On a sunny afternoon, the Palace was in great chaos due to the sudden arrival of a guest.
Karaf gazed down at the child standing before him, his red eyes fixed on her.
The little girl confidently looked up at him, with her hands resting on her waist.
Like a staring contest, the two of them looked at each other without blinking.
After a while, Karaf finally asked.
“…Who are you?”
It took him a long time to ask…
Melissa proudly declared before him.
“My name is Melissa Hyacinth!”
“Hyacinth……?”
Could she be the daughter of that idiot?
That would mean that she was also Asha’s daughter.
Karaf’s eyes widened, and he carefully observed every detail of Melissa.
He had seen her before as a baby but never imagined that she would grow so big.
Children truly grew up quickly, it seemed.
While the child had inherited the eye color and eyebrow shape from that foolish man, her beautiful blond hair and overall elegant, slender appearance closely resembled Asha’s.
Although Karaf and Asha had engaged in the sacred union several times in their past lives, they never had a child together.
‘It must have been God’s will that we were not destined to have children as a couple….’
Karaf resigned himself to this thought, but as he looked at Asha’s child, he was overcome by an inexplicable feeling.
However, at that moment…
“Melissa! What kind of manners are those in front of Your Majesty?”
Asha hurriedly approached from behind and scolded her.
“What did I tell you about how to behave in front of a respected adult you meet for the first time?”
Upon hearing those words, Melissa immediately placed her hand on her belly and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“Hello! I’m Melissa Hyacinth. My name means ‘honeybee,’ and I’m six years old. My mommy says I’m a flower fairy. Oh right, and I can also transform into a horse!”
Melissa emphasized her last statement, showing a proud expression.
Asha looked at her with delight, but Karaf appeared thoroughly confused.
“You can transform into a horse…?”
Melissa understood this as a request to demonstrate quickly, and before Asha could stop her, she immediately transformed into a horse.
Having put effort into grooming her hair and dressing her in a beautiful dress for the palace visit, Asha’s face slightly fell in disappointment as she watched the little foal ditch everything.
As a golden horse, Melissa looked at Karaf, snorting and lifting her chin, as if asking, ‘How do I look?’
However, Jackal suddenly appeared from behind her.
“Melissa, that flower guy despises horses.”
Melissa’s blue eyes trembled as if what she just heard was a lightning strike.
Until now, whenever people saw her transform into a horse, they would praise and admire her, so Melissa took great pride in being a horse and assumed everyone loved horses.
Jackal leaned down and stroked Melissa’s hair, whispering in her ear as he watched Karaf closely.
“And that guy, he’s the one who called Daddy a big-mouthed idiot.”
At that moment, Melissa glared at him with fierce eyes that resembled Jackal’s.
Caught off guard, Karaf was taken aback by the piercing gaze from her icy blue eyes.
It seemed that he had already earned the dislike of Asha’s daughter on their first meeting.
Karaf hastened to find an excuse.
He was so embarrassed that he could only stutter.
“I-it’s not like I dislike horses. If I have to clarify, I simply dislike that ‘blue-gray’ horse, but I genuinely, truly like golden horses…”
Melissa’s gaze softened slightly.
Karaf, seizing the opportunity, continued his explanation.
“I especially love gold coins. I love and value anything that shines like gold.”
Melissa had a thoughtful expression and nodded as if she understood.
The servants in the palace looked a bit stunned as the Emperor was struggling with a six-year-old child.
Finally, Asha smiled and greeted him.
“Have you been well, Your Majesty?”
“Quite well. I’ve been busy during your absence. But since you were coming over today, I’ve been working even harder to clear my schedule.”
As if that were true, Karaf’s face really looked tired.
But the only thing that showed in his eyes was the joy of seeing Asha again.
After a long while, they ventured into the rose garden together to enjoy some tea.
Melissa, unable to contain her excitement at seeing the huge garden she was visiting for the first time, gave up on behaving like a princess and ran enthusiastically into her foal state.
Melissa, who loves flowers, was captivated by their fragrance.
Jackal couldn’t take his eyes off her, fearing she might get hurt.
Karaf followed his gaze and glanced at Melissa.
It turns out that an unmistakable horse was rolling vigorously through the flower garden…
‘Did Asha give birth to a horse or a flower?’
Such a thought casually crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.
Suddenly, Asha asked him.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m fine. I’ve never felt more energetic.”
Karaf was overjoyed when he met the butterfly again.
However, he said, recalling that her daughter also possessed a flower spirit.
“She must be truly happy, always next to her butterfly mother.”
Asha remembered Karaf’s mother and smiled bitterly.
However, she was taken aback by his following statement.
“It’s a relief. Every child should be happy.”
Asha’s eyes widened slightly, but then she narrowed them and agreed.
“That’s right.”
Although Karaf did not particularly like children like Jackal, he dedicated himself to creating laws and supporting the underprivileged, ensuring that the empire’s children were not left orphaned.
But then, his gaze met Melissa’s playful eyes. Dismissing him with a disdainful ‘hmph,’ she once again immersed herself in the fragrance of the flowers.
