THE POWER OF CUTENESS

[AH, SHE'S crying.]

Isaak froze in his seat when Princess Runa began crying after he told her the truth about her birth.

He couldn't blame the princess, though.

[She was born a royal and yet, she suffered a lot in her young life.]

He couldn't help but feel guilty.

[It's my fault. I should have kept an eye on the princess better. If only I'd known earlier that Princess Runa is still alive…]

"I'm so sorry, Princess Runa," Isaak said softly, clenching his hands tight until his nails dug deep into his palms. "I should have found you sooner. It's all my fault, so please don't resent your father."

If only he made sure that Princess Runa had really died back then…

Suffice to say, he had a lot of regrets.

Princess Runa looked confused by his apology, then she smiled and shook her head while wiping the tears off of her face. "Sir Uncle, I'm not crying because I'm upset. I'm just sad."

That hit him straight in the heart.

Of course, the princess would be sad.

Why didn't he think of that?

[Ah, right. Her Royal Highness is not like me. If I were in the princess' place, the first thing I'd feel would be anger and not sadness. But Princess Runa is still very young.]

"I'm sad because I don't have a mother anymore."

Once again, he felt a painful throb in his heart.

Empress Liane was the only woman he would ever accept as his sister-in-law. It hurt to be reminded that the sister-in-law that he had respected would never get the chance to meet Princess Runa.

[And Princess Runa only has his father now.]

And yet…

"But I'm happy that I still have a father, Sir Uncle," Princess Runa said, and it was obvious that she was just trying to be cheerful for his sake. "Even though I can't meet him yet, I'm contented to know that my father is still alive."

That wasn't even half of the things that Princess Runa deserved, and yet she was already happy just to know that she had a father?

How could someone who had gone through so much remain kind?

To be honest, he expected Princess Runa to be jaded despite her tender age. After all, she asked him for a cruel request the first time they met. But come to think of it, Princess Runa may have been carried away by her feelings when she asked him to kill the blasted Archmage.

And it was understandable.

Now, he could see that the princess was a kind-hearted child.

[Princess Runa doesn't even care that her father is the emperor. She's just happy to know that her father is still alive.]

"I also have you, Sir Uncle," Princess Runa said, then she smiled brightly at him. "Thank you for saving me."

"You don't have to thank me, Princess Runa," Isaak said, his heart still heavy with guilt. "I haven't given you back all the things that Your Royal Highness deserves."

***

"ISAAK, how is my daughter?"

Isaak, who was sitting in his office chair while staring at His Majesty's face on the wall, was talking to the emperor using a video communication device. There were four Magic Gems attached to the four corners of the wall. Each Magic Gem glowed and it would continue to do so until the Magic Screen on the wall was active.

Of course, a powerful barrier covered his entire office to ensure that no one or nothing could eavesdrop on them.

"Princess Runa is currently being taken care of by Scarlet and Briella," Isaak reported to the emperor. "I can't entrust the princess to ordinary servants. Hence, I assigned Scarlet and Briella as her temporary nannies."

Scarlet was Sawyer's younger sister and also the mage in charge of his territory's shield and defensive spells.

Briella was the vice-captain of his private army.

It wasn't Scarlet and Briella's job to take care of a child. But he didn't want to entrust Princess Runa to the other servants of his estate, since those people didn't know the truth about the princess's identity.

Only those who were close to him knew the truth.

And those people that he trusted were his personal knight Sawyer, the chef Knoxx, his maternal cousin Tori, Scarlet, and Briella.

Only those five knew about Princess Runa being His Majesty's daughter.

"As of now, they are busy dressing up Princess Runa," he continued with his report. "Buying children's clothes suddenly might attract unwanted attention from our enemies. So for now, the ladies adjusted Tori's old clothes to fit the princess."

His Majesty laughed softly. "Tori's old clothes? Well, Tori is so petite that her current clothes might fit my daughter."

Tori was 4'11" tall.

Since all the people serving his estate were way taller than his maternal cousin, it had been a running joke among them that Tori was the "child" of House Viotto. It would be nice if his maternal cousin's clothes really fit the princess.

His Majesty and the former Empress Liane were both tall. Perhaps Princess Runa would also grow tall like her parents. But for now…

"Your Majesty, Princess Runa is seven years old now," he began carefully. "But she's too small and too skinny for her age. She looks like she's only four years old."

