The Third Prince Of Darkness

Althea’s POV - Late Night After the Engagement Ceremony -

I finally took a deep breath and got out of bed. I immediately drank the entire bottle of water next to me with great enthusiasm. My head was throbbing, and considering I had cried for hours, that was definitely normal. After all that crying, I had reached a decision, but first I needed to talk to my mother. I got out of bed and saw through the window that the sun had not yet risen, but was about to. By now, my mother must have already gotten up and started her work.

walked to the mirror to fix my messy hair. Ignoring my swollen eyes, I walked toward my mother's study upstairs. As I passed through the corridors, I looked at the many portraits I saw, bowing my head in embarrassment at the thought of the decision I was about to make, knowing that these grand figures were my ancestors. I finally arrived at an elegant door. After knocking a few times, my mother's voice came from inside. "You may come in, Althea," she said.

Although I was outside the door, I wasn’t surprised she knew who I was; after all, she was an excellent assassin and probably sensed my presence since I left my room. I opened the door and entered. My mother, who always looked elegant and whose curvaceous figure was visible even in the dim light, was standing there. Thankfully, she was my mother, and because of that, I inherited a figure that many men, including Ethan, would admire.

I closed the door behind me and walked inside. When my mother lifted her head from the desk and looked at me, her face showed surprise, followed by a worried expression.

“What’s wrong, my sweetie? Why were you crying?” she asked as she got up from her chair and approached me.

I hurried to the sofa and sat down. After my mother sat next to me, she waited anxiously for me to speak. I didn’t know how to start, but I knew that the best thing was to be honest. As I tried to speak with trembling hands, the words wouldn’t come out. When I felt her warm hand on mine and her gentle touch on my back, a warmth spread through me.

“There’s no problem, dear, just talk to me" she said in a gentle tone.

I took a deep breath and began speaking while avoiding her gaze. “I’m sorry, mother... I can’t do this anymore...”

My mother looked surprised at my words and furrowed her brows, asking, “What can’t you do?”

Her question startled me, but I continued speaking through clenched lips. “I can’t be with Ethan... I know how important it is for our family, but I can’t continue any longer.”

There was a long silence in the room after my words, and I could see my mother trying to control her anger. She took a deep breath in silence and then closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. As I sat silently next to her, I felt the trembling in her voice and the seriousness of her demeanor. Finally, she slowly opened her eyes and spoke in a calm but firm tone.

“Althea, I’m concerned that you’re making such a decision so easily. You know how important it is for our family that you and Prince Ethan come together. Haven’t you been saying for months that you’re in love with Ethan and want to be his wife? Didn’t you thank me repeatedly for assigning you this duty? Didn’t you say Ethan is the man of your life? What has changed your mind? While I am sacrificing myself for our family, you can’t even be with the man you love?!”

With each word, my mother’s anger grew, and by the time she spoke the last sentences, she was almost shouting. My body was trembling with fear, and tears had already begun streaming down my face.

“Tell me why you changed your mind...?” she said more calmly.

“Because I can’t stand it! I can’t stand Ethan being with other women! I don’t want to see the man I love flirting with other women... I don’t just want to be Another woman in his harem! After about his chief knight, I thought he would place me in a more special position than other women, but it didn’t work... It’s painful Mom... painful”

After I expressed my feelings and words, there was another long silence. My mother looked at me with deep sadness in her eyes. After sitting in the darkness of the room for a while in silence, she took a deep breath and began to speak. Her tone was now more furious, and the hand that had been on my back was long gone.

“Althea, he is just a damn prince! Didn’t you know that when you fell in love with him? Didn’t you know he would have a harem like all those powerful men? Also, didn’t you say he has an excellent character and makes you feel valued all the time?! Even if he has other women, can’t he still value you?”

My mother’s words shook me deeply. Seeing her so angry and disappointed only deepened my own pain. As I wiped my tears with my hand, I looked into her eyes. There was a sense of hopelessness and a search for understanding in her gaze.

“Yes, I knew...” I said, trying to control the trembling in my voice. “But living through it is much harder than I thought. I know how important it is to be with Ethan, but I can’t overcome my feelings. As I fall more in love with him, the situation becomes more difficult... Please, mother, I can’t endure this any longer.”

My mother took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she sat silently, she seemed lost in her thoughts. While I wiped my tears with both hands, I waited for her reaction. After a while, my mother began to calm down and slowly lifted her head. Her voice had a tired softness to it.

“Alright, my Sweetie...” she said, and after taking another deep breath, she leaned in and kissed me on the top of my head. “If you don’t want to be with Ethan, then so be it, but you must continue to be by his side. Ethan will soon go to the Dragon Academy, and you need to stay with him until then. After he leaves, you can come back to me.”

“Thank you, mother,” I said, with a note of relief in my voice. “I don’t know how this process will go, but at least seeing this much is important to me. I need to know how to act around Ethan during this time.”

My mother nodded, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. “Yes, you should stay with Ethan during this time. For both your sake and our family’s. However, if you feel uncomfortable and he is with other girls, you can distance yourself from him. Is that okay? You can do that, can’t you?”

“Okay...” I said, nodding and earning a smile from my mother.

My mother’s words somewhat eased the confusion within me, but I still had many questions in my mind. As I left the room, my mother’s support and understanding had lightened my heart. After closing the door, I walked down the corridor, but with each step, my unease grew. My tears were still fresh, and the emptiness in my heart was deep. I didn’t know what to do during the time I would spend with Ethan. My mother’s decision had given me a transition period, but I wasn’t sure how it would unfold. I wondered if I should be honest with Ethan about my feelings or just make a plan on how to behave during this time.

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