Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 422: Tell Oma The Truth

Chapter 422: Tell Oma The Truth

It was Maxi’s first time going to a marketplace, at least shopping for foodstuffs like a normal Fae would. Most of her time spent outside was either on a mission or reliving her boredom. But now, she was with her mother-in-law, Oma, shopping in the marketplace.

Kayla should have been the one escorting her mother, but the young Fae had run away from the duty, and Maxi saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with her mother-in-law. At first, Oma had frowned, seeing it as rude to bother her with such chores during her short stay here. However, Maxi was eager to integrate herself into the family.

So there they were, shopping. The first thing Maxi noticed was that Oma was well-known and liked. It wasn’t surprising when one of the traders started up a conversation as they stopped at a stall to buy vegetables.

"Morning Tera," Oma greeted, picking up one of the cabbages on the table and checking it over.

"Morning Oma. Nice to see you this wonderful morning. And yes, those are fresh, just arrived this morning..." The Fae trailed off when she noticed Maxi’s presence. The horse shifter stuck to Oma’s side like an obedient youngling.

The Fae scrutinized her. "And who is she, Oma? The last I checked, you only had one daughter," she said playfully, yet hungry for details.

Oma turned to look at Maxi, momentarily forgetting she had company. Then she smiled. "Oh, sorry about that. This is Maxi, my son Isaac’s fiancée."

It was weird, but Maxi felt a surge of pride to be called Isaac’s fiancée, and it was satisfying to know that Oma wasn’t afraid to acknowledge her as one. It increased her respect for Oma, and she wanted to please her so much.

Hence, for Oma’s sake, the horse shifter who never cared about people’s opinions bowed her head in greeting to the trader Fae, who now looked at her with wide eyes. It seemed Isaac having a fiancée was a big deal here.

"The stars above!" the Fae exclaimed, coming out from behind the counter to regard Maxi carefully. She stood far enough to look her over from head to toe before closing the distance and repeating the gesture.

Maxi suddenly found herself in the spotlight as Tera’s theatrics drew the attention of the other traders, who couldn’t help their curiosity. A flush crept up Maxi’s face; she was not used to the attention.

After they had obsessed over her like a new toy, the questions began. Endless questions.

"What court is she from? Her dark hair might suggest the dawn court."

"Who are her parents?"

"What does she do for a living?"

"How did she and Isaac meet?"

"Would the wedding commence soon?"

"Does she have an ability?"

"She must be from a powerful family for the picky Isaac to have liked her."

"What about Anya?"

"I thought she and Isaac were together?"

The questions concentrated in the air like a thick raincloud, and Maxi realized she hadn’t thought of the answers to half of the questions asked. Oma literally knew nothing about her, and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

As if noticing Maxi’s uneasiness, Oma took her hand and gave Tera a tight smile. "It just clicked in my mind that I need to get something from the stall over there. I’ll be back soon."

Before the Fae trader could respond, Oma had already tugged Maxi along, and they left the vicinity entirely.

"Are you okay?" Oma asked, concern evident in her gaze fixed on Maxi.

Maxi lifted her face and shrugged. "Of course, why wouldn’t I be?"

Oma sighed, guilt evident on her face. She said, "I’m so sorry about that. I forgot how Tera and her neighbors love to gossip. I’ve lived here for a while now, and everyone around here knows one another. Whenever they see fresh meat, they pounce upon it like vultures. But don’t worry, I won’t mention you being Isaac’s fiancée anymore, so they won’t bother you until you leave. I know how to handle them myself."

"No, it’s alright," Maxi confessed. "To be honest, I actually love the fact that you’re not ashamed of me."

At that statement, Oma frowned. "Why would I be ashamed of you?" she asked, her brows still drawn together.

"Because I’m an orphan and I’m only half Fae, actually a horse shifter," Maxi finally let out the truth, watching carefully to see how Oma reacted.

And there it was. The paleness and widening of her eyes showed the moment Oma recognized the gravity of her words.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Y-you’re a horse shifter..." Oma suddenly clamped her mouth shut, looking around frantically as if scared a Fae might eavesdrop on their conversation. However, this was a marketplace, and the Faeries went about their businesses.

Oma had to come closer, and now she was standing right in front of Maxi, still reeling from the shock of the revelation. Oma whispered, "How is that..." She took a deep breath and looked Maxi in the eyes. "possible? Horse shifters are extinct. No, you are a stuff of legend... oh..."

The "Oh" from Oma sounded ominous and made Maxi stiffen in her position. Perhaps she shouldn’t have told Oma the truth, technically, half of the truth. If she added the fact that she was actually a dark half Fae and was the famed horse Maximus, who was Prince Aldric’s companion, Oma would probably scream in terror and demand that Maxi never come near her son again. This truth should suffice for now.

When Oma opened her mouth to speak, it was to say, "You are older than me."

Damn. Maxi had forgotten about that. This was a mistake. Oma was going to dislike her now. It’s just that Oma seemed so nice that she felt bad for holding back the truth. Now, her honesty was about to backfire on her.

"I’m sorry—"

"You shouldn’t be sorry," Oma said. "You did nothing wrong. If anything, you should be celebrated. If the Fae were to know..."

"No one can know!" Maxi cautioned her. "I have my reasons, Oma, but no one can know what I am. That’s the reason Isaac kept you away from it. He doesn’t want you involved. Otherwise, he hates that he can’t tell you the truth."

"The gods help me," Oma gasped, rubbing her forehead. "I don’t leak out secrets. It’s just overwhelming. You just gave me a scare, Maxi..." She took in a deep breath. "How am I going to wrap my head around this? This is too much."

Maxi bit her lip. "I’m sorry, Oma."

Oma lifted her head, her eyes flashing. "If I hear one more sorry from your mouth, Maxi, trust my heart, I don’t care if you’re older than me or not, I’ll spank you so hard!"

Maxi grinned slowly, relief filling her. "Yes, Oma."

The Fae gave her a long look, then shook her head, muttering under her breath, "I must be crazy for accepting this. Definitely not as crazy as my foolish son."

Oma looked up to the sky and expelled a breath, while Maxi still wore that apologetic look but didn’t dare voice it out.

"Come," Oma said. "Let’s continue our shopping. We’ll settle this at home, as family should."

It wasn’t until Oma started down a different path that Maxi realized it wasn’t the same one they had taken earlier.

"Um, Oma?" she called her attention. "This isn’t the way we went earlier."

Oma spared a glance over her shoulder. "Really? You want to go back to Tera and her cronies, and then perhaps they might snatch your secret out of my mouth? Or we can go to another stall and avoid trouble. What do you say to that, Maxi?"

Maxi’s face broke into a smile. There was no need for an answer because she hurried over to Oma’s side eagerly. If she were in her horse shape, she would swish her tail to express her pleasure and contentment.

"I thought as much," Oma smirked and continued down the lane.

The shopping went smoothly, and despite the big revelation, Oma did not act distant or cold towards Maxi. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Maxi could finally understand why Isaac had suggested telling Oma the truth in the first place. The Fae was too kind. However, the truth was too dangerous for Oma, and Maxi would not endanger her in any form. She couldn’t reveal her dark Fae heritage yet.

Oma told a joke at the entrance of their home, and Maxi was still caught up in laughter when she opened the door and went in, expecting to find Isaac in high spirits.

But the first thing she noticed was the tension. Then, her eyes landed on Isaac who was seated alongside Anya and another Fae who bore a striking resemblance to her. Maxi’s face contorted into a scowl. Despite the fact that the Fae had already been defeated, did she really need to call her mother for support?