How dare you bully the female lead

Chapter 10

Persimmon finally woke up and he seemed very happy at the idea of going on a trip. He rushed to his room and came out a minute later with his luggage ready. Of course, Light was just as excited and the two boys started planning where they were going to go when we arrived.

"Mom, can I go to the wish fountain with uncle when we arrive?

-Of course. Just make sure to always be close to him, okay?

-Yes, mom. I know.

-You are so smart."

This was for the best. I had a lot of work once we arrived anyway. If Persimmon was taking care of Light then I could come and go as I wished. Karlene on the other hand didn't seem as pleased and as soon as the boys disappeared, she pulled my sleeve with a frown:

"Is it going to be okay?"

I smiled:

"Of course. When have I ever made a mistake? Everything is going to be fine."

She didn't seem convinced but didn't say more.

"I have to go to Alaneo and tell him about our departure. I would love it if he could come with us. Light would be too sad if he were to be separated from Elm. They were always stuck together growing up."

Karlene slowly nodded and went to her room to pack. On my side I went to the neighboring house and went in without knocking:

"It's me."

Elm immediately ran out and jumped into my arms:

"Aunty is here!"

Alaneo soon followed and greeted me with a smile. Father and son looked exactly alike and everyone would guess their link just by looking at them. Both had dark hair, dark eyes, and the exact same features. The only thing missing from Elm were the scars on his father's arms because of his accidents as a lumberjack. Despite being huge and muscular, Alaneo was a big teddy bear and all of his hard features disappeared as soon as he smiled. Because of his scary build, people were shy with him at first but they soon discovered how warm hearted he really was. That was why I loved him so much. I knew that I could count on him and he was the best friend I made in this village. I couldn't leave without him.

"We are leaving for the capital with the others."

Alaeno frowned which cast a dark aura to his face.

"Did something happen? Is there anything we could do to help?

-Oh, no. Nothing of the sort, don't worry. I just heard about some family drama and have to go check. Moreover, I really miss it there."

Alaeno smiled and his whole face relaxed:

"I knew that. You couldn't stop talking about your past lately. Almighty Duchess."

I laughed. I did get homesick lately. It seemed that it didn't come out of the blue after all.

"I said it then and say it again, I really want you guys to come with us."

Alaeno looked at his son who was staring at him full of expectation.

"I don't know...

-I know this is very sudden and I am sorry that I didn't give you more time to think but I decided it this morning only. You could take time to think about it and follow us later if you decide to come."

Alaneo passed a hand in his hair with a sign:

"Of course we are coming."

Elm started jumping up and down and I imitated him gladly:

"Really?

-What would I do here all alone? Elm would be depressed without you four around.

-Really? No take backs!

-Yes...

-Great! Then tell me when you are ready! I will go back to packing."

Then it was settled and the six of us left the village after saying goodbye to everyone. I was so excited that I didn't see time go by. People cried, people gifted us food. It took us hours just to get out of here but once we were, it started feeling very real and I finally came back into my body. I had very good memories in this village and people weren't very welcoming at first but as soon as I gave birth they opened up and came to help me daily. We really bonded and exchanged foods as well as stories. I was going to miss them but at the end of the day the most important people were with me so I wasn't sad at all. Rather I felt as if everything was the way it should be. I was going back there. I was both scared and happy. Back to all of my bad and good memories. I couldn't wait and at the same time hoped this ride would never stop.

We were very far from the capital and even the children got tired and fell asleep on the way after jumping around for hours in the carriage and talking about what they would see at the capital. However as soon as we arrived, they recharged suddenly and jumped out of the carriage with a huge smile. They were pointing in every direction and didn't know where to start. Persimmon and Alaeno decided to go with them while Karlene and I immediately headed to the castle. While I was away, Satin had been crowned Empress and I didn't hear anything about her divorce so I guessed Imeena had to still be alive and there. I thought it would be harder seeing the Empress but fortunately we ran into some familiar faces and they volunteered to get us to the Empress immediately. I smiled at Karlene as if to say:

"See? I told you everything was going to go smoothly."

But Karlene was tensing up by the second. I knew that she would have preferred to have a good night's sleep before coming here but I couldn't wait a second. I had to see them. While we were walking, the two female guards couldn't stop talking:

"It is so good to see you again, Madam Wyrm.

-We thought you would never come back here.

-I didn't. I knew you would come back to us some day.

-Everyone was very surprised when you didn't come back. At first we thought you went on another trip but when years started to go by we started to get anxious.

-I thought that you met some pirate and decided to join his fleet.

-I was sure that you became the Queen of some far away country."

I started laughing:

"It was nothing of the sort. I just went on another trip just as you thought."

One of the guards pushed the other with her elbow:

"See? I told you.

-We are so honored to be the first you see in the Palace.

-We are very honored to be able to escort you.

-I am the most honored one."

The Empress was in her study and it didn't take us long to reach it. However there was someone else in front of the ajar door. A little girl with blond hair and green eyes. She must have been the same age as Light and Elm, around 4 years old. My heart squeezed when I saw her because she was just so cute. She had round cheeks and chubby arms. I really wanted to grab her and hug her as tight as I could. Was this the new female lead, Lichen? Did she get born after all? I was going to greet her when having gotten closer I could hear what was going on behind the study doors:

"Your Highness, the princess really wants to see you.

-I don't want to see that thing."

I froze and thought that my heart was going to jump out my throat. I recognized Satin's voice. It was cold and deeper than before but it was her and what she had said was horrible. It was horrible enough in itself but she had just said it in front of this tiny angel. I was fuming but I had to smile for now. I quickly went up to the tiny girl and bent down to be closer to her eyes. She jumped when she heard me arrive and retreated a bit. I retreated too to give her space but continued smiling:

"Hi there, beautiful. What's your name?"

The little girl seemed very shy and she didn't know where to look while answering:

"L-Lichen...

-Such a nice name. It suits you really well, darling."

Her cheeks started heating up.

"Oh, and this dress is gorgeous. Are you a fairy? I have never seen such a gorgeous young girl in my entire life."

She started twisting her dress but I could see the way she smiled in front of my compliments. She even came a step closer which was encouraging.

"Darling, I really want to get to know you some more. I would love to speak more with you because you look like a very nice young lady. Could we meet for tea?"

She quickly nodded.

"Perfect. I'll be right there. I have to do something first. Could you go with my friend and wait for me there? Her name is Karlene and she is very nice."

I turned to Karlene, feeling my rage block my throat:

"Could you please escort this little angel to her room? I will be there soon I promise."

As soon as they disappeared, I kicked the door in and stomped to Satin's desk. The latter seemed very surprised to see me. She suddenly got up and almost fell backward:

"Nebula... You are back."