thanks a lot. I appreciate it."