Part 4

After our 2 year-old-meeting ended, I again didn't see my father until I was 4 years old. He never came back to me while I was celebrating my lonely birthday with my two nannies, and I'm sure it had something to do with my mother's death. Of course, I can't be angry. After all, he also had his reasons.

So, another summer in my 4th year, Daddy came home. This time he came home in a good condition. He's in his military uniform, and he's getting taller, I guess. I looked at him like a stranger, and he didn't care about it. He passed me whose playing with our goose, and went straight inside the house with the nannies to talk about something. I peeked at them in the distance. From the window in the living room, I could see that my two nannies were crying.

I don't know what happened, but the next day, I knew that Papa was about to take me away, and my two nannies obviously couldn't come along. No wonder, the night before, they insisted on asking to sleep with me. They read a lot of fairy tales to me, even telling me not to go to bed too early. When I closed my eyes because I couldn't hold back the urge to sleep, they started crying, so I got up right away. And so, we spent the whole night story-telling and eating cookies dipped in hot chocolate.

Daddy was about to take me to the Capital to meet his teacher.

I stood in front of the door of our residence with my two sobbing nannies. Of course, we've never been apart this long, so they must be very sad. I'll be away for about two months or so, so they must be pretty lonely. I hugged both of them and rubbed their heads like an adult. I said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely be back."

And instead of being calm, they cried even louder. I do not know why. I was sad too, so I pulled the shirt in my father's hand and tried to be brave while looking into his piercing eyes, and asked, "Daddy, can we take Eliana and Mama Erliza too?"

But what I got was a sharp gaze. It was so scary that I gasped and shivered. I let go of my grip on his sleeve and tried to get away from him, but he caught me right away.

"No, I don't want to! "

This scared me a lot.

His hands were very tight when Daddy held me. Seeing me struggle harder and harder, Daddy immediately picked me up and took me away.

"Eliana! Mama!"

They were still crying when I left.

-0-

We went by horse to leave this secluded area, far enough that I fell asleep and woke up again and again several times. I sat on my father's lap, attached to him using several belts, making sure I was safe, while his hands focused on the horse's reins.

The color of the horse we rode was milk chocolate, just like the color of bean paste. Almost the same as my hair color. The fur is smooth and shiny. I know what kind of horse this is.

The Akhal-teke horse, is a horse that usually resides in the Livia. After seeing this horse, I thought that we were in Livia. But after looking around again, apparently not. Because there isn't a single watchtower here.

The Livia I know is the center of the entire empire's combat power. So don't be surprised if there are many watchtowers scattered around there. While in this place, the land is very wide, and there is nothing towering around it. There are only shady trees in some places. When the heat got hotter, Daddy took out a white cloth and wrapped it around me. The fabric was so clement, unexpectedly, so cold and soft. I wonder what kind of fabric is this.

Then I remembered that in the 5 Great Northeastern Provinces that had been destroyed, there was one area along the great river, which weaved cloth from special trees, and produced the finest kind of cloth which was cold and soft.

This is Amerta cloth.

Very expensive and almost extinct, because the place of production itself has become an area of ​​endless conflict.

The 5 Great Northeast Provinces of our empire that were prosperous and beautiful in their time, have now been shattered in war.

The fabric is so soft and makes me sleepy. Waking up, I was in a luxurious horse-drawn carriage with soft seats upholstered in soft foam. I fell asleep with my head on my father's lap. He covered me with his long white amerta cloth. While his treatment of me had been so kind and gentle, his own demeanor was cold and alienated. He didn't speak to me a word, didn't even want to look at me with those piercing eyes. His big, slightly callused hands from holding the sword too much, caressed my head with a gentle caress. Even so, his eyes were sharp and deadly as he looked at the outside through the carriage window.

As soon as he realized that I was awake, he stopped his movements.

What's this? You Tsunderes!

We rode the train for dozens of days, and when I did the math, it turned out that our journey had taken more than a month. I've been so ugly and smelly. Surprisingly, my father still smells good enough for someone who hasn't showered in days. He continued to carry me. We shower once every 3 days if we are lucky, because finding the river and the inn is very difficult here.

During our one-month trip, it was just me, Daddy, and Mr. Driver.

Once in Valdis, a city adjacent to the Capital, we changed transportation from horse carriage to passenger ship, passing along the river to reach Hilaria, our Imperial Capital. The ship was quite old and very large. On the mast of the bridge, there is a sword scratch that is quite deep, and somewhat caught my attention during this trip.

After going through a tiring journey for almost 2 months, we finally arrived at the Capital. Papa stopped briefly at the clothing store to change my ugly clothes, then we continued to his residence in the Capital, which was quite close to the Imperial Palace. The residence is very spacious and beautiful, with various gems and other precious metals adorning each side. It's even many times bigger than the size of my secluded residence. I didn't have the energy to admire this house any further, so I stopped and fell asleep on the living room couch. As soon as I woke up, I was back again in the other carriage. I'm pissed off, really pissed off. So I rebelled.

A maid who was carrying me on her lap was startled, barely able to resist my movement, and made me fall. Just at that moment, Daddy came from our front side and immediately caught me. I was still writhing uncomfortably, wanting to cry, before an old man lifted me from Daddy's lap and patted my back affectionately. I calmed down a bit.

"She must be very tired." The old man spoke. He smelled almost the same as Daddy's, and even though he was old, he still looked manly and mighty. His muscles still felt strong under his clothes. I subconsciously hugged him, feeling the comfort from his cradle. This grandpa laughed softly, and said, "Look, she's already gotten along well with her grandfather."

Ah?

Are you my grandpa?

Are you Marshal Salveig Betsalel Ahmya Zehra, that famous God of War?

Are you the number two person in this empire after the Emperor himself?

In your entire life, there wasn't a single defeat in the war you brought, right?

P-please, such a great person...

But my fear has been lost to my tiredness. Let it be, my fear is saved for later.

Not long after I fell asleep, I was awakened by this grandfather of mine. He patted my cheek, and when I had properly gathered all my soul, he invited me down. His gentle and friendly aura soon disappeared, replaced by the firmness and ferocity of a warrior.

Now, everyone put on a stiff face. I was taken from my grandfather's hands, and now, my little hand was being held back by the maid just now.

We were led by a senior eunuch to the Emperor's main palace. It was only when I crossed the majestic, golden doorway, that I realized that this was the 7th year of the ascension of Emperor Arcana Daegmund Senka.

That means, 7 years long ago, the old Emperor Tara Galandra Linden Senka, died.

Ah, will little Vaishravana meet the little Crown Prince here?

If so, this will be their first meeting,

And perhaps, at this meeting, little Vaishravana began to fall in love with him.