Karaf murmured, his devastated expression evident.
“Am I always hated by others…?”
From the former emperor to Dart, Melissa, and somehow, his relationship with others had never been good.
Asha looked at him and said.
“Melissa really wanted to visit the Imperial Palace. She has been singing ‘palace, palace’ so many times. Right now, she may act tough, but soon enough, she’ll probably throw a tantrum and refuse to go back home.”
Hearing her words, Karaf made up his mind and summoned the chamberlain, quickly giving him instructions.
After they finished their tea, Melissa and Karaf moved to another room.
However, as soon as they opened the door and entered, Melissa’s eyes widened at the sight of children’s dresses, exquisite accessories, and antique toys.
“What is all this…?”
Melissa looked at the sparkling jewels laid out on the red velvet without even touching them.
Karaf, standing up behind her, said.
“You can have it all. Everything here is yours.”
The place he had brought Melissa to, in an attempt to win her favor after the rose garden, was none other than a dressing room.
Asha let out a slight sigh at the child’s unchanged behavior.
However, it seemed that this method was effective for Melissa, unlike Asha herself.
Melissa cheered enthusiastically, her cheeks turning red with excitement.
When Mel approached Karaf like a playful foal, wrapping her arms around his leg, his eyes grew bigger in surprise.
Her sudden display of affection caught him off guard, but seizing the moment, he gently patted Melissa’s back.
She closed her eyes with an extremely happy expression.
Jackal, who received an unexpected blow from behind, stood in the doorway with a slightly shocked expression.
With a smirk, Karaf turned around and flashed a victorious smile at him.
Jackal frowned.
Melissa gazed at the various beautiful children’s dresses and pointed her index finger at one, exclaiming.
“I want this one!”
The dress she chose was a vibrant yellow one-piece.
She had chosen the color yellow because she wanted it to resemble a butterfly, just like her mother.
As Karaf observed her selecting a dress of the same color that Asha had chosen when she first entered the room, a sense of nostalgia washed over him.
‘Just like mother, just like daughter… She truly resembles Asha..’
He instructed the maids accordingly.
“Help her put on the dress.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As Melissa disappeared behind the red curtains to change, Jackal approached Karaf with a displeased expression.
“Let’s have a talk for a moment.”
“I don’t have ‘talk for a moment’ with you in my dictionary, but well, if you insist, I can spare some time.”
Karaf replied sarcastically, then immediately spoke in a tender tone to Melissa from beyond the curtain.
“Meanwhile, the princess should take a look at the accessories in there.”
“Yes!”
Melissa, delighted to be addressed as a princess, responded energetically.
Jackal exited the room and moved to the adjacent one, glaring at Karaf.
“What are you teaching my child?”
“What do you mean?”
“My child is being taught to coexist with animals and plants in nature and live a frugal life. That’s the education plan Asha and I have decided on. But if you captivate her attention with things like this, is it good for her education? I will not allow my daughter to indulge in a luxurious lifestyle.”
When Jackal warned him by pointing his index finger at his chest, Karaf sneered.
“Living frugally? That amount of money is not even enough to play for one day. Ah, I guess you lack the skill for that, huh? I did not consider that. Well, animals should live within their means and enjoy nature.”
“…You know what? Horses are herbivores, you son of a bitch.”
Immediately after Jackal finished speaking, he lunged at Karaf, gripping his flower-like hair and tugging at it.
Asha rushed into the room upon hearing the commotion.
However, upon seeing the scene, she screamed in surprise.
“What are you two doing?”
Jackal and Karaf, tugging at their hair and making growls, turned their heads toward the door.
Both their hair was disheveled in all directions.
Although they refrained from engaging in a full-blown fight due to Asha and Melissa being in the adjacent room, they foolishly resorted to pulling each other’s hair like children.
Melissa, who belatedly discovered their behavior, also screamed and hurriedly rushed to separate them.
Wearing a yellow dress, she displayed a determined and strong demeanor rather than her usual cute and chick-like appearance.
Karaf, suddenly attacked by the two horses, felt disheartened.
For some reason, he experienced a sense of loneliness, as if he were the only one on the other side of that space.
Asha glanced at his expression and silently communicated to Melissa to go and play elsewhere.
Excitedly, Melissa roamed around the palace.
She dashed through the emperor’s quarters, touching various items, yet no one reprimanded the child.
It was because Karaf had instructed the servants beforehand to allow her to do so.
Mel’s eyes sparkled even more upon hearing the servants calling her Princess.
While her parents and the villagers also referred to her as a princess, hearing that title in the Imperial Palace truly made her feel like one.
Melissa, after running for a long time with a satisfied expression, halted in front of a room.
Inside, a grand white piano was positioned.
“Wow……!”
Seeing a piano for the first time, Melissa was so amazed that she entered the room and glanced around.
When she lightly pressed the white keys, they produced a sound, causing Melissa to startle and quickly retract her hand.
However, her face was filled with curiosity.
But then, at that very moment…
“…… Are you interested in the piano?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Melissa turned to the doorway.
Karaf was standing there with his hands on his hips.
