"Queen! No way she's our queen," Ellena shouted in surprise, she knew about Velian's mother because she heard about her in the castle, but this was the first time she saw her.
"Ahhh~ Veli, my bad," Daphnia couldn't help but feel like an idiot. She removed her wig and fake nose, so she can properly introduce herself since her identity is already public.
She knew Velian already knew about her this side, but embarrassing herself in front of the person who is her lover and son felt really absurd to her, that she felt like hiding her head somewhere, so Velian and others didn't have to see her idiotic face.
"I hope you guys can keep this secret," Seeing the surprised faces of the others, Velian questioned but among them, one person quickly got up with her face looking rather pale.
"Teacher!" Suddenly Kyla shouted and ran in Daphnia's direction with her eyes looking rather wet.
Velian tried to stop her, but seeing no blood lust or any weapons in her hands he felt like this wasn't an attack so he let Kyla do whatever she wanted and suddenly Kyla hugged Daphnia.
"..."
Amos and Daphnia both looked like they were seeing something impossible. Both of them had no idea what was happening.
Amos had never seen Kyla acting so emotional and even showing affection like this, because her love was always tough for everyone.
And Daphnia had no idea who this girl was.
"Uhhh~ who are you, young lady? I don't know why you're hugging me but I hope you can let me go," Daphnia said feeling conflicted about this whole situation.
Kyla pulled away from Daphnia, wiping away her tears as she took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, I just...I can't believe it's you," she said, her voice shaking slightly.
"You were my teacher when I was a kid. You taught me about fighting, about discipline, about honour. I wouldn't be who I am today without you. Teacher! Can't you remember me?"
Daphnia's eyes widened in recognition. "Kyla? That Kyla? Is that really you?" she said, disbelief evident in her voice.
Kyla nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "It's me. I've come a long way since those days, but I've never forgotten the lessons you taught me."
And Daphnia took a close look at the girl, that used to learn things under her when she was a famous adventurer.
"You look quite different! How can I say this? You look a lot more grown up with those amazing muscles,"
Daphnia chuckled, a warm feeling spreading through her chest.
"I'm glad to hear that, Kyla. It's been a long time, hasn't it? What happened to Miki?"
Kyla's smile faded slightly as she took a deep breath, as soon as she heard that name.
"I'm sorry to say this, Teacher, but Miki is no longer with us. She was killed in a monster attack a few years ago." Kyla's voice was thick with emotion as she spoke, and Daphnia could see the sadness in her eyes.
Daphnia's heart sank at the news. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Miki was such a bright and promising student. She had a lot of potential."
Kyla nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "Yes, she did. It's been hard for all of me since she passed away. But I am trying to carry on and keep her memory alive."
This explained everything to Amos about why she went solo most of the time when she had adventures.
"So she was afraid to lose another person? I can relate to her, since their mother died because of my mistake, I have been nothing but a coward," He thought looking at the siblings next to him.
"Once this adventure is over, I will tell them about my relationship with their mother," He was anxious about whether they will accept him as a stepfather, but keeping secrets and dying inside every day felt useless now that, he had the desire, to tell the truth.
Daphnia reached out and placed a comforting hand on Kyla's shoulder. "I know it's not easy, but I'm here for you if you need anything. And I'm sure Miki would want you to keep striving and working towards your goals."
Kyla smiled weakly, grateful for Daphnia's words of comfort. "Thank you, Teacher. I appreciate it."
She said those words, and then she suddenly realised that her teacher who once used to be an adventurer is now a queen, and it really surprised and ignited her curiosity to find her real identity.
Kyla and Daphnia's reunion went on for another few minutes until Ellen suggested taking a bath since they heard the voice of water flowing.
The river was close to them, so Ellen wanted to wash all the sweat and mud.
Daphnia and Kyla nodded their heads, but Velian was hesitant because he was worried they might not be able to escape if a sea monster attacked.
"Don't worry, darling, I will protect them," Lucky for them, Daphnia was there so after finishing their food, all the ladies went to take a bath while the men had to wait near the camp until they finish.
While they were waiting Amos and Velian discussed about many things and he quickly understood there was something between him and those siblings. But since it didn't have anything to do with him, he just ignored it.
"I'm going to pee, make sure you keep your eyes on your surrounding," Velian said and entered the forest, but his real objective was to meet Daphnia so he can relax with her privately without others looking at them.
He didn't mind showing their relationship to the others, but anything more than that, he didn't want. Velian didn't even want other men to hear his beloved moaning sounds, so he had to keep his distance while doing things like this.
"Hehe~ she will be surprised to see me, "He thought and jumped from tree to tree until he noticed the three girls that were removing their clothes.
"Holy shit! What's with that woman's abs? I think she is even more muscular than me," The person he was talking about was one other than Kyla, who looked completely buffed, but it didn't take away her feminine charms as she had a curvy and round bottom with wide hips.
