Arthur entered the Clan Leaders Residence, his breathing slightly erratic and his expression somewhat pale.
Immediately he headed towards the main dining room not even so much as glancing at the servants passing by, glancing at him somewhat sympathetically.
He approached the main dining room but paused the moment he heard a loud voice come from the room he was approaching.
"My daughters are what now!?".
Arthur remained outside the dining room, and listened intently as the voices inside tried to calm the unfamiliar male voice inside.
"Mr Pavel, the relationship between your daughters and Arthur aren't particularly a secret. They cannot take the position of his wife, but rest assured they will receive all the benefits of member of my family".
Arthur heard a familiar female voice, and made sure in his mind not to mix up the two twins.
"Father, Nadia and I have both served the young master since we were thirteen. We plan to continue following him, so long as he has use for my sister and I".
"Natasha's right Father. And our current relationship is fine. Even if we were to still serve as servants in the Clan Leaders residence, so long as our children can be raised in a safe environment, everything will be fine".
Arthur rolled his eyes at the blatant grab for sympathy, letting out a small chuckle as he shook his head.
They knew his Mother's personality very well, and these children that they were carrying were the first of her grandchildren. There was absolutely no chance that she would reject them, especially considering Arthur's current circumstance.
If she could use those children to snap Arthur out of his current.... misery, then she would do so without even so much as blinking.
These two girls, Nadia and Natasha definitely knew what they were doing. And his Mother didn't care, only thinking about Arthur's wellbeing, along with the safety of her grandchildren.
If either one of these girls died after giving birth, Arthur doubted that she would even shed a tear at their deaths.
At any rate-.
Arthur let out a deep breath before opening the door to the main dining hall.
His expression conflicted as his eyes instantly darted towards the two girls cradling their stomachs on the other side of the room.
Everyone, even the mortal Father of these two girls noticed Arthur's gaze, as well as his current.... appearance.
Arthur licked his dry lips, his breath hitched as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Is is.... is it true? That you two are-".
Arthur's Mother nodded.
"Yes Arthur. You are going to be a Father".
Arthur took in an unsteady breath, turning towards the two servant girls, who showed.... tense expressions. Both of them placed their hands on their stomachs protectively, as they watched the change in Arthur's expression.
They... didn't know how he would feel, knowing that two servant girls he had relations with were suddenly pregnant with his children. If he got angry, and attacked them out of spite, or some sort of rage-filled madness, then not just them, but the child inside of them might be hurt.
The children inside of them weren't just their own flesh and blood, but also their ticket out of a life of servitude.
If their children were also Fae Masters then-.
Arthur took a half-step back, his knees shaking somewhat.
His breathing became unsteady, and his eyes grew teary as he fell to his knees.
His Mother, alongside Nadia and Natasha ran towards him, and noticed the faint drops of tears fall to the ground.
His expression shocked everyone present, even Chensa and Leon who had just arrived with their Father.
None of them.... had ever seen Arthur so.... vulnerable before.
He felt the warm, and gentle touch of his Mother, alongside the caring and loving bodies of both Nadia and Natasha.
Arthur's fingers scrunched up his hair, as his voice leaked out, no louder than a church mouse.
"If I can't even protect the woman I love.... then how am I supposed to protect my own children!".
His two siblings took a step forward, but felt their Father place a hand on their shoulders. Shaking his head lightly, Niklos gestured for everyone to leave, including Arthur's Mother.
He was perhaps.... the only person who understood what Arthur was going through, and right now, firmly believed that he was the only person who could help Arthur.
He stood tall, his arms crossed as he looked down at the ragged figure of his son kneeling beneath him.
His tone was stern and his gaze sharp, both of which caused Arthur to shiver slightly and tilt his head back to look at his Father.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Stand up straight Arthur!".
Niklos, with his Rank 4 Fae Master physique, slapped Arthur, sending him flying into the wall behind him. The sixteen year olds eyes widened as he felt a small trail of blood leak down his face, as the taste of iron filled his mouth.
His eyes narrowed, and he out a killing intent as he stood up, staring straight towards Niklos.
The killing intent was relatively weak, but Niklos nodded slightly as his expression changed.
"You're a man aren't you!? So act like one! All this crying and moping around, all because of a single woman!".
Niklos eyes became pinpoints as Arthur's figure flickered and his moonsword fae arrived just before his throat. Niklos made no movement, nor any sign that he was going to activate a Fae, but just nodded, smiling as he saw the glint in Arthur's eyes.
"You see that! You can still feel! You can still breathe! You can still fight! All of this sitting and crying and doing nothing! Is that what Andrea would want? Is that how she would want to see you acting?!".
"I thought that you were strong Arthur! Strong enough to kill two Rank 2 Fae Masters despite only being a Rank 1 Fae Master! Strong enough to save your classmates from being devoured by venom spiders, and strong enough to take on Dominic without any Fae!? Am I wrong?".
Arthur's eyes narrowed and his expression fierce as he shook his head.
He was following along with Niklos' words and actions, believing this to be the best possible route to convince everyone of his "change".
His Father pushed Arthur back, once again crossing his arms.
"You will, regardless of what happens in the future, become a Father. Are you going to let the same thing happen to them, that happened to-".
"No! No, of course not!".
He cut his Fathers words short, regardless of how that might make him react. He needed to sell this, and if acting "hot headed" was the best way to do so then....
"Then stop acting so conceited! There are hundreds, if not thousands of other people in the Village, all of whom have lost someone, or something in the last beast tides! And yet, they're all outside, working to rebuild the Clan!".
"What are you doing? Crying about something that you can never change, or a regret that you can never hope to extinguish!? Stop being so childish Arthur! If you want to do something, to help, or to honour Andrea, then go out there, just like everyone else and rebuild the Village! The Clan!".
"If not, then go back to that broken little shack that you've been staying in and rot there until the day you die. If you're not willing to help progress the Clan, just like "she" was, then you're nothing more than dead weight".
Arthur's breath hitched and he lowered his face so that Niklos couldn't see his expressions.
If Arthur did nothing now, he was sure to honour his words.
If Arthur couldn't help, or couldn't contribute to the Clan then he was truly nothing more than dead weight. There was no point to helping, or even thinking about something useless, as that would only produce more uselessness.
Niklos let out a loud snort before turning around and exiting the room. What happened next now was completely up to Arthur.
Did his wallow his his own sorrow and grief, or did he stand up, and go against the waves, no matter how much it hurt, and no matter how many times they knocked him down?
Little did Niklos know....
That Arthur already made that decision several hundred years ago.....