The Sol Palace (3)

The Moon of the Empire, Empress Helena Catherine Callis, went inside the workplace of the emperor gracefully. Her mid-back straight red hair, the color of a blazing sun, moves with her as she walks. The green eyes, heralding the arrival of spring, were directly looked into the golden eyes of the Sun of the Empire.

"Helena, what brought you here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit you, Ian?" Helena turned her gaze away and sat down on the chair.

"You know that's not what I meant." He got up on his seat and acted sweet to his. wife, Helena.

"So, what's your plan for the father and daughter that you brought in? I was surprised when you arrived at the palace with a mermaid and her father of unknown origin."

"Her name is Brielle, and his dad, Atlas, possesses an ice attribute. No wonder he gave me a mana stone that time. Pretty interesting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, especially Brielle. I want to pinch her cheeks for the first time I saw her," Elena chuckled. "Even Ethan and Kye adore her. They even initiated to go

shopping with me to purchase gifts for her. Maybe if our baby is still alive —" She paused, and her face became sad as if she were about to cry.

"What did you three get her?" Ian said to lighten up the conversion.

"Huh? Hmm. Ethan chose a wolf stuffed toy because Brielle has a pet wolf, while Kye chose a knitted scarf. It was fun going shopping with our sons."

"What about you?"

"Me? Uhm, I purchased a few hair ornaments to match her hair and some cute dresses. Though, I don't think I can give it to Brielle. You know, perhaps it's too much to —"

Ian grabbed Helena's hand and dragged her outside. "You're overthinking it. Let's go give them to Brielle." Suddenly, Elena's face lit up, and all her fears that had been engraved on his face were gone in a flash. "All right, Ian, let's do it!"

***

West side room where Brielle and Atlas reside

"Could you please explain what all of these are?"

"Helena's gifts for Brielle. Pretty, aren't they?"

"Pretty my ass!"

A pile of magnificent gowns and accessories, the Emperor and Empress had brought, was in front of me. They were saying that these are all for me? I just recently received a gift from both princes and now from the Empress! How did we end up like this?

So, earlier, Papa and I were sitting on the balcony, taking in some fresh air. Not until Emperor Ian and his wife, the Empress, barge in our room, and one by one, the maids entered, carrying a bunch of dresses and accessories, and left it inside. The most surprising thing was that Sir Ian, no, I mean the Emperor and the Empress stayed in our room. And that was the time when Papa got irritated and asked what was going on.

So back to the present.

What would I do with all of these? There are a lot! Back at our home, I only owned five clothes, and I could say those were enough. The clothes that they brought were too beautiful and expensive. Definitely, not suited for me.

"Are those not to your liking?" The Empress asked, alarmed.

"It's n-not like t-that." I ended up stuttering as I was mesmerized by her beauty. She was like a goddess!

"Then these are all yours. You can wear it whenever you like, especially those hair ornaments picked by Elena. Oh, this one maybe you can wear it no—"

"You're overdoing it," said Papa. "We are only here temporarily until Brielle recovers, but it appears that you are welcoming her as a member of your family."

"We didn't mean that way. We were just delighted to meet Brielle," replied the Empress. The atmosphere here became tense! I couldn't blame Papa for his reaction because I, too, was surprised that the Royal Family was treating me precisely-rescuing me from trouble, showering me with gifts, and allowing me and Papa to stay in their palace. All I could say was that I appreciated them.

"Thank you for all of these, Emperor and Empress. Also, thank you for saving me from the evil humans."

"Lift your head, Brielle. You don't need to do that; thanking us is enough."

"But everyone does it whenever they're in front of you, the Empress, or even the princes."

"Well, how should I say this? It's a custom."

"Brielle, we are not like them, so we don't ned to do that. Doing such a thing is just a waste of time."

"Papa! We have to do it because they have allowed us to live here, and it is a custom, as they say. Would it be okay to do that Papa? Hmm?"

"Fine, but don't expect me to obey them all the time," Papa muttered.

"Brielle is such a good child. Taming his father to be respectful, pfft," Emperor Cassis sniggered.

"What did you say?!" Papa yelled angrily.

"Ian!"

"Papa!"

These two were a real pain! They were born to despise one another. Living under the same roof, would it be possible? Even though it was only the first day, it was already exhausting.

The war between two daddies is about to begin.