father's friend and my...friend

I stirred from my slumber, blinking away the remnants of sleep as I rose from my bed. Stretching my arms above my head, I took a deep breath, With each step, the wooden floorboards creaked softly beneath my feet as I made my way from my room to the living room

As I entered the room, I was greeted by an unexpected sight – a guest seated in a chair, engaged in conversation with my father, Robert.

The man was quite tall, He was dressed in finely tailored traveling attire, a cloak of rich velvet draped over his broad shoulders. His hair, a shade of deep chestnut, was swept back from his forehead, revealing a high brow that furrowed slightly in contemplation.

His eyes, a striking shade of steel gray as as they flickered in my direction.

"Good morning, Michael," Robert greeted with a warm smile, gesturing for me to join them. "This is Lord Aric, an old friend of mine. He's come to visit us from the neighboring empire of Ophiuchus."

I nodded in acknowledgment, my curiosity piqued by the presence of the distinguished guest.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young man," he said, his voice deep and resonant. "Your father speaks highly of you."

I returned the greeting with a polite smile.

"So what brings you here. Let me take a guess, for business." Asked my father.

"You know me well, my friend. I have just passed through the border of the kingdom a few days ago while on my way to the capital city and thought I should stop by to visit my old friend."

Lord aric paused for a second and then spoke again.

"The road was fairly uneventful, the weather was pleasant, and the scenery was breathtaking. I made it here in good time, and the only mishap that occurred was that I had lost a few of my guards due to some bandits trying to rob me, but otherwise, everything was great."

"It is fortunate that you lost only a few of your guards. Otherwise, it would have been a catastrophe." Said my father.

"Quite true. In any case, I am pleased to be here and to see you again, after such a long time."

"Likewise, my friend, it has been too long. Let us sit down and catch up on things, shall we?

"Indeed, let us do so. It may take us quite some time to catch up on everything... haha."

Lord aric then stopped talking to my father for a moment, looking down at me he spoke.

"Micheal, I have a daughter your age, she also is traveling with me why don't you go and play with her?"

"Where is she ?" I asked while smiling, my eyes wide.

"She is waiting in the carriage outside."

I left my house and head outside to see the carriage outside. The carriage is of elegant design and was adorned with precious gems and golden ornaments. The guards were heavily armed, wearing sturdy plate armour over their bodies, and their helmets cover their faces. They held their spears firmly in their hands, alert and vigilant. The guards glared at me suspiciously, but i ignored them and approached the carriage.

I was a little nervous as i neared the carriage, since i didn't know what to expect.

"I wonder what she looks like, probably like a kid." I thought to myself.

The carriage door slowly opened, and out hopped a stunning young girl.

She had soft and shiny brown hair tied up in a pigtail with golden ribbons; her eyes were hazel in color, bright and lively, her skin was fair and smooth, and she wore a simple white blouse and a red skirt. She was a little taller than me, she was definitely my age but she looked a little bigger than that, so most probably she was around 5 years old. She seemed quite shy and was looking at the ground, nervously playing with her ribbon.

"Hello..." I said.

The girl looked at me and let out a little gasp before covering her mouth with her hands. The guards who were looking at us narrowed their eyes.

"D-do you want to play with me?"

My eyes widened a little bit, i always had trouble communicating with girls in my first life because they considered me to be a boring person not that I will deny it, but this one is way too adorable.

The girl happily led me inside the carriage. "So this is Lord Aric's daughter, huh? She is quite pretty for a little one." I looked around the inside of the carriage, which was a little cramped but richly decorated with golden ornaments and plush carpets. The girl pointed to a seat next to her as i sat down there she sat down next to me.

"My name is Rose, what is your name? I was playing with my dolls but now I am bored."

She said while looking at me

"I am Micheal. Are those dolls yours? They look very pretty."

"Yeah. They are my favorite dolls."

"What are their names?"

"One is called Emily and the other is called Olivia. They're sisters. I used to play with them everyday. I have a doll house too, I could show it to you if you want but it's not here..it's at my home"

" Oh I see."

A moment of awkward silence ensued before rose opened her mouth again.

"Do you want to be friends? I don't have anyone else to play with. All the other kids are so boring. They only like to play hide-and-seek and other games that are not fun. But you seem fun."

"Yeah, I would love to be your friend."