"Claudia...?"
Arnold gazed at the woman who was wearing the clothes of a servant. Herr attire was nothing worth ntioning but her face was a different story.
'Ah, it's that little brat Norn's mother.' He rembered that girl who kicked him in the back in his fight against Luke.
The woman before him smiled tenderly. Although she was wearing the clothes of a washerwoman, her face was even more beautiful than many of the noble girls he t in his life even though she had no makeup on. It was hard to believe that two children were born from this beauty. She looked younger than her age suggested.
Her curves weren't as explosive as Victoria but they were still nicely shaped. It was a body still ripe enough to have more children.
'Whoa. I didn't expect her to be this gorgeous. Isn't she on the level of Anna at least?'
"Ahem." Soone suddenly cleared their throat.
It was Olivia.
"It seems you haven't changed a bit, Al." A small smile was on Olivia's lips.
Arnold knew what she ant by that.
'Did she just mistake my gazing at the woman as wanting to take her to bed? Even if she is beautiful, she's still Luke's...wait, she isn't his real mother...Ahhh! What am I thinking about!?'
Arnold was tornting himself from within but looked completely composed on the outside.
"Olivia..." Arnold completely disregarded her existence. Of course, if he were the original Arnold then he'd be taking off Olivia's heel to kiss her feet. But the current Arnold only saw her as another woman in his life. Even her beauty wasn't that great in comparison to the won around him.
Especially with his goddess maid called Victoria Lurgun by his side.
"Kyahahaha! Don't lick like that! Gross~!"
Hearing a cheerful voice, Arnold turned his head.
"lina, your big brother is back!" Anna shouted. "Don't be rude and co greet him."
"Big brother!?" The cute, young girl jumped back on her feet when she heard that. Her eyes sparkled.
"Brother!" lina ran towards Arnold and hugged him tightly. The latter groaned due to the pain.
"Are you done playing with Pluffy now?" Olivia chuckled.
"Yip! Big brother ca back so I'll play with him!"
'Pluffy? Who...'
Arnold's entire body shuddered when he saw a certain cute animal that was next to Olivia. It ca back from playing with lina before he noticed it. The fox noticed Arnold's gaze and looked up.
Arnold could see a golden energy surrounding its body.
'Shit! No! It's Neguard!'
It looked at Olivia's face and then its eyes narrowed.
That was a sign of sothing.
Its teeth were growing larger and its eyes more fierce. Olivia looked confused at Arnold who was visibly trembling.
"Is sothing the matter?" When she put her hand on Pluffy, the little fox stopped its transformation and squealed.
Spirit Beasts had the ability to sense the emotions of their masters. Pluffy—no, Neguard in the form of a fox sensed the hate that was in Olivia's heart. It must've mistaken Arnold for an enemy.
"What happened to big brother!?" lina shouted with tears in her eyes when she saw Arnold whose arm was wrapped in a bandage. His clothes were also tattered.
"..." Arnold looked at his mother and saw her sigh.
"lina, step away from your brother."
"B-But...!"
"You can see that he needs to rest, right?"
lina bit her lip and looked down. She let go of Arnold's sleeve and stepped back.
It pulled at his heartstrings how sad his sister looked.
"And Arnold go to your room."
His mother spoke to him this ti. A frown appeared on Arnold's face at his mother's cold voice.
"I will not speak again."
"Yes, mother..." Arnold was overco with disbelief at the tone his mother used. It was a tone that she had never used before on any of her children. "Please excuse ." Arnold could only bow his head.
He noticed tears in lina's eyes as she pitifully looked at him.
'Sorry, little one. Maybe I should make ti for my siblings in the future?'
Jack and lina were also minor characters. The forr beca a knight of the knight corps while the latter ran off to a foreign noble's fief to marry him. From what Liam rembered, lina never got the attention she wanted from her family so she opened her legs for the first man that was kind to her.
It was tragic how dark the life of that little girl would be in the future.
Seeing Arnold leave, Claudia bowed, her blonde hair fell over her shoulder.
"It was a pleasure to et you, young master."
Arnold didn't respond to her polite words and only walked past them to head back into the castle.
**
"I apologize, miss Claudia. Can you continue telling us the story of how Luke beca your son?" Adrianna said with a smile.
"Certainly." Claudia smiled as well and began recalling the day of the war. "My husband and Luke's father were forced to fight with the resistance force."
"Resistance force? Why was there such a thing?"
"Well, you see..." Claudia struggled to speak as she glanced at Olivia. Olivia seed to sense Claudia's worry. "The war of that ti involved the Imperial family. Or so I've heard."
