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On hearing this, she quickly let go of him and looked around, “Where is she?”Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
“She’s with us right now,” Phoenix replied.
“But I don’t see her. You’re joking, aren’t you? I’m going to pull out your ears,” the queen warned but then a sweet feminine voice got her and the others’ attention.
“Mate isn’t lying,”
They looked around but still found no one.
“Big sis, save me!” Beatrice cried out with her arms stretched. She and Peter recognized that voice easily.
“Ok dear,” the voice rang out again and soon all had to watch as Beatrix was suddenly taken away from Peter.
“Phoenix, your mate is invisible?” Queen Valeria asked in surprise.
He nodded in confirmation, “Yup,”
“So she saw me inelegant?” she asked again.
“She saw everything,” Phoenix said before covering his mouth to suppress a laugh but his trembling shoulders betrayed him.
Lavana cancelled the invisibility skill and all could see her dressed in a black sequined knee-length gown that highly emphasized her feminine shape.
Her red hair was in two ponytails yet they still went past her knees. For footwear, she sported silver slippers.
Her face was devoid of make-up but still left many beauties in the dust. She stroked Beatrix’s hair gently, “Did you miss me?” she asked the little one with a smile.
The latter energetically nodded, “I missed you so much, big sis,” she responded emotionally.
“Oh, don’t cry,” Lavana wiped a sneaky tear that slid down Beatrix’s right eyelid.
“I’m here now, okay? I’m going to play with you for as long as you like,” she then planted a peck on the kid’s forehead.
Beatrix nodded with a sniff, “Okay,” her sad face immediately changed to a cheerful one. “So, when is the marriage happening, so I can prepare the dance I promised earlier?”
“Too nosy,” was Lavana’s simple reply before handing her back to Peter.
“Hi, Peter. Long time no see!” she greeted cheerfully.
With a phoney smile, he managed to reply, “Hi, Phoenix’s mate. I’m glad you’re here,” then he pointed ahead, “Go on, they’re the ones dying to see you,”
“You keep quite a grudge, don’t you?” she said with a small voice while still maintaining her smile.
“Of course. I was thrashed because of you. Performing a song together isn’t enough,” Peter also said in a small voice.
“Okay. We’ll have a brawl someday. If you win, I get to be your slave for a day but if I win…” she chuckled evilly before leaving while he scoffed.
Wasn’t she just an Omega with strange fire and ice powers? So what if she miraculously changed from skinny to a plump beauty before their last meeting? So what if she knew the mermaid’s song? That doesn’t mean he will really fear her.
Lavana walked forward to Phoenix’s parents and went to her knees with a solemn expression, her hands across her chest, her head slightly bowed.
“Unfilial daughter-in-law is here,” she stated, “Please forgive me for not coming to see you on time,”
“Oh my! Phoenix, you’re blessed really. Come on my dear, no need to keep kneeling. We can’t have you hurt your precious knees,” the Queen quickly helped Lavana get up and then started to examine her, nodding often.
“Very good!” she applauded in satisfaction. Then she used the voice transmission technique to question, “Tell me dear, has he smacked your butt yet? When am I getting a grandkid?”
“What?” Lavana stared at the queen in astonishment.
“I see! You’re shy. No worries, there’s all the time to tell me later,” the queen had stopped using the voice transmission technique.
She took out a beautiful wooden chair from her spatial ring and made Lavana sit on it, “Which of these do you fancy, my dear?” she asked, pointing at the trays of fruits finely arranged on the table.
“Um…” Lavana looked at Phoenix who nodded for her to be a bit more lax.
Lavana picked a watermelon slice and smilingly replied to the queen, “Mum, I like this,”
“Ooh, you see that, Vellio? She’s already calling me Mum!” Valeria squealed.
Peter sneered, “You don’t even know her name!”
His mum rolled her eyes, “Wet blanket. Of course, I’ll know that later on. You’re just jealous that I’ve got a new child, aren’t you?” she chided her son and then wore a charming smile as she looked at Lavana once again. Phoenix’s mate was already eating the watermelon slowly.
“You eat beautifully,” the king’s wife praised with sparkles in her eyes. Peter scoffed again but his mom feigned not hearing him.
Vellio and his wife sat in their previous seats and watched Lavana happily eat the fruit slice, “Mom, Dad, this tastes amazing. It’s the best!” she praised.
“Of course! These were grown in rich, special soil and have had their fill of refined water. How could they compare with ordinary fruits outside? Ignorant!” Peter said to his brother’s mate, using voice transmission this time.
