8 Love Game

Arthur finishes dancing with all the girls at the party, and even though they have no hopes of becoming his wives, they make memories they can cherish forever. With that, the party comes to an end and the guests start returning to their homes after thanking the Fletchers for their hospitality.

After the rest of the families leave, only the Carpenters remain, who have a closer relationship with Arthur's family, probably due to Draven and Aria thinking he is interested in their eldest daughter.

Margaret is nineteen years old and is considered by everyone to be the most beautiful girl in the village in that age range; after all, no girl can compete with the growing beauty of sweet little Eve.

Still, the eldest daughter of the Carpenters does not seem like a simple peasant and could even compete with nobles in beauty as well as elegance. Her mother has raised her in the best possible way so that she can have a promising future, probably serving some kind-hearted noble.

Of course, such a dream is almost impossible since nobles like Draven are extremely rare, and most of them see people like the Carpenters as trash. But Arthur is clearly like Draven, so the Carpenters can't help but have some hope for their daughter.

While they talk to Draven and Aria, Margaret goes to Arthur, who is currently giving the last dance to sweet Eve. She enjoys the scene of Arthur gently spinning Eve in the middle of the garden, a lovely scene of sibling bonds.

'He is also so loving…' Margaret knew that Arthur would be the most perfect man ever since he was still eleven years old, so now she is even more sure of it.

Arthur notices the girl looking at him with bright eyes. "Margaret? Is everything okay?"

"Ah, yes," She smiles gently at him. "Our parents are saying goodbye, so I came to say goodbye to you too..."

She always seems shy when talking to him, but thanks to Liam's memories, Arthur is very good at noticing when people are lying. And that seems to be the case with Margaret.

Arthur knows she doesn't do it out of malice but simply tries to appear cute and reserved to get his affection. But she has already started a losing battle because Nyx is not only the most beautiful girl Arthur has ever seen but she is also naturally cute and adorable.

Yet, Arthur is aware of Margaret's feelings and does not want to hurt the poor girl. So he stops dancing with Eve and gives her a tender kiss on her forehead. "Go see if Mom needs some help, sweetheart."

"Mm!" The cute little girl runs into the house, obeying her big brother.

"She is so adorable!" Margaret speaks honestly, but she can't hide her intentions reflected in her eyes.

"She is indeed," Arthur smiles proudly; he loves his sister just as he loves his parents.

But after saying that, a strange silence begins to arise because Arthur has nothing to say to Margaret. However, she is determined and makes her fake shy expression again. "Hey… did you like my gift?"

"Gift?" Arthur looks at the big gifts table and sees dozens of colorful boxes there. All the farmers brought gifts for him, and he hasn't had the time to open them all yet.

Margaret runs to the table and picks up a small red box with a white, fragrant bow.

"Here," She hands the box to Arthur.

Since the box is very small, fitting inside his hand, he wonders what it could be. The box is also very light, and when Arthur opens it, he finds only a piece of paper with a kiss mark from lipstick. He picks up the folded paper and opens it, on which it's written in red ink: Free Kiss.

'This girl is bold!' He can't help but think when he sees the expectant smile on Margaret's face.

"Thank you," He speaks in a gentle tone and smiles at her kindly.

But she seems disappointed. "This isn't quite the reaction I was expecting..."

"Margaret..." Arthur doesn't quite know how to handle that situation. She seems like a really good girl, and he can't deny that he is attracted to her beauty and nature.

But every time he got close to Margaret, Nyx would spend days without talking to him. As his relationship with her seems about to improve, he can't risk ruining it by being selfish enough to try and have two girlfriends at the same time.

However, Margaret doesn't seem willing to give up. "What's wrong? Don't you find me attractive?"

"That's not it," Arthur speaks honestly. "You are beautiful."

"So what's the problem then?" She asks, impatient and dejected. "I don't see you looking at any other girl... maybe you like... men?"

Arthur doesn't even need to wonder about that question because the feelings that Nyx awakens in his body make it clear that he likes girls. But he does wonder if telling Margaret that he is gay could make her suffer less from the rejection.

"I-" Arthur tries to speak, but he is not quick enough.

"Don't lie to me!" Margaret almost shouts in a serious tone. "I know you're not like that; I've seen you peeking at my body... you'd like to touch me, wouldn't you?"

Again, Arthur can't say anything before she continues. "But if you're not willing... maybe... is there another girl? Someone I don't know?"

He nods with a regretful expression. "I'm sorry."

Margaret sighs, relieved. "I almost thought there was something wrong with me. But if that's the case... well, if I were her, I'd like you to refuse other girls too, so I can't hold that against you."

Arthur appreciates Margaret for that, which makes him feel even worse for rejecting her. But then she surprises him.

"Ehh... so, maybe you can talk to her..." Margaret makes her usual shy expression. "And if she doesn't mind, I could be your second."

