Queen Mother began walking again, her gaze drifting toward the garden where servants moved quietly in the soft light. Each one seemed to carry something heavy on their shoulders, though nothing visible weighed them down.
"In our culture," she said, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone, "women are taught that their worth lives in what stays untouched. Men are taught that their worth lives in how much they conquer." She let that sink in for a moment. "Both teachings are poison. Just poured into different cups."
She slowed her steps slightly.
"That's why when a man boasts about how many women he's been with, people praise him. They call him manly. Some women even find him more desirable for it." Her lips pressed together. "But if a woman says the same thing, she's looked down on by both men and women. The judgment comes from everywhere."
She glanced at Sio, studying her face.
"Now tell me something. If a powerful woman openly said she slept with many men, let's say I said it, do you think people would call me filthy directly to my face?"
Sio's breath caught in her throat. She shook her head slowly, unable to imagine anyone daring to say such a thing to a Queen.
"Right. And why not?"
"Because you have power," Sio answered quietly, the realization settling in her chest.
"Yes." Queen Mother smiled faintly. "Humans bend their values around what's convenient or comfortable for them. They shift their morals based on who has control. That is reality."
"But it still feels unfair," Sio said, frustration creeping into her voice. "They walk freely. We carry fear."
"That is psychology," Queen Mother replied, her tone gentle but firm. "Your mind subconsciously became like that from everything you were taught growing up." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Men often escape consequences, yes. But don't confuse freedom with peace. A man who treats hearts lightly slowly loses his ability to feel deeply. That is not a victory. That's a slow death of something important inside him."
She tilted her head, watching Sio's expression.
"Tell me, after Big Guy came back from what he did, how did he act?"
Sio thought for a moment, remembering. "He didn't take it seriously. And It really pissed me off."
"Exactly." Queen Mother nodded knowingly. "Because in his mind, he was still clean at heart. For him it was conquest, not connection. No deep feeling was involved. He could brush it off because nothing in him was truly invested." She gestured lightly moving her two fingers up. "But you, who were raised to believe purity defines your value and others' value too, you feel discomfort when you think about it. That's the clash between those two worlds. Two different teachings colliding in your head."
Sio went quiet, processing. "Then are my brothers right or wrong?"
"They are human," Queen Mother said firmly, her voice carrying weight. "And humans are full of contradictions. We all are."
Sio lowered her head, confusion still swirling. "Then what do I believe? That men aren't bad but not good either? That women just have to endure and forgive everything?"
"No." Queen Mother's voice sharpened slightly, cutting through the doubt. "You believe this: A person's character is not decided by gender. Purity is not decided by what happens to the body. And love is not proven by desire alone."
She rested a hand on Sio's shoulder, the warmth of it grounding her mind to stilness.
"If you grow up hating men, your world will shrink until there's nothing left but bitterness. If you excuse everything men do, you'll put yourself in danger without even realizing it." Her fingers squeezed gently. "Wisdom is learning to see people as they actually are, not as culture tells you to see them. Judge them by their actions, not by what everyone else says you should think."
Then Queen Mother smirked, and the heavy weight lifted just a little. "And tell me, do you really think you girls have never made choices that hurt the men around you?"
"Huh?" Sio blinked, caught off guard. "What? How could we hurt our men?"
"Tell me, do you girls have male friends besides Zack and the others?"
"Yes, lots of them."
"And do you know that at least half of them, probably more, have feelings for you?" Queen Mother's smirk deepened with knowing amusement. "Some of them have probably imagined being with you, as a girlfriend or even as a wife. Maybe they've thought about it more times than you'd believe."
"What?!" Sio stared at her, eyes wide. "That's impossible! Maybe one or two, but that many?!"
"Haha." Queen Mother's laugh came out light with a teasing smirk. "Just as women can sense when another woman is going after their man, men always know who is interested in their woman. They stay guarded because they understand exactly how other men think. They see the looks, the little gestures, all of it." She waved her hand slightly. "But for the girls there are not really women going after their man, but on flip side Men are in constant battles everyday!!!.....Women are used to receiving attention since they were young, so they often can't tell the difference between real friendship and something deeper hiding underneath. You think they're just being nice but in truth they're hoping for more."
Queen mother kept walking, her tone staying calm.
"So tell me something," she began, glancing ahead at a door at the end of the corridor. "When you accept someone else's emotional attention, when you let yourself enjoy it, aren't you choosing your own happiness in that moment?"
Her voice remained gentle, but her words carried undeniable weight.
"Is that fair to the one you claim to love?"
She exhaled softly, her gaze distant for a moment.
