Ascension of the Monster Queen

Before they could leave the guild, the prince looked at them, then sighed before approaching them and they looked at him.

"Can you guys have dinner with me tonight?" He asked as they exchanged glances.

"Are you sure about that?" Ian asked and the prince smiled.

"Yeah, after everything that has been happening these past few days, I think it will be nice, so, do you guys agree?" He asked and they smiled at him.

"Yeah, we do, thanks," Yonja responded before bowing his head and the prince patted him on the shoulder.

"You are welcome and there is no need to do that," He said as he exited the guild along with them then he closed the door.

"So, where do you want to go?" Nessa asked and the prince looked at her then smiled.

"How about we go to the tavern? They have great food and drink there, we should have any problem with them, right guys?" The prince asked.

"Yeah, their food are good, quite tasty and they are popular around here, perfect place to go at a time like this, they are open quite late," Yonja responded and the others agreed with him.

"All right, then it's decided, let's go there," Nessa said and the prince smiled then they left, heading to the tavern.

After a bit of walking, they arrived at the tavern and they smiled when they saw that it was busy as usual.

"Is it always this busy?" The prince asked after they entered the tavern and the others smiled at him.

"It's usually busy, not this busy, but it's nothing out of the ordinary, though I see a lot of unfamiliar faces tonight," Yonja responded as they sat down and the prince looked around with his eyes narrowing.

"You guys don't think..." He said.

"Even if they are, we will handle it, you relax and let's just order our food, there is no need for us to worry about certain people, I know we cannot underestimate them but still," Nessa replied and he looked at her then she smiled as a waiter approached them.

"What would you guys like?" He asked and they each made their order then the waiter smiled at them and left while they waited and Nessa noticed that they were being watched and the others sensed it as well.

"We cannot do anything about it, can we?" Niva asked and Cortan patted her on the shoulder then she sighed.

"I would like to do something about it myself," Sophia said and Yonja smiled.

"I understand how you guys feel, but that won't help us in any way, we need to stay calm and remember what we need to do, if we make a rash move, who know what that could cause, we have to think about the people around us as well," Yonja replied.

"I don't want to agree with him, but he is right, we have to think this through carefully, if we do something that we shouldn't, it will not end well for any of us, it will probably ruin everything," Ian said and Nessa looked at Ismau and Terou then smiled and patted both of them on their heads.

'They are both right, we need to keep our cool and just eat and enjoy our meal, ignore them, be normal, it's all for what's to come next, to ensure that we don't fail in what we need to do," Adora added and the others looked at her then Niva sighed and Sophia exhaled deeply before bracing her head against Yonja's shoulder and he glanced at her then Nessa lifted his hand up and he glanced at her.

Nessa smiled as he stared at her then she placed his hand on Sophia's head and Sophia's cheeks flushed, then Yonja smiled and Nessa patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks," He mumbled.

"You don't have to thank me, but you are welcome," She said and he chuckled as the waiter brought their orders and placed it on the table, then they took what they ordered and Nessa took Isamu and Terou where animals were supposed to be and she fed them then rejoined the others.

"I have to say, this smells nice as usual, I don't come here often, just once in a while and I don't come at night," The prince said.

"Then I will tell you that it's good to get out sometimes and clear your mind, works for me, not every time, but most of it," Nessa replied and the prince chuckled.

"Under the night sky with the fresh air usually does it, right?" The prince asked and Nessa nodded then he scoffed.

"Well, let's start eating, we don't want to place all of this food to waste," He said and Nessa nodded then they began eating their share of the food.

While eating, Nessa sighed with a bit of relief, then poured herself a glass of wine and drank it. The smooth flow of the wine made Nessa relax a bit and she smiled before glancing at the guys that were watching them.

She wanted to confront them just like the others as well, but Nessa knew very well that it would be best to keep to themselves and ignore them, it would be better for everyone else.

"Lady Nessa, are you okay?" Isamu asked as he and Terou approached her and she glanced at him then smiled.

"Yeah, I am fine, you don't have to worry about me right now, I am calm, keep a watch on them for me please, can you do that?" She asked and both of them nodded then sat down by her side while watching those who were watching them without them even noticing.

"So, Nessa, are you leaving after all of this?" The prince asked.

"Yes, I am, I have a lot of things to take care of and I need to get them done, but before I leave I have a few answers to get then I will be on my way, even I have my own responsibilities," She responded and he smiled at her as the others exchanged glances.

"We didn't forget about it, I am pretty sure some of us have already decided," Ian said and Nessa looked at him then he as well as the others smiled and her she Isamu glanced at them as Nessa smiled, awaiting to hear what their answer would be.