Chapter 4 - Ruby

Elize arrived at the throne room with her guards. Inside the room, a man was seated on the throne. He had long, blonde hair and golden irises. Wearing a red robe that looked majestic and a crown on his head. His mustache and beard gave him a mature but young look. This man was the king of the Dravier kingdom, 'Edward Von Dravier'.

There were guards with swords guarding the room from outside, and some old advisors discussing the recent affairs with the king. When Edward saw Elize entering the throne room with a furious expression, he ordered everyone in the room to be dismissed. After everyone left, Elize spoke.

"I need and explanation, dear."

"Explanation for what, my queen ?"

Edward asked nervously, feeling intimidated by his wife's cold gaze.

"Aren't all the servants of the palace supposed to be under the servant seal? Then how come someone managed to poison my son's food ?"

"The imperial guards are currently searching for the culprit behind the poisoning of Arthur. Please be patient, my queen."

"How can I be patient! A scum attempted to poison my only son! How am I supposed to be patient? I want you to find the culprit who dared to poison my son and execute everyone related to this." Elize said in a furious tone.

Arthur was the only son of Queen Elize. Even though all the other concubines of the king had already given birth to many children, she had always had a hard time being able to get pregnant. After many years of marriage, she had finally given birth to Arthur. Even though he wasn't able to use magic and everyone branded him as trash, she loved him. As a mother, she couldn't bear the thought of having her only son poisoned and the person who poisoned him still being alive.

"Yes, I will make sure to find out everyone behind this and execute them all. But the investigation is still going on, and I can't take a rash decision immediately. Please have some patience."

"Hmph… Fine then. But you must find them quickly."

Seeing that he had somewhat calmed down his wife, Edward sighed. He was very much worried in his heart right now. No, he wasn't worried about finding the culprit. With the professional imperial guards working on this matter and his huge information network as the king, he wasn't afraid about how he would find the culprit.

What he was afraid of, was executing the culprit. Although he didn't know which one it was, he was sure that the culprit must have been one of his sons. Although he claimed to love all his children equally, he didn't like the idea of having to kill one of his sons for a useless son of his. After all, he was a king. He highly valued talent for his descendants, and unfortunately, Arthur didn't have it.

Arthur got out from the bath and dried himself with a towel. He wore the black robes and combed his hair. He came in front of the mirror and admired his face.

(For a spoiled brat, he sure has a handsome face.)

Describing his face as just handsome would be an understatement. He had smooth silver hair that seemed like it would shine in the dark. His eyes were a deep blue that would mesmerize someone if they stared in it for too long. He had a sharp nose and jawline. His skin was fair and soft, without a single dark spot. If he were to walk on the street, just his appearance alone would attract the attention of the public. Unfortunately, this face gifted by heaven had been wasted with an arrogant look for the past 12 years.

*Rumble rumble*

(I haven't eaten anything since I woke up. I am feeling hungry…)

He walked out of the bath and saw the maid standing outside the door. He looked at the maid and said.

"I am feeling hungry. Can you prepare some food?"

The maid was again surprised by his polite behavior, but she quickly replied

"Yes, your highness, I will ask the cook to prepare it right away. Please follow me to the dining hall."

"Uh yes…um…"

"Pardon me for the late introduction, your highness. My name is Ruby."

The maid replied with a slight bow.

"Oh that's fine, let's go Miss Ruby."

"You need not add honorifics to this lowly maid, your highness."

"Uh …fine then, let's go, Ruby."

"Yes, your highness."

Arthur followed Ruby to the dining hall. There, he sat at the end of a long table. After waiting for some time, Ruby returned with two other maids, carrying a platter of food. Then they placed it on the table and left. Arthur slowly ate the food and thought to himself.

(Even though this place has such a big place to eat, no one except me is here to eat. The royal family must hate me for being an arrogant good for nothing, seeing that no one even bothers to eat with me…)

Arthur felt a bit sad that no one was with him to eat. But he also felt thankful because he didn't know how to interact with them.

After eating, Arthur went back to his room. Ruby had told him that she would be outside the room, so he could feel free to call her whenever he needed. He saw that there were some books in the bookshelf in his room. He took out a book and started reading it. Although the language written and spoken was different in this world, he could still understand it because he had Arthur's memories.

After reading for some time, he closed the book and put it back in the bookshelf. He then laid on the bed, covered himself up to his head with the blanket and slept. It had been a tiring day. He needed to give his body some rest, after all, he wasn't fully healed.