Ludwig looked down at the child, his gaze fixed on the teardrops falling from the little child’s eyes, so he did not notice the gaze directed at him from nearby.
“Stop crying,” commanded the Iron-Blooded Emperor of the Empire, who had always been tough even with his own son.
The curly-haired child was scared into stifling sobs, and now he was not even allowed to shed tears. This was a completely new experience for the little child, who was overwhelmed by the injustice of it all.
With his chubby face turned upward, the child cried out, “I’m going to tell on you!”
Ludwig asked, “Are you going to tell on Caesar?”
At first glance, Ludwig recognized the curly-haired child as the one his son had brought home.
In response to the child’s threat to tattle, Ludwig narrowed his golden eyes and gave his evaluation of this behavior: “Caesar can’t even protect himself, and you want to...”
“Ludwig.”
Ai Wei couldn’t bear to watch her husband’s extreme behavior any longer. Her hand was on her waist, and she pulled out a flashing, sharp military knife.
The knife was made of a special material that would remain sharp even if buried in the ground.
Ai Wei held the knife and stepped forward, her beautiful face smiling but her words not particularly gentle: “I remember telling you on my deathbed to be gentle when you take care of a child.”
“My dear Ludwig, have you followed my wishes?”
Ai Wei’s words completely dispelled the suspicion in Ludwig’s eyes, and a look of wild joy appeared on his cold, handsome face.
“Ai Wei,” Ludwig’s Adam’s apple rolled, and the longing that he had been suppressing for so long almost overwhelmed him at this moment. He wanted to hurry over and hug his wife.
But the chubby kid sitting on his feet was heavy.
The chubby kid was still crying, and after wiping his wet face on Ludwig’s pants leg a few times, he continued to cry.
Ludwig had never seen such a delicate child before.
“Xiao Lin, take Ningning away.”
Ai Wei turned her head and said in a gentle tone to Huo Lin, “Mommy needs to talk to your daddy about something. After we’re done talking, I’ll come see you.”
Huo Lin looked at the military knife that his mother was playing with in her hand, then at his tense father.
He walked over calmly and picked up the child who was still secretly wiping his face on his father’s pants leg.
Ningning, who was suddenly carried away, was still unhappy.
He turned his head and looked at the emperor, complaining to his brother, “Brother, bad uncle!”
Huo Lin held him steady, not even putting him down despite the inconvenience of walking with one foot. He quickly left the scene of his parents’ conversation with the child in his arms.
As expected.
His father, who always punished him, was going to be punished himself this time.
Soon, Huo Lin crossed the garden and brought the child in his arms to another palace. The imperial palace was very large, but the core palace was not very big.
The palace in front of them was where he and his father usually resided. They ate and slept here. The palace also came with a garden where the flowers were blooming beautifully.
However, neither the father nor the son had an appreciation for the art of enjoying flowers, so the garden was merely a decoration for them.
As soon as they returned, Uncle Andre, the butler, greeted them. Uncle Andre took over the position of butler before his father got married and had been looking after the household since then. He also watched Prince Huo Lin grew up.
“Little Prince.”
When Andre saw the little prince walking towards him, he noticed that he was not walking normally. “Let me hold him for a while. Do you want to wait for Dr. Jean in the hall or in the room?”
Dr. Jean was Huo Lin’s personal doctor.
Huo Lin thought for a moment and replied, “Let’s go to the toy room.”
Huo Lin himself was not in the habit of playing with toys. His toys since childhood had been small mechs, warships, all kinds of weapons, and specially tailored training equipment. However, Huo Lin, who never played with toys, had a toy room.
He personally tidied up the toy room, and the toys inside were purchased according to Ningning’s preferences.
Andre took the little child with red eyes and nose from the prince. He recognized this Ningning. He had heard the little highness talking to this child on the phone before.
Ningning, who was held by the butler, also politely introduced himself. He said several of his nicknames, and Andre called them all with a smile.
When he called out the nickname, ‘baby’, the little child blushed and hid in Andre’s neck, shy and happy.
Not long after, Andre opened the door to the toy room and put the child down.
“Brother!”
Jian Ning sat down on the carpet, and stretched out his chubby feet, “Shoes!”
The toy room was covered with carpet, which was very clean. Jian Ning didn’t want to step on it with his shoes. His shoes were so dirty from walking just now!
Huo Lin saw him stretch his little feet, so he squatted down and took off his shoes.
Jian Ning lowered his head and continued to look at his own little socks.
Huo Lin patted his feet and refused, “You can’t take off your socks, or you’ll catch a cold.”
He put his shoes on the shoe cabinet near the door and turned to look at Andre, “Uncle Andre, Ningning will stay here for three days.”
