"Greetings, I come in peace~!" Helga cried out as she landed near the campsite, hopping off her magic broomstick as she put down her brown travel suitcase before she adjusted the white veil on her head and her dress next. After that, she looked around at the Zar-Bros and the summoned maids with curiosity while taking note of the tension radiating from everyone there who was also looking at her with weariness. She understands their suspicion, as she is a stranger and also a magician who rides on a magic broom; it's common sense to be wary of someone like her.
"Apologies for interrupting your lovely picnic so suddenly," she continued to say, her voice measured in a serious tone as she eyed the group, searching for the man who she was supposed to deliver the letter to. "But someone entrusted me with an urgent message to Prince Zarba..."
"Ah, and you must be Prince Zarba." She immediately recognized the prince, who Seraphina fell in love with at a glance when she saw a handsome brown-skinned young man with short brown hair and brown eyes standing in the middle of the knights with the other two women at his sides. She has some general description of his appearance from Seraphina, and this man fits perfectly, so he must be the one.
'It's quite troublesome looking for him...' Helga thought as she managed to find her target by following the general direction that they might be heading from the sky, as she was looking for a carriage with escort knights in black armor specifically, so it's not too hard.
'Mmh? He's quite handsome, I guess? Tall and muscular with a lean build. No wonder Sera was smitten with him…' Helga curiously checks Zarba out with purely academic interest, and since her eyes are hidden behind her bangs that shield her gaze from others, she doesn't shy away from secretly gawking at people.
'She is a magician but isn't casting any spell at the moment, so she isn't an immediate threat, my husband.' While Helga is checking Zarba out, Xin speaks to Zarba telepathically while leaning against his shoulder, her arm wrapping around his waist, with her amber eyes shimmering slightly as they narrow at the newcomer to see if she is utilizing her mana to cast a spell.
"Oh my, a message for my husband? From whom, I wonder?" Xin speaks to Helga, her tone deceptively pleasant and soft, which causes the latter to show some surprise at the word "husband," but she just shakes her head and mumbles something to herself.
'Heh, you have a formidable rival already, Sera…' Helga wants to chuckle. 'It's going to be interesting when I tell her this info~!'
Zarba remained silent, his expression stoic as he watched the pink-lipped woman with long bangs covering her eyes approach them with no threatening demeanor and a crooked smile on her face. He is not sure if she is some assassin or truly a messenger, just like she claimed to be, but he is pretty sure that his group, with the recent addition of Nadia, can subdue her easily, so he is quite calm.
Zarba decided to test the water first as he commanded one of the maids mentally to receive the letter from Helga before she got too close, as the maid dutifully stepped forward between Helga and them, while the surroundings Zar-Bros' hands moved towards their bow and arrow, ready for battle.
On the other hand, Nadia lowered her teacup before standing up, subtly shifting her posture for combat just in case while feeling shocked since the woman was calling Zarba a prince.
That means…
'Damn it, was I attacking the royalty…?!' Nadia wanted to curse at her bad luck and Zarba's existence, who was at the wrong place and at the wrong time; now she definitely can't even hope to get out of slavery since he has both reason and authority to enslave her as his slave forever!
"You can give your letter to the maid," Zarba said while jerking his chin at the maid, not moving from his spot. The summoned maid stepped in front of Helga, pure white hands extended towards her.
"Oh, alrighty, let me get it out for you." Helga shrugs and doesn't really care much as she opens the pouch on her belt and pulls out a white letter with a red wax seal in the shape of a heart. Her covered green eyes peek at the letter in her hand briefly before she gives it to what she thinks is a puppet maid in front of her, and then she goes back to look at Zarba. "This letter is from Lady Seraphina Bubba Bastari. She is quite concerned for your safety, Prince Zarba."
"Who...?" Xin whispered to Zarba with her eyebrow raised in doubt as the man next to her was quite surprised upon hearing the unexpected name.
'The Karo Duke's daughter? That HOEMON?? Why did she send me a letter…' Zarba was quite confused, as he doesn't really have any relationship with her while he shared his thoughts with his slave-wife. 'I wonder what this letter is about …'
When the maid finally hands the letter towards him, Zarba carefully picks up the letter while Xin spots the heart-shaped wax seal with narrowed eyes. Somehow she doesn't like this one bit, as her instinct is telling her that some bitch is approaching her territory without her permission.
