Seth left his half-brother and Ruby in the dining room. He was shocked to his marrow with what he heard Ruby say.
[Why hadn't she told him about her problem when they met?]
Seth was on his way to the Red Kingdom... [How dare someone take away Ruby's inheritance?]. It didn't make sense to him, and he was going to find out the worm sitting on her throne.
[No wonder she had always appeared to be deep in thought. Ruby was always thinking], Seth thought. It broke his heart that she had lost her parents in such a manner, [That must have been hard for her].
* * *
"Where is your half-brother, King Sek?", Ruby asked.
King Sek looked at her for a second, cleared his throat then looked back at his plate, "He excused himself, saying he had somewhere to go to"
"Oh! forget about that one, beautiful lady. He is not relevant here", Queen Zyne said.
"Mother... he is relevant", Sek rebuked his mother subtly.
"How? Just tell me. Are things not going on now without him around? My dear, do not mind the king, he's got a soft spot for the demon prince. It still blows my mind"
King Sek was embarrassed. [Did Mother have to show her distaste for Seth here? To a stranger for that matter. I will need to talk to her about this. It shouldn't repeat itself], Sek thought.
He wasn't pleased and it showed on his face and Queen Zyne took note of it. But when it came to issues about Seth, she just couldn't control herself. "Which part are you unhappy about, Sek?", she asked.
"What? I don't understand, Mother?"
"Is it the part I said he was irrelevant, or the part I called him a demon prince?", she laughed, pleased with herself for coming up with that title.
Sek looked at Ruby whose eyes were fixed on her plate..."Mother, we can discuss this later. You know that, right?"
"Oh, come off it. Who doesn't see that eye of his? My dear, you saw the demon eye, didn't you?"
(SILENCE)
Then Ruby looked up and saw that it was her the queen had been referring to. "My Queen, sorry I wasn't following. I beg your pardon"
"Do not worry about what the queen said, Princess Ruby. If you are done with your meal, I will like us to take a stroll round the palace. Would that be okay by you?", King Sek smiled at her. It was a million dollar smile that showed his good dentition, and dimpled cheek.
"I would love that, My King"
[These two fit each other. I will talk some sense into Sek later. He is wasting time in giving me grandchildren and I will not stand for that], Queen Zyne thought.
* * *
"Sek!", his mother barged into his room later that day.
"Mother! You startled me, please come in gently next time"
"That is not the issue. How was your 'stroll'?, Queen Zyne asked.
"Stroll?", he was confused. [What was Mother up to this time?]
"You took a stroll with the princess of the Ziviel Kingdom, how was it?"
"I gave her 6,000 soldiers, Mother. She was so happy and it gladdened me that I could help", Sek replied her.
"Argh!! Block head. Good job, but what I want to hear is do you think she would make a good wife? A good queen?"
This time, Sek was more than lost. His mother had taken him down a path with a blindfold on his eyes. "What are you on about, Queen Zyne?"
"Your father has left us, I am well on my way to joining him and still haven't carried your children yet"
"Oh my good-". Sek was interrupted by his personal assistant and he was thankful for the 'rescue'. "What is the problem, Brien?"
"One of the generals told me he needs an audience with the queen, and that it was very urgent. He said that she would understand", Brien said.
As Queen Zyne heard 'general' and 'urgent', she knew what the message was about. "I will see him in my chambers"
"Your chambers?". "Brien, leave us", King Sek commanded. "Your chambers, Mother? What business is going on between you and a general?
"I had him do something fo me"
"Can I know what that 'something' is?"
"No, you can not, King Sek"... she said as she walked towards the door. "We will continue our talk late. It is important to me. Keep that in mind". Queen Zyne closed the door behind her.
* * *
"What is the problem?", Queen Zyne asked...impatience dripping from her voice.
"Your Majesty. May you live long"
[Oh my goodness. Why do people keep wishing me that? As if one hadn't lived long enough], she thought.
"Please get to the point of your visit"
"The wizard is not where he was chained. He was freed"
"WHAT?! You are joking. Have you gone to check for yourself?".
It was simply unbelievable to the queen that Ling could have released himself from those chains she had specially done. It had cost her a lot. Queen Zyne had found the best magicians in different lands to collaborate and forge a chain that even Ling wouldn't get himself out of. And now, they bring this news to her?
"You mean, my effort was useless?"
"I think he got help from someone"
"Someone like who?"
"I can not answer that, My Queen. But definitely someone powerful. I saw the chains broken into pieces", the general told her.
She was disturbed. [Could there be another warlock with high magic walking this kingdom?].
If there was another, the queen was confused as to why she wouldn't know about such an individual.
"I am to know of anybody with that kind of power. Where is Ling now? Have you checked his house?"
"Yes, My Queen. I went there first, after finding out that he was no longer in the cave. He is not in his house"
"FIND HIM!!".
[I will not be ridiculed. Not even by Ling], Queen Zyne thought.
The general bowed and took his leave.