Episode 18

"Sakura. It's time to wake up." Hearing the low toned voice call her in a whisper, she rolls away from him, her back was made to face him. Looking at his child going as far as to roll away so as not to wake up, he can only raise an eyebrow. He sits up and stands from the side of the bed.

But rather than walking away, he walks the side of the bed and reaches the area she rolled to. Bending down, he reached out and gently lifts her up in a princess carry and throughout the whole process, she kept on sleeping without a care in the world.

Watching how much his daughter sleeps, he can only chuckle at her sloth like attitude and carried her to the bathroom. Normally the emperor has maids around to help him with daily necessities, but even as a child he disliked such things, so he never had them after he became emperor, especially since some maids tend to take advantage of such opportunities and try to sleep with him.

While thinking of that, he is reminded of that women who was in the bath. He narrowed his eyes with a sneer in his lips.

'That women was the only one to succeed, I'll have Seraph check on her and make sure she didn't gain anything more than sleeping with me.'

While cleaning Sakura's face, he really started to wonder how she can still sleep through water splashing her face. It's as if her body automatically reacts for her so she doesn't wake up.

"I really just splashed your face with water and wiped it with a towel, yet the only reaction I get is you holding your breath for a moment and scrunching your eyes when I began to wipe it, yet you still don't wake up. Was that even you consciously reacting to it or subconsciously?"

While talking outloud, the only response he gets are mumbles and a small snore.

"Mihkael, you awake?" Raphael can be heard through the door and waiting for Mihkael's response.

"Yeah. Come in." He places Sakura back on the bed and begins cleaning up himself as well.

"See if you can wake her up. She wouldn't budge an inch, I even cleaned her face while she was sleeping away."

Mihkael begins to brush his teeth and walked out with his nightshirt half buttoned up, showing his toned chest, his pants hung to his hips with no indication to actually fix it.

"Mihkael, I truly wonder how you have the time to train, I really hate seeing you in better shape than I." Raphael looked at his friend with an annoyed face and walked over to Sakura.

"Princess? It's time to wake, it is bad for your health if you keep on sleeping for so long." He lightly moves her shoulder, to see if she wakes up or not.

"Noo~" even if her face was turned to bury under her pillow, it was easy to hear her dissatisfaction of his attempts to wake her.

"Princess, if you don't wake up, then you won't get to eat your favorite, French toast, it has a really thick layer of syrup, and fruits all on top and around it, with the finishing touch of walnuts. Don't you love that the most?"

While gently whispering the temptation of food on her ears, her movement of turning away stopped and she suddenly sprang up.

"Food! I'mth awake!" Her eyes were wide awake, looking around to see where the food is, only to see her father changing and Raphael smiling at her. With a few moments, she realized he said those things to just wake her up.

She ended up falling to her knees and slamming her fist on the bed, only tiny pa* pa* noises can be head from her fist making contact with the bed.

"Princess, I wasn't lying, but the only way you can get your food is if you go brush your teeth and change. Look at your papa, isn't he a good child. He finished brushing his teeth and is now changing."

"Hey. When did I become a mere child?"

"The moment when you have no decency of changing in front of people with no prior warning." Raphael looks at his long time friend and can only sigh at how nonchalant he can be.

"We're both men, who cares?"

"There is a lady in this room, have you forgotten that?"

"She is my offspring, there's no issue.

Besides I took a bath with her, what hasn't she seen?"

"That. That annoying apathetic attitude of yours always annoys me to no end." An irk mark can be seen on the side of his face, his annoyance fully shown on his face, while Sakura just nodded, as if agreeing to Raphael.

"You think too much Raph. Sakura, can you even understand the difference between genders?"

"Mihkael!" Raphael looks angry at his friends laid-back question and wanted to reprimand him for asking it, only for Sakura to actually answer it.

"Yeah! Girls. Have children. Men no." Hearing that response leave a 3 year old child mouth, both Raphael and Mihkael stiffen up from shock.