The smile on the emperor's face disappeared.

He saw anger spark in his brother's glowing violet eyes.

"Your Majesty, would you like to talk to Princess Runa?" he asked carefully. "I already told her who she really is."

His Majesty's face softened up. "How did Runa react when she found out that she's a princess?"

"She doesn't care about that."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She cried when I told her that she's the true princess of the empire," he said. "I thought she cried because she was angry that she had to suffer all these years when she was born a princess. I asked her if that was the case, but she said I was wrong." He let out a deep sigh while shaking his head. "Princess Runa cried for two reasons. First, she was sad because her mother is no longer with us. Second, she cried because she was happy to know that her real father is still alive. She doesn't care that you're the emperor. She only cares that she can be with her father, eventually."

The emperor became teary-eyed after hearing that. "It's a miracle that my daughter didn't hold a grudge against us for failing to protect her."

He nodded in agreement.

"Does Runa wish to see me, Isaak?"

"I bet she does," he said. "I told Princess Runa that we can't go to the palace yet because the enemy is there. She said she understands. But I saw the longing in her eyes."

"Then ask her first if she wants to see me using a communication device," the emperor said carefully. "I don't want my daughter to feel pressured into meeting me if she's not yet ready to do so."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

The emperor nodded, then his eyes became sharp. "How is it going with former Archmage Madison Clarke?"

"Tori is in charge of torturing the former Archmage physically and mentally," he said bluntly. "But it seems like Madison Clarke is unaware that Princess Runa is your daughter, Your Majesty. No matter how much she's in pain, she still claims that Princess Runa was just one of the children that she took under her wing to use as test subjects."

He had been in this "business" for far too long to know whether or not the subject of their torture was lying.

"Apparently, Princess Runa has already turned into a half-ghoul when the former Archmage found her," he continued with his report carefully. "Because of that, Madison Clarke conducted an experiment on how to turn humans into ghouls. It seems like she used the children that Princess Runa called her siblings as test subjects for that cruel experiment. We saved the children in the mansion where we found the princess. But unfortunately, the children that the former Archmage threw in the basement prison are all dead."

"Isaak."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Torture the wench until she's begging to be killed instead."

He laughed softly, thinking that it wasn't something a benevolent emperor like his brother should be saying. But he knew where His Majesty's anger was coming from, so he didn't call him out for his vicious words. "That's the plan, Your Majesty."

The emperor's lips formed a thin line. "Madison Clarke wasn't the one who turned my daughter into a half-ghoul?"

"She seems to be telling the truth, Your Majesty," he said. "When I asked Princess Runa about it, she said she has been turned into a half-ghoul the night her former orphanage was attacked. When she woke up, that was when Madison Clarke found her and the other children. Unfortunately, the princess doesn't remember what happened that night."

"The orphanage Runa grew up in was attacked?"

"I'm already looking into it, Your Majesty."

"Good," the emperor said, then he grew quiet for a moment. "It seems like it would be safer for Runa if she stays with you in the meantime. Have you given my suggestion a thought?"

He frowned before he answered honestly. "It won't be easy to adopt Princess Runa because of the stupid law that our ancestors made. A single man like me can't adopt a child. I have to be married, Your Majesty."

"Is it going to be hard for you to find a contract wife?" the emperor asked. "I'm certain that either Scarlet or Briella will agree to marry you if it's for my child."

"I will never use my people for that, Your Majesty."

"Then, how about Lady Zoe?"

He almost rolled his eyes at the emperor. "Lady Zoe is from another world, Your Majesty."

"Precisely," the emperor said. "She's from another world, so she's bound to return to where she came from once her job here is done. Isaak, you don't need to be married to her forever. Once Runa returns to her rightful place, you're free to divorce her."

"It's easy for you to say that because you're not the one who's doing it, Your Majesty."

"I know that I'm asking for too much," His Majesty admitted, then he looked at him with pleading eyes. "Isaak, I swear this is the last time I'm going to ask for your help. Just please adopt Runa until we prove her identity. You can't keep an orphan child in your territory because if the other nobles find out about it, they'd accuse you of keeping a child as livestock again."