Andre smiled, “Don’t worry, little prince. I will prepare new clothes, shoes, and daily necessities for him.”
Andre had raised three children of his own, all of whom were already married with children, and had also had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In the matter of raising children, Andre had rich experience.
Unfortunately, Ludwig never consulted him for advice.
Andre did not disturb the two children playing. He left and continued to contact Dr. Jean. After contacting Dr. Jean, he went to the kitchen and instructed them to make some desserts suitable for young children.
Andre was doing everything outside in an orderly manner.
In the toy room, Jian Ning hugged a furry doll larger than himself, and pressed his face against it, “It’s soft!”
Huo Lin watched him turn around, touching this and hugging that. After running around for a while, he lay down on the ground, curled up like a flattened kitten.
“Brother, I’m hungry.”
The tired little child pats its own belly, which looks flat.
Huo Lin looks at the hungry little child on the ground and says, “I’ll have someone prepare food for you.”
When he heard that food was being offered, Jian Ning took advantage of his father’s absence and openly pleaded with his older brother, “Ningning wants milk!”
He wanted a large bottle of milk!
Huo Lin didn’t even bat an eye and said calmly, “Okay, I’ll give you a bottle of fresh milk later. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the restaurant while we wait for the food.”
Jian Ning: “...”
Jian Ning emphasized, “I want formula milk!”
The child, who had been drinking formula milk powder since he was young, had formed a dependence on it. It would take some effort to wean him off it.
Huo Lin didn’t say whether he agreed or disagreed. He took out his shoes from the shoe cabinet and said, “Put your foot out and kick them on.”
The two small shoes the size of a small palm were quickly put on. Jian Ning stomped on the ground after putting them on, then looked up and said thank you to his brother.
Dad taught him that he should be polite!
After putting on their shoes, the two of them walk outside together. Just as they took a few steps out, Huo Lin saw Uncle Andre walking towards them with a plate in his hand, followed by Doctor Jean.
“Uncle Andre, Ningning is hungry.”
“Okay, let’s go to the restaurant.”
Since he’s hungry, it’s obviously not appropriate to fill his stomach with snacks. Andre put the plate back and only took out a small piece of pastry to give to the child, who’s staring at him eagerly.
“Ningning, we’re about to eat, don’t eat too many snacks.”
“Um!”
Jian Ning held two delicately crafted pastries in his chubby hands and hesitated to eat them for a while. While he was enjoying his pastries, Huo Lin sat on a chair and received a check-up from Dr. Jean.
Jean opened his portable medicine box and gave Huo Lin some medicine again: “Your Highness, your injury is not serious. Rest well today, and you will be able to walk normally tomorrow or the day after.”
This statement was the same as what Zhan Xi had said earlier.
After finishing the treatment, Jean closed the medicine box and caught sight of a little curly-haired boy staring at him while eating his pastry. The crumbs of the pastry stuck to the boy’s mouth.
For someone who had OCD, seeing the crumbs made Jean feel itchy.
He took out a wet wipe and asked the curly-haired boy who was eating the pastry, “Hello, little friend. Do you mind if I wipe your mouth for you?”
Jian Ning understood what he meant by “wipe his mouth” and quickly finished all the pastries in his hand before obediently coming closer.
The little boy’s obedience and good behavior surprised the doctor.
Jean gently wiped the mouth of the little curly-haired boy. The boy was not at all unfamiliar with this kind of action; he was used to being wiped by his father.
“Thank you.”
The polite little boy thanked Jean after he finished wiping his mouth. Then, he took the opportunity to ask, “Can you wipe my face too?”
He felt that his little face was also dirty.
Jean smiled and said, “Of course.”
Jean not only wiped his little face but also wiped his little hands. Finally, Jean even gave him a candy from his pocket.
The little child who received the candy had his eyes curved up with happiness.
He waved his little hand and escorted Dr. Jean to the door before coming back.
“Brother, candy!”
Jian Ning counted the candies in his hand and handed the biggest one to Huo Lin. “Ningning, give it to brother!”
The little child, who borrowed sugar to offer to Buddha, gave a candy to his brother, and then gave one to the butler uncle. He looked at the candy in his palm and continued counting.
This red candy with the prettiest packaging was for the most beautiful auntie!
This green candy, which was also very beautiful, was for dad!
There were also Uncle Zhan Rao, Uncle Ling Qi, Uncle Duo Bi, and Sister Hua Ya...
Oh no.
Not enough to share!
The little child, who was originally very happy, became worried as he distributed the candy with his chubby face. Fortunately, Andre timely spoke up, “Ningning, your meal is ready.”
