The Second Prince's World Rewritten

Chapter 13 - A Motherly Love

"Where is he?!"

Her voice breaks the silence in the palace that nobody dares to disturb. She ran around scaring the maids to answer her when the likewise calm butler, Karl dive in to stop the commotion.

"My lady, his royal highness is in his office right now. Let me take you to him at once," he quickly subdued the nuisances.

The staffs are looking at them as if they are going to lion's den. Karl himself seem happy himself. As he was about to knock the door, the lady push them open without notice. Karl quickly moved away.

"Prince Radeon!" She screams to the office room.

The prince in question is currently on his working desk with stacks of papers with the now scared Sir Darren, his assistant.

"Oh, Lady Maebel. Welcome, it is nice to see you in this bright afternoon!" Radeon looks up to the lady who has been causing commotion.

"How dare you, Radeon!"

Noticing all the politeness has dropped, he quickly signs Darren and Karl to leave the room.

As the two men leaves, Radeon stand up from his desk to sit the furious lady on the couch.

"Please Lady Maebel, take a deep breath first."

"How can you be so tenacious, Radeon?" She begins to chatter, "I have always let you just be yourself, when you request for Lucelia I also let you be. You are still without a wife, Radeon! This will be a scandal!"

He was stunned, "Oh ... she must be with child .... We should start the process to move her here to Zweich, I will ask Karl to prepare for everything."

"It is that easy for you?"

He shrugged, "I have always wanted to move her here, she practically lives here most of the time. But the rules, no, your rules only allows the girls to be taken out once she is with child. This is what I have been waiting for."

"This is a royal blood you are talking about, Radeon!"

"So what?"

She lost her temper, "Radeon, you are a prince, a nobility, a royalty. You have to take a lawfully wedded wife before officially taking in a concubine. That child will also be in line for the throne. You are going to make an issue between your future wife and Lucelia!"

"Lady Maebel," he turns serious, "Are you implying that I should care as I might need to prepare of my children having power struggle for the throne? Are you insinuating that my older brother will be without child ... or I should usurp his position?"

"The crown prince has not been decided yet," her voice softens as she look down to the floor.

"Lady Maebel, I have no single intention of messing up with the hope people put on my ideal older brother," he sighs, "I am very grateful that you have been taking care of me really well all this time, like I was your own son. You might have expectations on me, but I am sorry ..."

She just stayed quiet for a while. Lady Maebel used to be his father's concubine, but she is a good friend of the queen. She promised not to bear child to respect her dear friend. Instead, she was mostly in Radeon's childhood, helping the queen to raise him when everyone was busy with the smart ideal first prince. He has always respected her, second to his own mother.

"So what is this actually about? Is it really only about me? Is it about the child? Or is it about Lucelia?"

She sighs, "Why do you have to make things hard for her?"

"What do you mean, Lady Maebel? This is exactly what the palace you are running is the way it is," he said, "You always seem so down when you have to let your girls go. If you are against this, aren't you supposed to petition to close it down instead of keep running it for father's sake?"

"I have no choice, Radeon. The royalties and nobilities will never stop taking concubines unless it is illegal to do so. The Bridge has managed to regulate and ensure the girls' safety better."

"Is this as a payback of your own past? Or this is a motherly love you have been ailing for?"

He can see a hint of tears in the corners of her eyes when she answered, "Motherly love, huh ..."

"I promise I will be wise, mother Maebel."

And the tears fell.

***