Returning to the land of the Eastern Kingdom, Arthas opened the map and found himself at the castle in Gilneas! Aurelia, like him, was inspecting the castle. His liaison ambassadors from the dragon flights, waiting for him in Lordaeron. They hadn't followed him; otherwise, they could have caught a ride.
"Should we search a bit? This seems to be a human castle." Aurelia suggested.
"Okay." Arthas nodded, drawing his sword and taking out his shield to begin exploring.
"I'll go see from the high point; be careful." Aurelia skillfully climbed out the window and used a rope to nimbly scale the wall. The power of the wind helped her move more deftly, maximizing the mobility of a ranger.
Arthas pushed open an inner door and walked in. The decorations here were lavish, with exquisite tables and chairs, and beautiful patterns—everything was consumables for human nobility. As he delved deeper, he saw many fruits displayed on the tables, among which the most striking were the large, round purple grapes, resembling the eggs of a mature woman! Behind the screen, there seemed to be the sound of water.
Curious, Arthas turned, but saw no enemies. Instead, he saw a delicate dark-haired young woman bathing in a tub, with clothes placed nearby. The tub was filled with rose petals. The young woman's pale arms splashed water over herself as she massaged her smooth body. Her two charming breasts were partially hidden in the water, and the sight of her rosy buds made Arthas swallow hard.
'Who!' The young woman exclaimed, alertly looking towards Arthas, snatching up a long shotgun beside her and firing in his direction. Bang! Arthas hurriedly raised his shield to block, mitigating most of the damage; he only felt a slight numbness in his arm. In contrast, the young woman coughed up blood, her breath becoming weak, clearly indicating that the recoil damage had nearly backfired on her.
"Holy Light, shine!" Arthas quickly cast a healing spell, which required a casting time, consuming a lot of mana. With his mana pool, he could only use it six times; anymore and he would be out of mana.
He didn't use the Holy Light's Blessing for healing because that required accumulating Holy Light energy, which could only be gathered through combat—attacking enemies to gain energy. Thus, he opted for this mana-consuming healing spell.
Splashing!
Arthas lifted the weak young woman out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her, apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your estate. I was on a secret mission to deal with the red dragons attacking the Alliance army, and I was just teleported here without noticing. Apologies."
"Prince Arthas?" The young woman seemed a bit better after the Holy Light healing, her gaze bright as she looked at the man in front of her, who, despite being of similar age, had already stepped onto the battlefield. "Long time no see, Lorna." Arthas said.
Lorna Crowley, the daughter of the great noble Darius Crowley of Gilneas. If you came out of the werewolf starter village in the game, you would encounter her storyline.
At that time, Gilneas had already fallen due to the onslaught of the Scourge, compounded by the rampant werewolf curse, leading to many civilians becoming refugees. By then, Lordaeron had ceased to exist, the Alliance was fragmented, and only the Kingdom of Stormwind had survived; other kingdoms were submerged by the endless sea of skeletal remains.
If one's strength was not exaggeratedly powerful, those who were weaker could knock out a stronger opponent with a suicidal charge. Unless one was as formidable as Sargeras, capable of cleaving a planet in half with a single strike, the sea of foes at this level posed a manageable pressure.
Thus, facing the endless necromancers and ghouls, the living forces of humanity appeared exceedingly scarce. All beings inevitably reach a point of exhaustion, while the undead did not; they only knew how to attack and did not require rest.
This was the terrifying aspect. Arthas had met Lorna, or rather, most noble lords' daughters had encountered him. His status was merely a symbol before the guardian dragons; among high elves, he was only slightly better off than a commoner.
However, in this northern continental region, he still had a significant presence. The only prince of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the first heir in line, youthful and wealthy, he was described as well-behaved, diligent, and handsome among the nobility. For the majority of nobles, he was a worthy marriage candidate; a union would provide a foundation for cooperation; although not all, it was still considerably better than that of strangers.
"How rude, why did you peek at me while I was bathing?" Lorna teased, also having a good impression of Arthas. Which girl wouldn't like such a handsome prince? What a shame, Jaina was one step ahead.
"Uh, it was an accident," Arthas replied, somewhat embarrassed, scratching his nose.
Peeking wasn't necessarily a bad thing; there were plenty of dirty secrets among the nobility. However, getting caught in the act was a bit awkward.
"Actually, you could have just watched directly; no need to be so sneaky." Lorna gently stroked her sleek black hair, a blush rising on her fair face.
Her enchanting beauty and shy expression made Arthas's heart race, evoking some feelings reminiscent of a first love.
"Uh, once the orc situation is resolved, we'll hold a celebration banquet in Lordaeron. Come along then."
Arthas changed the subject; he felt quite drawn to Lorna, who was a true strategist. Leading a flanking force capable of engaging the Scourge and resisting the Burning Legion under the identity of a lord's daughter was something unique for a woman.
"Will Jaina be attending too?" Lorna asked earnestly, as who wouldn't have a crush at her age?
"I don't have just one spouse; I have important matters to attend to, and I need your help. Lorna, I need your assistance. I have a plan; I need a territory to expand, and I need your help. Will you stand by my side?" Arthas redirected the conversation, pondering whether to choose Jaina or Lorna; he wanted them both!
Arthas rubbed his nose, glancing down at the young woman's prominent breasts. For her age, they were quite admirable; young women at this age were beginning to develop, entering puberty and exhibiting signs of hormonal secretion. Furthermore, most commoners had already started marrying and having children; those who married early might already have several kids.
After observing for a moment, he reached the conclusion that this did not necessarily mean safety; there was also danger among humans, and the infighting could be the fiercest.