It’s easy to prepare a meal for a young child, plus the kitchen in the palace wes always well-stocked, so it didn’t take too long. A full set of royal child meals, with delicious flavors and aromas, were brought to the table.
Jian Ning sniffed and his eyes lit up after smelling the delicious aroma.
“Brother, food!”
Huo Lin wasn’t too hungry, but when he saw that two plates of food were brought to the table, he still went to sit down and ate with Jian Ning.
Jian Ning originally wanted a bottle, but at this moment, he didn’t care about it at all after seeing such delicious food.
The chefs in the palace were skilled at cooking, needless to say.
It’s just that after the chefs usually prepared meals for the emperor and the little prince, this father and son never evaluated the quality of the food and just ate calmly, as if they were doing a job.
It had to be said that for this chef, he occasionally felt a bit disappointed.
Now.
This quiet dining atmosphere had been replaced by a lively one, with a little child wearing a bib around his neck and holding round spoons cheering on the sidelines.
“So delicious!!!”
The little childs’ praises never stopped: “The meat is delicious, and the vegetables are also delicious!”
Everything was delicious!
The little child who lived with his father on a barren planet had been eating complementary foods made by his father since he started eating solid food. Between his father’s complementary food and milk powder, the little child clearly chose the latter.
At the end of the meal, the little child even called his father.
On the other end of the phone.
Zhan Xi, who had just left his young child, was already thinking about him. He received a call from his little child, and before he could express his sour emotions, he saw the little child on the other end, pointing to the plate in front of him, his small voice filled with happiness: “Daddy, look!”
“The vegetables are not black!”
Zhan Xi, who often stir-fried vegetables until they turn black: “...”
The little child pointed at the vegetables in surprise, and by the end, Zhan Xi’s face couldn’t hold up anymore.
He cleared his throat and forcibly changed the subject: “Alright, alright, Daddy knows, next time I won’t stir-fry the vegetables until they turn black for you.”
As he spoke, he asked what his little child had been playing with in the palace.
The father and son didn’t talk for too long, and Zhan Xi hung up the phone and let him enjoy his meal.
After finishing their meal and drinks, Jian Ning, who was now slumped in the chair, looked over at his older brother.
Huo Lin: “...”
Without him having to say anything, Huo Lin already knew what the little child wanted to do.
Sure enough, the next second, Ningning, who had eaten too much, rubbed his belly and called out to his brother: “Brother, rub my tummy.”
Huo Lin walked over and obediently started rubbing the child’s belly.
The two children ate, drank, and played all day long, but Huo Lin hadn’t forgotten to study with Ningning.
As night fell, after a whole day of playing and not sleeping during the day, Jian Ning was both sleepy and sad. When he talked to Zhan Xi on the phone during the day, he didn’t show how much he missed his father.
Now at night, he had changed into his pajamas and was about to go to sleep when he suddenly felt sad.
“I want my dad.”
The little child in his cow pajamas sat on the bed with tears in his eyes: “Brother, I want dad!”
Huo Lin comforted him for a while but still couldn’t calm him down.
In the end, the little child who wanted his dad cried himself to sleep, exhausted.
Huo Lin watched him sleep, wiped his little face, and then hugged him, falling asleep with him.
The night was quiet, and the whole palace seemed to have become silent.
In the middle of the night, the little curly-haired child woke up and sat up. His little face looked confused, obviously still half asleep: “Dad?”
He called out several times but got no answer.
Rubbing his eyes, the curly-haired child picked up the small pillow and climbed out of bed to find his dad. He was still groggy and didn’t remember that this was the palace, not his home.
The door to the room was not locked. Holding his pillow, the child walked barefoot to the hallway outside. The hallway was dimly lit, and after a few steps, the child became scared. He thought of going back to find his brother to accompany him, but then remembered that his brother was sleeping. So, he gathered his courage and continued to walk forward.
After walking for a while, he finally saw a room with the light still on.
“Dad!”
The frightened child ran towards the room, he pushed the door hard, wanting to open it. Perhaps the people inside had not intended to sleep yet, so their room was not locked. The child pushed the door with all his might and managed to open it.
The door opened.
Ludwig, wearing a coat and seeming to have just stood up, turned his head and looked over. The golden eyes reflected the impulsive little child who had rushed in. He was about to say something, but stopped himself.
No.
He couldn’t scare him anymore.
Ai Wei’s anger had not subsided, and if he made the child cry, he might not even be able to sleep on the couch tonight.
Thinking of this, Ludwig pulled the corners of his mouth, trying to smile and express his friendliness.
But just as he managed to smile, the little child at the door suddenly widened his eyes in surprise, staring at him in panic, and fell down with a thud.
