The Alpha Prince's Purchased Maid
Chapter 349: Risks

Chapter 349: Risks

I felt like I had a pretty good idea of the pressure that Roxanna must have gone through. For a long while, I felt like I was under that similar pressure. Although we were alone, sometimes it felt like we always had eyes on us. We were probably being watched from afar and I was certain that what we did must have been reported to the king and the committee to a certain extent.

“It must have been hard for her...and for you as well...” I mumbled softly.

“It wasn’t hard on me, but I guess it must have been hard for her. It is fully my fault for not realizing it for what it was back then,” he said while sounding very regretful and guilty.

I didn’t like how solemn the prince sounded or the fact that he was blaming himself for what had happened to Roxanna. From experience, I knew just how kind the prince could be. I was sure that he would have done everything within his power to help her out just like he had the mercy to help me. I wasn’t sure what I could say to make him feel better and saying inconsiderate things may make the situation worse.

“Do you know why the committee is so hard pressed to set up mandatory mating nights? Do you know why they have locked up so many women in the Sacred Chambers?” he asked as he stared directly at me.

“Because they want an ultimate alpha to be born...” I replied softly.

“It’s because it’s the only way that seems to work. After trying all the artificial technology that is available, so far nothing has worked. As you may already have guessed, my brothers and I were all conceived naturally,” the prince explained.

My eyes fell to Roxanna’s face as I recalled the various technology related to improving women’s fertility that we saw when we went on that trip together. At first, I thought that the population overall may be experiencing fertility problems, but now I was certain that that wasn’t the case. Everything was for the sake of increasing the chances that someone would be able to produce an ultimate alpha. Although some of the procedures are new and could be risky, I did not recall any of the doctors or research mentioning that there could be drastic side effects like what Roxanna was experiencing.

Although she was still alive, I could tell that her condition was quite severe. There was no telling when she would wake up or if she would ever wake up or make a full recovery. My eyebrows drew together in a frown as I wondered just what she had gone through. As dark thoughts and emotions filled my mind, I realized that it may be better for me never to find out.

“So, this happened to her because she couldn’t produce an ultimate alpha?” I asked in a mumble.

“It’s a little more complicated than that. Back then, and even now to a certain extent, I had always resisted my father’s and the committee’s orders to produce an heir. Being an ultimate alpha isn’t as fun as one might think, and I also don’t view it as a privilege. Unlike Darius who does basically everything that he is told without getting his emotions involved and unlike Florian who is fine with mating with everyone and anyone, I wasn’t willing to participate in any of the programs that was designed for me,” the prince explained before smiling wryly at me.

I didn’t know what kind of face to make or what to say to him. Prince Leonard had a faraway look in his eyes as if he was recalling some memories from long ago. I waited silently for him to continue with his story.

“I guess they had to get more creative with me. In the end, it was because of my stubbornness that Roxanna had to go through what she went through. I refused to mate with her or any of the honorable maidens. Because of that, the doctors involved started looking into artificial methods. I went along with it because it felt like it didn’t involve me, and I was also certain that an ultimate alpha wouldn’t be born from it...” he said before trailing off.

I could tell from the regretful look that crossed his face that he truly didn’t know back then about the risks involved or that his decision would lead to Roxanna’s current situation.

“It’s not your fault. So, please don’t think that it’s your fault...” I pleaded with him.

“You mentioned that you want to have my child...” he said as he stared deeply into my eyes.

Even after hearing what he had told me and what he had shown me, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t at all swayed. However, I realized so naturally that I still wanted to have a child with the prince. I wouldn’t mind at all if our child didn’t turn out to be an ultimate alpha or an alpha of any kind. No matter what, the child would be ours and that would be more than enough for me. My dream of having a family and sharing a future with Prince Leonard didn’t have anything to do with the kingdom’s politics of the succession of the royal family.

“I still want to have your child and build a family and future together...” I said as clearly as possible as I continued to hold his gaze.

“I see that you still don’t quite understand the risks,” he said before shaking his head in dismay.

“Then please tell me about it. Please tell me about the risks involved so that I can decide,” I replied.

I could tell that my directness surprised the prince, but I was truly unwilling to back down. If there were risks, then I would like to know about them. Deep down, I was also very convinced that if there were risks then there should be ways to mitigate those risks. The prince stared at me in silence before letting out a sigh of resignation.

--To be continued...