She was still smiling as she asked that question. Her smile was bright and happy. Arthur, on the other hand, was struggling to keep his smiling face intact.
Lady Vena asked again, "Come on. Say something. Isn't it great that I am willing to spend money on such an expensive pill that fourth transformation body forgers use just so that you can break through your bottleneck faster?"
He wasn't particularly excited about the gift because he can't just use blood pills anyhow. He has to exercise and break his limits to use them effectively.
The greater the power of the pill, the more he has to push the limit of his body. That means this great gift is also a gift of intensive exercise.
He couldn't help but ask, "But I have learned the fire-breathing techniques. Isn't that enough to help me with the breakthrough?"
Lady Vena said solemnly, "Of course it is enough for the breakthrough. But that's for the normal average people who don't have a choice and are skimping on resources."
"Mana techniques are good, and you must learn them. But there is also no harm in exercising and using blood pills. It will only bring more good to you."
Then she said sternly, "If I'm willing to spend the money on the pill, then you should be willing to use it."
He couldn't argue with her after that. After all, it was for his good.
So he struggled to smile and said, "Thank you, mother, for the great gift. However will I repay you?"
She knew that his smile was fake, but she didn't care. She gave a fake smile in return and said, "As long as you do your best, I'll be satisfied."
His eye twitched as he remembered how Lady Vena had pushed him to his limit several times. Those were not exactly fond memories.
He thought he would get a break from her for a while, but it seems he was too lucky and was born to a mother who is willing to go out of her way, spend money, and use her time to help him become better.
He should be grateful, but he only felt apprehension as he asked, "What is the uncertain good news?"
Lady Vena laughed. She said, "This one is even better. You might find it funny, as I did. If not, then you have no sense of humor."
Arthur's heart was beating wildly in his chest. When he heard what the uncertain good news was, his fake smile faded into a frown.
"The current family head has heard about the seven-year-old bastard in the outer court at the fourth transformation and felt that this boy has potential. In order not to waste this potential, he decided to arrange a betrothal marriage for the boy."
Lady Vena asked, "How lucky are you to be married off to another family and used as a bargaining chip to earn some benefits for the family?"
He couldn't be bothered to keep up his fake smile. That was more than enough to tell just how lucky he feels.
Lady Vena chuckled. She continued to tease him, "Don't let marriage scare you. It can be enjoyable if you marry the right person.
"This marriage alliance is also a mission for the family. It is a very important mission, which goes to show just how much value and faith the family had in you. You should be glad."
He folded his arms against his chest and said calmly, "I'm not getting married to anyone."
Lady Vena threw her hands up and said, "There goes your chance of being favored by the family. I guess that's that."
Then she stood up to leave. This took him by surprise.
He asked, "I have a choice in the matter?"
He expected at least some pushback on the matter. In fact, he expected his mother to say that he didn't have a choice in the matter. He wouldn't be surprised if she had said that because the Dyson family is so powerful.
But there was no pushback whatsoever. She just took his words and went with it without any resistance. So he was surprised.
Lady Vena replied with a shake of her head. "No, you don't have a choice. You're just seven. No one is going to ask a seven-year-old, no matter how smart he is, his thoughts on such an important matter."
"The choice is all mine, and I have already rejected the proposal. I told them to find another bastard to sell off."
His mouth was agape at the revelation. He asked in frustration, "Then why did you bother asking me when you've already made your choice?"
"Because I wanted to see what you thought about it. If you had agreed to the proposal, I would have beaten some sense into you today."
He gulped when he heard that.
But she continued unconcerned. "I haven't beaten you only because you're mostly a reasonable child. But if you had agreed to something so stupid, I would show you that I have no qualms about using the stick to discipline you. I'm sure that there will be a lot of people happy to hear me discipline you for the first time."
He shook his head and said, "Looks like I dodged a bullet."
Then he asked with some concern. "But won't the family head be pissed with your rejection?"
She shrugged and said, "She will be pissed. But there is very little she can do openly about it. At most, she can have us kicked out."
"You shouldn't worry about it. I'll take care of what needs to be done. As for you, make sure you sell the new story about why you're bedridden again. Make sure no one finds out about your situation."
"The family only knows that you had a bloodline awakening once. They don't know that you have it each time you transform. If they know that, then they will try to control you. Trying to use you as bargaining chips in their scheme to take over another family will just be the beginning."