Villa Astaford, one of the villas owned by the renowned noble family, the Marquiss Astaford family, from the Varseil Kingdom.
Located in Venti, the capital of the Rumanier Kingdom, it is usually used as a temporary residence and vacation spot for the Astaford family and the royal family.
Renowned for their loyalty, this family is also distantly related to the Alucard family, who rule the Varseil Kingdom.
Currently, on a late night, Prince Karez and Aslyn, his assistant and the villa's host, had just returned from Earl Ventela's party and were taking a short rest.
In the family room, complete with a warm fireplace and tea, Karez and Aslyn sat down to rest.
"This is quite exhausting for me," Karez muttered.
"I'm sorry for deciding to take the prince away," Aslyn said, bowing his head.
"No, no, it's not your fault, Lyn. I myself had no interest in staying there any longer since the shocking incident just occurred."
The incident Karez was referring to was when Aliester openly rejected Lady Bernadette's actions.
In public, everyone slowly turned their attention to them, and the most attention-grabbing moment was when Aliester and Magdalene decided to leave the party to return to the palace.
Afterwards, the situation became increasingly uncontrollable when Lady Bernadette decided to chase after Aliester.
Just as Karez and Aslyn were about to greet and pay their respects to Earl Ventela, the host of the party, he looked panicked instead. Losing control of the party and drawing everyone's attention was the most fatal thing in noble socialization.
"I didn't expect the party to turn out like this. The Earl yelling to stop the music, the guests starting to gossip and say unnecessary things, Lady Bernadette returning in tears and not appearing again. It's complete chaos," Karez said, leaning his body against the sofa.
Prince Karez is still relatively young, but he has been educated to become the successor to the throne, so his way of thinking, speaking style, and attitude are very different from those of his peers.
He can be very serious and speak in a mature tone, even when he's with his personal assistant.
Aslyn poured his tea again, "Honestly, I'm still shocked to see His Majesty Aliester's expression when he was angry."
"You're shocked too, Lyn?"
"Of course, I'm shocked. His cold gaze indicated that he really hated Lady Bernadette's behavior. We didn't see it directly, but thinking about it again, I can understand his anger."
"I think it's not proper for a Lady to hold hands or even hug a man who is not her partner without permission. Moreover, he is the king and not just a ordinary noble."
"His Majesty King Aliester is a leader, but his current status is that of a widowed father of one, so–"
"What? A widower?" Prince Karez immediately looked serious, "What do you mean?"
"Oh, the prince didn't know, did you? King Aliester lost his beloved wife, Queen Helene, a few years ago."
"So..." Karez suddenly remembered the face of the little girl who was with Aliester, Magdalene, "So Princess Magdalene doesn't have a mother..."
"I think it's very disastrous for His Majesty King Aliester to attend the party with a Lady on his arm."
"Why?"
"Because it could create gossip that His Majesty King Aliester has a relationship with the Lady he brought."
"I see. Now I understand why His Majesty was so angry."
Karez couldn't forget Aliester's annoyed face at that time, but what still caught his attention was Magdalene.
He couldn't forget the little girl's face, her voice, the way she curtsied. Maybe, it could be said that he was captivated by her.
Even so, he was just a child who didn't understand his own feelings. It was possible that the feeling was just a momentary curiosity.
Even so, there was something he wanted to confirm. By touching his chest, he thought, "I want to see her again."
Aslyn looked at Karez, "What's wrong, prince? Is something hurting?"
Karez returned to his normal behavior, as if nothing had happened. He paused for a moment, savoring his warm tea.
When he placed the cup back on the table, he asked Aslyn, "Lyn, do you think we could visit His Majesty King Aliester's place?"
"The prince wants to visit His Majesty the King's place?"
Karez smiled, "Yes. After all, he is the king of this kingdom, and besides, he said we could go there."
"I don't think my father would forbid me from doing this."
Aslyn thought for a moment, "But we left Earl Ventela's party without talking much with him."
"I think that's not a problem. Besides, the situation wasn't conducive to chatting and socializing with Earl Ventela."
"Should I send a letter first thing tomorrow morning before heading to King Aliester's palace?"
"Please do, Lyn."
Aslyn smiled, "As you wish, My Prince."
"Ah, since it's already late, the prince should rest. I'll ask the servant to prepare warm water for you to bathe in, and then you can sleep."
"Thank you."
" Tomorrow, I'll send the letter before our departure."
"Alright," Karez smiled happily, "I think...I'm really looking forward to tomorrow morning. I'm so happy to be visiting and meeting you again...Princess Magdalene."
-----------
In the palace, in the room of the little girl who had just been on Karez's mind, Magdalene, who had just finished bathing, was combing her hair, changing her clothes, and sitting on her bed.
Of course, with Mr. Teddy by her side.
"Alright, Mr. Teddy. Thank you for your support, Magda finally could tell that ugly woman that she's not worthy of daddy."
"... " The teddy bear didn't respond. Of course not, right? The little girl was talking to a stuffed animal. How cute~
But after that, the little girl started covering her face with a pillow and screaming.
"Kyaaaaa!!"
"I acted like a cute and innocent little girl in front of Aliester!!!!"
"So embarrassing!!! Kyaaaa!!!" She began to realize that her soul wasn't just that of a simple, innocent child.
After screaming several times, she finally looked at the teddy bear next to her with a red face.
"I even talked to a teddy bear. Uuu~"
"But!!" The little girl started to regain her composure, "But at least I said everything I wanted to say to that flirty woman."
"If daddy wasn't there, I would have really let her have it. There wouldn't be any need to act like a sweet, innocent little girl! Huh!"
Magdalene lay down on her bed and thought for a moment.
"I said it. I already said it."
"I asked Daddy to find a new mom."
"Actually, I'm not even sure about my own request, but I don't want Daddy to be close to a bad woman."
"Besides, as I expected...a king without a queen will become an easy target, and the nobles will surely start approaching him one by one."
"Earl Ventela is one of them, and it's possible that more people like him will appear, trying to take advantage of the empty queen position."
"I don't want to disappoint the real Magdalene when she returns. She might be a bit confused by this situation, but it would be better if she had a new mom."
"Moreover, daddy must be lonely."
"I hope I didn't make a mistake."
The little girl got up and looked at her teddy bear again, "So, Mr. Teddy, listen to me."
"I might be a bit crazy for talking to a stuffed animal, but for the sake of becoming a sweet little girl in my second life, I beg of you, support me."
"We'll find a suitable candidate for my new mom together. Clearly, she has to be better than Bernadette."
"We're in this together, Mr. Teddy. For a bright future!!" The little girl cheered alone at night until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
The long night eventually gave way to everyone's dreams, and when morning came, another letter arrived for Aliester.
To be continued...