Chapter 20 - Maria is Dead

In the Heindal Continent, within the majestic palace of the Selvius Kingdom, a young boy with piercing Amber eyes was seated on his bed, lost in contemplation as he gazed at the cup of tea placed in front of him.

Ryuk stood up, his purposeful strides taking him toward the tea cup. With a gentle touch, he lifted it, holding the delicate handle while looking at the content of its.

'As always Alia', Tea inside the cup reflected his Amber eyes coldly looking at it,' You know what I like'

He stride towards the window where the ethereal light of Gaia streamed in, paused, fixing a cold, penetrating stare at the door.

"Alia!"

He purposely addressed her by name, though it seemed improbable for a crown prince to know the name of a maid barely acquainted with palace life.

His motive was clear: to discourage her from attempting anything in his presence. He aimed to sow doubt in her mind, suggesting that he too possessed future knowledge similar to hers, before she could try to impress him.

Indifferent to the outcome, her presence inadvertently made it slightly easier to update his system, as having more connections often leads to better results and more heroines, more numbers.

His attention shifted to the bubbles floating beside him.

«-80» «-100» «-60» «-70»

'Jenny is receiving mercy from Carlien again,' he recalled, thinking of a pink-haired girl to whom he had shown kindness and sought mercy from Lady Carlien.

'Now it's Maria's turn to—'

Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a young girl rushed into the room, her short silver hair slightly tousled.

Despite her hurried breaths, she maintained a composed demeanor, reflecting the expected grace of a palace maid.

"Y-your Highness, should I prepare the bath"

Alia felt a rush of anxiety, her mind racing with anticipation as she awaited Ryuk's next words.

A brief moment passed in silence, only interrupted by the faint sound of water droplets hitting the ground.

Drip-drip

The sound drew Alia's attention, prompting her to lift her gaze.

Her sapphire eyes, deep and expressive as the ocean, met the sight of Ryuk pouring tea into a nearby flower pot, Gaia's rays cast a mesmerizing reflection of the cascading tea within her irises.

Ryuk emptied the tea into the flower pot, then turned to Alia, presenting the cup while expressing his displeasure, "It's Disgusting"

Her eyes captured every detail—the slight tremble in his hand, the teacup slipping.

Despite this, her mind was preoccupied with those words and on his indifferent gaze, it felt as if those words were meant for her, Unknown to her, those sapphire eyes started to become teary.

CRACK

A sudden sound shattered the silence as the cup fell, breaking into pieces upon the floor.

Alia's tearful eyes fell upon the fragmented remains, then shifted to Ryuk's cold, amber stare, a lone tear escaping her eye before falling on the ground.

Drop

The faint, almost insignificant sound didn't escape Ryuk's notice.

He glanced at the girl, who, with a bow, softly uttered, "I understand, Your Highness" before moving forward to clean the broken pieces.

"Call an adult or you'll get hurt"

Upon hearing his voice, she stopped abruptly, immediately turning towards Ryuk who diverted his attention, before quickly heading towards the bathroom.

Watching him disappear from sight, she felt her heart warm at his small act of kindness, her hands unconsciously clasping tightly together.

At first glance, it might seem like Ryuk was being kind, but in reality, his actions were aimed at preventing her from experiencing a mental lapse.

His firm words had already overwhelmed her, and there was a risk she might forget he was referring to her name.

So, his intention was to calm her mind and help her think more clearly.

{A/n:: Mental Lapse or Brain Fart, is a condition where you suddenly forget what you were about to do or say, Many of you must have felt this right?}

Watching him disappear from sight, she felt her heart warm at his small act of kindness, her hands unconsciously clasping tightly together.

...

Alia's POV

Outside His Highness's room, I stood with a tray of tea meticulously prepared by me.

It was a blend of blue butterfly pea flower, jasmine pearls, and delicate hints of elderflower, offering a smooth and calming flavor that His Highness Likes.

The morning rays of Gaia peeking through the palace windows signaled the arrival of a new day.

As I approached the room, my path was abruptly interrupted as a maid blocked my way.

"Hey, are you the new personal maid of his Highness?"

The palace maid's suspicious glance didn't escape my notice, and it was clear what she was trying to accomplish by blocking my path out of nowhere.

"Yes, I'm Alia, appointed by Her Majesty herself as His Highness's maid," I asserted confidently, meeting her gaze calmly. Despite her narrowed eyes, I appreciated her lack of naivety.

Among maids from noble backgrounds, it was customary to assert dominance and keep each other in check. Dealing with a commoner like me made their methods more intense.

In this moment, she attempted to establish superiority on my first day.

However, I wasn't interested in playing along, right now.

I made it clear: if she had doubts about my skills or any issues, she should address them with Her Majesty directly.

It was a subtle warning, common among nobility, conveying a deeper meaning behind pleasantries.

I noticed the maid stepping aside while avoiding eye contact.

It must have been clear to her that despite my commoner background, I had more connections than she did.

Entering the room, my eyes wandered to find him.

Spotting him amidst the room, I approached the bed, my eyes fallen at his peaceful face,"He looks cute,"

His miniature version making his cheeks appear all the more endearing, tempting me to pinch them.

