Chapter 10: A Father’s Blunder and a Princess’s Empathy

Lynne gazed profoundly at the crackling embers, while Vivian slept soundly on his lap, even in her dreams murmuring, “I don’t want to study.”

‘She’s even thinking about not studying in her dreams… Alas, I really should have allocated more wisdom points to Vivian’s stats back then.’

‘Otherwise, Vivian wouldn’t be so averse to learning; this is a major blunder for a father.’

Today marked the first day of Teacher Serina’s little classroom, and Lynne had fully expected the study-hating Vivian to evade it until the very end.

To his surprise, Vivian listened to Serina’s lecture with remarkable obedience.

Driven by his desire to ascertain the differences between this world and the game world he knew, Lynne also listened for a while.

He then discovered that Serina was unexpectedly adept at teaching children.

If Serina ever found herself unable to thrive within the royal court, she could easily become a teacher; perhaps it would suit her even better.

Her voice, which compelled one to listen, and her ingenious method of transforming dry world history into a series of engaging stories, perfectly captivated four-year-old Vivian.

Throughout the entire day, Vivian hadn’t once whined to him to be held while sleeping; instead, she had clung to Sister Serina, asking her to recount tales of righteous knights battling the evil Black Tide.

As Lynne gazed at his daughter’s adorable sleeping face, his thoughts drifted back to earlier in the day.

“Sister Serina, what exactly is the Black Tide?” Vivian asked with innocent curiosity.

Seeing the child’s pure innocence, Serina smiled kindly, stroking Vivian’s head as she explained,

“The Black Tide is a very, very wicked thing, you see; it turns good people into terrible villains, makes cute animals frightening, and even beautiful landscapes can become a living hell.”

Perhaps feeling that this description wasn’t enough for Vivian to truly grasp its depth, Serina looked around before her gaze settled on Lynne.

“Vivian, do you think your daddy is handsome?”

“YES!” Vivian replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Praised by his daughter, Lynne’s old face flushed.

Even though it was his own daughter calling him handsome, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

Serina suddenly composed her face, her tone turning serious, “And the Black Tide is what would turn Mr. Lynne from his handsome self into a very terrifying existence, you know. What does Vivian fear the most?”

“Studying!” Once again, Vivian answered without thinking.

Upon hearing this, Lynne couldn’t help but cover his face.

While his daughter was indeed adorable, seeing her act like such a simpleton in front of outsiders made him feel utterly mortified to face Tiya.

“Er…” Serina’s smile stiffened at the corners, but she quickly found a new approach, “Besides that, what else?”

This time, Vivian thought seriously, then lifted her head, her bright, tender eyes filled with fear and unease.

“I’m scared of Daddy and Mommy separating from Vivian.” Vivian nervously clutched the corner of her clothes with her delicate fingers.

Serina paused, then looked towards Lynne.

“Vivian, Daddy promises you that once we find Mommy, we will never be separated again.”

Lynne half-crouched, a gentle smile gracing his lips as his eyes met his daughter’s uneasy, deer-like gaze.

“Pinky promise, if Daddy breaks his word, he’s a puppy.” Lynne extended his little finger.

Upon hearing her father’s affirmation, the unease in Vivian’s eyes vanished, and she smiled purely, linking her little finger with Lynne’s.

“A pinky promise can never be broken. If Daddy breaks his word, he can’t force Vivian to study anymore!”

“Then Daddy would rather be a puppy.”

“Eh—!”

Serina watched the father-daughter interaction from the side, envy flickering in her emerald eyes.

She couldn’t recall ever seeing her father since she was old enough to remember, nor had she ever seen him visit her.

When she was bullied by her so-called sisters, her father had never once appeared.

Even though Serina was mature for her age, a child’s intense curiosity drove her to ask her mother, only to receive the answer:

“Serina, you… don’t have a father.”

What a cold and cruel answer.

“Alright, Vivian, you should earnestly continue listening to Sister Serina’s story now.”

Lynne’s doting words to his daughter pulled Serina’s thoughts back from the past to the present.

“Vivian, do you love Daddy and Mommy?” Serina hastily forced a warm smile.

“I do!”

“Then… the Black Tide is a very terrifying existence that will separate you from Daddy and Mommy, you see.”

Although Serina had tried her best to be subtle, this time Vivian finally understood: the Black Tide was a terrible villain that would separate her from her parents.

Fear flickered across her tender face.

Seeing Vivian, frightened like a little deer, hide behind Lynne, Serina chastised herself for not being more indirect.

“Don’t be afraid, even though the Black Tide is scary, there are also the righteous knights and countless heroes, like the ones Sister told you about, fighting against these monsters.”

Vivian seemed thoughtful, then suddenly looked up, staring at Serina as she asked:

“Is Sister also a knight who fights scary monsters?”

“A k-knight…?” The smile on Serina’s face froze, then her lips curved into a strained arc. “Well… Sister isn’t one right now.”

“Oh, I see—” Vivian beamed a pure smile and said, “Vivian feels relieved that Sister isn’t a knight.”

Serina tilted her head, puzzled, and asked, “Why is that?”

“Because the B-Black Tide is very scary, but fighting monsters is very dangerous.”

Vivian suddenly became bashful: “I like Sister Serina, and I don’t want Sister to be in danger.”

Chish—

A sound like an arrow shooting forth echoed, and Serina clutched her chest.

Vivian’s sincere, pure smile was reflected in Serina’s pupils.

Her eyes felt sore, her chest heavy… as if some painful emotion was growing uncontrollably.

This was the first time anyone had cared for her so deeply, had been glad she didn’t have to fight, and had worried about her being in danger.

With tears welling in her eyes, Serina knelt down, embracing Vivian, and whispered softly:

“Thank you, Vivian.”

Vivian was bewildered, but she saw the tears in Serina’s eyes:

“Why is Sister Serina crying?” she asked, extending her tender little hands to wipe away Serina’s teardrops.

“These are tears of joy, you see. Sister is so touched! Tomorrow, I’ll work even harder to teach Vivian!”

“Eh—! Sister Serina, you’re repaying kindness with enmity.”

“Vivian has even learned to use idioms; that’s very impressive.”

Lynne watched the two from the side, arms crossed, a gratified smile on his face.

Indeed, the pure words of a child can truly touch the heart.

‘Of course, it’s also because I’m good at raising my daughter.’

Lynne shamelessly flattered himself with this thought.

Crackling— The sound of the embers pulled Lynne’s thoughts back to the present.

The night was deep and quiet.

Aside from the crackling fire, only the steady, peaceful sound of breathing could be heard.

Lynne looked up at the starry sky, and for some reason, after remembering the events of the day, a longing filled his heart, wishing that Tiya were there too.

‘I truly wish Tiya could see how adorable her daughter is.’

‘Vivian is so cute she’s already captured the heart of a princess.’

‘I wonder how Tiya is doing now… Is she alright?’