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Queen's Mood
Nothing happened to me. Put another way, Queen Sisi didn't plan to ham or humiliate me. She was probably going to some banquet next, probably the banquet to celebrate her victory over the Demon King. She did change into fancy clothing, after all. If it wasn't for her odious temperament and twisted fondness for tormenting others, she'd be a perfect woman. She didn't take me along.
The place we were held resembled an ordinary tent. That large bathtub and the water Queen Sisi bathed in filled the room with a faint milk scent. To be able to spend so lavishly was indeed what a Queen would do. Besides the bathtub, there was nothing else worth checking out. It wasn't her bedroom, so there was nothing in there. I didn't dare to move about outside; I wasn't sure what would happen if guards saw me. Since I was in danger, I turned my vigilance up to the very max.
Besides me, the young girl was the only soul in the tent. The young demon girl silently lied on the ground. I didn't know if she was all right or not. I didn't understand her whatsoever. I had no clue what her situation was or what her name was. Nonetheless, we were both prisoners of war. Despite me being a human, I felt as though I was treated the same way as a demon.
I sat down and picked up the girl. She weakly leaned onto my chest. Her body gently shook. I pressed my hand on her abdomen, causing her to cough up several mouthfuls of water. After she coughed the water up, she weakly opened her eyes. She gently grabbed my arm and tried to get closer to me: "So cold… Please… hug me… so cold… please… hug me…."
The girl pushed herself into my arms. I tightly hugged her and caressed her face. She shut her eyes, but her tears didn't stop. She was just a kid, a very ordinary kid. She didn't do anything wrong, yet was treated so harshly. She was so powerless and hopeless. Others seized control of her fate…
I hugged the girl as though I was hugging my past self.
"Thank… you… You… saved me… and are now treating me so nicely… thank you."
"It's all right. I'm glad you're all right. You're just a kid. No matter what the case is, it's not your problem. Don't be scared."
I didn't know why, but looking at her face gave me a strong desire to protect her. I wanted to protect her and hold her. Perhaps it was due to my own childhood. I couldn't see how she was a demon from her appearance. She just appeared to be an innocent human child to me. There was nothing to suggest otherwise.
"Are you the Demon King's daughter?"
She gently nodded. Then, she gently gripped my chest and quavered: "I may be the Demon King's daughter, but my father has countless children. I am just his daughter with a succubus. Succubi are ranked very low among intelligent demons… That's why nobody cared about us. After my mom passed away, I was locked in the palace. I didn't dare to leave… My brothers and sisters showed no mercy and killed each other for the throne. I was not an exception. I don't have any combat abilities. I was scared… Nobody took care, and nobody protected me… I was all alone even until my father was slain…
"Nobody ever protected me … Nobody ever cared about me… Nobody even wanted to speak to me… I just watched the birds fly from the interior of the palace every day, looking forward to the day I could finally leave…"
The young girl gently leaned her head on my chest and sighed as though she felt reassured. She struggled to wrap her arms around my back and tightly hold onto me. She shut her eyes feeling reassured and softly murmured, "You… feel as if you are my papa…. the papa I see in my dreams… protecting me, taking care of me…. Your chest is very, very warm. I feel as though I don't need to be scared or worried no matter what happens outside as long as I have you by my side… If possible… can I call you 'Papa'?"
I choked on tears. I was aware she was serious, but for a single man, such as myself, such a sudden way of addressing me left me at a loss for what to do. I never even had a girlfriend. It, therefore, was a bit over the top for me to suddenly have a daughter.
I looked over to the entrance when I heard a voice. Veirya brushed open the curtain, revealing a plate on her hand. On the plate was some food. She placed it on the ground and stated, "For you. Tomorrow. Go back. With Her Majesty. The child. Will be handed to the elves."
"No."
Frankly, the long sword at her waist freaked me out. I reactively pulled Leah behind me. Given that she didn't hesitate in the least to swing her blade down on a child, she might've slashed me on the spot. I asserted, "I've decided to adopt her. Therefore, I won't let anyone take her away. I'm taking her with me."
"It's Her Majesty's order."
"In that case, I demand an audience with Her Majesty. I believe that Her Majesty is willing to listen to my opinion. Since I have to serve her, I should be by her side!"
Veirya mulled over whether what I said was wrong or right. By the looks of it, she couldn't come up with a reason to argue otherwise. Indeed, I should've been by Queen Sisi's side.
"What's the matter? Did someone ask to see me? I want to take another bath, but I've heard something interesting."
As we conversed, we suddenly heard Queen Sisi's lazy voice from outside. She sounded tipsy. She bumped straight into Veirya's back. She poked her head over the top of Veirya's shoulder and smiled: "Do you have something that you want? Perfect timing, I happen to be in an excellent mood at the moment. Let's hear what you have to say. It's best that you don't ruin my good mood, however."