Chapter 199: Chuck’s Request Inside the princess’s personal cabin... "Since you’ve won the competition, let me hear what you want," Princess Xenia said as soon as Chuck closed the door of her cabin. The only people inside the room were Princess Xenia and Chuck. Mary was outside, standing guard at the door to prevent anyone from disturbing their conversation. "There is one thing that I wish to have the most in this world," Chuck said. "And that is also the main reason why I cannot break off the arranged marriage between us." The princess frowned because she had assumed that the teenage boy would ask her to remain his fiancee. But before she could even say anything, Chuck continued speaking. "The most precious thing in this world to me is my mother," Chuck declared. "And she is also the reason that binds me to this agreement with the royal family. My father, Duke Marius of Emberholt, is a very ambitious person. "While I do not know what he is thinking, I do know that he holds my life and my mother’s life in his hands. I don’t know if you are aware, but my mother is suffering from a withering disease. "My father has promised that as long as I am your future consort, he will use everything in his power to find a cure for my mother. "Although she is just a commoner and my father’s third wife and has already lost her beauty to the withering disease, I believe he still cares about her. I believe he means what he says." Chuck sighed as he lowered his gaze. The moment the princess had announced that if he won, she would fulfill any request of his as long as it was within her power to do so, he had already thought of asking her to help him find a cure for his mother. "My mother is still in her early thirties, but she looks like someone in her late sixties," Chuck stated. "And with every month that passes, her vitality drops drastically. What I wish for is the medicine that will cure her. "As long as you are able to get it for me, I promise that I will personally break the arrangement between our families. I will do this even if I have to publicly go against my father’s wishes and ask His Majesty, the King, to end this engagement." Hearing his request, the disdain and contempt that the Princess felt for her fiance suddenly vanished. In truth, her circumstances were similar to Chuck’s. Her mother was also the third wife of the King of Avalon. She was also of commoner birth. Princess Xenia’s mother had been a theater actress, and the King had fallen in love with her when he saw her illuminating the stage with her presence. The moment he had found out that she’s pregnant with his child, he hadn’t hesitated to take responsibility and bring her to the royal palace. Fortunately, the King’s first two wives—whom Xenia would come to regard as her two other mothers—were very kind women and had welcomed the actress to the inner palace. They had also showered Xenia with care and kindness, and she had grown up feeling blessed despite her commoner background. "If I find the cure for you, will you promise to call off the arranged marriage?" Princess Xenia asked. "Yes," Chuck replied in a heartbeat. "As long as you can get the medicine, I’ll go ahead and do it." The withering disease was similar to the disease that was plaguing Charles’ little sister, Eris. It could be cured with the Life Weave Pill. The ingredients needed to make this pill could be bought using the academy points. However, they would need to find a very skilled alchemist to craft it to increase the chances of success. Of course, Princess Xenia didn’t plan on taking that route because it would take a lot of time to accumulate enough points. Besides, she could simply ask her mothers for help in acquiring the necessary ingredients. However, she understood that even with their power and wealth, gathering these rare ingredients wouldn’t be easy. If it had been easy to acquire them, those who suffered from the withering disease would have been cured long ago. "Very well, I will do my best to find the ingredients of the Life Weave Pill," Princess Xenia promised. "If I also happen to come across a pill being sold in markets or auction houses, I’ll do my best to get it for you." "Thank you, Your Highness." Chuck placed his hand over his chest and bowed respectfully. "No need to thank me," Princess Xenia replied. "After all, this is part of our deal. Rest assured, I will do my utmost to help your mother, I promise you that." After their talk ended, the princess told her fiance that she wanted some time to think alone, so he bade her goodbye and left the room. Half a minute later, Mary entered and saw the princess looking at the river through the window of her cabin. "Did he ask for something impossible or unreasonable, Your Highness?" Mary asked after seeing the solemn look on her Master’s face. "Not impossible, but hard," Princess Xenia replied while still looking at the river. "He didn’t ask me to remain his fiancee. He just wanted me to help him find the cure for his mother." The princess then told Mary about Chuck’s situation as well as the main reason why he refused to break off their arranged marriage for now. After hearing everything, Mary mulled over potential solutions before her eyes lit up. "I will also reach out to my Clan and ask if they are able to procure the ingredients for the Life Weave Pill," Mary said with determination. "But will he really follow through with your agreement after he gets what he wants?" "I don’t know," Princess Xenia admitted. "But, I’d like to believe that he is a man of his word." The fourth princess knew that she was a very lucky individual. Her mothers, her father, and even her siblings loved and treasured and doted on her. She had already investigated Chuck in the past and knew that his relationship with his family wasn’t really the best. His brothers looked down on him and treated him like he was a bastard even in public. Xenia imagined that their behavior must be even worse in private. She wondered what she would have done had she been in Chuck’s position, but all the possibilities she could visualise were dyed in blood. Of course, the blood she saw wasn’t hers but the blood of the people who dared to make her life a living hell. Princess Xenia was strong. She had understood this the moment she had first held a weapon in her hand. This was why she firmly believed that even if there was someone in the world who could make her feel pain, she would not take it lying down. Princess Xenia would sharpen her wits and weapons to give them a very painful, and brutal, end. She wasn’t a damsel in distress. She was a warrior princess who wished to control her own fate. While she didn’t know what hidden agreements her father and the Duke of Emberholt had made behind closed doors, she would not allow herself to be bound to a person who couldn’t make her prideful—and courageous heart—skip a beat.