Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 355 : I can do the same!

'What the hell is going on?' Alex thought, his expression a mix of disbelief and confusion as he witnessed something he never imagined he'd see today.

He hadn't known Freya for long, but he was confident that he had a solid grasp of her character. That was why he found it utterly shocking to see her not only bickering but now outright engaged in a fight with someone. Well, "fight" might have been an exaggeration—Freya wasn't retaliating. Instead, she was effortlessly dodging the attacks thrown at her by Kizzarae, making it look more like a game of cat and mouse than an actual brawl.

"Stay in place, you brat!" Kizzarae shouted, lunging at Freya once more. Yet, with ease, Freya sidestepped again, letting Kizzarae's attack sail through empty air.

It was almost comical—despite constantly calling Freya a "brat," Kizzarae herself was a full head shorter. Between the two of them, she was the one who looked more like the brat throwing a tantrum.

"Let's end this here," Freya said, catching Kizzarae by the wrists and holding her firmly in place. "I don't fancy making a spectacle of myself."

As soon as those words left her lips, those gathered around them—including Baron Drisidd—immediately looked away, feigning disinterest as if they hadn't been watching with rapt attention just moments ago. However, the same stunned expression Alex wore was mirrored on all their faces.

"Hmph, fine!" Kizzarae huffed, then turned back to Alex, her previous mischievous grin returning in full force. She stepped toward him with a teasing gleam in her eye. "Now, back to you," she purred, tilting her head. "Where were we again before a certain rude someone interrupted us?"

"Sorry, but… who are you?" Alex blurted out, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer.

For some reason, Kizzarae looked utterly delighted that he had asked. With an exaggerated flourish, she hopped onto her floating broom, spreading her arms wide in an overly dramatic pose.

"Behold!" she announced, her voice ringing with theatrical flair. "You stand before the magnificent, the unparalleled, the one and only Kizzarae Rize—a Grade Four Witch!" She let the words hang in the air for effect, before sneaking a glance at Freya, her grin widening. "Oh, and did I forget to mention? I'm also this brat's mother."

'What?!' Alex's mind screeched to a halt. 'Freya's mother?!'

At first, the revelation seemed almost reasonable—it would explain their familiarity and why Freya was acting so uncharacteristically. But then, his logical side kicked in.

'Wait… no. That doesn't make sense. Freya literally told me earlier that she wasn't close to her parents.'

Then another thought struck him.

'Besides, if Freya's mother is a witch… then that means Freya should be one too. And I highly doubt that's the case. Plus, weren't the Drazen supposed to only have orange hair?'

A moment later, he was proven correct as Freya snapped at Kizzarae, "How many times do I have to tell you to not say that, especially not in public?" She sighed and turned to Alex. "Don't think about what she said. She is not my mother, not my biological mother at least."

"Whatever, I have been more of a mother to you than she will ever be," Kizzarae snorted. This time, Freya remained silent, not having anything to retort back as Kizzarae was right.

"Now stop being a killjoy and let the grown-ups speak," Kizzarae said, waving her hand dismissively before turning her attention fully to Alex.

Freya's lips twitched, but she remained silent nonetheless. It could be said that the only person who could speak to her this way and come out unscathed was Kizzarae.

"Now onto you," Kizzarae said as she focused on Alex, ready to say something, but then her sole visible eye narrowed. "Who are you? Or rather, what are you?"

"Huh?" Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise. He expected to hear her ask him to create yet another explosion like the previous one, which was why her actual question caught him off guard. "What do you mean, what am I?" Alex questioned in a deep tone.

"I can't feel any presence coming from you," Kizzarae mentioned as her floating broom circled around Alex. "It's as if there was no one underneath this smoke mantle. The only thing I can sense is the smoke element. By any chance, could you be the spirit of the smoke element?" she asked as her broom stopped right in front of Alex's face.

"You know about the spirits?" Alex couldn't help himself from asking, as this was the first time he had come across someone who knew about them.

"Of course I know about spirits. All the witches know about them," Kizzarae rolled her eye. "So does that mean you are the smoke spirit?" she inquired once again, her eye shining in expectation.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I'm not the smoke element," Alex shook his head.

"Ah, I see," Kizzarae mumbled, a little disappointed. That disappointment didn't last long, though. "If you are not the smoke spirit, then what are you?"

Alex was about to reply when a voice came from the side, interrupting them.

"How are you doing, Lady Kizzarae?"

When they focused in the direction the voice was coming from, they saw Frieda bowing in their direction.

"Oh, it's you," Kizzarae said, not an ounce of warmth in her tone. "Hello, Frieda. I hope you have been doing well all this time," she replied, though her tone greatly contrasted with her words.

With her amiable smile still placated on her face, Frieda nodded her head. "I have been doing well. I hope that's also your case."

"Mmh," Kizzarae murmured before losing interest and turning her attention back to Freya, her expression growing serious for the first time since she appeared. "I have some news for you."

Freya's own expression grew serious once she heard this. Kizzarae was someone who was rarely serious, so once she saw her expression, Freya knew that whatever she wanted to say to her, it couldn't have been good news.

"Come with me, we will talk about it in a more secluded place," Freya said to Kizzarae. "Sorry to leave you here, Sir Arcanor, but it seems that serious matters have come up. I will instruct some soldiers to escort you wherever you want until the beginning of the auction."

Alex waved his hand. "I think I will just stay here to recuperate the mana I used up."

Freya nodded, hesitated for a moment before she said, "If you need anything from me—"

"You don't have to worry about me. I will be fine," Alex said.

Freya nodded and turned to leave with Kizzarae.

"Catch up with you later! I have a few questions for you!" Kizzarae shouted at Alex.

As they passed by her, both Freya and Kizzarae didn't notice Frieda's perplexed expression as she observed the markings on Freya's neck—markings that had been left by Alex.

'What are these?' she wondered. However, Frieda quickly lost interest in Freya as something far more pressing occupied her mind. 'Now that this bitch isn't with him, this is the perfect moment to convince him to come to my side!'

Unfortunately for Frieda, by the time she focused back on Alex, he was already meditating, and she didn't want to disturb him. So, in the end, she waited for him to finish.

As she waited, her attention was caught by a nearby conversation. At first, it seemed like idle chatter, but a few words stood out, making her sharpen her focus. 

"Really?" One of the guards whispered to another. "He was in her office that late?"

"I swear, she even looked pissed when she finally opened the door. I tell you, man, something is going on. I can feel it," the second guard replied.

The one who had just spoken was none other than the man who had interrupted Freya and Alex, and it seemed that he hadn't waited long before spilling the beans and sharing what happened to his buddies.

"You two, shut the hell up," a third guard said, walking over. "I don't think what you're thinking happened in that room actually happened. Remember, they were in the matriarch's office? They could have very well been discussing business. And even if it's not the case, it doesn't concern us. You want to keep your life, you better not share any of this with anyone else. I already regret hearing what you just said. Who knows what might happen to me now?" he warned as he walked away.

Hearing this, the other two guards gulped in dread and immediately decided to keep their mouths shut.

Fortunately, no one had heard them—that's what they thought, at least. But unbeknownst to them, Frieda had overheard everything. Thinking back to the marks she had seen on Freya, she started to piece things together.

'That slut!' Frieda spat under her breath. 'I always knew she wasn't playing fair.'

After a while, she calmed herself and carefully reconsidered everything she had heard. As she did, an idea began to form in her mind.

'If she convinced him by spreading her legs, then I can certainly do the same to snatch him away from her,' she thought, a determined expression settling on her face.