Chapter 750 Disrespectful Behaviour
As Archer and the five girls followed behind Helga into the palace, they laughed at the older woman's nonsensical dislike towards him, which only added to their amusement. Archer then opened a Gate to the domain, allowing the others to join.
The seven who had fled the cold weather outside reappeared, each greeting Archer with a peck on the cheek and exchanging hellos with the others before they continued. Ella joined Leira on his other side as the girls gossiped about the Frostwinter Festival.
While they walked through the hallways, Archer noticed a flurry of activity, with numerous maids busy with their tasks. Leira leaned in as they passed two women engrossed in cleaning the large windows overlooking the palace's garden. The source of this content no/v(el)bi((n))
''Mother loves keeping to the old Elderbloom cleaning tradition,'' she whispered. ''She enjoys helping the maids, which amuses my Father, but she loves it, so it makes him happy.''
''Elderbloom cleaning? What is that?'' Lucrezia questioned as she appeared beside Ella while tying her hair platinum-blonde into a bun.
Leira nodded, ''Ermm, it's a tradition that popped up in the empire when my Mother was a child,'' she explained with a smile. ''All the old Avalonian nobility used to do it, especially my Nonna, who loves to clean her mansion when she's not on the frontline.''
Lucrezia smiled in response, but Kassandra questioned, ''Why not get the maids to do it or hire an outside company? Why would the queen need to clean? It's strange to me.''
The cat girl giggled softly. "Mother just does, honestly," she replied. "She's always been that way. It's one of the reasons why the common people adore her; she doesn't carry herself like a queen unless it's official duty, and she is really down to earth."
The Death Witch smiled and was about to talk until they all heard, ''Cleaning the palace relaxes me, and even a queen can still work. Those who are slothful make for terrible rulers like the Nightshade Empress.'' A voice behind them scared some girls but made Archer and Leira laugh.
They all spun around only to spot a cat woman who was the mature version of Leira but had purple eyes instead of green. Empress Chloe Avalon stood there smiling at them before studying each girl while wearing a green winter dress.
The cat girl's face lit up with a happy smile as she addressed the woman before them. "Mother," she commented warmly.
Leira approached the woman, who beamed. Archer noticed the cat girl's tail was excitedly swaying as she hugged the empress with a beaming smile. After they broke away from each other, the empress looked at each of them.
But her gaze then landed on Archer. ''I've heard about your exploits down south, son,'' she said with amusement. ''The Draconia Kingdom, eh? I thought you didn't want to be a king.''
He shrugged. ''I didn't, but fate works in strange ways, Chloe,'' he replied. ''You're experienced with such things.''
When he finished talking, the empress stared at him, asking, ''Do you have any plans to invade the empire?''
Shaking his head, ''No,'' he replied. ''This is Leira's home, and I wouldn't think of fighting against Avalon unless you hurt her or any of my girls.''
Archer loved the flavorful meat and the tomato-looking vegetables. He couldn't help but let out a satisfied hum. The girls saw his enthusiasm and giggled, amused by his eating as much as he could.
Leira smirked, shaking her head fondly at him. "Hungry, Archer?" she teased.
He flashed her a grin that caught her off guard, "Just a little," he admitted between bites.
But just a little turned into just one more and then just one more after that as he found himself unable to resist the delicious sandwiches. Archer lost count of how many he had eaten, each tasting better than the last.
Eventually, the others joined in, grabbing their sandwiches, and started chatting as they ate. The room was filled with laughter and satisfied munching as they enjoyed the delicious food together.
Archer leaned back on the sofa, a contented smile on his face, his hunger finally sated. They waited another ten minutes until Osoric, Chloe, a girl with blonde hair, green ears, and a pair of cat ears atop her head, appeared.
The last person to enter was Vylan, the First Prince, who sat next to the girl, looking at the twelve gossiping girls who paid them no attention. Archer noticed Osoric wasn't bothered, but the prince and girl were.
"Father," she said. "Why are you accepting such disrespectful behaviour?"
Archer observed Osoric's laughter before he casually dismissed her inquiry with a wave of his hand. "They're the prospective wives of our guardians, and they will be Leira's site wives. No need for all the kneeling and saluting," he explained.
The blonde girl wasn't pleased, but the First Prinve Vylan spoke with venom in his tone, ''You married Leira off to a sleazy playboy bandit who extorted vast wealth from our empire while messing around with dozens of pretty girls.''
The room fell silent as all of Archer's girls directed their attention toward the blonde youth, resembling a younger version of Osoric, who continued, his tone laced with accusation, "I've heard the stories. You've brutalized your siblings, slaughtered a dozen Avalonian nobles, and displayed disrespect towards my parents with your unkempt attire and crude conduct."
After speaking, the room went silent before Archer started laughing, but this wasn't one of amusement but anger. Osoric saw the look in his eyes and stepped, ''Please don't kill him, Arch!''
Archer had gone from the sofa and reappeared in front of Vylan, who yelped in shock. He was grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air. Most of the girls jumped up and got ready to attack the three others, while Leira got in the middle.
The cat girl tried to calm everyone down, but Osoric and Chloe grabbed the blonde girl before moving to the side while Archer pulled Vylan toward him and growled into the boy's face.
He tightened his hold on the prince, ''Don't ever disrespect me in front of my ladies again,'' he warned. ''I've done nothing but save this kingdom repeatedly, Vylan. What have you done?''
[Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you]