Diana, holding Arthas, strode briskly into her Private Chambers.
Although not as luxurious as the Golden Palace, it exuded an elegant and grand classical Greek style everywhere.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows let sunlight flood the entire room, and the walls were hung with various exquisite weapons and hunted animal pelts.
Several maids in white robes were tidying the room.
Seeing their princess carrying a child, and with a beaming smile on her face at that, the maids were all stunned.
Their hands stopped working, and they stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Was that Her Highness the Princess?
That Princess Diana who usually only cared about training and combat, and was cold and indifferent to everything?
She was actually smiling so…
so much like a silly big sister?
And that child…
The maids exchanged glances, the fire of gossip blazing in each of their eyes.
Diana paid no attention to the maids’ gazes.
She placed Arthas on the chair covered with a soft animal pelt, then waved to the girl who looked like the head maid.
“Um…
Chloe.” Diana was in an extremely good mood, her voice practically floating.
“Quick!
Go prepare some food.” “Roast the wild boar leg we hunted yesterday, brush on plenty of honey.” “And bring those sweet grapes too, two bunches.” “Oh, right, and that…
goat’s milk?
Yes, heat a cup of goat’s milk.” She rattled off a whole list of food in one go.
Arthas sat on the chair, his two feet dangling and swinging in mid-air.
He looked at the maid named Chloe and flashed his signature smile again.
“Thank you, Sister Chloe!” “Sorry for the trouble, Sister!” Chloe’s heart blossomed with joy at being called “Sister,” and her face flushed.
“Oh my, this child is so well-mannered!” Looking at Arthas’s adorable appearance, she practically wished she could take him home.
“Your Highness, please wait a moment, I’ll go right away!
It’ll be ready in no time!” With that, she and several other maids scurried out at a speed that was easily twice their usual pace.
Only Diana and Arthas remained in the room.
Diana pulled over a chair and sat opposite Arthas.
Propping her chin with one hand, she watched the little fellow with great interest.
Earlier, she had been focused on hurrying back and correcting his form of address.
Now, calming down and taking a closer look, the child was truly exquisite.
His eyes, his nose…
it was as if they were a work of art meticulously carved by a deity.
Especially those eyes, amber-colored, clear as a pool, yet seemingly holding stars within.
“I say…” Diana reached out and couldn’t resist pinching Arthas’s plump, chubby cheek again.
It felt wonderful, soft and springy.
“Are you really from that place…
Asgard?” She was still a bit curious.
“What kind of place is it there?” “Is it all women there too, like here?” Arthas let her pinch his cheek, answering vaguely: “Not at all.” “Asgard has many men and many women.” “There’s a very, very tall Golden Palace, taller than this one.” He stretched out his hands, gesturing a huge shape.
“And there’s Uncle Heimdall, his eyes are golden and shiny, and he can see very, very far.” “And that idiot Thor, always swinging his hammer around and smashing things.” Mentioning Thor, Arthas curled his lip, his face full of disdain.
“But the sisters here are all so pretty.” He brought the topic back, looking at Diana with sincere eyes.
“Especially Sister Diana, the prettiest.” Diana was amused.
This child, he couldn’t go three sentences without complimenting someone.
But from these snippets, she could roughly piece together a world with a completely different aesthetic.
That world seemed livelier, more…
worldly?
Not as austere and cold as Paradise Island.
Before long, the maids brought up the food.
The efficiency was simply astonishing.
A large platter of golden-brown, crispy, still-sizzling wild boar meat was placed in the center of the table.
The skin had a tempting caramel color, brushed with a thick layer of honey, exuding a rich aroma of sweetness and meat.
Beside it were several bunches of crystal-clear purple grapes, each grape as plump as agate, still beaded with glistening droplets of water.
There was also a large cup of steaming hot goat’s milk, the milky-white liquid sloshing in the cup, emitting white vapor.
There was also some freshly baked bread, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside, giving off a wheaty fragrance.
Arthas looked at this table full of delicious food, his mouth practically watering.
He sniffled, turned to look at Diana, his eyes full of inquiry.
Can I eat now?
“Go ahead, eat up.” Diana smiled and nodded.
Having received permission, Arthas no longer held back.
He stretched out his two small hands, grabbed a piece of bone-in meat bigger than his face, and took a big bite.
“Mmm!
