Ball of Nothing

The date concluded safely, and Zero returned to the coral palace full of smiles. Queen Leah requested a private dinner audience with him, and Zero was given two hours to prepare. He had a lot of fun and thought that Queen Leah might have enjoyed it just as much. Indra Seagloo was an amazing place, and Zero wondered when people would get over their misunderstandings. Of course, Sebastian's ship-eating habits were problematic, but Queen Leah couldn't be blamed entirely for her spoiled pet's behaviour. Still, he wondered what she was going to talk about.

Zero was dressed up for dinner, and Queen Leah was already waiting for him in her bedroom. Of all the places in the coral palace, this was one of the rooms he never visited. It just simply wasn't right to visit a lady's room unless the lady invited him. Even Eros wouldn't be this shameless.

"Hello, Zero. Won't you take a seat and join me? Can you have alcohol?"

Zero wanted to say yes but remembered how angry Truen would be if he found out and declined. Instead, he opted for some strange tea. Anything would be better than alcohol.

Once the maids served the dishes, they bowed and retreated. Apart from Queen Leah and Zero, there was nobody else around, not even Bob. Zero felt slightly awkward dining with the sea queen, who looked very serene. Compared to her wild image racing on a seahorse that afternoon, this queen felt the most unfamiliar to Zero. She looked very old and tired.

Today's dinner was grilled mackerel, one of Zero's favourites ever since he came to Indra Seagloo. They ate in silence as Zero let thought fly around in his head. How should he help Queen Leah find her ideal lover? Better still, was it even possible? After getting to know the great water sprite better, he felt that there might not be a need for her to find a lover at all. She looked happier without worrying about finding someone else to spend a better part of her life with.

The queen was loved by her people and found that she enjoyed helping others a great deal. The Leah Zero knew when they mad galloped earlier was someone who enjoyed freedom a lot. Getting into a relationship must feel like a deadweight upon the shackles of being a ruler. That must feel like too much burden in his eyes, but what could he say? This was not his choice to make.

"My council disapproved of you," she told Zero after wiping her mouth with a napkin. Zero was still savouring the grilled mackerel and froze comically when he heard that.

Seeing how ridiculous Zero looked in his handsome elven transformation, she could almost see the cute doctor in his smaller human form freezing in the act like he'd done something wrong. It made her crack up so badly that Zero decided he might as well eat a few more mouthfuls while waiting for the queen to collect herself.

Slightly in tears from laughing too much, Queen Leah had to admit. Zero had a kind of charisma despite his silliness that made people like him. Too bad his personality was that of an ȧsshole. However, this might be for the better. His eyes reflect purity untainted by the darkness of their world, and his innocent opinions helped to remind her about what was most important.

For the longest time ever since she founded Indra Seagloo, Queen Leah forgot all about being a woman. Every morning when she woke up and wore the crown, she was a queen. A queen must always put her people first. Her life, her name, her freedom and her opinions mattered not. After a few centuries living like this, Queen Leah completely forgot what it was to be just Leah. Today, Zero reminded her about it.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Zero asked, feeling slightly nervous.

Queen Leah sighed. "What do you think? I don't really know what to tell them. I'm a little tired of trying to find a good mate. Indra Seagloo is doing well with just a queen. Is there really a need to introduce a king? I've been thinking about it all afternoon after your brief comment."

Zero refused to comment. This wasn't his decision to make. He couldn't bear the responsibilities for his suggestion. After all, this was something that would affect the kingdom of Indra Seagloo.

"Would you be happier without a lover?" he asked.

Queen Leah thought about it and drained her glass of wine. Zero helped to refill it, and Queen Leah sighed. "It would be lonely to not have anyone to talk to as Leah once you're gone, but I guess I would be happier not putting my heart into someone else's hands and risking the stability of my country. Having someone to share this burden would be a blessing, but if there isn't one, I'm perfectly capable of ruling Indra Seagloo for however long this takes."

Zero smiled. "What about a friend?"

The sea queen blinked. "I'm sorry?"

The doctor clinked their glasses together. "A friend. One to listen to Leah and share your burdens emotionally while accompanying you to race on seahorses when you want to stop being Queen Leah for a day. Someone you can spoil and will spoil you in return. someone who understands you and accepts everything about you unconditionally."

Queen Leah thought about it. "Where do I find such a gem?"

The doctor sipped his tea. Wasn't the answer obvious? That person must be really hurt if she knew. Even Bob and Truen told him that her eyes were red when they saw her after the date ended. Priscilla must have been conflicted to know that the queen she served had such a side to her that she never knew despite the number of years she served under her.

"How about trying to accept yourself a little more? Treat yourself kinder and take time to stop being Queen Leah. Your council should understand that. Besides, those people are getting paid their worth in salt. In my opinion, it is only fair that they shoulder the burdens of a queen a little more for the sake of this country's stability."

Queen Leah nodded. Indeed, she should start delegating more work to her council and recruit more talent to ȧssist her. There was no real need for her to bury her fin into work at every waking hour. Initially, when she was building Indra Seagloo, there were no other alternatives. Now, she could afford to let go of these responsibilities and sit back to enjoy the fruits of her labour.

"What do you suggest I do after I get some free time?"

Zero blinked. "How about a tea party? You can organise one and invite the people who have been working hard to ȧssist you from behind the scenes all these years. Talk to them, listen to them and maybe thank them. I'm sure they would be pleased to receive such an invitation. The people of Smargdas host social functions like this to establish favourable bonds and impressions with different departments."

Queen Leah listened with interest and asked about more stories. The ways of land-dwellers were unique and very interesting. They had a child monarch who didn't do work. Instead, it was the group of capable nobles under the king's name who did the work. In the land of dwarves, the king was a puppet. His wife and daughter were more capable rulers, and before his daughter took the mantle, his chancellor did.

"What about the giants?" she asked.

Zero laughed. He told her about how the king, who was the ruler, had fallen into a coma and how his wife had to deal with everything even if she didn't know everything because she was originally a warrior.

Time passed very quickly as they chatted, and by the time morning came, Queen Leah decided to do something that took Zero by surprise.

"Thank you. I think I know what I want to do now. This tiara contains the Mermaid's Tear. You can have it. It's not a family heirloom or anything."

Shocked, Zero refused. "I will take the Mermaid's Tear gem out and find something else to replace the gemstone."

Picking up a random hair accessory, Zero used magic to transform it into the tiara. He couldn't allow people to find out that the crown was missing. It would cause mayhem.

Queen Leah looked at the replica and wore it without fuss. It was time to organise that tea party and pass her new orders to the noisy council.