Episode 5

While she imagined herself surrounded by beautiful and handsome men and being treated as a queen by them, she woke from it when the man with a red robe, enters her view.

She was put back down on the bed in a sitting position so the man was standing before her.

She looks up at him and he looks down toward her, his eyes a fiery red, yet tints of silver is seen in them, he was handsome, very handsome.

'Wow~ the otome game didn't do him justice, rather, it hasn't done any justice for all of this men!'

Remembering that when she played the game, the graphics weren't that great, but still good enough that you can see their face, just a bit blurry. While still looking straight in his eyes, she noticed a bit of purple too, she wondered how wonderful they looked, especially with his scarlet hair.

'No wonder a women was crazy enough to drug the emperor to get with him, he is literally a walking God.'

"Cough' cough hmph" she ends up leaving her thoughts when she heard him coughing and look away from her, but he stood there with his back straight and his hands behind his back.

" A, are you doing fine now...?" He tries to ask me that in a majestic and aloof way, but he keeps glancing back at her. She just squinted her eye and didn't think she'd witness a "tsundere".

'Was this one of his character traits???' She might have remembered a part in the game where the heroine comes back from a subjugation mission to strengthen her powers. No one noticed his thoughts except the narrator helped the gamers with that.

***

The king was worried and his hands were trembling when he saw his daughter back, a bit distraught and tensed from her first battle. He wanted to go and hug her and comfort her, but he restrained himself and just told her.

"Good job, you will recieve an appropriate reward" but the heroine said "the only reward needed was seeing my father again, I am content with just that." Before he said anything, Sakura appeared.

"That is nice to say, but it is an insult to the emperor if you do not accept a reward, it is custom in all empires to reward a subjugation well done." Sakura didn't mean to sound bitter, since watching her father, she can see his care for her half-sister, but she wanted to just remind them of custom of the royalty.

"Ah... I'm so sorry father, I didn't know... sorry for insulting the empires customs..." Rose muttered the last part and looks like a pitiful puppy who was scolded. "No need to, who should be apologizing is Sakura, you shouldn't speak unless the emperor allows you to" the emperor glances at his first daughter and can only sigh, causing great pain to spread in Sakura's chest.

'He didn't think twice to embarrass his first child for his bastard one. He only cares for her, not you.'

Those thoughts entered her mind, a thought that has been festering deep in her mind, that seem to grow stronger by the day. 'It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!'

Sakura wanted to scream and ask for help, but her tutors teaching has been ingrained in her body and mind. To not show your pain or weakness in front of others, to show no emotion in front of others.

So she looked down and bowed toward her father "forgive me fa... your majesty, I spoke out of bounds, I will reflect on myself in my quarters, if you would allow me to." the emperor and her surrounding couldn't see her expression, the pain and struggling she is trying to endure.

"Go." The emperor didn't even look at Sakura, since he himself had been taught to never desplay how he feels or express any weakness.

But then he felt he may have been too hard on her, she was his child too and worried for her, he saw her be born, saw her first smile, heard her first laugh, and her first word "papa!"

Remembering her as a child, the emperor smiled warmly for the first time in a while. The surrounding held their breath and blinded by that smile, they thought he was smiling at the heroine.

Sakura thought the same thing when she looked up at her father to thank him for his permissions, only to see this warm atmosphere between her father and Rose.

'Hahaha! he is gloating to his beloved child that he sent away his unlovable child for her. You truly mean nothing to him'

That voice in her head laughs at her, speaking what she thought but didn't want to believe. She gritted her teeth and turn away, her hands clenched roughly, unknowingly, blood dripped from her hand, her nails digging deep into her palm, but mixed with her blood; there was ink blackness that swallowed her blood, just like it is doing to her mind.

***

'I think that was the beginning of the corruption eating her away, only because this stupid man didn't show the same amount of care that he showed the heroine, Rose.'

While remember what happened in the game, Sakura felt a scorching gaze on top of her head, she unfocused from her mind and starts to focus on what she sees, she was still looking at the emperor and now he was looking at her, a hint of worry in his eyes when she didn't respond to him.

Now with that memory in her mind, she found this man to be irksome, so a plan formed in her mind, before she can stop herself from trying it, she begins to cry. Everyone in the room froze.

"Y. Your highness!??" Raphael was shocked and worried when she started to cry, her tears smearing her face, each tear sliding down her pale cheeks and staining her pajamas. The emperor was even more shocked, he felt a bang of pain and worried when he sees his child cry in such a mournful way.

"P... pa.. sniff, papa!!" Sakura stretches her hand out to be carried. Everyone again were in a state of shock and believed she was calling to be carried by his majesty and they all looked to him to see if he would carry her.

He was still, but in the end unfolded his arms from behind and brings it closer to her, only for her to turn away in fear and stretch them out toward who was behind him, toward Raphael. To the emperor it felt like a bolt of lighting hit him when she shoved his hands away.

Raphael was surprised but knew if he didn't comfort Sakura, she will keep on crying, and it pains him to see her this way, so he excused himself to his old friend and ended up carrying Sakura, she buries her head in the side of his neck and looks like she finally calmed down.

"Your highness... are you feeling better?".

Sakura nods her head a bit and peeks behind her, she sees the men who came with the emperor and they see her looking at them, her eyelashes damp from the waterworks she displayed, her round childish eyes looking at them with wariness.