She paid him no heed however and cheerfully spoke to her mate’s parents, “I feel so happy to finally meet you. And about the kids’ issue, we plan on having ten,” she disclosed.
“Wow! Ten?” the king and his wife exclaimed.
“Yeah. We agreed on it a few days ago,” Phoenix was already seated on a chair that he’d taken from his storage ring. He picked up a rare fruit and started eating it, “Delicious. I’ve so much missed this,”
Then he picked another one of the small brown fruit, “This is a rare fruit we call Ah-Kilse. Don’t mind its rough look. Have a taste, dear,”
“Okay,” Lavana let him feed her the fruit and her eyes soon widened, “It’s even better than the watermelon,” she exclaimed with delight.
“Of course, that’s why it’s a rare fruit,” Peter chipped in as he took a white, round, spiky fruit and cut it open with a knife. Then he took out the seeds, scooped out the edible part of it with a spoon and fed it to his sister who looked more relaxed seated on his lap.
“Brother, it tastes good. No wonder you like it,” she said after licking her lips.
“I love Kilcetta fruit since young. The seeds are what I’m mostly after,” Peter put one of the seeds into his mouth and chewed it.
“Big brother, won’t it grow in your stomach?” Beatrix said as she scooped more of the fruit’s eatable part to eat.
“You know the answer to that, don’t you?” Peter replied as he ate more of the seeds. “Want one?” he offered but she shook her head.
“No. My teeth aren’t strong enough to chew it,” she replied.
“I made you like Kilcetta, so reward me,” Peter pressed, also lowering his head.
“Okay,” Beatrix delivered a peck to Peter’s left cheek.
“I didn’t feel that,”
“Don’t be greedy,” she responded, taking another different fruit that had a blue colour and ‘S’ shape, “Here, have a taste. Kilcetta is good. But Hilkinia fruit still remains my favourite,”
“Nah, I’m not eating that. I’m allergic to it,”
“Have a taste, after all, she tasted yours,” Phoenix suddenly said, attracting the others’ attention.
“I won’t do such!” Peter insisted.
“Since you’re allergic to that,” Phoenix took out a black fruit that smelled bad out of his spatial ring. It had the shape of an apple with some white bumps on it.
“Kyh-Syl fruit? Where did you get that?” the rather excited Peter said in contrast to the others who didn’t like the smell one bit. Beatrix got off her brother’s lap and went to her previous seat.
“You want it?” Phoenix asked his sibling.
“I crave it even in my sleep. Gimme that!”
“Uh-uh. Say the word,”
“Please, my dear older brother. I need it in my life,” Peter implored with his palms pressed together.
“Okay, it’s yours,” Phoenix threw it to the latter who quickly kept it in his second spatial ring.
“Thank you,” Peter said in gratitude.
“You’re welcome,” Lavana’s mate then took out a pink pear-shaped fruit, “Mum, this is for you,” he handed it to the excited queen.
“Thank you, Fee Fee,” she happily said, keeping it in her second storage ring.
“So where’s mine?” Vellio asked.
“The two of you don’t mind sharing a fruit. So I figured one is enough for you two,” Phoenix replied. He then took out a small green wooden box from his right pocket and gave it to the little one.
She didn’t need to open it to know its content because despite being sealed the fragrance of the special berries inside still escaped. “Thank you, Eldest brother. You’re the best!” she squealed.
“And for you,” Phoenix turned to his mate. Instead of bringing out a fruit as they’d expected, he delivered a brief kiss to her.
“Wow!” the queen applauded, “When is the wedding? If you want, it can happen tonight or tomorrow,”
Peter scoffed, “You’re more eager than the couple for the marriage. You don’t even care that I exist here, still single,”
“You dare to complain? You rejected that girl I showed you that time without batting an eyelid. She was among the top noble ladies in this kingdom. And you dare run your mouth?” Valeria scolded.
“I don’t like arranged marriages. Besides, I have a mate out there!”
“I know. You’ve already rejected her yesterday,”
“What? How’d you know that, Mum?” Peter looked surprised then he added, “She actually wasn’t my type and she didn’t seem interested in being my mate either. Although I wore a mask to hide my identity from her,”
His mum sighed, “I just wonder how you’ll get a second chance mate. It’s something rare!”
“Don’t worry, mum. I had 6 rejections before finding my beloved here. So he still has hope,” Phoenix smilingly reassured.
“What?” the others, except Lavana, exclaimed.