The wax seal tore off under Zarba's fingers as he unfolded the parchment. The handwriting is hurried but elegant, the ink dark against the cream-colored paper. He scans the contents quickly; his expression is a little confused and surprised by the content on the paper.
"Dear Prince Zarba Altra Zigma, I hope this letter finds you in good health..." Zarba's lips moved silently as he read the opening lines while he smelled the pleasant flowery scent of perfume clinging to the paper, which is Seraphina's favorite fragrance that she usually uses, though he couldn't possibly know that.
Zarba's eyebrows climbed higher with each sentence as Seraphina went on about how she admired him and how she longed to meet him, how she wanted to know him and for him to know her for a long time now since that day they met briefly, but the circumstances were not favorable for her to meet him in person all these times. Then finally he reached the final part of the letter.
"Lastly, my father has dispatched his assassins and mercenaries to the Zenobia province, waiting to ambush you along the border, as he also put quite a bounty on you. Please, my prince, you must be careful even outside of the empire and stay safe. Your devoted admirer, Seraphina."
"Hmph, it seems my husband is more popular than he lets on," Xin muttered, pressing closer to Zarba's side as she also read the letter along with him while her fingers dug possessively into his tunic. The scent of perfume made her nose wrinkle—too thick, too calculated. This woman is definitely desperately attempting to cling to her husband's memory through perfume.
'I'll let you off the hook this time since you are making yourself useful and warning him of the bounty and ambush…' Xin thought with a snort as she decided to allow Seraphina to approach Zarba in the future because of this warning letter, reluctantly, mind you.
Why did she feel reluctant even though she allowed Nadia to get involved with Zarba without much jealousy? That's because in Xin's eyes Nadia's position is already below her, while Seraphina is at the same level since Xin can't control her like Nadia, who is basically her and Zarba's slave that she has total power over… so she considers Seraphina as a threat to her status as Zarba's only wife.
"Ahem, Prince Zarba, there is one more thing," Helga interrupted them, as there is still something more that she needs from him. "Lady Seraphina also hopes that I obtain your reply—preferably written—lest I return empty-handed and she throw a tantrum..."
Helga's lips twitched with suppressed amusement at her friend as she gestured to her suitcase, where all of her stuff is magically inside. "I've parchment and ink if you don't have any—"
"It's fine, it's fine, I have my own," Zarba interrupted with a wave of his hand, already signaling a summoned maid to bring him writing supplies from the carriage. "How about you come take a rest under the umbrella in the meantime while I write a letter? The journey through the sky on a broom must be quite taxing for you, right?"
Helga blinked—his tone was more friendly, but she noticed that the Zar-Bros hadn't relaxed their grip on their weapons despite that. Still, she smiled and approached cautiously with her broom and luggage.
"Thank you for your hospitality then," she said, though she tensed slightly as she sat near Xin—who was eyeing her like a cat sizing up another cat.
"You must be quite an accomplished magician if you managed to create a flying broom that can… well, fly," Xin remarked as the summoned maid brought a set of parchment and ink before Zarba along with a small table for him to write on. Xin's fingers traced the picnic blanket beneath her as she studied Helga's half-concealed face—her long bangs obscured her green eyes while her pink lips curved into a proud smirk after hearing Xin inquire about her magic broom.
"Oh, this?" Helga patted her broom dismissively, though the obvious pride tinged her voice. "It's just a simple prototype for now—still drinks mana like a drunkard at harvest festival~."
"Oh my, it's still an impressive magic item since no one has managed to make such a stable one that can carry a person..." Xin praised Helga while she looked at the broom with curiosity. It's not every day that Xin happens to meet another magician, so she wants to exchange some knowledge with her.
"Say, do you have a thought of creating a carriage version…" The two magicians then begin their discussion of magic stuff, which bored Nadia, who was listening to them nearby.
"Haaa, can't you two speak human or something?" Nadia mumbled with a yawn while rubbing her sleepy eyes...