Yes, in the past, he was accused of kidnapping the children that he saved from a ruined village. Apparently, he was keeping the children in his duchy as his "emergency food."

All of it happened just a year after he was forcefully turned into a ghoul.

He didn't want a repeat of that horrible memory.

"I'll think about it, Your Majesty," Isaak said, then he let out a sigh. "I'll talk to Princess Runa about it first."

"Thank you, Isaak," Emperor Rino said sincerely. "I mean it."

***

ISAAK raised an eyebrow when he saw Scarlet and Briella were waiting for him in front of Princess Runa's room with a bright look on their faces.

It seemed like they succeeded in readjusting Tori's old clothes to fit the princess.

"My lord, don't get surprised," Scarlet, unlike his stoic brother Sawyer, said in a cheerful voice. "Our Princess Runa is so cute! She must be the most adorable girl on the entire continent!"

Briella, who was quite reserved, gave a small smile and nodded.

"I see. Good job," Isaak said indifferently. He didn't know how to react in that kind of situation. Scarlet and Briella looked disappointed by his reaction but he couldn't do anything about it. "I have to discuss something important with Princess Runa. You're dismissed."

Scarlet and Briella both bowed to him hesitantly. "Yes, my lord."

He walked past the two and entered Princess Runa's room.

"Sir Uncle!"

He was quite surprised when he saw Princess Runa running towards him while wrapped in several layers of clothing. There were thermal Magic Gems in the princess's room to keep her warm. Even so, since the weather was cold, it was better to be safe than sorry.

[Princess Runa looks like a… chick?]

Tori's favorite color was yellow, so most of her clothes were in that shade or color.

It didn't make him wonder why Princess Runa was wearing a bright yellow fur coat over a lemon-colored dress. The fur coat and the dress, and perhaps the shoes as well, all looked bigger than the young princess's frame.

But it still worked.

Princess Runa looked happy and warm, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Look, Sir Uncle," Princess Runa said in an excited voice, then she turned around as if she was showing off her new clothes to him. "My clothes are pretty and warm!"

He wanted to smile because the princess's happiness was rubbing off on him.

But the fact that Princess Runa was already this happy just because of some hand-me-down clothes was making him angry. The young princess was deprived of so many things. He hated himself for not finding his niece sooner.

"Sir Uncle?" Princess Runa called for him worriedly. "D-Don't the clothes s-suit me?"

Ah, he made her worry.

"They look good on you," he said in a gentle voice. "You look cute."

The princess's face instantly lit up. Her usually pale cheeks turned a little rosier. Now, her face looked more alive than ever. "Thank you, Sir Uncle."

He nodded, then he got down on one knee to meet Princess Runa's eye level. Then he gently put his hands on her small shoulders. "Princess Runa, do you remember when I told you that I have to adopt you before you get to be with your real father?"

The princess turned serious, then he nodded her head. "Yes, Sir Uncle."

"Are you okay with it?"

She smiled and nodded. "I understand why Sir Uncle has to adopt me even though my father is still alive. I like Sir Uncle, so I don't mind being adopted by you."

Ah, that warmed his heart.

[Princess Runa, you're really a good child.]

"I have a question, Sir Uncle," the princess said shyly. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," he said immediately. "What is it?"

The young princess tilted her head to one side cutely. "Who is going to be my mother, Sir Uncle?"

"Ah, about that…" he said hesitantly. Then, in the end, he decided to be honest. "Princess Runa, I haven't chosen a bride yet. I want to find a lady that I can trust for you to be safe."

"Sir Uncle…"

"What is it?" he asked encouragingly when he noticed that the princess was hesitating. "Please don't hesitate to speak your mind, Princess Runa."

She smiled shyly, but her nod was firm. "Then, Sir Uncle… do you trust the lady who made the steak tartare for you?"

Huh?

He was too shocked to react.

[Why is Princess Runa suddenly bringing up Lady Zoe in the conversation? Don't tell me…]

"Sir Uncle, I want to meet the lady who makes steak tartare," Princess Runa said, her big and bright smile making her look cuter. "Can she be my mommy?"

Isaak gulped when she saw the innocent sparkle in Princess Runa's eyes.

He didn't have the heart to reject that adorable face, but he also didn't have the heart to marry Lady Zoe, who wasn't from this world.

[Ah, dammit.]

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3