381: She Is My Betrothed

She Is My Betrothed

Arlan had dedicated his efforts to strengthening the kingdom since his youth, aspiring to be a capable ruler. Giving up on that dream was a profound statement.1

"Do you hate them that much?" Arthur inquired.

"You can try asking yourself if you would marry someone connected to the murderer of your mother," Arlan replied.

  "Hmm, that's a tough decision, but you must consider the future of this kingdom and its people. Giving up the throne is not an option," Arthur advised. Meanwhile, Nathaniel stood by Arlan, saying, "If you need help getting rid of them, you can tell me, although you're still perfectly capable of handling it on your own."

Before Arlan could respond, Arthur's expression darkened. "You two are planning to eliminate an innocent girl. I, as a military man, am known to be heartless, but you two are proving me wrong. It's as though you don't have a heart."

A heavy silence settled in the room.

"Anyways, I was curious about why I don't see that pretty boy around here?" Arthur asked, scanning the room. "Shouldn't he be serving you?"

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Pretty boy?"

"The one I told you about, the one who made me question our friend's preference," Arthur answered, then turned his gaze to Arlan. "If you marry your betrothed, it will dispel my suspicions about you, and I can consider allowing my sister to be your second wife. I worry about her future, and I don't want her to live like a widow when her husband is..."

"Shut up," Arlan gritted his teeth, his glare intense and filled with anger.

  "Calm down, all right?" Arthur chuckled. "I was just giving you the best possible option. You despise that girl, so you could marry her in name only and become a King. What could be a worse punishment for a woman than seeing her husband doesn't love her but shows interest in his other wife? This way, you can punish the girl and keep my sister happy. You could even have a child with my sister. Consider the bright future and a plan where you defeat your enemy without using a weapon."

Arlan called for Alex, and the knight stepped forward. "Take this annoyance out of here," Arlan ordered.

Alex looked at Arthur, who raised a brow, "Do you dare?" and then looked at Arlan, "Do you want to put your knight in tough spot?"

Nathan interrupted and looked at the King, "Alex," and signalled him to return. He then looked at Arthur with warning gaze, "Stop teasing him already."

Arthur changed the subject. "Alright, I just wanted to meet that intriguing servant. Where is he?"

Arlan remained silent, unwilling to respond.

"Come on, it's just a servant," Arthur continued. "After helping you seek revenge for him, you can't even meet him."

Nathaniel noticed the unease in Arlan's eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Arlan?"

Arlan sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's gone."

"Gone? Where?" Arthur asked in shock.

"Go search for him if you can find him," Arlan replied.

Arthur relaxed and said, "Given how annoying you can be, it's nothing surprising if he is gone. But wait...did you try to take advantage of him. Did you do something indecent with to him to scare him away and that's why he is gone?"

Annoyed, Arlan looked at Arthur but remained silent as certain memories flashed before his eyes. Something had indeed happened.

Arthur laughed and then glanced at Nathaniel. "Did you see it, Nathan? He's not denying it. That means he definitely did something with the little guy and scared him away. Poor little fellow."

However, instead of paying attention to Arthur's remarks, Nathaniel maintained a serious gaze on Arlan and said, "Tell the truth."

Arlan spoke defensively, "He was my servant, and as his master I could do anything with him. You two should mind your own business."

Seeing Arlan agitated, Arthur exchanged knowing glances with Nathaniel.

A faint smirk adorned Arthur's lips as Nathaniel gave him a nod of agreement.

"You really have no interest in men, do you?" Arthur probed, only to be struck by a cushion from the chair and met with a warning from Arlan. "One more word, and I'll certainly throw you out."

"Ah, this cushion almost hurt my handsome face, Cromwell."

Nathaniel turned his gaze to Arlan's agitated expression. "Is there something you don't want to tell us. Arlan?"

"If you already know, there's no need to ask," Arlan replied.

"As long as you haven't harmed that boy," Arthur spoke, "I'll take him to my residence if I find him. I'll protect that poor guy."

In response, Arlan shot him a murderous look, as if daring him to do so.

"I'll help you find him if you're that concerned about him, Arthur," Nathaniel offered, all the while keeping an eye on Arlan.

"Thank you," Arthur said. "That guy was truly interesting. It would be great to have him around. I'll even let you have some fun with him around, Nathan."

Arlan almost growled at them, warning, "You two, don't even think about it."

Both of them returned his nonchalant gazes. "Why can't we think about something you've given up on? He was a capable servant. I can't wait to see him put a few spoiled noble jerks in their place," Arthur remarked. Then, he looked at Nathaniel. "Don't you want some entertainment? Let's find him and have some fun with him."

"I look forward to it," Nathaniel replied without hesitation.

Arlan could see that both of his friends were deliberately pushing for more information, so he decided to finally provide an answer to put an end to their questions.

"That servant is a woman."

The two quietly looked at him and exchanged gazes with each other as if it was nothing surprising. But they didn't know what they would hear next would shock them to bones.

"She is my betrothed that went missing."

"What?"

Both of them stared at Arlan wordlessly and there was sudden silence in that lounge. 

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