"If it is the most recent conflict then I assu all of this happened ten years ago during the civil war?" Olivia guessed to which Claudia nodded. "I know that it is the fault of the Empire for withholding information on the status of the Crown Prince."
"So it was that ti when he went to finish his first campaign?" Adrianna asked. Olivia nodded.
"It was most likely the Imperial Faction who started all of that. They were opposed to my brother getting selected as emperor so they falsified his death. He didn't make contact with the palace for two months, after all. It's obvious that the surrounding regions would get suspicious."
"So it was all because of the crown prince?"
To Claudia's question, Olivia nodded.
"The title might not seem like much at first but being the leader of the Crown Faction carries heaps of responsibility and power. With their leader missing, it was impossible not to get confused. The Imperial Faction, who supports my sister, used that chance to fuel the flas of war. Thankfully, nothing happened that was irreversible thanks to the Great Nobles."
All four of them had been ordered to keep the surrounding nations from invading the Empire with most of the imperial army and the Crown Prince himself gone.
"So it really was because of sches by nobles..." Claudia looked bitter but she sighed afterwards. "What's done is done. I am just glad that Luke and my children didn't have to suffer because of what happened. When I took him in he was so pitiful. No ho and no one to rely on. His mother went missing after the incident with our husbands."
"You're a very strong woman to have raised three children alone. I am certain that not many won can achieve the sa feat."
Adrianna said as she held Claudia's hand.
Claudia wiped the tears coming out of her eyes and smiled.
"Thank you again for inviting ... I did not expect to et ladies of such high status. I do apologize once again for arriving in this attire."
Claudia was wearing her work clothes. After the sudden arrival of the castle's knights at the village, she didn't have ti put sothing decent on. The invitation to dine at a duke's residence ca too abruptly.
"Oh, I should have sothing that can fit you, miss Claudia." Adrianna beckoned over a servant. "Bring my full wardrobe of dresses."
"Understood." The servant didn't question why she needed them or what dresses she was referring to.
"A-ah, that is unnecessary!" Claudia spoke up, flustered.
"Nonsense. We are gathered together as a whole family. If we're having a family dinner, shouldn't miss Claudia dress the part? Besides, my mother has lots of dresses that she doesn't wear anymore." Anna interjected with a grin. "She has so many clothes yet never wears them all."
Anna shrugged as her mother glared at her.
"Anyway, Olivia, you've been awfully quiet." Anna gazed at Olivia who was rubbing the little silver fox.
"Hm? Ah, I did not want to break the good chemistry between these two wonderful ladies."
Claudia chuckled with her hand on her mouth at being referred to as wonderful.
"I haven't seen you in months and you're this quiet? I rember that you always used to loudly declare where you are when you were little." Adrianna had a feigned troubled expression on her face.
"T-That...My childhood is embarrassing to rember..."
A tint of red flushed on Olivia's face. Anna burst out laughing.
"What the heck? When did you get this cute? You're always so cold. My juniors at the academy always say that you're scary and unapproachable yet look at this vulnerable maiden with flushed cheeks!"
"P-Please stop..."
"Stop it, Anna. Don't tease her." Adrianna said so but there was a gentle smile on her face.
'These three seem very close. So she has been a family friend ever since her younger years? It is rather unexpected of a royal to be this close to another household.' Claudia thought as she looked at Olivia.
She was in the presence of a princess. If her circle of friends were to hear this then they'd lose their minds and keep bothering her to tell them the details.
Well, the princes was technically her daughter-in-law.
"If I may ask..." At Claudia's words, the three of them—with the exception of lina who was playing with Pluffy—looked at her.
Claudia's eyes were gazing at Olivia. Olivia—noticing this—nodded.
"Are you fine with marrying Luke?"
Olivia was silent for a second as if she was thinking of a response. Tapping her lip for a few seconds, she spoke:
"I have been asked the sa question by many, even my father and brother. And my answer stays the sa," Olivia gazed at Claudia with her emotionless, blue eyes. "If it will benefit my family, I will even marry an old man on his deathbed. Lord Luke is not a special case in my eyes."
"I see." Claudia smiled.
Luke had showed signs that he loved Norn in the past. Even before he boldly told Claudia, she had already known. He was smitten in love with her that he wouldn't stop talking about her.
'His first love will never be in his reach.'
Norn was every popular in their village. She was a cheerful, outgoing, and bright young girl. Even the sons of fief lords would co to the village just to et up with her. She would beco an adult in about a year.
By then, confessions would co from all over the place. Children could only propose once both reach the age of 15. It was already certain by now that Norn would never struggle to get a husband.
Heck, she would never even struggle to maintain a household on her own since even rich young masters would want her.
'I feel kind of sad for him.' Claudia was looking forward to Luke and Norn getting together but that was way before it was decided he would beco a duke.
