Before the Ceremonial of Manhood
A Mother's Struggles
After meeting the female lead the first time, Ivy immediately locked herself in the room and insisted that the maids make sure nobody disturbs her because she needs full concentration to think. The more she thinks, the angrier she became.
As she kept on thinking, the sight of that beautiful, wonderful, super amazingly cute princess ever, married to Prince Leon at such a young age, makes her feel like crying as she was soo disappointed that the boy she raises so hard became a pedophile.
As she lies on her bed, she yelled in frustration while she stomps her hands and legs on the bed
"NO! NO! NO! NO! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"
"Why!!!!!!! How did this happen?" She cried with tears dropping off her face
"This is far worse than leaving the prince! To think my boy has an interest in such a small girl. I'm so sad! your mother is SO REALLY, REALLY SAD!"
She crouches herself on the bed while she cried and think
"Come to think of it, Leon never showed any interest in women.
I always just thought because Princess Sophia was his true love, that's why.
Is that the reason why he likes me in the beginning? I admit I don't have much of a seductive body of a mature woman, and if you compare my chest size, most women in the country are usually way more bountiful than me. So basically, he likes me because he sees me as a child and because he likes it small? Is that it??!"
Then when Ivy looks and touches the pathetic things that she called breast, she let out a deep sigh and somehow became even more convinced than before.
Urgh! But it really hurts my heart to think he has an interest in prepubescent girls! I feel much better off if he ends with the other princesses!!!
What did I do wrong? I thought I did my best and raise him well. Is this my fault?
Then slowly, her temperature began to rise while her eyes blazed with rage as she thought about the story in the novel.
"No... it's that damn author...
He is the one to blame..."
Then Ivy raises from her bed and reorganizes her thoughts again as she recalls the novel's plot.
"The novel states that they will fall in love when they meet; it's love at first sight.
I now get it. I mean, who wouldn't love such a sweet innocent-looking child like her?
She is just SOOO CUTE!
Even when the novel stated that the Prince and Princess's love made the Villainess jealous, I won't deny it!
I'll be super jealous because I want her to love me tooooo.
But to think that the novel would state that the villainess will harm the Princess is seriously utterly absurd. I would never harm such a beautiful child. I would even protect her with my life if I could.
Ahh! What should I do now?!"
As she rolls around her bed and stuffs her face in her pillow, then screams with all her might until she could scream no longer.
Then once she finally calms down, she pouted and mumbled to herself,
"Seriously, I don't know what I should do now. Should I still go according to the plan? Should I just let them be? But if I stop them, then I'll truly be like the villainess in the novel, then I'll meet my death at the age of 17. The novel did say they will live happily ever after. Still, as a responsible adult, it makes me struggle very badly with my conscience because I really really really really REA.....LLY don't want to approve anyone marrying an underage child!"
After she flings her pillow around and lets out her rage like a crazy gorilla, she eventually got tired and let out the biggest sigh in her life.
Finally, without having any conclusion of what she should do next, she just laid her face on her pillow and said
"Urgh... seriously, what should I do now? Can someone please give me some advice."
Once she said that a knock on the door came to answer her call.
"Ms. Ivy, are you ready? I'm here to escort you to the Arena."
"This sounds like..."
Ivy immediately got up from her bed and rush to the door.
Then as she opens it, she yelled
"Sir Gregory!"
Her sudden unexpected actions made Sir Gregory jumped, and he asks her
"Ye.Yes? Is there anything I can help?"
Then Ivy gaze at him seriously and said
"I need some advice."
*************
Before the Ceremonial of Manhood
The Uncle's Advice
"So, what kind of advice do you need?"
Sir Gregory asks as they slowly walked over to the arena together
Then Ivy held her shoulders while she showed an uneasy look. She asks
" What would you do if you know a man that wants to marry an underage girl?"
The moment Gregory heard Ivy asks that question, he instinctively drew back a step as he thought to himself
<Did she find out about Leon's plan? But that's not possible, since there is only but a handful of people who knew about this. What should I say? I need to be careful. I need to find out more about what she knows first.>
And so he casually coughs and asks further
"This man that you referred to, is it someone that both of us know?"
She pursed her lips and was contemplating whether she should share, but after a careful thought, she eventually said, "yes."
"BINGO!" Sir Gregory yelled in his mind while he turns his back away from her to hide his excitement. <She must be talking about Leon then since there is no other man in her life that would make her ask like that.>
While Sir Gregory was getting excited about both of them finally tying the knot, Ivy, on the other hand, thought,
<I said yes, but he won't think that is about Prince Leon, right? Since Leon is not the only man that both of us know about, but just in case, I'll just note not to reveal his name.>
So she turns at Sir Gregory and smiled casually
"But let's not mention his name. It wouldn't be appropriate. I just like to know for the sake of a social discussion."