So good!” He praised, chewing with his mouth full.
The sweetness of the honey mixed with the savory flavor of the meat exploded in his mouth.
Although the feasts in Asgard were also lavish, this kind of rustic, wild game had its own unique flavor.
He ate until his mouth was greasy, his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster hoarding food.
Watching him devour his food like this, Diana didn’t find it rude at all; instead, she found it utterly adorable.
She picked up a handkerchief and occasionally wiped the grease from the corner of Arthas’s mouth.
She even personally peeled a grape and brought it to Arthas’s lips.
“Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you.” That gentle tone, if heard by other Amazonian Warriors, would absolutely make them think their princess had been possessed by something.
While eating, Arthas still didn’t forget to chat.
“Sister, you’re really strong.” He recalled the scene of Diana carrying him while running earlier.
“Even stronger than Thor.” “Thor is fat, but he’s not as strong as you.” Diana raised an eyebrow.
“Of course.” She lifted her chin quite proudly.
“I am the strongest warrior of the Amazons.” “I can lift those stones with one hand.” She pointed at the huge decorative stone pillars outside the window.
Arthas swallowed the meat in his mouth, looking at her with admiration.
“Wow—” “Then can you teach me, Sister?” “I want to become really strong too, so I can protect Mommy Frigga.” Looking at this ambitious little fellow, Diana’s fondness for him grew another notch.
“Sure.” She agreed readily.
“Once you’re full, I’ll take you to the Training Ground.” “Let you see what real combat skills are.” And so, the two of them, one big and one small, one eating, one watching.
One responsible for being cute and complimenting, the other responsible for feeding and doting.
The atmosphere in the room was so warm it was almost unbelievable.
Arthas told amusing stories about Asgard, about how Loki played pranks, about how Odin would huff and puff.
Diana told legends of Paradise Island, about ancient monsters, about secrets deep in the sea.
Unknowingly, their hearts drew closer and closer.
For Arthas, this sister who was fierce at first but later became super gentle gave him a sense of security in this unfamiliar world.
For Diana, this little surprise that fell from the sky broke the monotony of her thousands of years of dull life, bringing her a kind of warm, vibrant emotional experience she had never had before.
This was no longer just duty or curiosity, but a genuine, heartfelt affection.
However, just as the two were chatting happily, a heavy set of footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The footsteps were extremely rhythmic, each step as if stepping on a drumbeat, carrying an undeniable majesty.
Immediately after, the door to the Private Chambers was forcefully pushed open.
A tall figure appeared in the doorway.
It was the greatest general of the Amazons, the sister of Queen Hippolyta, Diana’s Aunt Antiope.
She was wearing an even heavier suit of golden armor, her forehead bound with that iconic headband.
Her face bore the marks of time, but her eyes were sharper than an eagle’s.
As soon as she entered, her gaze swept the room like radar.
Finally, it fixed on Arthas, who was sitting on a chair, his mouth full of grease, still clutching a pig’s trotter in his hand.
And on Diana, who was wiping Arthas’s mouth with a handkerchief, a smile on her face.
The air froze once more.
This time, it was even more complete than on the beach.
Antiope’s stern face instantly became even more serious, even somewhat distorted.
She glared, pointing at Arthas, her finger trembling.
“Diana!” She shouted sternly, her voice so loud it shook dust from the ceiling.
“What is the meaning of this?!” “I heard you brought a’special prisoner’ back?” “Is this your so-called prisoner?!” “You’re feeding him?!
And wiping his mouth?!” “Is this how you treat a prisoner?” This was simply too absurd!
The princess of the Amazons, the future queen, was secretly keeping a man in her Private Chambers!
Even if he was a little one.
What kind of propriety is this!
Diana was startled by the sudden roar, dropping the handkerchief in her hand.
Like a child caught doing something bad by a parent, she abruptly stood up.
“Au…
Aunt!” She stammered.
“You…
what are you doing here?” “I…
I’m interrogating him!
Yes!
I’m using delicious food to tempt him into confessing!” The excuse was so flimsy even she didn’t believe it.
Arthas, however, remained quite calm.
He put down the pig’s trotter in his hand and licked the grease from his fingers.
Then he turned his head, looking at the fierce-looking old auntie.
He blinked his eyes, once again revealing that ever-successful smile.
“Hello, Granny!” He shouted loudly.
