Chapter 469: Reunion Part 1
Kana looked at the room that was now an inferno and bowed her head to give a silent prayer. "May you all pass on to the river of reincarnation." After a moment of silence, she walked through the flames and towards the entrance.
At the entrance where the three passageways were, the girls, along with Fretchet, were all waiting for the rest to show up. After many hours they finally heard footsteps making their way towards them from the middle passageway. "Be on alert!" Angelica already had her sword drawn as she stood in front of Fretchet. The two girls quickly moved to her side with swords drawn as well.
"You girls plan to attack your father?" Creige's melodic voice with a hint of amusement in it echoed through the tunnel. But even after hearing his voice, the girls did not lower their swords until they saw his figure come into view. Behind him were two other people.
"Handsome Papa!" Rain yelled out.
"Mmm…. This is?" Creige eyes landed on the tree with a human face.
"This is Fretchet, Mama's friend's father." Angelica answered.
"Oh?" Creige looked at the tree for a moment before stepping aside. "Then I guess you would want to see her then."
"Kiliffia!" Fretchet yelled out, his eyes watering up. "This? Those bastards! What did they do to her!?"
"Don't worry. She is just suffering from starvation. She hasn't eaten for the past few years. Her husband protected her by not letting those people into the area where the cells were." Creige explained.
"Husband!?" Fretchet looked at the man who seemed to have suffered the same fate as his daughter and felt a great pressure coming off of him.
"Dad… I am sorry I was unable to protect her fully. But I promise this will never happen again." Methiesee said as he bowed his head.
"This..." Fretchet was blindsided. He never thought that when he was reunited with his precious daughter that she would already be married! This also made his heart sink. It reminded him of how much time he had lost with his daughter.
"It's not his fault. The swamp is a magic array and is almost impossible to detect. Even I did not detect it. But it was because of this same magic array that we were able to come here and find you all, or you may have all died before rescue could come." Creige explained.
"I see.." Fretchet lowered his head. He felt frustrated. He set out to handle the things of the past and did not wish to get his daughter involved but in the end… Not only did she get involved, but she suffered for it.
"It seems everything is wrapped up." Kana's voice echoed through the room. She walked right over to Methiesee and took a good look at Kiliffia. "It's good she is fine..."
Kana turned around and looked at the rest of the people in the room. When she saw her babies were perfectly healthy, she finally let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes then fell on the walking tree with a human face: "Fretchet, it has been a long time. I see you have added a few pounds since we last met."
"Kana..." Fretchet gave a bitter smile. This girl really knew how to turn everything into a joke!
"We can talk more later. Our first task is to get out of this swamp." Kana said as she clapped her hands. She then turned to Creige and asked: "Can you make this place disappear?"
"Mmm…" Creige nodded. He knew Kana did not wish to leave this place standing to allow others to use it again.
A week later…
Inside the Rural Kingdom castle, Kana sat beside a bed where Kiliffia had been sleeping soundly. On the other side sat Methiesee, who looked like a wreck since he refused to move from her bedside.
"You should go bathe at least Methiesee, or you will scare her away with your stench. I will look after her for you." Kana said with a smile. She knew he wished to be here when she woke, but he really did stink.
"I… Fine..." Methiesee reluctantly got up. He did not wish to smell bad when his wife woke up. Reluctantly he let go of Kiliffia's hand and walked out of the room.
"He's gone. You can open your eyes now." Kana said softly.
"You knew?" A soft yet hoarse voice came from the bed.
"Mmm… When I walked in earlier, I saw you peek at him. You feel this was all your fault, don't you?" Kana asked.
"I…. If not for me, he would not have had to suffer. I do not know how to face him..." Kiliffia's voice quivered as she did her best to hold back her tears.
"What happened was not your fault. The trap had been set up for who knows how long. Even me and my family were caught in it. So do not think this was your fault. It is the people who orchestrated the whole thing that is at fault. Come drink some water. I will help you bathe so you can be refreshed. There are alot of people worried about you, waiting to see you. " Kana reached over and poured a cup of water from the jug and brought it to Kiliffia's lips. Her once parched throat slowly began to feel alive again as the cool water flowed down her throat. She felt lucky to have people who cared about her so much. Tears finally began to roll down her cheeks.
An hour later after bathing and changing clothes with Kana's help Kiliffia laid in bed staring at the man who she loved dearly unsure of what to say. Methiesee looked at Kiliffia for a few seconds before pulling her into his embrace. "I'm sorry! I am sorry I could not protect you well! I promise I will never let anything like this happen to you again."
"Methie… I… I'm sorry too! If not for me none of this would have happened…." Kiliffia burst into tears as she hugged Methiesee's tightly.
Kana stood to the side with a smile on her face. She was glad things worked out between the two of them. But there moment was not going to last too long as the door burst open and a group of people ran into the room. The main character had finally arrived. "Kiliffia!"