As the minutes passed and the girls continued their conversations, the topic shifted and turned to Seraphina.
Kaela: "We've heard about Seraphina..."
Miriel: "How is she? How are you?"
Hearing the genuine concern in these young women's voices, Selene Vael'thir felt truly moved once again to have them as part of her family.
Even if their journey to this point had not been ideal, she was still incredibly grateful that they were here.
"She's fine, she's stable now, and that's all that matters," Selene was trying to convince herself just as much as them.
Kaela: "We should see her when she wakes up!"
Miriel: "It's been a long time since I've seen her… I think she's avoiding us."
The girls fell silent before Selene voiced a question that had always lingered in her mind.
"Have you ever resented my daughter?"
Anyone could see that her question took them by surprise, yet it was not an unfounded one.
After all, Seraphina was meant to be a punishment for them.
Both families had simply approached the dragons and said: 'Let's throw our trash together!'
Both girls took a moment to look at each other before giving surprising answers.
Kaela: "Never!"
Miriel: "No."
Their firm denial certainly brought a smile to Selene's face, and she became slightly emotional.
Miriel seemingly noticed this and moved her chair next to hers, taking Selene's hand in a kind and warm gesture.
—"It's only the circumstances that bother us, but since we've been here, we've been very happy."— She squeezed Selene's hand slightly to convey the seriousness of her words.
"Your daughter seems like a wonderful woman from your stories, I just wish we were a little closer."
Kaela simply leaned in from her seat, and Selene couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Her daughter was dearly loved by all the staff and guards. Sometimes, they adored her more than she did.
But in front of her wives, her daughter's bright and charming personality disappeared as if it had never existed.
She became shy and easily embarrassed, leading her to avoid these two completely.
Selene knew what her daughter felt for them; how could she not know?
Yet, it always seemed like she lacked the words to convince her to let go of her self-hatred and try to love the girls as best as she could.
Before Selene could find the words to respond, she saw Mangus running toward them.
"Mangus? What's wrong?"
"My lady, please forgive my untimely arrival, but terrible screams have been heard coming from the young lady's room. The medical team has been alerted and is on their way immediately."
Selene immediately stood up and prepared to leave.
When she turned around to tell the girls that they would have to continue their tea another time, she was surprised to find them standing as well.
Kaela / Miriel: "We're coming with you."
For a moment, Selene stood there slightly stunned.
Once she overcame her surprise, she decided at that moment that as long as her daughter survived this, she would give her a smack on the head and demand she treat these girls better.
—"Alright girls, let's go."
As they approached Seraphina's room, it was easy to hear the screams Mangus had mentioned, even from the end of the hallway.
Slowly, the situation began to calm as the girls reached the door, and Selene immediately feared the worst.
Selene forcefully pushed the door open, nearly ripping it off its hinges and sending it flying.
Selene quickly scanned her daughter's clean and orderly room; however, her brain immediately stopped functioning when she noticed something that didn't belong there.
A woman slowly rose from the floor and stood up. At a glance, she seemed to be about 5'11'' (1.80 m) tall.
She wore nothing but a black nightgown that seemed too small for her. Her body was extremely well-defined, as if sculpted from marble by the gods themselves.
She was neither excessively thin nor overly muscular; her figure was a perfect combination of strength and grace.
She had long, dark red hair, the color of wine, cascading down to her waist. Her bronzed skin was flawless, without a single imperfection.
Atop her head were two dark horns, as black as obsidian.
Staring back at her was a pair of radiant golden eyes, like the purest amber.
Looking into those eyes, Selene had the strangest feeling, as if she had seen them countless times before, though surely she never had.
Fixing her gaze on the stranger in her daughter's room, she was immediately struck by her criminally unfair beauty.
Even when Selene compared her to 'that woman,' she found that the figure before her was just slightly superior.
She looked so much like…
"V-Valeria?" she gasped softly.
The woman seemed confused before a flash of recognition shone in her eyes, and she spoke.
—"No… it's me, mother."
The woman's voice was as soft as silk, as if simply listening to it could lull an unsuspecting soul into a blissful sleep from which they would never want to wake.
—"Seraphina?!"
The last thing Selene saw was the woman nodding with a smile that could enchant anyone before she inevitably fainted from the shock.