"P-princess! Who told you that? Was if one of your old tutors? Or those blasted maids?!" Raphael looked angry to know someone may have polluted his princess innocent mind.

"Tell papa, I'll make sure they pay." Mihkael had a burning background, as if a devil surrounded by its hellish home. Not thinking her answer with garner such reactions. She quickly came up with something.

"When I was read bedthime stories, I nothiced that the princess gets married to the printh and hath children, but it's always the printhsess who gets the babies, then I remember I came from mami, not papa. So the conclusion I came up with is; princess, who are girls, get babies, while Prinths, who are boys, don'th have babies."

She said so many words, that she actually got tired and had to take deep breaths after that.

'My wording got much better, just that the missing tooths hinder the speech.' While pouting at the few mistakes she made, she noticed that they haven't said anything.

Wondering what's taking them so long to say something, she looks up at them, only to see their expression filled with open eyes, and perplexity of how her mind worked.

"That... I wouldn't have ever reached that conclusion if I was a child. I would normally understand it when I grow older or something." Raphael forgot the butler speech and spoke in a more relaxed tone.

"I would have reached that conclusion from the textbooks I read as a child."

"Well, to begin with you weren't a normal child, you were a freak of human nature."

"Thanks."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"But I'll take it as one."

Watching the two grown men bicker like an old married couple, Sakura sighed in relief that the topic was changed. While thinking that, her stomach grumbled as if to gain attention to itself.

"Ah... I almost forgot it was time to eat. Here, let me carry you to the dining area." While reaching out to try and carry her, she pushes his hands away. Earning a deep look of loss from him when his hands were pushed away.

"Princess... do you not love me anymore?" A look of deep sorrow filled his eyes.

"No! I wanthed to walk, too much carry, and I'll forgeth how to walk."

Sakura felt like they were spoiling her too much and it has been a while since she last walked, so she wanted to look around but with her own two feet.

Hearing her reason, Raphael made such a proud face, he even took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed his eyes.

"The young princess if growing up so fast, she is now acting like an adult."

"Of course, she will make a fine Empress in the future with how independent she is becoming." The two adults felt great pride from how much she seems to grow the past few days.

But while they were feeling proud of her, she can only feel shame of having two grown men praise her for such a little thing.

'Damn, I feel embarrassed being treated like a kid who is just taking her first steps or something. And for your information, I am an adult! Well, in the inside at least.'

While ignoring the two gushing adults she planned to get out of the bed, but ended up meeting an obstacle from the get go. She looks down the bed and wondered why the hell was the bed made to be so big.

'I seriously think that the beds were created just to go against me.'

Her eyes looking coldly at the floor that was around her height or even more further away.

She takes a deep breath and turns around, the two men watch her and wonder what she's gonna do to get down, only to see her dangling, trying to make contact with the floor, when she can't seem to touch it, she lowers herself even more, until now it just looks like she is hanging for dear life. While they were thinking if they should help, she let's go without a second thought and directly falls in her bottom.

"Your highness!?" Raphael quickly goes to her side and lifts her to her feet. He kneels to her height and checks to see if there was any injuries. Mihkael looked on, even if he didn't react like Raphael, his gaze seems to be looking all over Sakura as well.

"I'm fine! Stoph overreacthing!" She rolls her eyes and turns to the door.

"Let's go!"

She pulls on Raphael, dragging him to the door while halfway, she grabs her dad too and finally reaches the door, only to neet her second obstacle

The doorknob was higher that the bed.

'I seriously wanna beat the shit of whoever decided to make such tall doors'.

Seeing his daughter stare at the door as if she was seeing her greatest enemy, he chuckles and opens it for her.

While giving a thanks, she continued on and found the third obstacle. She stops dead in her track, gaining the attention of Raphael and Mihkael.

"Is something wrong princess?"

"I don't know..."

"Huh?"

"I don'th know where the dining room is."

