Chapter 23 - Back at the Dragon's Cave (2)

Alexandra laid down her bed while being tucked by Diana. "Diana," She called out to her gently which caught her attention. "What is it, young miss?" She asked and sat beside her upper body while she tucked Alexandra's hair behind her ear. Alexandra hesitated before she asked, "W-What is my mom like?" Diana was startled by her question. She wasn't expecting that the young miss to ask about her mother. Diana smiled at her and cleared her throat.

"Your mother… was very beautiful," She started.

"Like a fairy?" Alexandra asked innocently. Diana chuckled at her question before she nodded, "Yes, she was beautiful like a fairy and she was kind like an angel maybe that's why your father, the emperor of this land, broke his engagement with his fiancée at that time, she was a powerful noble lady," Her father broke off his engagement with his fiancée before? That's very new.

"Your mother melted your father's frozen heart with her kindness, braveness, sweetness, and charm. She was enchanting, beautiful, and brave, that was one of the reasons why I decided to take care of you, her daughter. She came from a high-class noble family but they are not as powerful as his fiancée's family at that time,"

"Your father truly loved your mother, so when she died. He became depressed and heartbroken. His heart turned into stone, he refused to open up anymore." Alexandra became sad hearing this, she was the reason why her mother died. She died when she was giving birth to her. It was heartbreaking. Diana noticed her change of expression and caressed her cheek while smiling sadly, "But you see, it isn't your fault. What happened wasn't your fault. Because the young miss is sweet, kind, brave, and gentle just like your mother and someday, your father will love you too just like how your father loved your mother. He will love you not as her replacement but as his one true daughter. And if your mother sees you right now, she must be glad, proud yet sad at the same time." She said, her words tugged Alexandra's heart. Something pierced right through her very gentle heart. Alexandra forced a smile on her face. She knew that her father hated her because of what happened, adding to one of the reasons why she was placed inside this palace.

"So cheer up. Everything that happened isn't your fault. You are not a curse nor bad luck," Diana gently pinched her cheek and patted her head. Diana started to sing a lullaby at her, her gentle voice filled the whole room, and Alexandra became sleepy because of her voice. Alexandra closed her eyes, darkness conquered her whole vision and she fell asleep.

--

"Father…" Her voice was gentle and smooth but when she realized what she said, she wanted to slam her head against the wall or the table. What if he kills me? What a great answer! She was having a mental breakdown, her mind went blank and she stared at Alexander whose expressionless face slightly changed, not as it changed but there was some sort of emotion which she doesn't know. Her heart tells her to 'Go on! Continue!' and her mind tells her: 'Change your answer! Immediately!'

But the man's expression tells her to go on. Alexandra smiled widely, "Father!" Her voice was gentle like the sea's breeze, sweet like candy, and smooth like silk. Her smile beamed with joy, and she tried to hide the fear in her eyes. She just hoped that she will be alive. She was the reason why death is nearing her, she created more reasons for him to kill her.

Crap, this is it. She said inside her mind while smiling at him waiting for his response. Alexandra's smile didn't fade and for a moment, Alexander showed an emotion, shock. The corner of his lips slightly went up showing a faint smile which made Alexandra stare at him in awe, the smile not fading off her lips. She was asking herself if she was hallucinating but it turns out that she wasn't. The faint smile didn't disappear and his warm gaze remained there before it disappeared after a few seconds. "I see…" He simply answered his expression and gaze back to normal again.

Wait, he's okay with it? He's not angry? Alexandra asked herself and continued eating the cake bothered. But based on his expression and smile earlier, he's just fine and somewhat happy with it. Then a memory popped up inside her mind. A memory of her and Diana talking.

// "You mother… was very beautiful," She started.

"Like a fairy?" Alexandra asked innocently. Diana chuckled at her question before she nodded, "Yes, she was beautiful as a fairy and she was kind like an angel maybe that's why your father, the emperor of this land, broke his engagement with his fiancée at that time, she was a powerful noble lady," That was unexpected. She didn't expect that he would do it.

// "But you see, it isn't your fault. What happened wasn't your fault. Because the young miss is sweet, kind, brave, and gentle just like your mother and someday, your father will love you too just like how your father loved your mother. He will love you not as her replacement but as his one true daughter. And if your mother sees you right now, she must be glad, proud yet sad at the same time."

Was that the reason?

Then, there is hope. There is a chance that he will love her and that made Alexandra happy. Her nervousness and fear immediately drifted away just like a bottle in the ocean drifting, slowly disappearing.

--

Alexandra came back inside the knight's arms while she held the book tightly inside her arms. When they arrived near the huge door of the palace, Diana was there waiting along with Therese and Yulli, the worry was evident from their face but when they saw Alexandra in a somewhat good mood or something close to happy and relieved, they sighed in relief. Diana walked towards her and took Alexandra from the knight's arms.

"His highness wishes to see her once again," Lysander said in a gentle tone of voice while he looked at Alexandra whose eyes widened in shock when she heard what he said. Again? She asked herself. Diana, Therese, and Yulli had a shocked, glad yet worried expression plastered on their faces. They were shocked because of what the knight said, they were glad because Alexandra's father started to acknowledge her presence and doesn't think of her as bad luck, and they were worried because what if he will do something to Alexandra. They remained in silence while the knight bowed at them, "May the Queenilia's sun shine down upon you," The knight said before he turned around, walking towards the path back to the palace and slowly disappearing from their sight.

Diana heaved a sigh once again after the knight disappeared from their sight. She let go of Alexandra and looked at her in the eyes, with a gentle and worried tone of voice, she asked Alexandra: "Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Diana looked very stressed and worried, after Alexandra's first meeting her father which scared her and almost traumatized her just like years ago, her meeting the two strangers which Alexandra still didn't tell Diana. However, because of many traumatizing, scary, and sad events that happened in both of her previous and current life, she's slowly getting used to it but the new experience that she felt during that time was very scary.

'Why would he wishes to see me again?' was the question that bothered Alexandra for the whole day along with the other maids until she was in bed and tucked in by Diana who sang a lullaby after that and left the room telling her to sleep because it's already past her bedtime. Alexandra stared at the ceiling as she reminisced about the event that happened earlier and her past conversation with Diana.

Am I out of my mind? I know that he hates me as his daughter yet I called him father. But he didn't get angry nor ordered the knight to kill me, was the knight said true? Will, he really not kill me? What is its purpose? I thought that they kept me far away from them as much as possible to not bring them bad luck.

// "Your mother melted your father's frozen heart with her kindness, braveness, sweetness, and charm. She was enchanting, beautiful, and brave, that was one of the reasons why I decided to take care of you, her daughter. She came from a high-class noble family but they are not as powerful as his fiancée's family at that time."

Diana's voice rang inside her head. Is it possible that she could do it? Can she soften her father's heart just like her mother?

Based on the novel she read, the mistreated daughter or princess was able to soften her father's stone heart or break down the walls he created by her charm which was her kindness and braveness. He didn't kill her at the end and loved her as his daughter. Her past life memories are really useful in this world, she could base her decisions on her previous experiences in her previous life.

Should she do what the heroine did? It's for survival and he might not think of killing her or as a curse. Aside from that, she wants to experience a father's love. Was it warm like a mother's love? Was it beautiful and strong? Was it everlasting? There might be risks but her heart and mind, for the first time, told her to do it.

Alexandra yawned and closed her eyes as she slowly drifted to the dream paradise.