─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
I yawned as I rubbed my eyes. With my eyes still closed, I sat up from the bed. As I slowly opened my eyes, I could see one of the imperial maids smile at me as they stood in front of my bed.
I gently flinched as a reaction.
I don't think I can ever get used to having maids watch me sleep.
"Good morning, Princess. It is time to get ready for breakfast." the imperial maid explained as she picked me up.
After getting ready, Bain - my personal knight smiled at me as he waited for me outside my bedroom chamber.
"Good morning, Princess. Did you sleep well?" Bain questioned with a large grin.
Such a gentleman. I can see his sincerity and loyalty towards me and this empire. No wonder the trashman chose him to be my Knight.
From what I remember, only men can be Emerald Knights. Since the training is brutal and the workload is too heavy, I can understand why. Bain was a tall and strong built man who was on top of his class for ten years until he was appointed into the Emerald Knights. Aside from his appearance, he is a gentle and caring man. Soon after he was appointed to become an Emerald Knight at the young age of twenty, he married the love of his life and has a young son.
I can only assume daddy wanted to find a proper Knight that was not only strong but had family morals.
I smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I slept really well! Daddy and I went to the moon festival yesterday! I had a lot of fun with daddy!" I explained.
We began to walk as we held hands to the royal dining hall.
I could see Bain looking out the window every so often.
I tilted my head as a sign of confusion.
"Bain? What are you looking at? You keep looking at every window we pass by. Is everything okay?" I questioned as I looked up at him.
Bain froze as he looked at me. He got on one knee and smiled.
'I am only doing my job, Princess. I am making sure our surroundings are safe for the princess of this grand empire.' He said confidently.
I raised an eyebrow, calling his bluff.
He quickly got up and turned his head towards the window once more. This time, his facial expression looked a bit stern. He looked down at me and winked.
"Let's get you to his majesty. I am sure he is anxious to have breakfast with you." He smiled as he picked me up.
I could tell something was wrong. We usually took our time talking about my studies and my day while walking to the dining hall. Ever since he began looking outside the window, he became cautious about something. Who's out there? Are we under attack?
He began to pick up the pace within seconds. Being a Knight must have you paranoid, I guess.
Once we reached the dining hall, he whispered to one of the imperial guards and nodded.
"I will be back once you are done having breakfast with his majesty. Have a wonderful breakfast." He smiled as he walked away.
I shrugged my shoulders and made my way in as the butlers opened the french doors.
"His Majesty has arrived." Announced the butler.
I quickly turned towards the trashman's direction and welcomed him with a smile.
"Good morning, daddy. I hope you had fun with your training!" I said excitedly.
He smiled and nodded.
The maids placed silk napkins on our laps before they brought out our breakfast.
I smiled as I swung my legs underneath my chair. I hummed a gentle melody, waiting patiently for the chefs.
"What are you humming, Amara?" The trashman questioned.
"Oh! There is this lovely song that is often played during etiquette class. Lady Mia is teaching me ballroom dancing! I told her I love that song, so she has the maestro play it on piano for me as she teaches me dance steps." I said excitedly.
He nodded as he lifted his teacup.
I continued to hum the song as I looked around my surroundings.
"Oh, daddy. I forgot to tell you. Lady Veronica told me she had a daughter around my age. I figured since she was kind enough to watch over me and even bought me a…"
"No. I will not tolerate children within the imperial grounds. Consider yourself lucky. You are the only child who is allowed to be in the imperial palace. Even I did not have that privilege unless my father called for me."
"But… daddy… it's just…"
He placed his teacup down and lifted his hand to the maid to refill his teacup.
"Listen...I have something...important to tell you." He said sternly.
I quickly looked at him and waited for his announcement.
"... Actually, there are two announcements." He responded.
I nodded as I continued to look at him.
Can you hurry up and tell me? There's no need for all this unneeded suspense.
"Firstly, I will be gone for some time. I cannot say for how long. Perhaps 4 months, maybe longer. There is no definite answer to this. However, I can…"
"Where are you going? Why so suddenly!?" I interrupted angrily.
The maid next to us cringed in fear. She looked nervous. She could sense one of us was about to start hell.
I do not know why I responded to him with such anger. I shouldn't even care. He can do what he wants. It is as if my body, no… my emotions, took over me.
"... Ezra and I will be heading west for some business." He responded as he lifted his teacup once more towards his lips.
The room grew awkwardly silent.
The chefs came in and began to place a variety of dishes on the table.
"Let's eat before the food gets cold, Amara." He spoke with a mellow-tone voice.
I stared at my plate while having both arms lying on my lap.
Why is he leaving all of a sudden? Are they going to war again?! Last time they left for two whole years! I was only a few months old at the time. By the time they came back, I was already 3-years-old! What kind of crap is this!?
I could feel my face get red and hot to the touch. My eyes became blurry. I bit my lip to not risk showing any emotions.
"Did… you take me… to the M...Moon fes...festival… be...because you were...leaving me?" I stuttered as tears streamed down my cheeks.
His facial expression changed from neutral to shocked in seconds. His eyes grew, and his mouth opened up a bit. His facial expression tensed up, and he looked away. I can feel he is getting nervous from seeing a child in tears in front of him.
He quickly placed his silverware on his plate and paused in thought.
He took a deep breath and sighed gently.
"Listen, Amara, I should not have brought this up so suddenly… Let's have breakfast first. We can talk after we have some tea. You can have as many desserts as you'd like. In fact, let's cancel today's classes: just you and me. We can do whatever you want. What about it?" He said nervously as he placed his large, pale hand on my shoulder.
"Can I be excused? I am not hungry." I replied as I looked down.
The room grew silent once more.
I can see him flexing his jaw from the corner of my eye. He gently nodded and placed his napkin on his plate.
"I will give you a moment to cool off. I will have your favorite desserts prepared and brought to us at the lake. Your Knight will escort you out to the lake when you are ready."
He looked at me once more and looked away.
"Your classes are canceled for today." He said as he stood up and left the dining room before me.
I feel like such a brat for making him feel guilty all of a sudden. But seriously, though? Who brings up such a heavy topic so early in the morning? I know he did not take any parenting classes or anything, but common sense would tell you to leave all the serious talk for another time.
He is a jerk for being so clueless and leaving me so suddenly. All because of land. Stupid land. As if this country isn't big enough! His empire is HUGE! Why does he need more land? He is already one of the richest, most powerful emperors in the world! Talk about greed!
Then again, I am a jerk as well. I spent 17 years of my previous life as a loser that no one cared about, that now with all this attention and being spoiled to death, has made me a class A jackass. I can see that he is trying to be a better parent. A better person overall. It is only fair to hear him out...right?