Philo and Gelli exchanged a glance before Gelli stepped forward, offering a polite bow. "To answer your question, Your Majesty, we are human. However, the world we hail from operates on a completely different level of advanced technology."
The Main Queen narrowed her eyes, leaning forward in her seat as she studied Gelli intently. She suddenly gasped, her eyes widening. "Wait a second... haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Gelli gave a knowing smile and nodded. "Ah, yes, you probably have. Remember the Wizard Quest tournament? Haruto won the entire thing in that exact region. I owned that thing before"
Haruto choked on air, his eyes bugging out behind his red-and-black contacts as he squeaked in his feminine voice, " What do you mean I owned it?!"
Gelli waved a hand dismissively, giggling. "Oh, we can talk about the embarrassing details of that later."
The queens murmured amongst themselves, finally putting the pieces together. "Oh, I see..." the Main Queen muttered, nodding in understanding.
Haruto quickly shook off his shock, his expression turning serious as he looked back at the queen. "Forget about that for a second—where is Federic right now?"
The Main Queen sighed, rubbing her temples. "The King is currently trying to reason with him in the grand hall, attempting to calm him down before he tears the place apart."
Haruto threw his hands up in frustration, his voice coming out in an indignant, high-pitched squeak. "Then why on earth did you make me put on all this maid stuff if Federic isn't even looking for a maid?!"
The Main Queen giggled, crossing her arms with a smug smile. "To stay safe, of course! Besides, you look absolutely adorable in it."
Almost instantly, nearly everyone else in the room—from Philo and Toya to even Lilith—nodded in absolute agreement.
Haruto's face turned beet red as he stammered, "Y-You guys are supposed to be on my side!" He quickly shook his head, pushing the embarrassment aside as his expression turned serious. "Forget that, I need to go see Serephin right now."
One of the other queens smirked, leaning in and teasing, "Oho~ Look at you, missing your dear wife so much you can't even wait?"
Haruto groaned, waving his hands defensively. "It's not like that! I just want to check on her condition!"
"Alright, alright, come along then," the Main Queen said, standing up.
As Haruto and the queens headed out toward Serephin's chambers, the Main Queen shot him a stern look, lowering her voice. "Remember, Haruto, you are a royal maid right now. Keep your head down, watch your step, and stay strictly in character the entire time."
Lilith blinked in confusion. "Wait, you're saying you haven't seen her yet? What are you talking about?"
Haruto stumbled backward. "Yhea, I haven't seen her."
Lilith's expression hardened, a flicker of genuine irritation crossing her face. "Don't play dumb, Haruto. Go see for yourself. She's... she's special to you, isn't she?"
Haruto nodded slowly, feeling a strange tug in his chest, though he was still lost. Lilith let out a frustrated huff, muttering under her breath,
"Honestly, you can be such a blockhead. How can you be so cold-hearted and not even wonder about her condition?"
Haruto didn't have time to process her words. One of the queens, looking equally bewildered by Haruto's apparent ignorance, stepped forward.
"I don't understand how you haven't asked about her true state until now, but never mind. Come, I'll take you."
The queen gestured for the others to wait back. She led Haruto down the long, dimly lit corridor until they stood before a pair of heavy, ornate double doors. Haruto felt a jolt of recognition—this was the very room where he had woken up on the morning of his engagement.
The security was suffocating. Guards stood like statues at every corner, and as the queen pushed the door open, a thick, heavy scent hit them. It wasn't just the smell of medicine; it was the pungent, sharp aroma of medicinal herbs and swirling incense smoke.
Dozens of burnt-out prayer sticks littered the floor, filling the air with a hazy, grey mist. It was clear that the healers hadn't just been using medicine—they had tried everything in their power, from ancient rituals to alchemy, in a desperate attempt to wake her up.
Haruto stepped inside, the heavy door clicking softly shut behind the queen as she left him alone in the quiet room.
The air was thick with the scent of herbs and lingering smoke. Walking further into the dim, softly lit chamber, he saw the bed. Curled up under a light blanket was a small, delicate figure. A faint blue magic barrier drifted lazily around her like a protective cocoon, and she was fast asleep, completely peaceful.
Haruto's breath hitched. He hurried over to the bedside, dropping to his knees. He gently reached out, checking her pulse and leaning in close—her breathing was steady and calm.
Looking around the quiet, dimly lit room, a heavy wave of guilt washed over him. He gently pulled back a lock of her hair, whispering to himself, "Leave it... maybe it really is my fault all of this happened."
He looked at her face closely, noticing the subtle tension even in sleep. It was clear she had been in pain, struggling under the effects of the drape fruit. A bitter, self-deprecating thought crossed his mind: What kind of man am I? I can't even protect or wake up the woman who depends on me...
Haruto carefully pulled back the blanket a bit more, his eyes scanning her closely to check if any dark veins, poison, or magical contamination were spreading across her skin. Finding nothing of the sort, he gently pressed the back of his hand against her forehead to check her temperature—her skin was warm, but stable.
As he sat there in the quiet room, a rush of old memories suddenly flooded his mind. He remembered his very first days at the academy, when everything felt overwhelming and strange. Serephin had been the absolute first person to step forward, offering him kindness and helping him navigate those rough beginnings.
Looking down at her now, a pang of heavy regret hit him. And look at how I repaid her... abandoning everyone, leaving them to deal with this mess.
A soft, affectionate smile touched his lips despite the heavy atmosphere. He gently reached down, tenderly massaging her tired feet to help ease any lingering stiffness from the deep slumber. Leaking a soft, gentle sigh, he whispered, "Serephin... morning is already here. You've slept enough. Please, wake up."
Haruto quickly shook his head, pulling his hands back and trying to snap out of it. "Wait, why am I getting so emotional? She's just sleeping, she's not dead!"
Still, a heavy knot remained in his chest. According to the queens, the drape fruit's deep coma wasn't something a normal doctor or traditional medicine could cure—its effects were tied directly to the victim's inner will power and their current level.
Wait a minute... Haruto suddenly froze. I have a system admin button right here!
Thinking fast, he flicked his wrist, instantly pulling up his advanced system HUD floating in the air. He swiped through the menus until he opened Serephin's character profile. Sure enough, right there staring him in the face, was a pending level-up spike ready to push her straight to Level 80.
A wave of hesitation washed over him, and he winced. If I force a massive level jump like that all at once, the sudden mana load is going to overwhelm her system. She could get a severe mana fever... No, I can't risk doing that blindly.
He closed the window with a sigh, returning his hands to gently massage her feet again. Looking down at her sleeping face with a tender, reassuring smile, he whispered softly, "Serephin... just rest easy for now."
Haruto gently massaged her feet, muttering, "Well, I guess I should figure out what to do next—"
Suddenly, a faint, muffled snicker echoed from the bed.
Haruto froze. He blinked, staring down at her. Hesitantly, he brushed his fingers against the arch of her foot again. A soft, undeniable giggle bubbled up from Serephin's lips as the ticklish sensation hit her.
Her shoulders started shaking, and before Haruto could even process what was happening, Serephin's eyes snapped open. She burst out laughing, twisting away and kicking her legs playfully. "Okay, okay! I give up, I give up! Stop it!" she gasped between laughs, finally sitting completely upright.
Right at that exact second, the heavy doors flew wide open with a loud click, and the room was flooded with bright light.
The entire group—all seven queens, Lilith, Ivory, Bellona, Lustra, Philo, Aeterna, Rutherford, Toya, and Gelli—piled into the room all at once, beaming from ear to ear.
Confetti popped in the air as they cheered in unison, "Happy birthday, Serephine! Surprise!"