Since that one was’Sister’, this one who looked a bit older, calling her ‘Granny’ should be correct, right?
This was Arthas’s simple understanding of seniority.
“Pfft—” Diana almost choked on her breath.
It’s over.
This time it’s really over.
If that earlier “Mommy” was a nuclear bomb, then this “Granny” was practically the Big Bang.
Aunt Antiope, though a bit older, most hated people calling her old!
On the battlefield, she was a fierce warrior who could chase monsters for several blocks!
Antiope’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
It was truly black, black enough to drip ink.
Her eyes seemed almost ready to spit fire, staring fixedly at Arthas.
“What did you call me?!” Antiope squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, each one carrying killing intent.
“Granny?!” “Do I look that old?!
Do I look like a wrinkled old woman?!” She instinctively drew the sword at her waist, an automatic action, her head clouded with anger.
Feeling that tangible killing intent, Arthas’s little radar went into a frenzy, sounding alarms.
Not good!
Misjudgment!
This old auntie doesn’t like being called Granny!
He glanced at Sister Diana beside him, who was covering her face in despair, and instantly understood something.
That little brain of his spun rapidly.
“Ah, no, no!” Arthas immediately waved his hands, his little face full of panic and sincere repentance.
“I saw wrong!
The backlight just now!” “So heroic!
So majestic!” “This is no Granny!” He stood up, imitating Diana’s posture, and performed a not-quite-standard salute.
“This is Big Sister!” “The most formidable General Sister!” “Sister, your armor is so shiny!
Shinier than Father’s!” This barrage of flattery, though a bit stiff, won out with its sincerity.
Antiope’s hand holding the sword froze in mid-air.
Her black face twitched a couple of times.
Big Sister?
Formidable?
Armor shiny?
Though it sounded a bit odd, this little brat…
had pretty good taste?
He knew to appreciate her armor?
And this “Sister”…
though a bit awkward, was still a tiny bit better than “Granny”.
Most importantly, why wasn’t this little brat afraid of her at all?
Ordinary children would have been scared to tears seeing her fierce, menacing appearance.
But this child could still calmly change his tune and flatter her?
Antiope slowly sheathed her sword.
She narrowed her eyes, took a few steps closer, and scrutinized Arthas from head to toe.
Her warrior’s intuition told her this child was not simple.
Not just his courage, but also that faintly flowing power within him that even gave her a slight sense of pressure.
Seeing her aunt sheathe her sword, Diana quickly stepped forward.
“Aunt, please don’t be angry.” Diana put on a smiling face, shielding Arthas.
“He’s just a child, he doesn’t know any better.” “And…
and he fell from the sky.” “I thought his identity might be special, so I brought him back to ask for details.” She hurriedly recounted the earlier discoveries.
“He says he’s the son of Odin from Asgard.” “Look, he truly has divine power within him.” Hearing “Asgard” and “Odin”, Antiope’s expression changed completely.
The earlier anger vanished, replaced by extreme gravity.
As the military commander of Paradise Island, her understanding of the world situation was far deeper than Diana’s.
The Norse Pantheon, that was a behemoth not inferior to Olympus.
If he truly was a son of Odin…
She looked at Arthas again, this time her gaze was no longer examining a mischievous child, but assessing an important political bargaining chip, or…
a potential, immense ally.
“Odins Son…” Antiope murmured the name in a low voice.
“If this is true, then things have escalated greatly.” She turned and looked at Diana.
“You did right to keep him stable, nothing wrong with that.” “Though feeding him is a bit…
excessive.” “But now we must go see the Queen immediately.” “This matter must be decided by the Queen.” This time, Diana did not hesitate any longer.
She too understood the seriousness of the situation.
She turned and picked up Arthas, who was full and content, wiping the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s go, little one.” She whispered softly in Arthas’s ear.
“This time we’re really going to see the most powerful person.” “Remember, that’s my mother, and also the Queen here.” “Don’t call her Granny, and don’t call her Mommy.” “Call her ‘Your Majesty’, understand?” Arthas obediently nodded.
“Understood, Sister.” “Then if that Majesty also gives me delicious food, can I call her…
mmmph!” Diana once again covered his mouth.
“Shut up!
Don’t even think about that!” The group, with a complex and subtle atmosphere, headed towards that majestic white palace.
……..
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