Arthur had realized the importance of needing to "act" a certain way a very long time ago....
If one was too overtly villainous, or too overtly cold to others, they were eventually start to push people away, and create a distance between them and others.
This made it hard for people to trust them, to believe them, and to act upon the requests of others if there was no trust between them.
Arthur would never trust anyone, that much he was certain of.
But, through notions such as camaraderie, friendship, love, family and honour, it was easy to manipulate those who possessed "good" beliefs or "righteous" ideals.
Those with similar mindsets usually found some sort of common ground, upon which to law their ideals and morals. Demons like Arthur possessed no such concept, and didn't trust anyone, except for themselves.
Using their own notions and concepts against them was something that Arthur took to heart over his thousand years of living.
Ideas such as gratitude, duty, honour, glory and friendship were things that he had learned to play against those who believed in such things.
These members of the Kovacs Clan.... were just too young, and were unable to see through Arthur's guise.
Arthur took a deep breath, the lonesome feeling in his heart completely faded away, being replaced by an expression on indifference.
He never once cared about the lives and livelihoods of those around him. But, if they couldn't benefit Arthur, he would gladly make full use of them, and squeeze every single drop out of them before discarding them to the side.
Parachenko Village was one such place that Arthur was familiar with, and out of every single place in the Thirty Three Heavens, it was probably one of, if not the place where the current Arthur could exert the most influence over.
He was "born" here after all.
Taking a deep breath, a look of resolution washed over Arthur, as he walked out of the dining hall and towards the group that waited outside.
He noticed that his Father was still present and was currently shaking the hand of the mortal Father of Nadia and Natasha, whom was currently shaking as he scratched the back of his head, with a reddened face.
His Mother noticed Arthur leave the dining hall and turned towards him, smiling slightly as she noticed the change in his temperament.
It had only been a few minutes since she last saw him, but in her eyes, Arthur definitely seemed much more.... steady than he did before.
Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but he seemed more handsome than usual as well.
It was almost as if, his previous expressions and his previous tears had all just been an illusion that someone conjured up....
Arthur let out a slightly shaky breath.
"Mother, can I ask that in the coming days, you allow Nadia and Natasha to take a leave of absence while continuing to pay them for their services. Additionally, when the time comes, they will no longer provide the same services that they did here, but instead do so in my own home".
Arthur's Mother raised her eyebrows before smiling and nodding at her third born son's request.
She didn't know what Niklos said to him, but the sudden change in Arthur's demeanour was somewhat frightening.
If she knew that Niklos hit Arthur, then perhaps she might turn her focus towards he husband, rather than her child....
Arthur turned towards Nadia and Natasha, his expression somewhat softening.
"I don't particularly care what you two think, but you will be coming to live in my household when the time comes. Despite the fact that you two are not my wives, you two are now mine, and I will continue to act in such a fashion..... Mr Pavel, you and the rest of your family will be able to visit whenever you want, however, you are not to live in my house".
Nadia and Natasha's faces turned a bright red at Arthur's words, and their hearts skipped a beat when he called them "mine".
It definitely wasn't something that Arthur would casually say, even when he wasn't just "acting".
The third young master was quite possessive, it seems, they thought.
Their Father nodded somewhat, wanting to say something, but not in front of both the Madam and the Clan Leader.
He might be Arthur's "sort-of" father in law, but his children were not married to Arthur in any sort of way. The closest thing they might be to him would be a concubine, or a mistress, but still, they had his protection.
If at the very least, for the babies sakes.
Leon and Chensa's eyes widened when the noticed the change in Arthur's temperament.
Despite the slight hesitance and faltering in his tone, his words were stern and unlike how their sibling usually acted.
There was no doubt that Andrea's death changed their younger brother, but to go from a happy, loving boyfriend, to a depressed, mourning teen, back towards a domineering, slightly imperious young man was kind of-.
"Cool", muttered Leon.
Arthur, at his core was never a cold person. He always put his family before himself, and the wellbeing of his family before others.
These two children, that had both yet to be born were also his family.
He might have reservations about being able to protect them, but if he didn't even try to help them, then what good was he as both a Father, and a Son?
Arthur nodded slightly before turning towards his Father, taking in a deep breath as his gaze turned clear. Devoid of any impurity or blemish in them.
"I would like to improve my cultivation over the next few weeks, while I set up my new house Clan Leader. Would it be possible to place a rain check on the patrol duty for the time being?".
Niklos raised an eyebrow and prevented a smile from forming on his face.
His expression was still blank, as he gazed towards Nadia and Natasha before nodding at Arthur.
"You have assisted in the revival of our Clan, by giving us two new children with the name "Kovacs". The new Clan laws state that you may have your picking of two Fae from the Clan Reserves. Take the time to choose carefully, Arthur".
Arthur nodded before turning back to Nadia and Natasha.
A normal person might've felt somewhat embarrassed, but Arthur's skin was much too thick for such a thing.
"Neither of you are my wives, so expecting me to act like a husband is out of the question. However, the fact that both of you are carrying my child changes things slightly. You have worked as maids in the Clan Leaders residence, but from now on you both will work under me personally within my own household. Do not worry about food or clothing or not having a roof over your heads, but I trust that you will be able to raise the children without too much fuss".
Both of the girls nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Young Master Arthur!".
"We won't let you down!".
Arthur nodded before turning around and walking towards the exit.
He needed to figure out where to set up his new house, in addition to where it would be in the Village.
Everyone behind him gazed at Arthur's retreating figure, his back seeming much broader, and his shadow casting a much longer darkness.
The three mortals present didn't think much of it, but the rest of Arthur's family felt the change within him.
His demeanour, temperament, aura, disposition, presence.... even his poise was.... different.
A certain confidence, or strength could be seen in Arthur's gait. His breathing, and even the way he carried himself.
They didn't know what the change meant, but it was similar to the way a certain girl carried herself after she awakened her Sovereign Boundary Physique.
They all thought that it might of been unconscious, a sort of longing for something unobtainable, or something out of reach.
None of them commented on this change, but deep within their bones, knew that something was different about Arthur.
They just didn't know what.