Two people continued staring at each other's eyes. One is looking up while the other is looking down. There was a moment of silence until the man staring at Ling Mei without emotion spoke again.
"You look…familiar."
*thunk.* When that sentence was delivered, all strength on her left arm's gone causing the book to be dropped on the ground.
Vernon's eyes shifted from Ling Mei to the dropped book. He stepped forward, picked the book, stood up and towered over Ling Mei's small body.
Ling Mei's eyes followed his every movement. She really was having a hard time processing what's happening now. Viviana, her, was supposed to encounter Vernon at the age of 10 years old! Why is it 5 years earlier?!
'My heart isn't prepared for this.'
Vernon's silhouette casted over Ling Mei's, the oppression coming from Vernon was greater than ever, but she couldn't help to marvel his looks.
'Oh. He looks younger than what I expected.' A tall and lean stature, 6'2 in height and quite muscular, golden blonde hair that shines so brightly against the sun, and his sharp cold blue eyes that could drown people when being stared at.
Ling Mei quickly bowed her head when she realized she was gawking at him, she really want to run now but she's afraid instead of running she'd be crawling back to her palace.
Vernon watched the girl with hawk eyes, her face doesn't show any change but her eyes tells it all. She's terrified.
He lifted her face using the side of the book on her chin to examine her facial features more.
The more he looked the more the little girl's face matched someone he had long forgotten.
"Ahhh… I remember now. You are that bitch's daughter…. So you're not dead yet." Vernon indifferently spoke while this made Ling Mei flinched.
'Bitch's daughter? Not dead yet?' Ling Mei's left eye twitched while repeating this in her mind, she was so speechless. 'I'm sorry for being very much alive, okay?!'
Even the two people who were forgotten at the back have more reaction than her. The man wearing a knight's uniform had his eyes wide open while staring at her… "T-that… Your Majesty, she is…."
The knight hasn't even finished speaking when Vernon commanded her with authoritative voice. "State your name."
As Ling Mei's brain has long been locked down from the moment she met Vernon, the process of understanding him took long and could only open her mouth without any voice.
"What? You don't know how to speak?"
The man in an official's uniform has a silly look on his face. 'Your Majesty, the Princess must be scared. Even our Kingdom's officials are pressured by you, what more of a little girl?' but of course he couldn't voice it out.
"Are you mute? You can't talk?" Ling Mei still couldn't let any sound come out of her mouth. 'What's wrong with her?! Huhuhu'
"Theo." Vernon called the official and handed the book on his hand to him.
The official was puzzled. 'Why did His Majesty give this to him?'
His question was answered in just a matter of seconds which greatly shocked all of them except the Emperor.
Vernon's two hands went under Ling Mei's underarm and lifted her up to come face to face with him which made Ling Mei's body stiff.
'Ahh? What is this? What is this? What's happening?!! Is he going to throw me now?'
*You are overthinking.* Ferr's voice sounded in her mind.
'You're here! Can you help me out of this?'
*Sorry, no can do. Well, do your best.*
'Oi! You are my guardian, ayt?! Why are you leaving me?~'
She came back to reality when Vernon said… "You are heavy."
'If I'm heavy, put me down!'
"The last time I saw you, you are just an ugly bloody fetus…" He trailed as he scrutinized her body. "now… you are still as ugly as ever."
Ling Mei's stoic face cracked. 'Excuse me? Who are you calling ugly? Me, this beautiful daughter of yours?!'
"Leo." This time, Vernon called the knight and said. "Hold her."
"uhhh…Yes your Majesty." Leo's hands reached out to under Ling Mei's legs while the other wrapped around her waist, princess carrying her.
He doesn't dare lift the princess like how the Emperor does.
Ling Mei's body relaxed a little when she transferred to Leo's hold.
'This is much better than with Vernon! I almost peed myself!' She looked at the new person holding her.
'wow, he's good looking.'
The knight sensed her eyes and looked back, there was an awkward atmosphere between them.
Ling Mei averted her eyes…
'But he looked identical to the man called Theo… are they twins?' and landed on someone else which earned her a faint smile from Theo.
"Let's go to the garden." Vernon spoke as he turned and walked on the pathway.
'Ha? Say what? There's more?!' She internally lamented.