What? I Actually Reincarnated As Stepping Stone In Another World?

"Hmm~"

The two kissed for a few seconds until Runa finally released her lips first, gasping for breath.

"Hahh~ Hah~" Runa took a deep breath, attempting to regain control of her breathing.

Her face flushed crimson, resembling a ripe apple, and transparent wisps of smoke rose from her head, revealing her profound embarrassment.

Witnessing this, Arthur was captivated, gazing at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, so my maid has hidden courage, huh? Why didn\'t I know?" His teasing voice echoed in Runa\'s ears, further intensifying her embarrassment and causing her to tremble nervously.

"This! This isn\'t what you think, young master!" She waved her hands anxiously, unsure of how to explain her impulsive behavior.

Her head was spinning, and a voice inside her heart whispered for her to do it, compelling her to follow her instincts without conscious thought.

Until finally, she acted unconsciously like this!

Hearing this, Arthur rose from his seat and embraced Runa gently, catching her completely off guard.

"Young master!" She exclaimed in surprise, her body becoming tense.

Though she was accustomed to being hugged like this, the suddenness of the embrace frightened and unnerved her.

She feared that her young master might become angry with her actions, causing him to no longer see her as his favorite maid.

This was something she couldn\'t bear to accept.

Arthur understood her concerns and tenderly caressed her back as he spoke softly, "Relax, Runa."

"Don\'t worry or be nervous." He continued to stroke her lovely back and silky hair.

As expected, upon hearing his comforting words, Runa\'s body gradually relaxed, and she nestled her head in the comfort of Arthur\'s chest.

"Are you angry, young master?" Runa asked, her voice trembling as she anxiously awaited Arthur\'s response.

However, Arthur\'s laughter filled the air as he gently reassured her, "I\'m not angry, just a little taken aback, hahaha."

With those words, he tenderly played with Runa\'s silky hair, soothing her frazzled nerves.

As she absorbed his comforting words, a radiant smile blossomed at the corner of Runa\'s lips, and she was overcome with a profound and delightful sense of warmth and sweetness.

"Thank you, young master," she whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito\'s, but Arthur could still hear her words.

"You\'re welcome, my dear maid," Arthur replied softly, and they embraced for several minutes.

After a while, Arthur broke the silence with a question: "By the way, was that kiss something you desired?"

Runa\'s face flushed red once more, and she nervously explained, "No... it\'s... not like that."

Arthur nodded understandingly and pressed further: "Then, what was it?"

Taking a deep breath, Runa began to explain, "Actually, my deepest desire is to have the chance to date you, young master."

"Is it possible?" Her eyes brimmed with hope, and she anxiously bit her lip, eagerly awaiting Arthur\'s response.

She longed for those moments of intimacy with her young master, knowing that such opportunities might become scarce once he became engaged in the future, if that were to happen at all.

Without hesitation, Arthur nodded and retorted, "Of course!"

"How am I able to refuse your request?" He grinned and made a definite vow.

Runa smiled, which made her feel even more sweet inside.

Soon after, Arthur encouraged Runa to return to her room since he thought it was getting late in the evening and that it was already beginning to look like morning.

After all, his lengthy travel had left him extremely exhausted.

"All right, you can return to your room first." Sighing, Arthur gestured toward the window, which was already rather dark.

Runa glanced in that direction right away and answered with a quick nod.

"All right, young master, I\'ll go now." She lowered her head slightly, gave Arthur a short peck on the cheek, and then bolted away.

When Arthur saw this, he just gave a small head shake and said, "This girl..."

He soon stretched his waist and made his way to his bed.

As soon as he noticed that the white fox was already feeling very at ease on his bed, he instantly grabbed it into his arms and dozed off while cuddling up to its soft fur.

...

In the morning

Arthur moves down the corridor and would like to visit Vivian\'s room to inquire further about the Emperor Balka\'s unilateral engagement.

She must know more since she is the Emperor\'s sister.

"Knock!

"Mom, are you in here?" Arthur knocked on Vivian\'s door before making a formal call.

