"Brother!"
He looked at the voice and smiled.
"Nasharis."
He opened his hands and was engulfed in a hug by that 6-year-old. A giggle came from the small girl. He ruffled her blond hair.
"What are you doing here?"
"I want to spend time with you! Vira said you have been busy doing something and need to rest. She won't let me meet you at all. I miss you so much!"
She buried her face in his shirt. Taking in the warmth from her only brother. Her nanny, Vira, said that her brother was sick, which is why she can't see him often. But she missed playing with her brother.
He seemed fine in the dining room that day. So why did they insist on her not meeting him yet? Her older sister also reminded her not to pressure her brother. Is something happening to her brother? She thought her brother was just having a normal cold.
"Is that so? What do you want to do with me today?"
"Can we play together again? It has been so long! Show me how to do a flower crown again!"
Flower crown? He tilted his head. He has never done a flower crown before; he never had a chance, actually. How should he tell his sister about this? The truth, of course.
"I'm sorry, Nasharis. I got injured, and I can't remember most of the things that I knew before."
"Y..you are injured?! Why Mama and Papa did not tell me. Where? Where are you injured?"
The little kid looked at him with wide eyes. She quickly walked around him to see the so-called injuries. Persuading him to bend down for her to look at his head and more. She is checking on him everywhere until his clothes get all wrinkled.
He thought she somehow knew about this, but it looked like she did not.
"I'm fine now. Look!"
He twirled around, flexing his non-existent muscles. He needs to work harder to get even a little. His running these days is still not enough. He has many hours in hand to do anything he likes, so maybe he can add some workouts to his schedule. Yes, that will do.
"Are you sure? Is that why everyone says to let you rest? Are you okay? Nasharis want to help you if I can."
The little girl pouted. She felt sad that she did not know this sooner; if not, she wanted to help faster. Her brother can't get sick. Her brother is strong, so he cannot get sick like her.
"Of course you can. You can help by making flower crowns with me. We can learn together again. Is that fine with you?"
"You should rest!"
"I'm really fine, Nasharis. Spending time with you will make me feel better. You won't spend time with me?"
He made puppy eyes and looked away. Nasharis gasped.
"No! Nasha wants to spend time with you! Don't be sad! Nasha is sorry!"
She hugged him again. Damn, this kid is too cute for his heart.
"Your apology will be accepted if you spend time with me all day today. How about it?"
"Hm! Okay, and don't worry, brother. I will look for you, so you won't get hurt again! I'll protect you like Papa said before!"
"Thank you for the determination, princess. Should we go to the flower garden?"
Nasharis nodded, and they began to walk to the flower garden, followed by their personal maid and nanny.
Nasharis Kristafall is the youngest child between Asteric and Zera and the second princess of the Dradgim Empire. A six-year-old who is energetic and full of laughter. She is also shy when meeting new people or trying to ask something from someone.
Nasharis has had a weak body since she was born. She can't be exposed to strenuous activity too much and needs to take medication when necessary. She was diagnosed with a weak heart. But that didn't make her down and weak in spirit; she always found a way to bring joy to her family.
Her condition may worry many people, but she will always show how strong she is in overcoming her illness.
He watched her giggle every time he teased her. Their relationship is easy for him to build and maintain. She managed to make him promise himself to protect that smile.
Nasharis is his younger sister. He would do anything for his younger sister. Maybe it was hypocrisy because the real owner of this body asked him to protect everyone, but he didn't mind.
Maybe in this life, he could become someone useful. At least.
×××××
"I don't like this. Vira, change this."
"Which one do you like, Your Highness?"
"More sweet! This tastes like my medicine. Yuck!"
He looked at Nasharis' plate while munching on his chocolate.
'Taste like medicine? This tastes fine, though.'
He just looked at Vira, who was changing the chocolate and cake on Nasharis' plate to a more sweet one. The colour is slightly different. At that time, he had just realized something.
"I apologize, Your Highness. This is dark chocolate that had just arrived this morning."
Both of them looked at Riri, who was smiling.
"Dark choco?"
"Yes. The taste is slightly bitter compared to milk and white chocolate. But that depends on the amount of cocoa present in it. So, I might say that the dark chocolate here contained 75% cocoa. That's why the bitterness is not to your liking, Your Highness. I should have said from the beginning that I would add some additions to the desserts served today."
Nasharis just nodded with a clueless face while he gaped. That's why he felt it was normal. This is dark chocolate, his favourite flavour of chocolate. For sure, Riri is observing him more closely than he thought.
"I don't want that. Brother also does not like this. Don't serve it again, okay, Riri?"
"As you wish, Your Highness. But His Highness the Crown Prince seems to enjoy eating this dark chocolate. Should I not bring it as your dessert again?"
All eyes are on him. Nasharis widened her eyes when she saw the melted dark chocolate in her brother's hand. He was just too stunned to move after he realized what Riri had done.
She had caught him off guard.
"Brother, don't eat that! That tastes like my medicine. Bitter bitter!"
He looked at the melted chocolate in his hand, then at Nasharis. His gaze moved toward Riri.
'What is her intention? Does my mother give her an order for her to keep observing me? She keeps giving me those looks. Is she really sceptical about me, an eight-year-old?'
After a while, he looked back at Nasharis and smiled.
"It's fine."
He put the chocolate in his mouth.
"Somehow, I like the taste. The taste suits me better than milk or white chocolate."
"But, bitter..."
"Look."
He put another piece in his mouth.
"For me, it's tasty."
"Really? So you like medicine, then?"
Nashari tilted her head. Who likes medicine? Could she ask her brother to finish her medicine after this? Eh, but her mama would be angry at her. Better not.
"Hm, not really. It's just this...."
He raised one ball of dark chocolate in front of his face.
"This is still chocolate, nonetheless. It's fine if you don't like it; I can finish it for you. That way, we won't be wasting any desserts, right?"
Nasharis looked at her plate, then at the bunch of dark chocolates on the other side, before she looked back at her brother.
"Wasting food is bad, you know."
Nasharis shook her head from left to right quickly.
"No wasting food! Mama also said we could not waste food! If you want my chocolate, you can take it from me too!"
He rubbed her head with his clean hand. The giggle that came out of Nasharis managed to make him smile more.
He looked at Riri with a genuine smile.
"So, Riri, it's fine if you bring more dark chocolate after this. I would like to eat it whenever I read. Sometimes I get bored just reading; munching on something might make me more invested in my reading."
Riri was silent for a moment before she smiled.
"Of course, Your Highness. I'll bring more to the future gathering."
"Good, thank you."
He looked back at Nasharis, noticing the way Riri's eyes widened a bit.
He didn't know what Riri's motives were or who was behind her every action—maybe it was Zera or maybe not. But what he knows is that it won't be long before he can stop pretending to be a clueless child.
He can't hide the maturity in his speaking. He can't hide his curiosity from emerging. He can't stop himself from feeling joy from all the affection thrown at him.
In this new world, in this new body, with this new name. He gained everything he wished for in his last life. He's becoming selfish. He's becoming greedy.
He, Michael Lee, would rather live in lies than go back to his old life. Living has never been better until this moment.
But dying is still his goal.
He is becoming selfish, but it won't last long because he is bad at that.