"We were inside the Hell's Gate."
Samael shrugged, jerking his chin towards Claude to explain it better.
"To make it short and simple, the time in Hell's Gate runs differently from reality. When we luckily got out of it, it's been two years," explained Claude as he recalled what they went through that only felt like it happened overnight. "In that place, an entire day and night are equal to a year in the real world. That is also the reason we just arrived in this place just now."
"So you're saying, you… also disappeared from this world for the past two years?"
"Exactly." Claude rocked his head. "We're surprised that when we asked about the Haimirich Empire, no one seemed to remember it. Good thing Tilly knows where Sunny was, so we just followed her heart."
Conan knitted his brows as he mulled about it. "In other words, you also don't have any idea of the mainland, huh?"
"Just because we hadn't gone there doesn't mean we know nothing about the mainland." Samael snickered. "Who doesn't know about the Mainland? Even if no one is interested, people just keep talking about it that you'd know more than you actually want to."
Samael then cocked his head in Abel's direction. "Uncle, I don't know what are your preferences, but your wife is a real nutcase."
"Lady Aries?" Conan furrowed his brows.
"Lady Aries now rules the mainland." Isaiah, who had been silent, standing a few steps behind Abel's chair, spoke. "No one knew how and why Maximus let her be, but that is what's the current news."
"Ahh…" Abel rocked his head with a lack of interest, which didn't surprise anyone.
"Since the establishment of the Mainland, everyone just calls my grandmama Queen. She's really at the top of the world," Sunny chimed in since she was Isaiah's intel for the past two years. "She's also terrifying. Rumors have it that the Queen has no mercy. I heard she even deployed her soldiers to a small land, and that land disappeared without a trace."
There was a moment of silence after Sunny's remarks. Conan lowered his eyes and then snuck a look at Abel. His brows knitted, seeing that Abel doesn't show the slightest surprise.
"Your Majesty, how come you're not reacting?" asked Conan out of pure curiosity. "Do you have any idea about this?"
"No, but I've always known she's amazing." Abel smiled and shrugged, warranting odd looks from the rest.
"Now I understand where Uncle Hell got his personality." Claude's face scrunched up in dismay. "Your wife had turned villainous. I don't know why Mister Fabian is assisting her, but —"
"Ah!" Sunny clapped. "That's because Mister Fabian wields Maleficent and my grandmama is Maleficent. So they fell in love at first sight!"
"Fabian?" Samael's face contorted. "I don't think love and Fabian can ever be put in the same sentence."
"But that's what he said, right, grandpa?" Sunny set her adorable eyes on Abel, only to see the latter shrug.
"I don't care about what that man feels about my wife. He's not the first to hold such romantic feelings for her. But alas, she's mine."
"Really… it's uncanny that I feel like listening to Uncle Hell's dialogues," mumbled Claude, darting his eyes between Samael and Abel.
"What else can I say? My wife is the best, and I can't blame others to desire the best." Abel and Samael uttered in unison, which made them look at each other in slight surprise.
"They even speak the same thing now." Claude shook his head while the uncle and nephew duo smiled at each other.
"What happened?" Suddenly, the conversation which was getting side-tracked once again was set straight when Tilly's tiny voice caressed their ears.
"Hmm?" Abel raised his brows as he faced his sister.
"How come you were trapped, Abel?" Tilly slowly lifted her empty eyes to Abel. "That is unlike you."
Silence once again descended in the dining hall. All eyes were on Abel. That was right, they thought. For these people, they knew Abel was the person who could help them since Tilly claimed he was the strongest Grimsbanne so far. However, it was a mystery to them how he got stuck in Maleficent's world.
<strong>It couldn't be because of love, right?</strong>
"Well…" Abel drew a breath as he gloss his eyes over their faces. "It was true that we prepared for Maximus's plans. However, it turns out that some people I trusted drew my wife to the corner."
"Hah…" Samael leaned back and stretched his arm over Law's seat. "... so some of your people betrayed you?"
"No." Abel's expression grew solemn, fixing his eyes back on Tilly.
Tilly didn't hold his gaze that long as she picked up another biscuit to take a bite. However, she paused upon hearing Abel's next remarks.
"It was a family who did." Abel waited for Tilly to set her eyes back on him. "Marsella. It was Marsella, Mathilda. The person who caused Ameria's sufferings, the person who handed that spear to that man named Fabian, and also the person who drove my wife to the corner."
What Abel confessed threw everyone in a lake of question marks. Especially Samael was the son of Ameria Grimsbanne, and Rufus, Fabian's brother. They're puzzled at different things, though.
Tilly blinked ever so slowly, lowering her eyes to her food. "I see."
"I am saying this to you now because I cannot guarantee I'd be able to show her mercy," remarked Abel solemnly and firmly. "I've been lenient enough. Next time, I'll have her head."
"No," Tilly replied under her breath, lifting her eyes to Samael and then to everyone before settling her gaze on her brother. "I promised Ameria to be the judge once the time comes. I reckoned this is the time for that."
"Be my guest." Abel nodded, shrugging. "Since that had been sorted out..."
He slowly raised his chin and faced the rest that fill this table.
"... prepare to set sail. We're going home. Back. To. Hell."