"My second?" Arthur is confused at first but then he remembers studying with his mother about the customs of their world. It's not uncommon for men and women to have multiple spouses, and in the case of men, their women can even be classified as main wife, secondary wives, concubines, and even mistresses.

Arthur feels flattered by Margaret's willingness to be his second wife, but he has no interest in making a harem now. He is still trying to overcome Nyx's barriers, and he's sure that he would be satisfied with only her. But he also knows that saying this to Margaret would only hurt her feelings, so he uses his tactic of the half-truth to delay it.

"I will talk to her, but I can't promise anything," He uses the gentlest tone he can muster.

That is enough to make Margaret show a radiant smile. "Thank you so much, Arthur!"

Arthur is happy for Margaret, but then the girl uses that moment to launch a surprise attack, trying to kiss him. 

Due to all his training in the last few years, but especially the lineages of Draven and Aria, Arthur's senses and agility are incredible. He can see Margaret's movements in slow motion when he focuses deeply enough, and an idea comes to his mind.

Since she is being so bold as to try to steal a kiss from him, he won't mind playing with her a little. Thus, Arthur doesn't fully dodge Margaret's attack, but just turns his face a bit to the side, letting her kiss land on his cheek and not on the mouth as she had planned.

"Ah?!" Margaret is surprised at Arthur's speed but happy to have managed to kiss his face at least.

And just as Arthur expected, he feels a pulse in his Nexus. Nyx does not appear, but she clearly has an intense reaction to Margaret's kiss, though he hopes she won't react too badly.

"Margaret..." Arthur speaks her name in a regretful tone. "I have to talk to her before anything else."

"I'm sorry," She replies sadly, with deep longing in her voice. "I can't contain myself when I'm close to you."

"I see," Arthur understands what Margaret means because he feels the same with Nyx. But he managed to restrain himself for three years thanks to his determination.

Margaret realizes that she went too far this time, so she leaves after smiling at him. "I'll wait for your answer!"

Arthur can't do anything for her right now, so he turns his attention back to Nyx. 'Oi, did something happen to you? I felt something strange in my Nexus just earlier.'

'Nothing happened!' Nyx exclaims in his mind in the coldest tone he has ever heard her use to date. 'Nothing at all! I don't care if you kiss any stupid girl; it has nothing to do with me!!'

Arthur doesn't know whether to laugh or cry from hearing Nyx being so upset; it's evident that she's burning with jealousy on one hand, but that also means that she is possessive of him on the other.

He let things flow naturally for three years, and nothing changed, so now he goes on the offensive with everything to provoke her reactions.

'What kiss are you talking about? Were you peeking at us?' He smirks teasingly.

'Stupid Arthur!!!' Nyx screeches, even more upset by his remark. 'Don't talk to me anymore!'

Arthur finds Nyx's shy and jealous reactions extremely cute. But he knows he needs to handle her carefully, without pushing her too hard but also without backing off. For now, though, he leaves her alone and enters the house, searching for his parents.

"Good job, son!" Draven gives him a thumbs-up sign with his proudest expression.

Aria shakes her head at Draven, but throws a gentle smile at Arthur. "I saw Margaret leaving with an expectant smile on her face; are you two getting along well?"

"I tried to be kind..." Arthur speaks honestly.

Aria understands how he feels just based on his eyes, which doesn't have that special glow, leaving her confused.

'If that wasn't because of Margaret...' Aria can't help but wonder. 'Then who is she?'

She keeps her thoughts to herself and strokes Arthur's hair. "Don't worry, when you find the right girl, you'll feel it in your heart."

Aria may have a possessive side and want to keep Arthur always close to her, but in the end, she wants the best for him and for him to be happy, even if it means leaving her in the near future. 

Arthur has already found the most perfect girl, but there is still a lot of work ahead until he makes her his good wife.

"Got it, Mom," He replies to his mother, returning her smile with a warm hug.

Afterwards, Arthur says goodnight to his father and gives a warm hug to his little sister before climbing the stairs, planning on his next step with Nyx.

"Good night, big brother..." Little Eve exclaims as she watches him rush to the second floor.

Unlike him, Eve is a normal child; well, as normal as it's possible when being the daughter of people as incredible as Aria and Draven. And besides the love for her parents, Eve also loves her brother very much and has a strong admiration for him.

On the second floor, Arthur takes a quick bath and goes to his bedroom. His day was quite hectic, so he lies in bed and closes his eyes. He doesn't sleep yet, but spends half an hour with his eyes closed without making any movement, just waiting silently until…

'Hey...' Nyx's curious voice sounds in his mind. 'Why didn't you kiss that girl?'

Like an innocent rabbit that falls into a hunter's trap, Nyx does exactly what Arthur expected. Now, if he plays his cards right, he may be able to improve his relationship with her before the end of the night.