They thought she was afraid of them because she didn't knew who they were, while in truth, Sakura knew who they were, just that she was a bit embarrassed she had to show them this, but she needed to get back on Sakura's father, to make him feel what she did when he ignored her for Rose in that scene of the game.

Mihkael turns to his daughter and looks at he nestled in Raphael's arms, she turns her head to him and looks at him, the words that left her mouth, made the emperor feel a bit dizzy.

"whu arth you?" The aura around the emperor lowered and Sakura noticed that, she snuggles more in Raphael and gave the finishing blow.

"Pawpa, scawy man, I don luke him" her words were a bit hard to understand, but not so much that they are incomprehensible, they turn back to their friend and emperor, and wonder how he'll feel from this blow he recieve from his one and only lovable child.

They knew how hard it was for their friend to express himself, yet when it is only them, he likes to show off photo crystal of Sakura. Crystals that record, take photos and even store memories of the user so they can never forget that moment. All the photo crystals he has shown, had moments the maids recorded of the princess.

They were commanded by his majesty himself for those moments to be recorded, or else he will switch maids, there were maids who took advantage of this and recorded love confessions or even provocative pictures to send him. He immediately smashed those Crystal's and fired the maids, he was heartless in his actions, so the maids learn not to provoke him and only take pictures or recoding of the princess and try to place memories of the princess they didn't record but seen.

All those Crystals were stored in the hidden room in the study of the emperors study room, it seems that all photo crystals were hidden there by passed emperors, this shows that even if all the emperors were strict and expressionless, they all hid a loving side for their family.

"Y, y, your highness, th, thi, this is your father, his ma... majesty" Raphael stuttered a bit because he feels a murderous glare from his old friend, it was fueled with jealousy and envy.

Sakura felt the murderous intent too, and felt a bit bad for Raphael, so she felt like she did enough and turned back to Mihkael, "oohh~ Ith remumbur nuw, forgoth fur a segonth."

Sakura said that while leaning her head on Raphael's chest, not seeming at all sorry for scaring her father, and doesn't seem anytime soon that she will leave the comfort of Raphael's arms.

The emperor noticed this and looked as if he wanted to carry her too, but doesn't know how to say it. Raphael noticed and can only sigh at his friends awkwardness.

"Since you remember, you should give your father a kiss in the cheek as sorry, your highness."

When he looked down to say that to her, the smile he had in his face froze when he saw her look of displeasure and a hint of disgust, he blinked his eyes and noticed the look was gone, only the innocent face of a child remained, making him wonder if he was just seeing things.

Sakura knew there was no escape, but thought of a solution. "But, doesth he hath me?".

"""""""Huh!!???"""""""

Those were all the grown men reaction to her words, for they knew well as anyone, that the emperor loves her so much that he has portraits of her of each birthday in his study room, only a few enter that room. The emperor had to hold the table beside her bed and lean on it from all the shocks he recieved that day, this one taking the cake.

He takes a deep breath and made a decision in that moment, he stands straight again and walks toward Raphael, he looks at Sakura in the eyes, his daughter's eyes held so much, yet he doesn't know what.

"I'm your papa, not him", he said that while leaning toward Sakura and pointing at Raphael, "I would never hate you, you are my child, my treasure, you had been born with love, I never regretted your birth. I left one of my most trusted friends to be the head caretaker for you, because I couldn't leave it to anyone else to watch over those maids to make sure they wouldn't harm you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you, I named you with care and hope this name will protect you. Please, do not ever think I hate you, that I didn't want you."

The emperors eyes eased up, they held warmth and a resolution to have his daughter know, she is loved.

Sakura felt tears again trickle down her face, a feeling inside her soared and felt like it released a breath of air, as if there was a type of peace from his words.

Amber wondered, 'did the game Sakura send her here? to restart her life for her and do the things she couldn't? Did she resided deep inside of her and was finally in peace after knowing her father's true thought of her?'

Because Amber, now Sakura knew this weren't her emotions, this relief, this joy and tears aren't hers. But she was glad for Sakura, and while thinking that, she felt a diffrent presence surface deep inside, revealing itself in the surface. Taking Amber's place for a moment.

The Emperor held his arms out to Sakura, he gently grabbed her from Raphael's embrace and held her, Sakura cried and embraced her father, she held him tight and cried, she stopped for a few moments and looked at her father in the eyes, her eyes held longing and joy, for the first time, her words didn't slur.

"papa, I love you too, thank you.. thank you for finally telling me..." Mihkael felt a type of pain in his soul, as if this was a goodbye, as if this will be the last time he will see his daughter, yet a feeling as if a knew beginning will be created with his child appeared too.

Sakura smiled and laughed, and closed her eyes, only to open them and reveal themselves, but a change can be felt. Amber knew now, Sakura was residing in her, but finally let go of life. And Amber thought one thing 'do not worry, I will life as You, as Sakura, and do the things freely without any restraint, I won't let you regret a second time.'

Those were Amber's last thoughts as "Amber" she will now fully be "Sakura" and will live life with more freedom. 'Thank you...' a breeze whispered those final words. "Papa, I luv yu too" Sakura laid a kiss on her father's cheeks and smiled up at him a cheeky smile.

The emperor let out a low chuckle and smiled down at his daughter, he felt a change come to him too. Those around them felt happy for them but at the same time felt lonely.

''''''They forgot about us....''''''

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***