But knowing in advance that he would most likely react with either frustration or anger, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

At that moment, I was just a maid and he was the crown prince, seemed both too far away and yet so near to my eyes.

'I don't want to just call you 'His Highness' in this life,' I mused, finding it amusing as I observed his calm and serene sleeping face, a stark contrast to his usual stoic one, always being in guard.

'You can atleast trust me—' at that moment I abruptly stopped from thinking any further,' No don't'

Biting my lips, I recalled the moment when these very hands almost committed an unfathomable act, one that would have haunted me with regret for the rest of my life.

'Thank goodness,' Realizing if it weren't for his usual self in that situation, that knife would have....

Clenching the tray in my hand, I steeled myself, determined not to let those people who ruined my life get away with it. It was a promise to myself to make their lives a living hell.

'!?'

Suddenly, noticing his eyes fluttering, I swiftly moved toward the table and placed the tea down.

"Good morning, Your Highness," I bowed as greeted him.

In that moment, my heart raced as his eyes abruptly opened, yet it felt like a blessing that his mana was depleted, leaving me already attuned to his awakening.

'Was he in some battle?', I couldn't help but wonder. It seemed improbable that someone as cautious as him would exhaust all his energy in training, considering it consumes mana at a slower rate.

"You can wait Outside"

Hearing his words, I bowed and left, convincing myself that I might have been overthinking due to his seemingly fine condition.

Exiting the room, I scanned the surroundings only to find Aunt standing alongside two more maids.

"N-niece, do you need any help?"

Her addressing me as 'niece' amused me, a peculiar yet somewhat comforting change from Alia.

"No, just take this tray," I handed her the tray, positioning myself near the door, intent on focusing solely on my duties.

"Alia!"

Startled by his sudden call, I hurried back into the room.

"Y-your Highness, should I prepare the bath?" I asked in haste, assuming he might want to take a bath, bowing my head in deference.

Drip-drip

The sudden sound drew my gaze upward, only to witness him pouring a cup into a nearby flower pot. Perplexed by his actions, I couldn't fathom the reason behind them, staring blankly at him.

As his amber eyes turned towards me, an inexplicable pang of pain surged within me,'Please, don't look like that'

Those eyes seemed foreign, devoid of their usual warmth, cold and filled with an unrecognizable hatred.

"It's disgusting"

Badump

My heart skipped a beat, his words seemingly directed at me even though I knew, it was for the tea that he didn't tasted yet.

The world paused momentarily; my eyes welled up, blurring my vision.

Turning my gaze to the shattered pieces on the floor, they resembled the fragments of my heart—broken and shattered.

Overwhelmed with emotions, a tear trickled down my cheek, landing silently on the floor.

'It's my fault,' I consoled myself, not wanting to exacerbate the pain.

Witnessing him so distant and cold towards me was becoming unbearable, atleast not on the first day, I finally meet him.

"I understand, Your Highness," I uttered, bowing deeply, Just wanted to leave the room.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain composure, my heart was overwhelmed with Inexplicable feeling, though this was something I had anticipated, but not like this.

"Call an adult or you'll get hurt,"

His words jolted me out of my reverie as I leaned to gather the shattered fragments, redirecting my attention toward him.

Watching him vanish into the bathroom, a sudden relief washed over me, dispelling the pain momentarily.

As I glanced back at the broken pieces, contemplating his unexpected concern, I realized he was still the same underneath it all, "Kind and—"

'!?'

A sudden realization dawned upon me and one that was too surprising to believe — He had called me by my name instead of addressing me as a maid

'Does he remember?' No, calm down 'I need to confirm things before jumping to conclusions'

Overwhelmed, my once calm mind succumbed to anxiety. If indeed he had memories, my role of improving our relationship would become futile, 'Don't rush to conclusions just yet.'

I gathered the pieces and left the room, knowing I needed to prepare his clothes for when he emerged and put all these thing back of my mind.

.....

....

Bang

Crack--

Ryuk's amber eyes fixated on the fractured mirror, their gleam amplified by the shard's jagged edges.

His clenched fist rested atop the reflective surface, causing spiderweb-like cracks to radiate outward, distorting the reflection of his composed face.

The fractures appeared to originate from the center of his forceful impact, each fissures a testament to his anger.

'I didn't sense her presence,' he noted, realizing he hadn't noticed her arrival earlier, a stark reminder of his weakened state since returning to the past.

Despite having an adult mind, he overlooked his most fatal vulnerability at the moment—his body.

While he didn't face many issues due to this, the problem lay with that girl.

His amber eyes glinted as he looked at his reflection in the broken mirror,' Who knows when she might stab me again.'

It all boiled down to this—he never let his guard down, yet it didn't mean his body could match his mind.

After depleting his mana the previous night, he found himself in a diminished state.

Observing his hand, faintly enveloped in an amber aura before it Vanished, he realized the most pressing need at the moment—time.

He required time, specifically to shorten the period for forming an « Ether Core », a process that would typically take until the age of twelve.

But due to certain restrictions, it seemed impossible to expedite it at present.

'System, How is Maria now?', He queried, seeking information about the effects of the potion he had provided Kermit to administer to her in a timely manner.

[ She is Dead ]