NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81: I want to play with him
After the heavy rain, rays of sunlight through the clouds. The chill in the air makes the little girl shiver. Her mother is busy talking to the other woman. The little girl takes this chance to sneak out and go near the pond. She squeals when she sees the black duck swimming in the pond. Small black and brown ducklings are following the mommy duckling around in a line. Her round brown eyes become wide when one of the ducklings move toward her. She tries to grasp the baby duckling.
"Ari!" The woman screams when she sees her daughter at the edge of the pond. Startled, Little Ari loses her balance. She squeezes her eyes in fear. A hand grasps the back of her coat and pulls her back. She looks up at her savior, dazed by his bright blue eyes.
"Miss Ashbourne, are you okay?" He asks her with a gentlemanly voice not matching his age. "You shouldn't play near the pond."
Their mother watches them with awe from the side. The boy is 8 and the girl is only 5. They are betrothed recently by the king himself. The engagement is completely out of blue. When asked by the third consort, the king has told her that he was guided by an angel to engage Prince Tristan and the daughter of the Ashbourne family for the prosperity of the kingdom in his dream.
Prince Tristan is the 6th son of the King. He is showing his genius from a young age. He has even shown a talent for soul magic.
Ari Ashbourne is the first girl born after 50 generations in Ashbourne family. Even the princesses of the royal family are jealous of her life. From the point of view of the bloodline and status, she is quite suited to marry the prince. However, the girl has one major flaw.
"Achoo!" She sneezes hard. Her gooey snots land right on his face. Tristan doesn't know how to react at first. Then, he composes himself and takes out his handkerchief from his pocket. He cleans her face first and then, he cleans himself.
She's physically and spiritually weak. She is sick most of the days. Though she has shown a talent for magic, they don't know if she will even live up to 16. The Ashbourne family has been shocked when they first found out about the engagement. Regardless of how their daughter is, they wouldn't just accept anyone to marry their precious daughter. When they seem hesitant to accept the engagement, Prince Tristan and the third consort suddenly visits them.
"They are already taking care of each other." He hears his mother say to the girl's mother. "Prince Tristan will take care of your daughter well."
The girl's mother isn't impressed. She knows how the royal family is. They wouldn't do anything they don't get benefitted from. She is afraid that her daughter might become a pawn to control the Ashbourne family in the future. Everyone in the kingdom knows that her daughter is the precious heart of all the men of the Ashbourne family.
She comes to her daughter side and checks on her. "Ari, I told you that you can't come outside when it's cold."
"Mommy, who is he?" Ari points at the prince with her chubby finger. Her voice is tiny and chirrupy like a songbird. "He's pretty. I want to play with him."
Prince Tristan's expression's break a little. He resists the urge to hold that chubby finger and play with her. But, he keeps his face composed as he has been taught to maintain.
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God 2: Argh! Can't you improve her immunity? That moment was sweet enough for them to fall in love, but she completely ruined it.
God 1: I can't help it. Her soul is weak. It also affects her physical constitution. It doesn't matter. I have added multiple charms to her physical body. That will make up for ruining moments. Well, we can't do much about her personality. In the future, she will win men's heart with her gaze alone. See, that prince is floored despite being sneezed at.
God 2: Argh! I don't know how that boy didn't get disgusted. He reacted better than I would.
God 1: Will we stop looking at the girl? I want to check on the god. Change the channel.
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In the enemy country, a 4 years old boy with a stony face frowns when he looks out of the window. He feels like something unpleasant just happened, but he can't pinpoint the reason. His rising gloominess instantly lowers the temperature of his surrounding. His royal mother covers herself with a thick blanket and wondering why it's cold when it's the middle of summer. Outside, the sun is blazing and people are dying of sunstrokes. Inside the palace, people are roaming around in winter clothes.
She squints at her son. He has always been an odd one. He's moody and quiet. He is rarely interested in anyone or anything. Despite the extreme aloofness, he is always excellent. Next year, he will be tested for magic. But, she already knows that he will test positive.
It's like he's a god in the world of mortals. Nothing is worthy of his eyes.
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God 2: Why he is like that? He should be a happy kid. Is he even four?
God 1: You can seal his memories, but you can't do much about his personality. For some reason, he is in a bad mood since birth.
God 2: Does he feel cheated because we didn't send him to the girl right away? We told him that he had to pay the debt first.
God 1: You told him that he would meet her after his birth.
God 2: He would meet her after his birth. Not right after his birth.
God 1: He doesn't even follow the dialogues of the script. 90% of the time, he answers people with his eyes or a shake of his head. His bad mood affects the environment a lot. At this rate, the country known for the constant summer season will become famous for winter.
God 2: Gah! Let it be. We will just adjust the script.