Alma 68 Maids and Princesses

He knew that cold, strict tone… After all, he'd grown up listening indifferent, condemning tone all his life. It was the sound of someone oppressing another person. It disgusted Reed to the core…

His former employer, Mr. Santo, loved talking to him as if were an incompetent, useless miscreant...

"Are ya' done copying those scrolls, brat?! If don't finish by midday, you can forget about getting paid!"

The fat bastard, Legatos, who owned the local bakery considered it beneath him to even sell him loaves of bread, even if he had the money... Instead, he would only sell him half-eaten loaves.

"What are you lookin' at you ungrateful little shit?! You gave me three bronze coins, so this is all you're gettin'! Take the half loaf or take your dirty fuckin' coins back. See if I give a shit."

He remembered the first and last time he ever visited his city's hall of knowledge. The moment he stepped in a old, haughty woman took a single glance at him and decided that he was unworthy of even entering the building…

"This place isn't meant for the likes of you. This a sacred place meant for the educated. Begone. Get out before I call the guards, you little sewer rat."

Reed fondly remembered that disgusting feeling of being treated as if was nothing. The crushing despair of not being able to do anything. Emotions that were buried within the dark, murky recesses of his heart threatened to come out, but he held himself back.

Kindness, huh. I wish I could have the same optimism you have about people, gramps. I really, really do...…

Two bickering figures stood outside as Reed walked out, a young woman and a small girl — both Avunian and angry at one another.

The woman, who he had identified as the maid that Velvund had informed him about, Rivia, suddenly went rigid when she realized that Reed had left his room.

The young girl, on the other hand, quickly rushed behind Reed like a stray cat seeking shelter and said, "Help me, big bro! This evil hag with big breasts is trying to punish me, even though I've done nothing wrong!"

Oh, so it wasn't what I thought it was...… that's great. It was just a normal scolding, of course…

Reed felt like a massive idiot for assuming the worst, even though he should have known better. Why would someone like gramps, who was essentially a genuine saint, have a messed up home environment like the one he'd grown up in?

He put on a convincing grin and said, "My, my, that sounds problematic, doesn't it? But I'm getting the feeling that you're not telling me the whole truth, right?"

Rivia quickly regained her composure and said, "My apologies, young prince, it was not my intention for our... conversation to have bothered your rest," bowing her head deeply in regret.

Reed chuckled heartily and said, "Prince? Who? Me? You jest, beauty. I'm just a very fortunate idiot, that's all. There's no need me to call anything other than my name."

Secretly though, his heart started beating much faster when he heard what the maid had referred to him as. He suddenly felt like he'd royally messed up.

It was his belief that the old man was probably a high-ranking noble of some kind, but the 'prince' title he'd just been given had shattered that delusion into pieces.

Ohhhhhh, shit. No, no, no. This was NOT what I had planned. I was supposed to have become a spy. I was going to exploit the East's intel to find Astrid and Sebastian!

1. Join the East's intelligence branch

2. Get info on Astrid and Sebastian

3. ??????

4. Save them!

Becoming a prince wasn't fucking part of the plan!!! Oh god, no. I've shit the bed hardcore this time! This is not the plan I'd envisioned at all! Fuuuuuu—

"Forgive me, young prince, but that is a request I cannot fulfill. Someone as lowly as myself is unworthy of such an honor. Nevertheless, I am deeply grateful your gracious consideration and consider it a privil—"

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. I get it, I'm sorry for asking," said Reed as he waved his hands frantically. Last thing he wanted was for her to continue endlessly flattering him. He found it uncomfortable as all hell.

"So, what was all that commotion outside? I saw a certain someone peeking at me through the door, and then I heard the racket outside about a second later." Reed smirked at the young girl with a devious expression and winked, much to her horror. She'd not expected that he'd side with Rivia and sell her out.

Rivia turned frigid once his redirection worked, and she said, "The young princess lied to me, prince. Alerted me of an emergency that did not exist in order to spy on you. A heinous act unfitting of a proper princess..." Her eyes were like laser beams as they mercilessly drilled into the young girl's figure behind Reed.

Reed observed the subdued fluctuations that Rivia emitted and guessed that she likely around the border that separated contenders and conquerors, given the density of her aura.

I guess that's to be expected if she's 'just' a maid... serving royalty. Not as impressive as say, Arcano, who was a legitimate conqueror or Mira, who had eluded me for the longest with that pesky aurmasking technique.

Although he couldn't accurately guess her age since she was Avunian, but he knew that she definitely on the younger side. Probably no more than a hundred years old, give or take. 

A beaut, for sure. But that was expected when it came to those who were Avunian, blessed from birth — given their connection to nature. There were no ugly Avunians, or least, none that he'd ever recognize with his human perspective of beauty.

She was a Siren, with mid-length amber hair that glowed at the ends with a mysterious shimmer. As the young girl had described, she was very well… endowed, so to speak, in various areas. Reed felt his heart race just a little when he first saw her because of that. She nearly rivaled Violett in terms of figure and shape. But he, a gentleman, would never make a focus on mundane aspects such as a woman's figure and bust. No, of course not....

Man… the women of the East sure know how to pack a damn punch. The men, too... This is totally unfair.

The young girl, on the hand, was the complete opposite of the maid. She seemed about twelve or thirteen in age, so she was likely somewhere in her forties or fifties, perhaps. Adorable features, as expected from an Avunian princess. Not too surprising.

She wore golden crown that the motif of daisies engraved upon it. Her long silver hair and lively blue eyes more or less gave away who she likely was to Reed from the start.

A granddaughter — no, maybe even a great-granddaughter of Velvund. The old man had lived far too long for Reed to even guess an age for him. Two thousand years? Four thousand years? When it came to gramps, anything was on the table. If anything, it made his head hurt.

Avunians were already blessed with an incredibly long life from birth. It could only be imagined how long an Avunian who'd obtained an Alma would live. It was a somewhat terrifying idea when he thought about it.

"Kids will be kids," said Reed in a cheery tone. "She didn't mean anything by it, so there's no need to scold her that much over it."

The girl's face lit up like a light-bulb when she heard that and said, "I won't do it anymore, I promise. I've learned my lesson, I swear!" Cheap promises and lies spewed out of the girl's mouth that only irritated Rivia up the wall, but she knew she'd been had.

Rivia looked entirely unconvinced, but relented at Reed's behest and said, "If that is what you wish for, young prince, then I will abide by your command."

Reed smiled in approval and said, "For now, why don't you two come into my room? I have a couple questions I'd like to ask, given how ignorant I am about what's happened to me... concerning, um, Sir Goldentree's decision…"

He needed to get a clear grasp of what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into this time. Above all else, he couldn't make any rash decisions anymore. Not with old gramps' shadow looming over his back. He wasn't even remotely confident that he'd be able to run away from a place like this.

Rivia nodded and said, "Of course, young prince, if that is what you wish. I would be more than delighted to answer any questions you have." But beneath her subservient gaze was an aura that essentaily said, "Don't you even think that we're through..." to the young girl.

Chapter end