The Prince Of Magic

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Dinner had been the usual affair.

Loud chattering and laughter echoed throughout the room.

The entertainment was mostly provided by Astolfo, Charles and Arash, whom had caused all occupants on the table to be amused by their antics and the usual bickering between the other retainers.

It was somewhat of a chaotic scene, but the good kind and one Hadrian had adjusted to after his retainers had grown in number.

The three's antics had been a welcome distraction n as it kept him from musing over the issue of breaking the news to his mother regarding the new assignment.

But, when dinner had ended and the others went to do their own business, Hadrian was alone and found himself drawn to the family library.

He didn't even know he had arrived, only that he realized it so when he caught sight of his mother, whose back was turned to him.

Noticing the angle of her gaze, Hadrian let out a quiet sigh before making his way slowly towards her.

The room was quiet, except for the sounds of wood burning by the fireplace and the firm ticks of the grandfather clock behind the long study table in the center left of the library.

Even with her back turned to him, Hadrian can sense the solemn air from her and he knew better than to disturb her whenever she was in such a state.

When he quietly stopped beside her, he found the source for her solemn mood, sitting on a small rectangular table in an upright position behind a transparent glass.

It was a portrait of his late father, Arin von Aelfryth. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/the-prince-of-magic_15393500605196005/a-mother&apos;s-support-(1)_51115955014661786">/book/the-prince-of-magic_15393500605196005/a-mother&apos;s-support-(1)_51115955014661786</a> for visiting.

On the small table, there were several other portraits on display in an orderly fashion, either of which included all or some of the members of their family.

But, one portrait seemed to caught his mother's gaze as her eyes never strayed from it, and it was a photo of his father that she was currently staring at.

Outside, his mother looked calm and poised, but her eyes told a different story.

There was sadness and longing in them.

She may have had her time to grief and accepted the truth of his father's death, but that does not mean their loneliness would go away. People who had lost their loved ones would always miss the latter, no matter how much time had passed, and Hadrian and his family were no exception to this.

Even Hadrian missed the people from his first life. His family, friends and citizens, that is.

Sometimes, his mind would recall certain moments from his past life that he shared with his family and friends, and he would wonder of their lives, whether they were happy and safe.

Questions of what-ifs, what could have been and what should have been would also flitter from time to time, but that was simply an unavoidable course of thought.

His mind would linger on such things, mostly due to his many regrets, but he wouldn't waste his time and energy than a few minutes or so.

Seeing the sadness and longing in his mother's eyes had reminded him of his own grief over his father's death.

Hadrian was sad, but the guilt weighed heavier on his mind than the former.

While his family and friends thoroughly insisted that he was not fault for his father's death, there was a part of him that felt like it was, especially after he had won the Holy Grail war and the Moon Cell chose him to be its successor. It was not a topic that Hadrian would just openly discuss with anyone, even with his family, but it was something that kept nagging at him in the corner of his mind.

He must have been deep in his thoughts for quite a while as he didn't even noticed his mother turning her gaze upon him.

Not until the woman beside him spoke up, causing him to snap out of his musing.

"Little one, you're brows are going to get stuck that way if you keep going down on that path." Lucia commented dryly, a faint smile on her lips.

Hadrian blinked, then turned his head slowly to her.

In return, Lucia slowly turned her head as well, meeting his gaze with a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt on her countenance.

"You've been acting rather odd this day. You're just standing there in silence, glaring at the ground." Lucia giggled softly, wrapping an arm around her son to encase him in a one-sided hug. "While that frown of yours is cute to see and all, you're going to make a lot of girls sad if you keep that up and you're face gets stuck that way."

Hadrian huffed, though he didn't break away from her one-sided embrace.

"Now, I know that you didn't come here just to have a stare-down at the floor. Have you finally come to me to tell me something important?" Lucia asked, arching a delicate brow for emphasis.

Hadrian paused.

"Uh, yes…" He admitted quietly, almost sheepishly.

"Does this relate to what you have discussed with those girls of yours?" Lucia inquired.

The young mage blinked, then nodded slowly.

Lucia exhaled through her nose.

"Then, you have my permission to go ahead, little one." The young mother smiled, caressing his cheek.

Hadrian stilled in surprise.

"Eh?" He muttered, slightly confused.

Once more, Lucia arched her brow at him in expectation.

"Are you not here to tell me of your new assignment to another world?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"Er, yes, that's exactly it, but how did you know?" Hadrian inquired, confounded.

"I'm your mother, and I'm also the daughter of a certain magician. How do you think?" She returned, smirking.

Hadrian stared at the black-haired woman in slight astonishment.

Amused, Lucia simply winked back before she tapped his nose lightly with her index finger.

The tap was enough to snap Hadrian out of his astonishment, giving his mother a mild glare for her teasing.

Lucia merely giggled at his glare, causing the young mage to sigh.

No matter what she does to him, Hadrian could never really find it in himself to be angry at his mother.

The same could be said for his mother from his previous life and his sister, Astraea.

Hadrian doesn't know why, but he could just never say no to the women who were close to him.

Perhaps that might be just him being weak-willed and prone to following their wishes, however odd they might be sometimes, or because he could not ignore them and see them as he would with other women.

The word 'whipped' came to mind, but Hadrian paid it no attention.

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