Maria's chin trembled as tears poured out of her eyes, feeling guilty that she was pulling down her son but happy at the same time that she had such a loving son. Despite the power and status he held, he never turned his back on her but instead, as a dutiful son, took care of her all these years.
She knew the kind of world she was living in, and someone like Arthur was very rare that she doubted if all the other princes were as kind and loving as him.
"Mother, you are crying again. I told you not to think about any sad things. Everything is going to be alright, and at that time, you will even revert back to your original appearance," Arthur said with a small smile as he wiped her tears off while Maria sniffled.
Maria weakly smiled as she said in a feeble voice, "Fine...I won't cry. But promise me that you won't try too hard looking after me at the cost of your own happiness and wellbeing. If I see you enduring more than what you could bear, I wouldn't be able to sit still and keep watching."
She continued, "I also know that as a crown prince, you are facing pressure from people for not being as strong as your sister, Reva. But you already are strong enough, and there is no need for you to listen to people and try to keep up with their expectations. She's a good girl, and you even told me that she tried to help me in some ways. You both are good children blessed by the gods but in different ways, so don't bother about those things."
Maria's hand was caressing Arthur's hand, giving him comfort and strength at the same time.
Arthur gave a small smile as he said, "I know, mother. Don't worry, I am happy."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})His tone indeed sounded happy, but a gleam of pain contained deep within his eyes which he hid by glancing away.
Maria slightly nodded, "Good. You don't have to bother with me always. Your maid, Lina, is already taking good care of me. She looks after me like her own mother, and I couldn't ask for more. Such a cute and lovely girl she is. So, you can focus on your things and relax a bit. You have been running around too much."
Arthur nodded as he pressed his lips together.
After talking with his mother for a while, he came out of his room, preparing to go into a long period of close-doors cultivation.
"Your Highness!" An excited sound of a young girl sounded out in his private corridor.
Arthur turned around to see a young girl dressed in maid clothes around eighteen years old with modest beauty and innocent smile hurriedly walking towards him.
For a maid, her beauty was surely top-notch, along with her silky black hair beautifully tied into a ponytail. There was also this aura of innocence and gentleness around her that seemed to bring about a smile in any person upon seeing her.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Arthur gave a brightened smile as he saw her coming and asked, "Lina, how are things going? Is everything well?" Every time he saw his trusted maid's innocent smile, he couldn't help but feel his mood lifting up.
Lina nodded in a cheerful manner as she bowed respectfully, "Thank you for asking, Your Highness. I couldn't be happier. Her Highness Maria has been doing well under my care, and all she talks about is you."
Arthur smiled softly, thinking that it was expected, and said, "Do continue to take good care of her, Lina. I would again be cultivating for a week, and so do make sure that my mother is comfortable and happy during that time. I will reward you handsomely later for your work."
Lina waved her hands in a refusing manner and bowed again as she said, "It is my duty to look after Your Highness' needs," She raised her head and looked at his beautiful blue eyes shyly, "And Your Highness can ask me anything at all, and I will gladly serve you without expecting anything in return. So other than the wages I get for my job, there is no need for any extra rewards, Your Highness. You have already treated me very kindly despite myself being a cursed one."
Arthur softly chuckled, "It doesn't matter whether you are a cursed one or a princess. Everyone is human and deserves to be treated equally based on their qualities. And you have already been more helpful than a normal maid by even keeping my mother company at all times even though it exactly isn't your duty. I heard you both even exchange stories and laughter. So, to me, it is I who should express my gratitude even if you are my maid," Arthur said in a sincere tone, feeling that he was lucky to have such a maid.
Lina's pupils dilated seeing his beautiful eyes, feeling her belly flutter hearing his warm words. But at the same time, she was disappointed that Arthur didn't seem to catch on to her subtle cues.
She, however, only showed a beatific smile as she shyly nodded before Arthur walked away.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"}) As Arthur walked through the main corridor, he saw two youngsters aged around seventeen walking towards him from the opposite direction.
Like other imperial family members, they had sky blue hair and eyes and were dressed in grand robes befitting a prince. And indeed, they were princes', to be more precise, Arthur's younger half-brothers, Dion Xeton and Adray Xeton.
They were walking together while chatting in a spirited fashion as if they were close buddies. But when they saw Arthur walking towards them, their laughter and smile stiffened and was instead replaced by a respectful expression.
Arthur crinkled his eyes upon seeing them and walked right towards them.
"You two, where were you both yesterday night?" Arthur questioned, his tone sounding stern contrary to his usual tone.
They both gulped meekly and said, "First brother, we were just wandering the city in disguise yesterday night. Please forgive us for not being back home on time."
Their tone didn't even sound convincing, and it was more than enough for Arthur to know that they were lying blatantly.
Arthur's expression became even more severe as he said, "Wandering? Do you both take me for a fool? I already got a complaint that you two sexually assaulted an innocent woman who was related to a friend of mine."
Dion and Adray frantically waved their hands as beads of sweat rolled down their back. Dion said in a low voice, "That person must have lied to you, first brother. We would never do such acts, especially considering our status."
Adray also nodded in a flustered manner, supporting Dion's statement.
However, Arthur's expression didn't relax at all, and he gripped both their shoulders as he said in a controlled tone, "Enough with the lies. This is my final warning. Next time I catch you assaulting or taking advantage of any innocent or less powerful people using your status, I will make sure you two pay for it. You two should be lucky that you were at least born as a prince with all the resources and wealth. But taking advantage of the luck bestowed upon you is something the lowest of scum would do."
Dion and Adray bitterly nodded without saying anything back.
As soon as Arthur released his hands from their shoulders, they quickly scurried off, not wanting to linger around Arthur any longer. Finally, seeing that Arthur left their sight, Dion grumbled, "Fucking pretentious nosey-parker. He thinks he is above us all when he might be doing the same thing as well, fooling everyone with his smile. Damn it. How did we get caught, and who dared to sell us out?"
Adray's expression became dark as he said, "Must be someone related to that chick we banged yesterday. But how could we have known that she knew someone who was close to the crown prince? It's just so absurd. But it's better to curb our nightly adventures for a while till we find out the culprit is."
Dion had a hesitant expression thinking about how he was going to vent his sexual pangs but nodded approvingly. Despite being a prince themselves, they didn't dare to irk Arthur further.
Arthur was walking towards his personal cultivation room and was not at all privy to the small discussion that happened between his half-brothers. Sometimes when he thought about his younger half-brothers, both of whom Ruthren didn't even bother with, he wondered if he would have had an easier life by having average talent so that Ruthren wouldn't bother him.
However, his thoughts came to a halt when he saw a sapphire-haired girl with beauty no less than that of a goddess walking past his eyes gracefully as if she was walking on clouds.
"Reva?" Arthur called out, making the awe-inspiring beauty halt her steps, turn around and look at him with her serene and cold azure eyes.