It wasn\'t long until a calm, mature voice rang out from within.

"Oh, my dear?"I think you should take a look at

"The door is unlocked, so please come in." When Arthur heard Vivian\'s voice, he opened the door right away to find her seated in the center of the bed, reading a book while casting a glance in his direction.

She was flaunting her incredibly attractive curves in a nightgown that was just a little too exposed.

Particularly in the tremendously protruding chest.

"Mom? Am I annoying you?" Arthur approached her and inquired.

Vivian gave him a little pat on the right side after hearing this.

"It\'s all right, my dear."

"In addition, I have a lot of spare time today." She laughed and covered her mouth.

Arthur smiled as he carefully ascended the bed and sat next to her.

"In that case, I\'m sorry I bothered you." As he placed his head on the headboard of the bed, Arthur laughed.

They smiled at each other.

"How was your vacation to Celestria, by the way? Were there any issues?" Arthur\'s cheek was tenderly massaged by Vivian, who worriedly questioned

She had a letter from Arthur, but she couldn\'t help but worry about it.

Arthur shook his head when he heard this and comforted, "Don\'t worry; the journey there is very good and safe."

He was honest, saying that there had been no major issues.

In fact, except for probably the little accident with the little fox, there was nothing that made him worry when he traveled to Celestria on business.

In a moment of relief, Vivian sighed and nodded.

"I\'m glad to hear that, my dear." She smiled, feeling comforted in her heart.

Vivian inquired further about Arthur\'s dealings with Celestria City shortly after, which Arthur himself briefly described without telling her about his plan with Anna.

Not because he didn\'t trust Vivian; rather, he just wanted Anna to know this because of certain potential complications that could arise if word of his plans spread.

Vivian nodded as an acknowledgement, and then she finally started asking questions concerning the main subject after some small talk.

"What would you like to accomplish by coming to see me, then?" Vivian inquired while chuckling.

Arthur sighed in irritation as she pretended she didn\'t know it.

"Mom, stop acting silly."

"I know you must already be aware of this, right?" Arthur sighed a little.

When Vivian heard this, she simply smiled wryly and said, "Right, I did already know this."

"I am sorry, but this is also beyond my expectations, my dear", she added helplessly.

Although Arthur was well aware of this, he nevertheless came to ask for an explanation rather than an apology from Vivian.

"Then, why is Emperor Alex acting in this way?" Curious, Arthur asked.

Emperor Alex was the one person he believed to be particularly enigmatic and unexpected, and despite his best efforts, he had not yet discovered the appropriate reason.

He was quite skeptical of him; therefore, it was inevitable that he would need to know the real reason without speculating, and Vivian was the best person to go after.

Vivian sat up straight when she heard this and rested her head on Arthur\'s shoulder.

"I really don\'t know as to the specifics," she replied.

"Just that it might be connected to your father, David."

Since she herself was unaware of the reason behind Emperor Alex\'s actions, she guessed after giving it some thought.

Despite the fact that Lucia was her niece and she should be delighted to be an aunt, she didn\'t think so because she was aware of her brother\'s enigmatic personality.

Thus, this engagement was not that straightforward.

"David?" When David\'s name was brought up, Arthur\'s heart briefly froze.

David was now waiting for the Savaran Empire to attack at the borders.

"So, what exactly does he want to achieve?" Arthur gave it some serious thought while giving Vivian a fleeting glance, who was also looking perplexed.

"David...border...engagement..." Arthur rubbed his brow and slightly crinkled his eyes.

"The goal of an Emperor Alex figure on this..." Suddenly, he began to consider what might occur if he adopted the persona of Emperor Alex and behaved similarly in the same circumstance.

His eyes suddenly broadened with a startled expression after some thought and consideration of the possibilities.

"Annexing the southern region..."

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Honestly, today was supposed to be a pretty special chapter, but I found that this topic should be discussed earlier in order to smooth the plot. 

So, tomorrow is a pretty special chapter, "Cough!"

And stay tuned!