Listening to her the two adults just laughed and started walking, with each one holding her hand. While just halfway there, Sakura grew tired and her pace slowed. Noticing her predicament, they both looked at each other and smile at her perseverance.

"Sakura, you did very well, but your body is still developing, so I think it's right to rest and let us carry you. Ok?"

Mihkael looks at her while patting her head in a job well done for lasting so long.

She nods and reaches out to him. He lifts her up and carried her the rest of the way to the dining area. Getting there, both of them ate, while Mihkael "commanded" Raphael to sit and eat, leaving him no choice but to.

After they finished Raphael bid farewell to Mihkael and Sakura, because he needed to work on the rest of the area for the ball.

Seeing him off, Sakura finished her French toast in gusto and filled herself, till the last bread piece. Seeing his daughter eat so well, a warm gaze filling his eyes. After wiping her sticky hands and face smeared with syrup away, he picks her up again and heads to the throne room.

Watching how they head there, she can see how all the servants react when the emperor is the one that passes by. They all bowed a 90 degree angle, their hands clasped together in front and not a peep out of them.

When he was 15 feet away, they all stood straight and continued on their way, not once trying to take a peek at him from behind.

'They seem to have been trained well.' While seeing how non gossipy they were, she was impressed with how well trained the are.

A few minutes later he is now sitting on his throne, his elbow on the arm chair and the side of his face rested on the back of his palm, his gaze looking down, normally he would seem majestic an unapproachable, however the image itself was ruined, why?

Because on one of his legs, there is a three year old child with a silver blond toned hair. Her eyes wide and curiously looking around, the deep

Black irises popping out with the cinnamon brown in her eyes, even more so with the silver that shines like that of a jewel.

The black rims of the iris giving it a more mythical and strict look, as if an angry goddess, even when she doesn't really aim for such an effect, but even then, she was adorable and her facial features already showing signs of her future beauty.

But all together, with the emperor having a toddler sitting on him in the throne leaves people speechless of what to say, so thankfully, only his most trusted friends were there to see this scene.

"Haaah~" a deep sigh can be heard leaving the grand minister's lips. Seraph looks tired from his friends indifference to his image of emperor, that he actually didn't even bother trying to reprimand him for it. So the only conclusion he reached was; to ignore it.

"Mihkael, I recieved the report from what happened. And I already summoned the head maid to be drag- escorted to a personal summoning."

'He definitely was gonna say dragged.'

That was everyone's thoughts on Seraph's slip of the tongue.

While hearing about the head maid being brought here, Sakura realizes she will personally witness one of the many scenes in the game; the discovery of a second royal child.

And on cue, the head maid was dragged and forced to kneel down, when witnessing this, Mihkael glances at Gabriel and then at Sakura, indicating something. Without a word said, Gabriel goes to take her away so she wouldn't witness what will occur.

Noticing what he was about to do, Sakura quickly yawns and closes her eyes and leans on her father, the image of a sleepy child. Seeing this, Gabriel tries to carry her away only for her to cry out and if he tries again, the next time she will bawl her eyes out. Not knowing what else to do, Seraph stops them.

"Don't bother, the chil- her highness doesn't seem to want any type of disturbance. Besides it seems she is asleep and won't understand the problem either."

"Are you sure? What if she gets bits and pieces of it, what will you do if this does have a strong effect on her? Will you take responsibility for it?"

"If she is able to piece these talk together, then I don't believe she would get traumatized by anything. " He turned to look at his worrywart of a friend. And wonders where the indifferent emperor has gone.

".... fine."

While hearing the low rumble of his voice through his chest, she can now here the side story #2. The discovery of royal blood. Yet what surprises her throughout this chat was how much word to word this conversation was to the game, not even one change was done.

'Even when I changed a bit too much the game, why doesn't it seem I have any effect on it? Their argument really sound like a copy and paste from the game?' a sudden realization sends a chill to course her body.

'W-What if.... what if nothing changes? What if this world follows the game more that I thought it would?'

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