“Why do you… look so much like Guaibao?”
Guaibao asked in surprise. A tiny hand instinctively extended forward to feel the face of the man in front of her, while her other hand traced her own for comparison.
Ming Jue’s eyes widened as he stared back in shock.
After a moment that seemed like an eternity, all kinds of emotions started pouring into his heart, as if he remembered something, His throat went dry and no words came out of his mouth.
He sat frozen and motionless, his eyes fixed on the child in his arms.
……
After dealing with the group of mercenaries, Zuo Yi returned and was greeted by the scene of the prince embracing a child in his arms.
Was that the same emotionally detached prince who kept everyone at arm’s length?
As it appeared, his master might have been quite fond of children.
This sudden groundbreaking discovery(misunderstanding) caused his heart to ache. It was a pity that the prince had been inflicted with that accursed poison, denying him any chances of producing an heir in his lifetime.
Dear Heaven, why art thou so cruel!
“My lord…”
Just when Zuo Yi was about to report to him, the child turned around and he froze on the spot. His mouth remained wide open for a while, as if his jaw had dislodged.
He silently pinched his cheek with considerable force.
“Oww!”
This wasn’t an illusion!
“My lord, this girl… she…”
He felt like he was the greatest fool in the universe! Just a moment ago, he was still sympathizing with the misfortunate circumstances of his master. Yet, he was greeted by a scene that served as a slap to his face.
Maybe he should reconsider his occupation and switch to being a comedian instead?
With that much of a resemblance, there was no way this child had no relation to the prince!
Interrupted by the third party, Ming Jue regained his senses. He struggled hard to suppress his emotions and asked Guaibao in a hoarse voice, “How old are you? Who is… your mother?”
Guaibao’s face tensed up. Despite being a child, she could easily connect the dots with her wits and notice that the person in front of her should be her father whom she had never met.
But her mother had once mentioned to them that their father left them because he despised the family for being poor.
She had to check with her mother first before deciding whether or not to reveal anything to him.
“I am turning three years old this year!”
Her sweet and tender voice projected with pride as she raised her hands with three fingers pointed up.
Ming Jue looked at her plump fingers, feeling relieved as a faint smile appeared on his face.
Three years old.
There was indeed an incident which matched that timeline. Recalling the woman who forced herself onto him, Ming Jue could not help but feel complicated.
“Do you know who I am?”
For the first time in his life, he was faced with the pressure of an unfamiliar type of tension. His throat became parched.
“Of course, Guaibao knows!”
Guaibao squirmed around and straightened her posture within his arms, rubbing her face against his, while answering with her baby pitched voice. “You look so much like Guaibao. That means, you must be Guaibao’s daddy!”
(Heh… As if a gifted child like Guaibao would be stumbled by a question like that!)
Ming Jue’s perpetually stern expression softened like an iceberg melting. He felt his heart warming up as he hugged Guaibao tightly for an extended period of time, fully immersing himself in the moment without uttering a word.
Guaibao giggled and accepted his embrace. So this was what it felt like to be in her father’s embrace, being nestled within a broad and wide chest, a totally different experience from the hugs she received from her mother.
Guaibao was very fond of this feeling.
……
Due to them picking up Guaibao on the journey, Ming Jue had revised their itinerary and the group of knights pulled over at a nearby inn to rest up.
Guaibao had her hands wrapped around Ming Jue’s neck as she nestled in his arms, while Zuo Yi repeatedly stole a glance at her in secret. It was so frequent that even Guaibao had lost track of the count.
She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. She knew she was blessed with great looks, but did he really have to keep peeking at her to that extent?
She proclaimed with pride. “Here, you have Guaibao’s permission! Look to your heart’s content. You don’t have to peek in secret anymore.”
(Sigh… Uncles these days… are really clumsy and tactless.)
Ming Jue pulled the child closer to his chest and directed a cold stare at Zuo Yi.
No matter how deep his curiosity ran, he had to give up when exposed under the pressure of his lord’s stare. Zuo Yi quickly lowered his head. At least, he now knew that the Great Yuan Empire would have a new little princess from this day onwards.
“Daddy, where are you taking Guaibao?”
“To the capital. Does Guaibao want to come with me?”
