Chapter 1358 - 1298: The Queen Returns (Part 2)

"This time, I will protect you, and I won’t let anyone harm or bully you again," Kiya solemnly promised Paige Desmond.

Paige didn’t say anything; she just started to smile, and the sound of her laughter clearly showed her distrust in him.

"I know you don’t trust me, but it’s okay. I’ll prove it to you!" Kiya said firmly.

Kiya was pleased to bring his wife and children back to the palace where Paige used to live.

Although Paige never showed him a pleasant expression, Kiya was still happy.

If you want to know how much Kiya cares for Paige, just look at the palace. Everything remained unchanged from when Paige left, except for the skincare products Paige used on the dressing table, all replaced with the latest ones.

Ella was lying on the bed, sleeping; perhaps due to the hot weather, beads of sweat were evident on her little nose.

"Erya?" Paige walked over, holding her small hand and gently calling.

"She’s doing well, eating and sleeping perfectly."

Paige’s face changed instantly. Kiya thought Paige was still holding a grudge against him for taking Ella away, but Paige was actually jealous.

Ella could eat and sleep well without her mother’s presence; what was a mother supposed to think?

"Dylan, you and Alan go to rest first; I’ll call you when it’s time to eat," Kiya sent his son away.

"Okay."

Kiya sent everyone else away, leaving only him and Paige in the room, allowing him to speak without reservation.

Knowing Paige was still angry, Kiya lowered his tone, carefully placating, "...I know what I did was inappropriate, but dragging it on, you definitely wouldn’t have decided to come back."

"..."

"Paige, do you know how many sleepless nights I’ve had without you by my side?"

After talking for a long time and receiving no response from Paige, Kiya pulled her hand and said, "I know I’m wrong; could you forgive me this once?"

Paige pulled her hand back, her expression indifferent, "Isn’t the Queen Mother looking for you? Go see her."

Kiya’s face stiffened, staring at Paige’s small hand, feeling uneasy.

"You don’t need to worry about my mother; she’s bedridden now and can’t trouble you anymore."

Paige sneered coldly.

Seeing their daughter still sleeping, Kiya kissed Paige’s lips and then pressed her onto the bed. Paige, still furious, had no inclination for intimacy.

She suddenly pushed him away; Kiya was unprepared and fell to the ground, appearing rather embarrassed.

"You..." Kiya was annoyed.

"I’m tired and need to rest." Paige turned her back, unwilling to look at Kiya.

Kiya saw that Paige wouldn’t be appeased for a while and didn’t force her. He got up from the ground, tidied his clothes, and said,

"Since you’re tired, rest well. I won’t disturb you..."

Paige directly closed the curtains, refusing to speak with Kiya.

Kiya’s words caught in his throat, unable to continue.

He gazed for a moment at the woman lying beside their daughter, back turned to him, sighed, and left.

Paige waited for the footsteps to fade away and finally open her eyes slowly.

"Kiya, your mother won’t accept me!" Paige softly spoke as she gazed at her sleeping daughter.

In Kiya’s eyes, that woman is the one who gave him life; no matter her faults, she is his mother. So, no matter how flawed the Queen Mother is, Kiya would never think ill of her.

In reality, the Queen Mother cannot accept her.

Her return doomed a life impossible to be peaceful.

...

Just as Paige expected, Kiya was reprimanded heavily by his mother.

"Are all the women in the world dead? Must it be her?" The Queen Mother said bitterly.

"..."

"What kind of woman is she? Can she be a good queen?"

Kiya stood there coldly, not refuting a single word from the Queen Mother. Yet, she knew her son had made up his mind; no matter what she said, Kiya was ignoring her words.

"Kiya, I’m now disabled and useless; is this why you ignore me..." The Queen Mother choked with emotion.

"Queen Mother, the doctor said your health isn’t good, so rest here peacefully." Kiya spoke without looking at her, then found a reason to leave.

All he could think about now was Paige, contemplating asking the kitchen to prepare some dishes Paige loves.

When he was in Sileria City, Kiya found out Paige loved spicy lotus root slices, so he thought of having the kitchen prepare it for her.

Kiya personally went to the kitchen, startling the chefs.

Men from Abyanabad don’t enter kitchens, let alone the Sultan himself.

The head chef thought there was a major mistake in the kitchen, seeing the Sultan himself, feeling tense and anxious.

"Sultan, what brings you to this place?" The head chef asked, trembling with fear.

Kiya wandered around the vast kitchen, large as half a football field, and had a backup kitchen in case of too many guests.

chefs, wearing uniform white attire, stood there, heads lowered, not daring to look at the Sultan.

"Can you make spicy lotus root slices?" Kiya asked.

"What?" The head chef had never heard of it.

Kiya repeated, "Spicy lotus root slices."

The head chef, with over forty years of experience, had never heard of it, "Sultan, sorry, I’ve never heard of this dish."

Kiya frowned; the head chef, noticing, grew more uneasy, "Sultan, I’ll immediately look up how to make it; rest assured, I’ll learn it."

"I forgot there isn’t any lotus root here," Kiya suddenly said.

The head chef said, "Lotus root? What’s this ingredient?"

Kiya pondered and instructed Gavin, "Gavin, take the head chef to Desmond Manor, dig up some lotus roots for me, and we’ll have spicy lotus root slices for dinner."

Gavin: ...

Head Chef: ...

...

At dinner, the family of four gathered to eat.

The spicy lotus root slices stood out among the Abyanabad cuisine; Kiya expected Paige to smile for this dish, but Paige didn’t touch it.

"Paige, don’t you love spicy lotus root slices? Try them and see how they taste?"

Paige lowered her head, eating only the dish in front of her, without tasting anything else.

Kiya sighed and said, "We are meant to spend our lives together; why cause yourself such trouble?"

"..."

"Can’t go on this way, unhappy every day?"

"I’m full." Paige put down her chopsticks.

"You barely ate anything."

Looking at her son, Paige said, "I’ll go accompany your sister; after you finish your meal, come and play with her for a while."

"Understood, Mom."