"Ah, of course," Sir Gregory nodded while he thought <She must be shy, so I must not pry too much on her. I just need to be a good friend and support them.>
"Sir Gregory?" Ivy called on him as she saw that he was lost in his thoughts.
"Ah, yes, you were saying?"
"You haven't answered my question yet."
"Ah yes..." he coughed and repeated her question, "What would I do if I know a man that wants to marry an underage girl? Was it?"
Ivy enthusiastically nodded, and he answered
"Well, I guess I would support them."
When Sir Gregory smiled at her with his purest intention to support them, Ivy just flinched backward and thought, "No! Not my second son too?! Where did I go wrong?"
"But...But... don't you think it's inappropriate for a man to marry an underage girl?
"No, not at all." He just honestly respond.
Ivy jumps again from his quick reply, and since he replied without hesitation, she knew it was his honest opinion.
She couldn't accept it, and so she retaliates further and said,
"But! But! What would society think? How would people respond? Don't you think that as a responsible adult, we should never support something like this?"
Then while Sir Gregory took a moment to think, Ivy thought
<Yes, my son, think carefully, think wisely. This is not something that you should accept nor support.>
and just when she thought there was hope for him, he suddenly says
"As long they are in love with each other, they shouldn't care about what society or other people think, and as a friend, I will take responsibility and support them all the way."
Ivy took two steps back away from the boy, as she was too shocked to hear such a thing coming out from his mouth.
Then she crouches to the ground and thought to herself
<NO!!!! WHY!!!!!
Is it my fault in the end? Did I fail you two as a mother? What exactly did I teach them to think this way?>
Then her eyes suddenly widen, as a thought just came through her mind,
<or maybe because he is the 2nd male lead that's why he...>
She turns and looks at her 2nd son's handsome face then immediately cower back to the ground and cried
<Urgh! What a waste of his handsomeness! To think I brought up my two sons to become pedophiles. This is all the Author's fault!!! He wrote the novel that way! He must've had a fetish for young girls, and now my boys have to suffer because of what he wrote... my two poor boys> *sobs*
While she crouches on the ground, crying her eyes out, Sir Gregory felt something was not right, and so he reach out,
"Ms.Ivy, why are you..."
Suddenly, they could hear someone calling out Ivy's name from afar, shouting, "Hey, Ivy!!"
Then both of them turn in the direction of yell, and they saw Peterson walking towards their way.
"Uncle!" Ivy yelled out as she had not expected to see him appear in such a place.
Then she quickly ran over to his side and asked,
"Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to help out at Ester Lake."
"We're just here at the capital for supplies, plus the Prince's grand event is not something to be miss after all. It's all that everyone talks about."
"We? There are others?"
"Robbie and the three sisters tag along. They went ahead to the arena with Ms.Gracie."
"What?! But nobody told me about this. They should've sent a message. I would've hosted them myself."
"Well, they said they wanted to surprise you, and I heard from your father that you've been busy working at the palace, so we didn't want to bother you too much."
"How could they think that way? I would have gladly find the time for them, no matter what. But I'm happy to see you, uncle. Sir Gregory and I were just heading to the Arena ourselves. Let's go and find the rest together!"
"Sure, but why were you sitting down on the ground like that?"
"Ah..." Ivy rolled her eyes as she recalled that very unpleasant conversation she just had with her son, and so she explains
"I had a very unpleasant conversation just now, and I had to sit to calm myself down."
"Hm?" Peterson raises a brow. "What is it about? You can always talk to me about it."
Then when Ivy recalls how helpful and mature her uncle's advice has been previously, she leans forward to him with her glistering eyes and says
"Yes, Uncle! I need your advice! You are the only person I could rely on now!"
When Peterson saw his cute niece looked at him with high hopes, he blushed and stuttered, "N..No problem at all. Just ask away."
So she clasps her hands tightly as if she prays that she will get a different answer this time.
Then she gazed at him seriously and asked
"What would you do if you know a man that wants to marry an underage girl?"
"Hm?" Peterson looks at his niece, feeling as if she has the habit of asking strange questions at him.
But as her uncle and her second fatherly figure, he wants to give her a proper answer, and so he says
"Well, he can't since women cannot marry until they come of age."
"But what if he can? Hypothetically speaking."
"Hmm? Hypothetically?"
"Yes, hypothetically..."
Then Peterson gaze at his niece, seeing her so seriously asking about such a topic again made him think, <why would she want to know such a thing?>
************
Next chapter
why would she want to know such a thing?