Boquila

Isabella watched the commotion with interest. There was so much going on, she thought it was entertaining. The woman was crying and Rafael was calming her down as they walked towards the stairway. Following them was an entourage of maids and a man in a blue shirt which came like a bolt of lightning upon the short phone call from Rafael. Sweats drenched his shirt and he barely caught up to his breath when he entered the manor.

For a while, she was numb to her pain.

"Mr. Rafael!" Isabella called and instantly felt eyes all over her.

She heard the woman asked who she was and Rafael diligently explained to the woman, before attending to her.

"Miss Isabella, what is it?" he asked in a rush. His face adorned a serious expression, telling her that he had the least time to spend on her.

"May I come along?" Isabella asked as she forced herself to get up, holding at the armrest of the sofa to support her body. He should be persuaded by now after everything that she did. All the hints that she gave, it should be enough to build trust in him that she indeed could heal his younger sister.

She waited for an answer, however, the man simply ignored her and proceed to ascend the stair with his entourage. She saw the woman's eyes lingered on her for quite some time as if to warn her not to meddle in the matter. Isabella took a deep breath and sat on the sofa. She failed.

"Miss Isabella, Sir Rafael asks you to leave once you are done with the plant. He also asked you to read this contract and once you understand everything, you're welcome to start your tutoring anytime soon," a maid approached Isabella with a transparent folder on her hand.

Isabella took the folder and put it on her lap. She gave a nod. A small smile on her face when she heard the first sentence. Rafael had been accommodating to her without much fuss. To a human, what she did could be categorized as weird, but he went along with it. Whether he was really smart or just making fun of her, Isabella was still grateful. Regardless, he wasn't someone she could influence so easily.

As soon as the maid left, Isabella felt a sharp pain inside her head and something seemed to explode inside her. She knew her mana had taken control of her defensive human body. Soon, her pores began to emit shamrock mist followed by a slight phantom smells. This was the grim phase that could lead to her doom.

'Queen!' Pickley forced her way out of Isabella's consciousness and flew anxiously around her queen. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the shamrock mist surrounding her queen's body. The smell of coppery made tears fall from her eyes. Her queen had been subjugated by her own power... if only, if only she was useful right now.

"Why...did you...come out? S-someone might be able to see you," Isabella mumbled. There was a grimace on her face from the extreme pain she was feeling at the moment.

'Queen, c-can you walk? Let's go outside,' Pickley knew she mustn't panic, she was the only fairy in her queen's generation that reincarnated alongside her. She should be her clarity whenever she faced trouble. Although her queen was one of the most powerful fairy queens among the generations of queens, once subjugation happened, no matter the status, her queen would be at her most vulnerable state.

'I'll try,' Isabella knew that she was treading on a thin line right now. If she didn't do anything, everything that she did so far would be meaningless. She rose from the sofa, but with no way of controlling her body, she ended up falling on the floor.

Isabella refused to give up and held onto the coffee table with her right hands. She tried to stand up, but every trial sent her back to the floor. Pickley who was by the side cried silently as she watched the struggles of her queen. It was a painful sight to look at especially when she couldn't do anything to help.

"What happened here?" a hoarse voice suddenly inquired from the end of the coffee table. She looked up and saw Bernard with two pots of plants. His judging eyes were staring at her sharply.

"Miss Isabella, what are you doing on the floor? Wait, why do you smell like copper? No, no, no did you burn something? Did you ruin something?" he asked a lot of questions that it was annoying. However, to Isabella, Bernard was her savior.

"Give me those!" she held out her hands asking for the plants in both his muscled hands. Bernard looked at the woman in apprehension. He was right to assume that she was an odd woman. When he came in earlier he thought that she had already left, but surprisingly she was still here hiding behind the coffee table.

Pickley was fumed with irritation when she saw Bernard's motionless figure. Angered, she spat on his cheek and slapped it with her wings.

