Chapter 457: Meeting with the Heroes of the Federation
"Irene!" — Hazel exclaimed when she saw Irene getting out of the SUV in front of the Royal Grand Hall Hotel. She ran up to her friend and hugged her tightly.
Yulaya came up behind her unhurriedly.
"Hazel, Yulaya, I'm so glad to see you again!" Irene greeted her friends with a sincere smile.
Hazel and Yulaya exchanged glances, quickly catching Irene's joyful mood. They knew that after what happened more than ten days ago, their friend had almost stopped smiling. And no matter how many times they met during that time, she was always in a gloomy mood.
"Did something good happen?" they asked each other through the Souls Force.
Irene noticed their strange behavior and, roughly understanding what they were thinking, decided to remain silent.
Arslan, leaving his SUV in the care of a hotel employee, approached the girls.
"Hazel, Yulaya, I'm glad to see you too!" he greeted with a smile.
Both girls stared at him, then at Irene, and then back at Arslan.
"Is there really something going on between you two?" asked Hazel, unable to stand it.
There have been rumors for a long time that Irene and Arslan are having an affair. However, apart from the fact that they were often seen together, there was no other confirmation of this information.
"Hey!" — Hazel jumped when Yulaya pinched her side.
"Don't pay attention to her question," Yulaya intervened, addressing Irene and Arslan. They just smiled back.
Yulaya, unlike the straightforward Hazel, was more perceptive. She understood without any confirmation that something was really going on between their friend and Arslan. Knowing her friend Irene and Arslan's background, Yulaya knew better than to talk about it.
After interrupting Hazel, Yulaya began to look around as if she was looking for someone.
"Eldest sister Esma didn't come?" — Yulaya was disappointed when she couldn't find who she was looking for.
"No, she stayed at my house to look after those three," Irene replied, explaining the reason for Esma's absence.
At this time, Arslan's lips twitched.
"Big sister? When did Esma become Yulaya's older sister? If she became Yulaya's sister, then Hazel too?" he thought. Then, picturing Esma next to these two girls, Arslan noticed an amazing similarity between them. Especially their height and personalities.
"The others haven't come yet?"
Looking around, Irene didn't find the other two guild leaders she had called.
"Not yet," Yulaya shook her head. "We're the first ones here."
"Ren probably lost track of time admiring his sword. As for Rachel, I heard that Nathan is back. So you have to understand why she's late," Hazel said with a playful tone.
"No wonder, they just got married recently, and their passion probably hasn't cooled down yet, especially considering that Nathan is constantly on the move," Arslan supported Hazel's words, while glancing at Irene.
Irene didn't show any reaction to his looks, and Arslan just sighed.
"We're here because of this mysterious guild called the Kingdom?" asked Yulaya of Irene.
Irene nodded, confirming her friend's guess.
Less than a minute later, the silent Ren appeared. He had a wide bamboo hat on his head that hid his face, and one of his hands, as usual, rested on the hilt of his sword.
Rachel appeared behind him, out of breath, with an apologetic expression on her face. Under the strange stares of her friends, she became embarrassed and even blushed a little. She looked completely different than usual now.
"That's how the appearance of a beloved partner changes people, isn't it?"— the words uttered by Hazel confused Rachel even more.
The others just smiled.
When everyone whom Irene had invited had gathered, they entered the hotel in a friendly group. After quickly explaining the reasons for their visit at the reception desk and informing them that they were expected, they went upstairs.
Knock, knock.
Irene knocked on the door of the luxurious suite where Idan and Arabel were staying.
Click. Less than ten seconds later, the door opened, and a girl with long brown hair and heterochromia of the eyes appeared in front of them.
"Wow, there are six Heroes of the Federation at once," Hailey said in surprise. "It's been a long time."
"It really has been a long time, Hailey," Irene replied, studying her closely. The others were also familiar with Hailey, because they were all part of the first group of one hundred awakened ones.
"Come on in, come on in, don't be shy," remembering her new status, Hailey forced a smile and motioned everyone inside.
Hailey, moving strangely, went inside, inviting them to follow her inside.
When they saw Hailey's strange gait, they began to wonder what had happened to her.
"Are you all right? What happened?" asked Arslan, turning to Hailey. Yesterday, when he left, the girl was fine.
"Oh, nothing much, just learned an important life lesson," Hailey replied, laughing strangely.
She led everyone into the living room, where Idan and Arabel were already waiting for them, dressed in new looks. For now, they didn't want to reveal their true identities and asked Arslan to tell Irene not to reveal them to the rest of the Guild leaders.
Although these four Guild leaders were all friends of Irene and Arslan, Idan and Arabel decided to be careful and not take any chances.
Idan, in the form of Ignis, sat with a relaxed smile on his face, and Arabel, in the form of Elsa, looked gloomy. The recent incident in the kitchen had soured her mood, and she hadn't fully recovered from it yet. This gave her image a special gloominess.
Hailey couldn't look up at Arabel. Her buttocks burned from the slaps she received from Arabel, and even walking was painful.
Over the past ten days, Hailey had managed to forget how painful and humiliating it was when Arabel spanked her for the first time in front of her subordinates. And now, because of her actions, she was punished in front of a representative of another world, which was another blow to her.
Fortunately, Idan did not see this, having left the kitchen before Arabel made her first move towards Hailey.
But Hailey knew she deserved it.
"Hmm, — Arabel chuckled, looking at Hailey.
Hailey's behavior made her a little angry. Not only did she stop Arabel from spending some more time with Idan, but she also scattered the food she had been cooking so diligently around the kitchen. Although Idan had already received his portion, Arabel had put all her efforts into cooking the entire dish, not just a portion of it, and Hailey had dared to spoil her work.
Arabel didn't want such an undisciplined employee on their team. So she decided to show Hailey what would happen if she didn't change her behavior.