I stood by the window of my new bedroom that was inside the second floor of the castle. Room next to only a few more away from Margaret.
Lucian didn't try to take it any further after the initial warning he got, but still gave me the furthest room he could without touching my borders.
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I saw rain pattering on the training grounds from the vicinity of the castle through the window. Even though the rain was falling quite hard, the intensity with which the soldiers trained didn't lower and even as they wet themselves, slid and fell, they didn't stop.
Hardened groups of soldiers, a martial city.
Not one that is ruled by an iron claw, yet satisfies people with its stern yet calm justice system. Quite a peaceful and lively city.
The one at fault for such a fantastic change is apparently not the one who's currently at the helm of it. It's Sarah, the mother of the two prodigies.
Even though she is bedridden for quite some time, the strength and approach she showed back then still has its effects remaining… but not for long it seems.
The journey to Whitedon showed me a few things that I had forgotten.
Those attacks may seem random and didn't showed much consequences but in the mass of it all, it's a colossal problem.
Those bandits that had attacked us and the others would come to be members of a large group of bandits if they had not met us. That same group would be the catalyst that cuts the straw between Margaret and Samantha.
At the present moment, I still see some semblance of love or at least some affection in Margaret for Samantha.
Yet, in the future when the bandits would bite on their birthplace and Margaret would have no choice but to fight on the front lines, things would change very fast.
Margaret is a dangerous woman, but she's still nowhere close to the monster she would be when war runs through her veins. The power, the pain of others and ecstasy she'll feel later on would change her to one of the most dangerous villain's Arthur and Samantha would have to face.
But with me getting connected with her life, I would make sure such a future doesn't appear… at least not the one that would defeat her.
"Yes" I turn around as the door opened and showed Margaret.
She was wearing normal clothes for once. A single long white and blue sundress that covered her fully up to her neckline. Her hair tied up in a single white silver-ish ponytail.
Margaret didn't look like the fighter or tomboy that could cripple thirty man in an unarmed fight. Right now, she is a very beautiful woman with two big bazookas that came to her home with her future fiancé… someone that her family hasn't approved of yet.
"Is trying to get consent from your parents going to be that hard?" I ask.
Margaret sighed and looked down at her beautiful dress and tugged it, "Does it really look like I am trying too hard?"
I walk closer, shaking my head with a smile, "No, but when the person who keeps dressing like men, suddenly wears something like that… it's a bit different."
"If you say that then it's going to be even harder. Maybe I should just change into my regular clothes."
Seeing her distraught like that, I stop her, "That's not it. It's good that you're trying so hard, it will show your parents how much you want this."
Then I smile brightly at her dress, "And truth be told, this is far more gorgeous than I imagined it to be."
Margaret smirked at my gawking, "Oh… so do you want me to wear such pretty dresses when we're living together?"
"Not if its discomforting," I get back to looking again, "But I wouldn't mind seeing you once in a while… makes me remember-"
"That you didn't marry a boy." She said.
I fought those words, "That I married one of the most beautiful woman… who's a bit shy to wear pretty clothes."
"Hey!" Margaret slapped my hand and looked away, "I'm not shy… I just don't like wearing flowers and such stuff."
I could see a hint of blush on the controlling tomboy and the idea of marrying her and breaking her at our wedding night only intensified.
"Oh, yes!" Margaret turned to me, "The reason why I'm here. Mother is awake, so we should go visit her right now."
"Is your father back?"
"Wouldn't it best to greet them together?" I suggest.
"It could be," Margaret said, "But it would also be bad to make mother wait. She may look patient, but she rarely is."
"And as I said before, Mother's approval comes first!" Margaret reminded.
"Alright" I pat down my best looking black suit with similar pants and look at her, "Let's go meet Mother-in-Law."
We went downstairs and into the inner center of the castle, a place most guarded by armored guards. It was the place where the treasury and the main bedroom of the lord was so it was expected.
The guards looked at us and gave respectful nods and also curious glances at me.
After a two-minute walk that seemed more like 20 minutes, we finally came before a tall black wooden door.
"Mother, it's me!" Margaret knocked at the door.
The reply came quickly, "Is he with you?" The voice of a middle aged woman's got out.
Margaret opened the door and went in as I follow her.
The bedroom was large with a lot of things and refined furniture that it seemed like its another own house. My attention quickly went to the big wooden king size bed with four posters, or more accurately to the woman sitting on it.
It was a mature version of Samantha with a bit of greyed out silver-ish hair. Her face was a bit thinned but still remained quite beautiful. Her water blue eyes were paler than her daughters yet much sharper than both combined.
Sarah Religias wore a white comfortable linen dress with her back to the wall. In her hands were a large book with stacks of paper that told of business.
She gestured us in with a smile, "Come in and let me hold you."
Margaret smiled brightly, a real smile as she went and hugged her, "Mother, it is good to see you. I hope your body is in good spirits."
"Of course it is, but it would feel even better if you visited more." Then her eyes turned to me and her smile curved a bit, "and we have a special guest."
I suddenly felt like I was being investigated by sharp needles. But it was nowhere close to the level I felt when Abigail's mom checked me.
That's why I smiled and kneeled before her and kissed her left hand, "It's a great honor to meet you, ma'am."
"Of course! To be able to kiss the strongest woman's hand is definitely many a man's dream."
Sarah's eyes bore into me, "You actually have the audacity to joke before me… or is that a defense mechanism to hide your anxiety?"
"Definitely the dream part."
Sarah laughed a bit before patting my hand, "Good to know you aren't just a muscle boy and actually have some guts."
"Now tell me the truth, what is happening here?"