☀️ Arselia and Akonia

So... - she trailed off, unsure how to finish.

- You're such a sweetheart, - following up with a concise answer, Naria hugged her daughter to her chest, the size of which was inferior not only to Sonata's but even to Ayano's - I love you more than anyone in the world. After Anuzish, of course.

- Now that the matter is settled, if we have a few minutes, we could finalize the details regarding the coven... - she hesitantly suggests to the empresses.

Unlike Ayano, Naria and Sonata felt completely unperturbed by what had happened earlier.
- You know, you did a great job, - the dark-haired empress suddenly says to her, - you spoke well, and you held yourself with dignity, but what touched me most was the reaction of some of the townspeople; it was clear that they knew you and had a good opinion of you. And regarding the coven, - she turns to the fair-haired empress, - before that, I would like to find a way to reward the boys for their successful mission. This time, our friends with Ayano did the lion's share of the work, but each of my students performed well and promises to become a worthy warrior of Akonia. I think something memorable would be best, so if it won't cause a scandal, I suggest artifacts that belonged to one of the criminals, Adrian Spite. Or maybe you, Ayano, have a better idea? You seem to know them well already.

- Your Majesty...? - the knight hesitated for a moment. - Oh, let's just call it the Cleaver, especially for our fellow countrymen. - He dismissed the unfamiliar title, greeting the young man. - Nice to meet you, Anpan. Hmm, I recognize your name from our mutual acquaintance: Creon. We were going to find all the surviving members, but unfortunately, I only knew that you could be found at training near Her Majesty's villa, but it seems no one was "home" at the time...

"Oh, he's so cool. You can immediately tell he's one of us. Noble features and three S's - strong, stylish, and stately. And the sword on his back is incredible; with it, you could probably split mountains and seas in half. And how polite and easy to talk to he is! He's like the entire spirit of Kriedear gathered in one person and became his earthly incarnation. A noble avatar. With such a person at the head, the restoration of the homeland is not an impossible dream, but a real prospect. Ayano should take an example from him. Maybe if she spent a month or two talking to him, she would finally become a normal person. By the way, about her. I shouldn't have thought about her. It was unpleasant to listen to her speech. They asked her to introduce herself to the people, and she invites them to join her depraved cult. And she pretends to be so modest and vulnerable, but the people, in their ignorance, do not know what a shameful woman she is. And what did the empress find in her? She must be blackmailing her or deceiving her; otherwise, I cannot find a logical explanation for this state of affairs. But I am glad for Sonata, of course. She deserves to be in the front ranks of the empire! I hope we will meet her again today, because I'm afraid she will spend the whole day in work. What a saintly woman. She is always thinking about her duties."
- Cleaver! - This time, Sanex grabs the count by the other wrist. - I finally managed to get through to you! How are you? Are you okay? When Her Majesty deprived you of your disguise... I didn't know what to think.