The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 339: Fairytale Ending

Chapter 339: Fairytale Ending

It wasn’t a passionate hug, but I felt his compassion more than all the times that he held me in his arms before. My entire body shook as I wept in his arms. So many emotions overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t do anything as they all seemed to burst out. It was a very bittersweet moment. While I was relieved that everyone was saved, I couldn’t help but feel hurt about the situation that the girls had to go through. Then I started hoping that everyone involved would get the punishment that they deserved.

Most importantly, I prayed that no one else would have to go through what we had to go through. I prayed that girls growing up in other orphanages wouldn’t have to be sold into slavery like this in any shape or form. Prince Leonard held me in his arms as he patted my back comfortingly. I knew that everything turned out much better than I could have ever hoped for and that was thanks to the prince stepping in and sorting everything out. Despite knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to stop crying right away.

“It’s fine to cry and let it all out, Mila...” he told me softly.

I nodded my head against his chest as I wrapped my arms around him just a little tighter. Once again, I felt that everything would turn out fine if I had the prince by my side. It was a very reassuring feeling that I could lean on him, but at the same time, it also made me realize just how helpless I was.

“Thank you...and I’m sorry. I know that I should stop crying now...” I apologized in a mumble.

My voice sounded so muffled and cracked and I was certain that my face looked like a mess. My eyes felt swollen already and so did my lips. If I cried anymore than this, I would probably need to spend some time in bed before I would look presentable again. A wave of embarrassment washed over me when I realized that the prince was seeing me in this state.

“Everyone is safe now, Mila. That is all that matters for now,” he told me as he patted the top of my head.

“Thank you. This is all thanks to you...” I thanked him again.

It felt like I couldn’t thank him enough. The thought of asking the prince to rescue the other girls never crossed my mind. That wasn’t because I didn’t want to help the other girls, but it just felt so impossible and so unthinkable. Just like how coming back to the orphanage to see everyone felt impossible, going even further to rescue them all just felt like a fairytale. That fairytale seemed to have come true as unbelievable as it was. Somehow the prince had managed to do exactly what I must have secretly longed for in my mind.

The miracle of returning and somehow managing to save all the girls from their cruel fate must have been what I was hoping for deep down. Giving up on my family wasn’t something that I managed to do and even if I had to admit that there wasn’t much in my power that I could do for them, I never stop praying and hoping that they would be saved and that the girls would have a good life of their own. The thought of asking Prince Leonard to help the other girls never really crossed my mind. At that time, I thought that it was more than good enough that he was kind to me in his own way. It was too selfish and too much for me to ask him for even more.

“I figured this is what you must have wanted,” he said softly.

“It’s more than I could have ever wished for. Honestly, it still feels too good to be true. You know, for me to be back here and to find out that all the girls have been saved,” I said as I tried to hold back my tears.

The prince looked around the room as if he was thinking of something. The silence that settled between us felt so peaceful. I decided to enjoy the warmth of his arms around me as I let my mind and body be comforted by the prince.

“I guess this place is emptier now than how you remembered it,” he said with some regret in his tone.

“You’re right, both in terms of the people here and the things here...” I replied.

At first, his words didn’t bother me at all because it must have been hard for anyone to imagine the original state of the orphanage to be so void of life and so empty. If there was nothing extraordinary about our connection, I wouldn’t have noticed or thought about anything more in-depth at all. However, in the corner of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if the...

“Mila...” the prince called my name suddenly and broke my chain of thought.

“Yes?” I replied automatically.

“Nothing. You must feel tired already. Should we head back?” he suggested.

It felt like the prince had something to say but then decided against it. Of course, a part of me was curious but another part of me just felt that it looked like he was about to tell me something important. My tears had dried by that time, and I was more composed than before.

“I’m fine. Can I ask you something?” I asked as I felt my heart beat faster in my chest.

“Sure. You can ask me whatever you want,” he replied casually.

Although it was nothing more than a hunch...

“Did you know that I was worried about the other girls at the orphanage?” I asked while taking note that my question sounded strange.

“Of course. Wouldn’t it be natural for you to worry about the other girls here?” he asked in return.

He must have thought that my question didn’t make any sense given how obvious the answer was. Before I would lose my nerve, I asked him another question.

--To be continued...