'And this would be his wife and the new duchess.' Claudia's eyes narrowed into slits as she gazed at Olivia.
'That young man from before should be her previous fiancé, right? His looks are definitely sothing a won would want in their man but I heard so strange rumours about him. Is she willing to take Luke without resistance because she is repulsed by that man?'
"It has co to my understanding that the young man, who is called young master Arnold was Your Highness' forr fiancé. Are you truly moving on and accepting this? No, are all of you accepting this as fact just because His Grace has ordered this?"
Claudia's frank words made the servants nearby freeze up. Even the servants in the garden heard.
Her words could be described as rude and disrespectful. She crossed the boundaries that no commoner must cross with royalty and nobility.
"This is my concern as Luke's adopted mother. No, forr adopted mother, I should say."
"I understand you are confused," Adrianna spoke. "Yes, I did not probe my husband as to why he would select a random commoner to inherit this family dynasty that has stood even before the Empire existed."
Claudia silently listened.
"His power and potential alone makes him valuable already. This is why my husband has chosen him. No, this is the only requirent for him. A duke must be powerful but kind. That is all he needs. A powerful heir. But my reasoning is different. This affected how I didn't oppose to my son being revoked of the position. The reason I agreed is because Luke is like a blank page that we can fill with knowledge and the needed education. He is a loving person and has a brave soul that all patriarchs must have. This is the requirent that Arnold could never fill. He only had the strength but not the character."
"aning...?" Claudia didn't understand Adrianna's words. That was obviously because she knew nothing of noble customs.
"Yes. Even I had this thought that Arnold is not fitted to be the heir."
"So you accepted Luke for that reason? That you don't acknowledge your own son?"
"Miss Claudia. That is not what my mother ans. She is saying that Arnold isn't the right person for such an important role. He needs to do other things instead of being tied to the family household." Anna explained.
"I, along with the two mistresses back at the mansion have simply kept quiet when Luke was revealed to us. It did not impact us in any way since our positions stays the sa regardless. I am still the duchess and the other two are still my sister wives. Only Judith expressed her disagreent. This is because her son, who would've been the next in line, did not get the position of heir."
"I see now..." Claudia nodded. "I apologize for being so frank with my words and asking so straightforwardly."
Adrianna smiled in turn, "Think nothing of it. No one has brought up the subject thus far so it is a relief that soone has a different opinion. I will say this though: You, and your children are welco as part of this family since Luke has beco a Berkley."
"Thank you. No wonder Norn was allowed to eat with nobles despite not being related to you. She was so excited to tell about what happened."
Adrianna chuckled, "Yes. That is because we consider her as part of our family, though she is not blood-related. It is usually abnormal in other households to accept soone so readily, but in this house—where we value family—it is different."
Adrianna's words made Claudia's heart flutter and a warmth spread in her body.
'They really are good people.'
Her experience with nobles had been nothing but bad in the past, hence her scepticism over this case. It wasn't once or twice that one of her noble clients tried to take advantage of her or humiliate her using their authority.
Claudia had a distorted image of nobles ever since then.
Olivia's appearance had worsened how she felt. She assud that a royal would be worse but her surprise was simply unfathomable now.
'I seed to have misjudged them too quickly. If his wife and children are this loving, what not of the duke himself?'
Claudia was interested to et this man. Perhaps he was the sa as his son but only a more mature version: handso and tall.
"So? Would you like us to arrange a residence for your family?" Adrianna smiled as she said so.
"T-That is not necessary, Your Grace. I have long since made plans to buy a house in the city. In fact, I am in the process of gathering the final instalnts before buying it."
"Oh! It is actually more convenient that way. Can you tell which agency is taking care of the paynt contracts? I will contact them imdiately and have them cut the price in half." Anna coolly said with a smirk.
"Is...that possible?"
"Of course. I am the boss of my own rchant firm. You should know that leaders of rchant firms are very good at negotiations."
Naturally, Claudia wouldn't miss such an opportunity. She had been waiting for years now just to buy that small house so any help was welco. Especially if it was from a rchant firm executive like Anna von Berkley.
"Yes, yes. You can handle that afterwards, Anna." Adrianna peeked through the window of the backdoor. "The maid has finally brought the outfits I wanted to show miss Claudia."
"Hm?" Claudia turned towards the backdoor and saw multiple servants behind the maid, each carrying many articles of clothing.
'That...There's so many to choose from!' Being a woman, Claudia naturally didn't hate what they brought.
"Co. Let us officially celebrate Luke joining the family! But first, let's get you out of those clothes!" Adrianna shouted cheerfully while squeezing Claudia's shoulder.
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