"I asked Zack many times about Nat's school life. A lot of boys pursued her. Most of the time, she didn't even realize it." She paused, then added, "Just like you, who probably not realized how many of your friends secretly likes you."
Her eyes shifted toward Sio with quiet intensity.
"Is it truly fair to Big Guy if you enjoy the attention of others?" she asked quietly. "It doesn't have to be physical to matter..... Emotional needs can cut just as deep, sometimes even deeper."
Queen mother slowed her steps slightly, letting the words reach her ears before they reach the door.
"Physical desire fades with time," she said. "Bodies age.... Attraction shifts with time..... But feelings??? They linger for a long-long time... They stay in your chest and burn slow, sometimes for years."
They had drifted near the end of a long hallway by now, approaching a set of carved wooden doors.
Sio pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling overwhelmed. "Then what am I supposed to do?" Her mind felt like it was spinning in circles.
"Haha." Queen Mother's laugh came out gentle with understanding. "Just feel his feelings. Pay attention to how he looks at you, how he acts around you. If one day you sense that feeling has faded, nothing can save that relationship on its own. No amount of trying will bring it back."
She let a beat of quiet pass, then her expression shifted into a teasing smirk. A small, fierce smile touched her lips.
"This world runs on power. Many women will do whatever it takes to get close to a strong man. Men will always desire beautiful women. True purity in this world? It's nearly impossible to hold on to." Her voice dropped lower. "But that doesn't mean what you kids are doing is right. And if your brothers ever start chasing pleasure purely for fun, treating women like conquests with no care for their hearts, I will beat them to death. hehehe"
Sio believed it completely. There wasn't a doubt in her mind.
"And speaking of the boys..." Queen Mother's tone softened again, warmth returning to her voice like sunlight breaking through clouds. "To be honest, Zack doesn't really have a choice right now. He has to tolerate those girls' advances while he's trying to track down that list. It's part of the mission."
Sio gave a small, approving nod.
"Zack has been a good boy from the very beginning. I've never had a complaint about him. Never once. And now that he and Nat are together..."
Her expression dimmed slightly, something wistful and sad flickering across her face.
"But I can't say the same for Nat." She sighed quietly, the sound carrying old pain. "Still, I hope they live a good life. I hope they make it work despite everything." She shook her head, deciding not to say more.
"As for Big Guy, you know exactly what kind of person he is. Everything he did, he did for our sake. For this family."
Her gaze sharpened slightly, reaching back into memory.
"And Oliver, he and that girl go back much further in their lives compared to you guys. They both have a much deeper relationship, with years of history between them." She spoke carefully, weighing each word. "He's always been close to her. I wouldn't be surprised if he loves her, perhaps more deeply than he even realizes himself."
She let out a soft breath.
"It may look confusing because he's flirty and he likes to joke around. But he genuinely cares about people. And from everything I've seen and heard, he hasn't become some reckless, lust-driven man chasing after every woman who smiles at him."
She shook her head firmly.
"So don't resent your brothers. Don't hold grudges against them for being human."
Her voice steadied, carrying quiet conviction.
"You know as well as I do that Zack loves Nat with everything he has. His whole heart belongs to her. And Oliver's feelings for Emmy are no joke either. Whatever they decides about other girls, that's their burden to carry. We have no right to interfere in their personal life. That's between him and their own conscience."
A pause settled between them, the air feeling lighter somehow.
Then, slowly, Queen Mother's familiar smirk returned. Without warning, she reached out and pinched Sio's cheeks with playful fingers.
"And Big Guy isn't yours yet. So you can't really complain. Hehe."
"GRRR! HUMPH!" Sio pouted so hard her whole face scrunched up like a child denied candy.
Queen Mother laughed warmly, the sound genuine and bright.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice softening "If the person you love holds the same feeling for you, then no matter what gets in the way, you two will find your way to each other. Love in this world is complicated..... Messy... But you're all still young, mistakes are part of it. But if you keep choosing each other despite everything.... despite all the obstacles and doubts, then someday you'll land in the same place."
She smiled, genuinely bright.
"Zack and Nat are together now. I hope they hold onto each other tightly, trust each other deeply, and love hard through all of it. That's all I want for them. Real, lasting love."
Sio smirked slowly, mischief sparking in her eyes.
"Is that why Uncle Jorri is still with you? Because he loves you no matter what happened over the years?" She started backing away, grin spreading wide across her face. "Queen Mother, you think you still have a chance with him, don't you?!"
Then she swiftly ran dodging her hands.
"You little rascal! Come here!" Queen Mother's face went bright red as she launched after her. "Teasing your own mother like this!"
"HAHAHA!"
BOOM!
