36 Bold and Determined

The loving way Margaret speaks to Arthur leaves him with nothing but a caring and proud smile on his face. However, her words have the opposite effect on the ladies of the house, making all of them feel jealous.

While little Eve only sees another girl wanting her big brother's attention, which doesn't seem so bad since Margaret is nice to her; Nyx, on the other hand, already sees herself as Arthur's wife, so seeing another woman practically jumping into his arms is not pleasant at all.

Even so, she doesn't hate Margaret since the girl is not trying to steal her position as Main Wife as she is humble enough to want to be a secondary wife.

Also, the effort and dedication of Margaret to Arthur cannot be ignored, which makes Nyx have a mixed opinion about the girl.

Finally, there is Aria, who feels that jealousy in an even more intense way. She doesn't wish to feel this way, but it is already hard enough to deal with Nyx, so having another woman in Arthur's life, trying to have a share of his love, leaves Aria quite bitter.

Yet, none of the three jealous girls wish to be rude to Margaret as she looks so kind and gentle.

"Thank you, Margaret!" Arthur accepts the food basket with an enthusiastic smile; he really likes everything she had prepared for him so far. He also remembers the first food baskets he received from Margaret when he was only eleven years old.

Initially, they were full of fruits with only a few pieces of cake and other simple food. But the food baskets evolved over the years, nowadays being full of treats of all kinds and shapes.

Sweet and savory cookies, covered with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla toppings. There are also various snacks and different breads, making Arthur wonder if Margaret really prepares everything by hand.

He thinks she does because he can smell her strong perfume all over the basket and on all the bows adorning the goodies.

Her scent is different from Nyx and Aria, who have a natural fragrance, and although Margaret can't compare to them, she is still very fragrant, making Arthur like it very much.

'It smells like something made with flower nectar...' He thinks as he feels it coming from the food basket.

Margaret's smile becomes even brighter as she sees that Arthur seems excited to eat the food she has prepared, feeling very proud and happy to please him. She would love to just sit next to him and watch him eat everything.

But he looks at her with a regretful expression. "You don't need to bring me such good gifts all the time; I feel like I don't deserve it."

"I wanted to thank you… you know, for saving me that day." She shily speaks with her eyes full with affection and gratitude.

Arthur likes Margaret more and more, but it only makes him feel guilty for not being able to return her feelings the way she deserves.

"You've already thanked me," He replies gently.

Margaret can see that Arthur wants to be close to her, but he is still hesitant, which makes her think of the woman who has his heart. However, instead of feeling sad, she is unwilling to give up, so she puts on her saddest expression like a puppy that is about to be abandoned.

"I see," Her tone full of sadness. "You must be busy now, so I won't take up your time..."

Margaret doesn't even need to put much effort into her act to break Arthur's heart already.

"Wait!" He holds her arm as she pretends to leave through the door. "Maybe you'd like to stay a little longer and have lunch with us?"

"Really? You really want me here?" She asks excitedly, her eyes shining with anticipation. "I would love it, if it's not too much trouble..."

Arthur enjoys Margaret's company; she can't compete with Aria and Nyx in beauty, but she is bold and confident without seeming vulgar, which makes her attractive.

"Is it okay, Mom?" He speaks loudly.

"Of course, dear," Aria responds from the kitchen. "Any friend of yours is welcome."

Margaret doesn't like the word 'friend' much since she wants to be more than that for Arthur, but it's certainly a good start, and she is very excited since this will be the first time they have lunch together. She feels like jumping up in joy, but she manages to control herself and stay calm like a well-behaved lady.

Arthur closes the door and turns, finding Margaret very close to him, her loving expression and her eyes shining with anticipation.

'Damn!!!' Arthur feels his predatory instinct being activated again. 'She looks like Nyx, a beautiful lamb begging to be devoured by me!'

He has a hard time trying to restrain the urge to devour Margaret and can only do so by focusing his thoughts on Nyx. 'I can't be greedy! I already have Nyx, and she is perfect for me…'

Not knowing how to deal with the excited Margaret, Arthur heads to the kitchen after delivering some candies to Eve, leaving the little girl very happy and busy.

"I'm going to store it," He comments as he takes the basket with him.

Margaret follows him like a curious bunny; arriving in the kitchen, she sees Aria cooking while utensils, cutlery, and food float around her.

"Woah!!" She exclaims, impressed.

Everyone in the village knows that Aria is a powerful Mage, but they don't see her using magic often, so that scene is like a spectacle for Margaret, and as someone who likes to cook, the young lady can't help but wish to have such abilities.

"Hey, Margaret," Aria smiles gently at her. "How have you been? And your family?"

"We are great, Mrs. Fletcher," Maraget says respectfully, and then her tone becomes affectionate. "Thanks to Arthur…"

But she almost jumps in fright when she sees a hostile glow pass through Aria's eyes for a second. "A-Ahem! I-I mean, your son's and your husband's effort to protect us against those bad guys."

In addition to jealousy, Aria feels disgusted when Margaret refers to Draven as her husband; that is how he was known by everyone, but now she doesn't even want to think of him anymore.

"You don't need to call me Mrs. Fletcher; just Aria is good," She says calmly, with a hint of coldness. "Also, Draven is no longer part of this family."

"Oh," Margaret becomes even more concerned and casts an inquisitive look at Arthur, clearly seeking his help.