Ming Jue’s gaze softened when he shifted his attention back to the little pink dumpling in his arms. He carried her in a stiff and awkward manner, worried that he might accidentally injure her.
When Guaibao heard the mention of “capital”, her big round eyes lit up.
(There must be an all-you-can-eat ala carte buffet of cute young boys in the capital, right? I can’t wait to cop a feel of their smooth and delicate hands!)
“Yay! Hooray! Guaibao wants to go!”
Just as she blurted her answer excitedly, she remembered something and the little bun on her head drooped down. With a disappointed look, she retracted her earlier reply: “Guaibao doesn’t have permission from mommy, so Guaibao can’t go…”
Ming Jue’s eyes flickered. He patted her head and reassured her. “Then let’s go and pick up your mom too. Does Guaibao know how I can get in touch with her?”
The little girl did not want to deceive her father. She raised her eyebrows and whispered very quietly, “Mommy had not given me permission to reveal the method. I need to check with her first. But Guaibao doesn’t have to look for mommy. She will come to Guaibao soon.”
Guaibao puffed her chest out in pride, barely resisting her urge to boast about the greatness of her mom.
Ming Jue did not push any further for an answer and tidied her dress in relief.
Although he was unable to gather any direct information about the child’s mother, he could infer from his daughter’s intelligence and behaviour that she had been raised in a good environment and received a quality education. He was more than satisfied with that.
……
“Host, the main road is just ahead.”
The System anxiously urged Su Jin. From to the information they had gathered so far, witnesses had reported sightings of an old woman carrying a child matching her description, headed in this direction.
Along the way, they had been searching for Guaibao’s traces, scanning the vicinity with the System’s detection abilities but with no results. As time went on, the System became increasingly anxious.
Su Jin maintained her silence for the entire ride. Other than the slightly pursed lips, her expression was unusually calm for someone whose kid had been kidnapped. She continued to rein the horse towards the main road.
“Host, there are traces of a recent skirmish over there.”
Su Jin focused her sights on the area pointed by the System and fell into deep thoughts…
……
Oblivious to her mother’s troubles, Guaibao blissfully enjoyed her meal, being spoon fed by her father while sitting on a stool and swinging her legs.
“Thank you, Daddy. Guaibao’s tummy is full now.”
Ming Jue had no idea about the appetite of an average three-year-old, and interpreted that as the food was not to her liking. He had a slight frown, making a mental note to himself to summon a few skilled chefs from the imperial palace to his residence to prepare their daily meals once they had returned to the capital.
“Daddy, Guaibao wants to take a bath. Stinky stinky.”
She was carried roughly all day and had been left rolling on the floor of a moving carriage until she was rescued. Even her pink butterfly dress was now stained with all kinds of dirt, but that was not enough to deter Ming Jue from embracing and showering her with paternal affection.
“Okay, I’ll have someone prepare some hot water for you. Do you need… daddy to help you?”
There were only male knights in his entourage. Not a single maid or female servant had accompanied him on this journey. He made another mental note to himself to hire some female servants for their future travels.
Although it was not evident from his face, Ming Jue had been thoroughly reviewing various aspects of his current lifestyle, taking note of areas that needed to be changed to better accommodate his new daughter.
Guaibao felt that her father belittled her and was dissatisfied. Crossing her chubby arms across her chest, she proclaimed:
“Guaibao is a big girl, turning three years old soon! I can take a bath by myself!”
Ming Jue suppressed the urge to laugh and looked at the baby adult who barely reached his thighs.
He crouched down and whispered to her: “Alright. Take your time. I’ll wait for you outside. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Okie dokie~”
She fluttered her way into the room with her arms spread widely like wings.
Ming Jue stared at the back profile of her lively figure and his gaze softened. The corners of his mouth constantly curved up ever since this chance encounter.
Nobody would believe that the usually cold and emotionally detached Prince Li was capable of making a gentle smile like that. Even the person in question did not expect to experience such a surprising development in his life.
A tiny existence, which he had never encountered before in his previous iterations, entered his life like a wrecking ball and captured his full attention with her sudden appearance. Just from looking at his daughter, he felt as though his heart was melting. He wanted to provide her with the best of everything the world had to offer.
He could not help but feel somewhat grateful to that woman for bringing this beacon of light into his life.
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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