Feeling an extreme coldness mixed with sudden pain on his right cheek, Bernard cursed as he rubbed his shoulder onto it.

"Bernard, give me the plants!" Isabella was feeling desperate. She could feel her consciousness fading. Seeing her desperation, a sinister smile emerged on Bernard's face as he bent her knees, crouching down in front of her.

"Sure, I'll let you play with these plants but... I need you to promise that you will not appear in front of Rafael or Belleze," he demanded. Isabella could see the glint of triumph in the pairs of slanted eyes he possessed.

Isabella stared at the man who seemed to be more happier than curious as to why she was in the state she was in right now. Bernard was truly a bizarre human being, in just a few hours, he had been showing all kinds of emotions. Instead of hating him, Isabella thought that he was interesting.

"Sure," she gave in.

'Queen!' Pickley couldn't believe that her queen would let a human played around with her. When she heard Bernard laughed at the taste of victory, she was pissed off even more. If only, if only her power was half to a hundred, she would definitely sing a song to twist his tongue. However, when she saw the sharp eyes of her queen, she couldn't help but feel excited and a realization came to her.

True, as long as her queen could recover, dealing with this man wouldn't be a problem to her. Pickley was instantly appeased.

"Heh, what a stupid woman. I think you're definitely crazy. Here, enjoy your plants!" Bernard didn't miss the chance to ridicule Isabella. He dropped the pots of plants in front of her with a mouth that only knew how to say contemptuous words.

Isabella ignored his insults and touched the first leaf of the first plant. Unexpectedly, Bernard had brought one of the most suitable plants for her. It was an Emerald arborvitae, a pot plant that could share the same pot with other plants well because of its unique shape and texture. With that said, its flexibility allowed her to funnel a large amount of mana without burdening the plant itself.

The corner of her lips curled to a sly angle as she thought about the somehow ironic situation she was in. If Bernard knew about it, he must be spitting more foul words by now. Isabella didn't hesitate any more and started directing her mana into the plant, going from one leaf to another. The excruciating pain she felt earlier began to subside. Subjugation was the most dangerous circumstance for a fairy queen, however, the countermeasure was really easy. Except that if you were alone, there was no doubt of dying.

Once Isabella was done with the Emerald arborvitae, she moved to the one resembled a bergenia plant. At this moment, she had managed to funnel at least ten percent of her excessive mana into the plant. It was a sufficient deficit which allowed her to take control of her human body again. Sitting in a lotus position, she touched the first leaf of the bergenia plant.

'Huh? This isn't a bergenia,' she thought in a surprised and leaned closer to spectate the plant. She noticed that the leaf belonged to a vine that wraps around the tiny stems of the Emerald arborvitae. A frown appeared on her face when she finally realized what it was.

'Pickley, what do you think about this plant?' she asked telepathically. Pickley flew near the plant and begin to analyze it. Like her queen, she too was frowning upon knowing the true nature of the plant.

'Queen, this is-' Pickley swallowed her saliva.

'A vine. To be more exact, it's called Boquila,' Isabella completed Pickley's incomplete sentence.

'But, this can't be here. It's native is the temperate forest of country C. Besides, how did it mimic a bergenia leaf, this leaf is huge. I never saw something like this,' Pickley, when it came to plants, would drop all formality. She was now talking to her queen as if talking to a friend.

Isabella didn't mind the informality, all she cared about was the content. Pickley was indeed saying the truth. However...

'It's possible if you have the extreme green fingers talent,' she muttered and began to muse of those who possessed such a terrifying talent.

"Miss Isabella, you've been staring at the plant for a while now. When are you going to finish? You should know, you cannot carry these plants home, these belong to the Young Miss," Bernard had been watching Isabella caressing the plants non-stopped as if it was some sort of treasure. He thought that she really had a problem somewhere inside her head.

Isabella and Pickley looked at each other. Now, they must see this Young Miss!