Sio burst through the door laughing, and Queen Mother charged in right behind her with surprising speed.
SIGH.
Outside the door, Queen's expert guard pressed two fingers to her forehead, eyes closed in patient resignation. She stood there for a long moment, then straightened herself, closed the door quietly, and signaled the other guards to keep watch. She walked away with measured, dignified steps, pretending she hadn't just witnessed her queen sprinting after a girl like a teenager.
The moment Queen Mother crossed the threshold, she stopped in her tracks.
Miss Kyra was kneeling on the floor in the center of the room, head bowed slightly in prayer.
She looked up when she heard them come in, surprise crossing her face.
"Oye, Kyra, what are you doing on the floor?" Queen Mother asked, letting go of her chase and stepping forward with a puzzled frown.
"Ah! You're back." Miss Kyra pushed herself up slowly to standing, movements careful. "I was just praying. Thanking the gods. Thanking you." Her voice came out quiet and sincere, filled with genuine gratitude.
"Ow." She limped slightly as she turned, then lowered herself carefully onto the edge of the bed. Her body was still hurting from everything she'd been through. It showed in the small, tight way she held herself, like every movement took effort.
Queen Mother's expression softened as she looked at the small boy lying peaceful on the bed, breathing gently in his sleep. Kyra reached down and gently touched her son's feet with tender fingers. The boy jolted slightly in his sleep, a small reflexive movement, and a soft smile spread across his mother's face.
"Sigh." Queen Mother's voice came out gentle. "You've had a hard few days. I'm glad your son is safe now."
"Hey, Uncle Jorri, did you know?" Sio crept up beside the sleeping man, already grinning with mischief. "Queen Mother said that since you still love her, she could acc—"
WHOOSH. TUPP!
A pillow hit Sio square in the face before she could finish the sentence, cutting her words off completely.
"You brat! What nonsense are you saying?!" Queen Mother's face had gone fully red, embarrassment flooding her cheeks. She was already snatching up another spare pillow, charging toward Sio with renewed determination.
"KYAAA! SAVE ME!" Sio shrieked and bolted, sprinting in wild circles around the room. Queen Mother chased her with impressive speed, red-faced and absolutely throwing dignity out the window.
"HAHAHAHA! Queen, you look like a teenager in love!" Miss Kyra called out, laughing hard from her spot on the bed.
THUP!
A pillow flew from Queen Mother's hand with perfect aim and nailed Kyra directly in the face.
"Shut up, crybaby," Queen Mother said without even looking, still hot on Sio's heels. "Always crying like a little child over everything."
Kyra sat there for a moment, pillow in her lap, blinking in stunned silence.
Then her eye twitched.
She grabbed a spare pillow off the bed, wound up with surprising energy , and hurled it across the room with force.
WHOOOS—THUPP!
Queen Mother sidestepped it neatly with ease. The pillow sailed on and smacked Sio on the other side of the bed.
"GRR! Stop bullying this little girl! Don't take me lightly!" Sio scooped up the pillow and fired it straight back without hesitation, her competitive spirit fully ignited.
And just like that, the pillow war began in full force.
Three women, more than three pillows flying through the air, and absolutely zero dignity left in the room.
Pillows sailed back and forth. Laughter echoed off the walls. Someone shrieked. Someone else cackled with victory. Queen Mother dove behind the bed frame. Sio used a chair as cover. Kyra threw a pillow while sliding on floor.
The chaos swirled around them, warm and alive and completely ridiculous.
In the middle of the room, two figures slept on, completely undisturbed by the madness. One mature man with weathered features, and one small boy with soft cheeks, breathing gently.
And on both their faces, through all the chaos and laughter and flying pillows, rested the faintest, most peaceful smiles.
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END OF CHAPTER
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AUTHOR BLABBERING
A pillow fight.
Yes, yes — in theory, it's all soft plushies and jelly-like cushions designed for harmless fun. Feathers floating gracefully through the air. Gentle laughter. Childhood innocence.
That's the theory.
In reality? Some households possess pillows so dense, so tightly packed, they feel like they were forged in a blacksmith's furnace. Those are not pillows.
Those are weapons.
Swinging one of those beasts requires serious arm strength. Precision. Commitment. If you land a clean hit, your opponent won't just fall — they'll pause mid-existence and start questioning reality itself.
What is life?
What is pain?
Why did I agree to this?
And perhaps most importantly—
Why am I reading this blabbering section?
Is the author padding the word count?
Trying to build a sense of camaraderie?
Or simply testing readers patience?
Well, well.
The true reason is—
IIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS…
…classified.
Keep reading future chapters to uncover the shocking truth.
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