He just shakes his head at her, and she understands that it is better to do as Aria said and not mention Draven anymore. As the atmosphere seems to be getting tenser, Margaret thinks of something and speaks in a pleading tone. "Can I help you finish lunch, Mrs.-, Ahem, I mean, lady Aria?"

"Of course, sweetie," Aria replies in a gentle tone and stops some of the tasks that her utensils were doing by magic to let the girl do them manually.

"Thank you!" Margaret quickly takes a position next to Aria and starts chopping vegetables.

Aria has a lot of knowledge in all kinds of areas that one can study, but since she has spent most of her time focused on taking care of her children for the last fourteen years, she hasn't had much time to be an expert in some things.

This is the case with cooking, and even though Arthur thinks his mother is a five-star kitchen chef, Aria actually relies especially on her magic to make good food.

But as soon as she sees Margaret cutting a carrot into small and delicate heart-shaped pieces, surely to please Arthur, she realizes that the young lady has some good abilities. 

Setting her jealousy aside, Aria quickly starts learning things about cooking from Margaret, and the two end up getting along very well. However, this should be as expected, as Margaret is trying her best to please Aria as well as possible.

Meanwhile, Arthur lets Eve have fun with the candies in the living room and sits at the kitchen table, watching his mother and Margaret cooking side by side.

He starts noticing how that scene is heart-warming, yet he can't help but realize that they look like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cooking together for him.

Margaret really fits well in that place, but he can't imagine Nyx doing the same. 'I guess she doesn't like to cook... well, that doesn't seem to be her thing in the end.'

Arthur can't imagine Nyx cooking for him even if she could appear without any problems, but that doesn't make him love her any less; it just makes him want to enjoy watching Aria and Margaret cooking together more.

Even though he starts watching the show with a clear mind and his heart full of warm feelings, soon he can't help but notice some things...To start with, his eyes are drawn to those sensual waists that seem to always be swaying just for his delight.

Aria has wide hips, a thin waist, and huge breasts; her body has the most perfect hourglass figure ever. Meanwhile, Margaret has a slender body with balanced proportions, which, despite not being as voluptuous as his mother, is still quite attractive.

Yet, Arthur can't prevent comparisons in his mind, and while it's not fair to compare Margaret with Aria, the poor girl has even fewer curves than Nyx, even though the young lady is nineteen and the demoness is the same age as him.

'Still, she has her charm...' He smiles as he admires Margaret's humble yet nice curves. 'Maybe she hasn't fully matured yet? So Nyx's body can get as curvy as my mother's??'

Many thoughts come to Arthur's mind as he watches Aria and Margaret; their difference doesn't seem like a bad thing but creates a more diverse and magnificent view.

While Arthur has his fun, so do the girls. Margaret is very excited about everything regarding Aria and her magic-filled kitchen.

She tastes fruits while cutting them to make a refreshing salad and is surprised that they taste much better than the ones she picks around the village.

"Wow! These fruits are so soft and sweet," She comments.

Aria smiles proudly. "I use some special items and means to grow them."

"Could you teach me?" Margaret starts to imagine how many delicious things she could make for Arthur with ingredients as incredible as those fruits.

"Hmm..." Aria feels sorry for Margaret because the items she uses to grow such ingredients are made by herself, using her magic, so it shouldn't be possible for a simple girl without magical training.

Margaret quickly concludes that, and despite being envious of Aria for being such an incredible Mage, she doesn't want to get down and continues to enjoy the moment.

She starts to cut a vibrant yellow mango, and when she tastes it, she makes a pleasant expression. "Mmmmm~~ this is so delicious!!"

Upon tasting something so good, the first thought that comes to her mind is to give it to Arthur.

She cuts a piece of the mango and quickly goes to the table. Since she is on the opposite side of Arthur, she bends over the table and stretches her arm, holding the piece of mango with three fingers.

"Here, try it," She says in a loving tone while bringing her hand to his mouth, clearly trying to give it to him directly in the mouth.

Margaret acts quickly, and Arthur reacts instinctively, opening his mouth to eat the piece of mango. Her smile gets bigger, and her eyes shine even more when she sees Arthur lower his guard.

Without thinking about the consequences, she follows her instincts and uses that moment to shove the piece of mango and her three fingers into Arthur's mouth.

'Huh?!' He barely has time to react before feeling the tips of Margaret's fingers dancing inside his mouth, her taste mixed with the sweetness of that delicious mango...

Arthur pulls his head back, but Margaret rubs the tips of her fingers inside his mouth and tongue, stealing a good amount of his saliva.

She glances at her fingers covered with his bright saliva and casts a naughty look at him while slowly bringing her fingers toward her own mouth.

'You wouldn't...' Arthur freezes, his eyes fixed on her fingers; such a hot scene...

He doubts, but she doesn't,

So she puts those three fingers in her little mouth and sucks his saliva from them with a bold and loving expression.

Arthur can't do anything; neither his determination nor his love for Nyx can prevent him from getting hard with that scene.

'Damn, girl! You are so naughty!!!'

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AN/: I noticed that maybe readers are confused by the format of the dialogue, so to make it clear, I'm going to use " " for normal dialogue, ' ' for mental conversations with Nyx, and ' ' with italics for private monologues. If you don't like it, just let me know.