"Y-Yo-Your Highness, pl-please have—" Kookus was shivering like a flame when Asher suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, why are you two looking so nervous? I mean…It's not like you two took care of me as she did. Or should I be rewarding you both as well?"
Kookus gulped as he bowed deeply and shouted, "No, no! We do not deserve any rewards at all. We are undeserving of even the tiniest favor from your esteemed self."
Merina fell on her knees as she kowtowed before the royal consort, "Kookus never witnessed any dishonorable treatment you had received. He only knew from Jenna, and I was the bystander who witnessed such acts but never had the courage to report them. I-If there is anyone deserving punishment, it is me. So please…spare Kookus and let me bear the responsibility."
"A mother's love for her children is the same everywhere, huh…" Asher mumbled as he briefly glanced at Kookus, who shrunk his head. He wondered how this guy was so intelligent to correctly guess it.
But even a half-blind man could see how they were of the same race, and why would a maid try to protect this big mouth for no reason? Asher could only think of one reason that could make sense.
"So your daughter is the great Battlemaster, Ceti. Who would have thought that the daughter of a refugee, a maid, actually climbed up her way to stand behind the queen herself? Impressive, to say the least," Asher actually meant what he said since he didn't expect Ceti's family to have such poor status within the kingdom.
Still, he couldn't believe how different Ceti and her mother were. They were like opposite ends on the same spectrum.
He sighed as he looked at Merina, kowtowing before his feet, and said, "I will be straight with you. It is a grave sin to be a bystander when someone else harms one of the royal members. Not only you but your entire family would be punished even if they did not take part in it."
"Oh nooo!!! I haven't even had the chance to build my legacy. I can't fall here. Please give us a chance, O Great One!" Kookus was terrified as he also kowtowed and began to cry like a madman.
Merina's expression shook as she thought about Ceti and Kookus, whose lives might very well be in danger because of her, "Y-Your Highness…Please…I will do anything but not them…I beg for your mercy…" Merina said as tears began to overflow her eyes.
Asher leaned against the wall as he said, after a few moments of contemplation, "No need to cry. There is actually one solution where things don't have to end in tragedy, and I will also feel better after going through everything for all these years."
"W-What kind of solution might that be…Your Highness?" Merina eagerly asked, feeling relieved in the face of hope.
Asher narrowed his gaze and said, "It's quite simple..." Asher whispered something into her ears and then added, "Now…the fate of your entire family lies in your hands."
Merina looked up with trembling lips and felt uneasy as she thought about a certain someone.
"There is also one thing you have to answer…truthfully. If you lie, you know what happens, right?" Asher asked as his gaze pierced into her eyes.
Merina felt a great sense of pressure under his gaze and weakly nodded, "I…I wouldn't dare to lie…"
Kookus was feeling a bit relieved and planned to somehow force his egoistic sister to become Asher's maid. After all, he was still royalty.
That way she could probably assuage some of his anger.
But he wondered what Asher wanted to ask so seriously.
"Good. Tell me why people were bullying me for no reason for all these years? Let's take the example of our dear late Jenna. Why would she try to step on a harmless kid who can't even raise a finger against her? I mean, unless she is mentally unstable, why would she feel the need to constantly torture me. It almost looked like she was getting paid to torture me or something.
Since you are a maid, I know you are privy to all sorts of gossip and rumors that go around. So…tell me…" Asher said as he looked down at her.
Merina's eyelids trembled as she lowered her gaze, her expression filled with hesitation and fear.
"No need to feel so hesitant. If you tell me the truth, then you and your family will be under my protection. I can directly whisper to the queen if I need anything. The fact that I got the Master access from here is proof of that. Nobody would dare cross her," Asher stressed as Merina's expression eased hearing his words of confidence.
"Kookus, get out of here," Asher firmly ordered, making Kookus feel aggrieved since it seemed the royal consort didn't trust him despite being so loyal to him. With a sad face, he left, but at the same time, he felt relieved since he was serving an unpredictable person and had no idea when he could be in danger.
"Okay…I don't know if this is true but what I know is that…" Merina told everything she knew as Asher patiently listened. But the more he listened, the more he clenched his fists, feeling that things were starting to make sense, though not completely.
No wonder he felt that things didn't add up, and that there was no such thing as convenient coincidences .
"Good. Now go do what I said. I will be waiting…" Asher said with a subtle smile as he placed his hand on the wall and vanished from the spot.
'Hm?' Asher was back in his room when he suddenly received a new quest. But before he looked up its details, he thought that this wasn't a good time to accept a quest. It was only morning but he still had to show up for the celebration within just a few hours, and he had yet to make arrangements to make sure nobody would enter his room while he was busy plundering.
He had already ignored some quests reluctantly before since he had things to take care of. Some of the quests involved fighting within the demon realm, which was a big 'No' for Asher since he couldn't risk exposing himself this early. And some quests weren't meant for low-level demons like him. As for the easy ones, they were snatched away right before he could even blink.
This made him realize that there were quite many desperate demons around him.
Still, his curiosity and the desire to get stronger won him over as he took a look at the details of the quest,
[ Quest - The cowardly humans are trying to snatch Kronus' Silver Armor Set, which randomly appeared in a dungeon for themselves. A group of five demons has tried to stop them, but three have already fallen. It would be up to you to stop the humans before they get their hands on such a powerful gear ]
[ Restrictions : Only those below Level 3 may accept ]
[ Difficulty : Child's Play - 2 Humans are present with levels 4 and 5 respectively]
[ Rewards : 1 Life Crystal, +1 Talent Point, +1 Skill Point ]