The King's Queen

Chapter 17

Esmeralda Dolby
Age: 82

*°*

After the wonderful meeting I'd had with the prinarch, note my sarcasm, I got ready to leave the palace and visit Micah's house. I'd already gotten permission to leave from the royal family. I had planned on taking only one bodyguard with me to make things easier for Esmeralda, but since I was going to the Common Realm, I had no choice but to bring both of them.

Garrett drove us to the address I gave him and after an hour, we pulled up at their house. Sure enough, as Micah had said, there was a red sign on the lawn with a picture of a skull and crossbones that warned all royals and nobles to stay away. The sign probably confused most of the people in the neighborhood as it was rare for royals and nobles to come into the Common Realm, much less in that specific district.

They had no idea that Micah and Esmeralda were not human. Omegas were the closest rank to humans and they blended in quite nicely. The reason for the sign was most likely because of Micah's bullies who occasionally travelled from the Royal and Noble Realms and lay-waited him on his way to and from school or work. Micah had begged me not to get involved and promised that he'd tell me if it got too serious. Jun had noticed some bruises on Micah when they'd went skiing on Christmas and took care of the bully himself.

I put on my headscarf and sunglasses before exiting the car. Violet and Garrett, who I'd asked to wear casual clothes instead or their black work suits, followed close behind me. To anyone looking out their windows, we were just regular people visiting an elderly lady and her grandson. That was how Micah and Esmeralda had introduced themselves to the neighbors. Calling Micah her grandson was far easier than explaining how he'd come to be in her custody. Besides, she truly treated him like her grandson.

I rang the doorbell and my bodyguards shuffled beside me, no doubt not knowing what to expect from Esmeralda, the famed slingshot toting grandma who kept a watchful eye out for Betas like themselves. No projectiles had been launched at them so far, so I suppose Micah had told her that we would be coming.

In a moment, I heard bustling behind the door and the sound of the chain unlocking before it swept open. Micah was standing there and his eyes lit up when he saw me. "Elizabeth, you're here!" He invited us in and we stepped into the cozy living room.

"Look who finally decided to visit," a voice came from down the hall. There was the sound of footsteps and then Esmeralda appeared. "What breeze blew you here?"

"I felt like a visit was long overdue." I looked around at the place in awe. "It's beautiful in here. You have an eye for home décor."

They had completely transformed it into their home. Ashton had bought it fully furnished and had sent me a picture proudly, saying he thought they'd like it. Esmeralda had immediately ordered him to get rid of the furniture and wouldn't move in until it was stripped bare.

I ended up intervening via video call and begged her to reconsider accepting it as it was since we wanted them to be comfortable. She'd argued that accepting a house from a royal had already injured her pride enough. She didn't want the furniture too. In the end we reached a compromise. They could keep their furniture but replace whatever was broken or faulty with the new furniture.

Ashton had everything else sold and deposited the money into Micah's bank account. I don't think Micah touched the money, but he would have it whenever he needed it in case of an emergency.

"I did what I could," she murmured. "That boy would have stayed moping around forever if the place didn't look good so I had to turn this house into a home."

"Thank you, Esmeralda." I smiled and held out the bouquet I'd brought with me. "Here, I've brought you some flowers."

"Hm." She took them, eyeing my bodyguards warily. It was then that I noticed the slingshot in her hand. I stifled a laugh at that. She looked at the flowers and although she didn't show it, there was a happy glint in her eyes.