By his words, she realized that the boy has not even tried eating this fruit before. This was probably the first time he got this fruit and he still wants to give it away to some stranger?
Knowing that the boy wouldn't let her give the fruit back, she started nibbling on the fruit slowly as she relished its taste.
The boy's eyes sparkled and smiled seeing that the girl finally started eating the fruit.
"How is it? Isn't it tasty? Aren't you feeling better now?" The boy asked earnestly.
The fruit wasn't named as the 'Blissful Fruit' for nothing. When she started eating it, the taste of the fruit was so good that she momentarily even got distracted from her sadness as she immersed in its taste.
The taste made her happy and blissful and soon enough she gobbled up the whole fruit within seconds.
But after finishing the fruit, she realized her behavior and manners were totally that of a glutton.
Her face turned red with embarrassment and didn't try to meet the boy's gaze.
But the boy was happy that she liked the fruit seeing her expression and how fast she ate it.
"It...was good...thank you." The girl said shyly.
"You are welcome hehe. If only I had more of those, I could have given you more." The boy seemed sad that he only had one of those fruits. Otherwise, he thought he could have made her more happy by giving her more Blissful Fruits.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"No, no. I don't need any more now. I am already happy thanks to you." The girl said as she showed a sweet smile as radiant as the moonlight.
She realized that her mood had gotten way better after this boy came to her with the fruit. She then completely understood that the boy only genuinely wanted to help her.
"I am sorry for my harsh words earlier. It was just that I—"
The boy waved his hands as he interrupted, "Don't apologize. All that matters is that you are feeling better hehe. My name's Damien, what's yours?" The boy asked curiously.
The girl hesitated for a bit before saying, "My name is...Flora."
The boy smiled, "Flora? That's a very nice name. No wonder your smile is as elegant and beautiful as the flowers."
——-
Flora and Damien played together thereafter for a whole month of their stay. They got very close and Flora also came to know that Damien grew up without a mother. Her sympathy only increased for him when she realized that he also had to grow up without a mother's love.
Damien didn't know anything about Flora's real background as she was under the pretense of being a merchant's daughter.
Flora's father was none other than the Emperor of the Rong Empire, Roland Rong in disguise!
He had come here to let his daughter wash away her grief and sadness by getting some fresh country air. But he did not expect her mood to get better this fast. He noticed Damien approaching his daughter but he wanted to see if Damien could achieve some kind of miracle and he did!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He also saw a man standing some distance away from the kids. He had seen before that this man had come here with Damien, probably his father.
Just as Flora and Damien got comfortable and friendly with each other, their fathers also striked a conversation amongst them and soon enough even they became friends.
Damien's father had no idea of Roland Rong's identity since Roland Rong only introduced himself as a passing by merchant traveling with his daughter.
Roland Rong decided to stay for at least a month in an nearby inn so that his daughter can completely return to her normal self.
Damien's father also decided to stay for a month seeing how Damien also finally had a nice playmate who didn't judge or bully him. Damien's father brought Damien outside since he didn't want Damien to always stay cooped up inside his own family estate.
Flora genuinely wanted to help Damien with his condition. So she asked her father if there was any way to fix Damien's condition.
But being a powerhouse himself, he had already scanned Damien's ethereal system from top to bottom and only could shake his head helplessly. He told Flora about Damien's exact crippled condition and that it was beyond any repair.
Flora was crestfallen hearing that it was impossible to fix Damien's ethereal core points. But she didn't give up and wanted to help him in certain other ways.
Seeing his daughter's expression, Roland Rong knew what she was thinking and said, "Don't worry. After we return to the capital, I will help the Ward Family and also make sure that Damien gets the best teachings from a true alchemy expert."
Flora's crestfallen expression turned into a happy one hearing her father's promise.
'My father is the best.' Flora now knew why she always felt that she could depend on her father.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})But soon one month passed and Roland Rong had to return back to the Imperial Capital since there were many affairs and things to manage as an Emperor.
Flora was very reluctant in leaving and even pleaded to her father to stay for a bit longer. Roland Rong almost gave in seeing his daughter reluctant to leave. But he somehow made Flora understand about the urgency to return since even the one month he decided to stay was too long after all.
"Damien, would you ever come by the Imperial Capital?" Flora earnestly asked before saying goodbye to Damien.
Damien also was not happy to leave since he had finally found a true friend he enjoyed being with. He has never had such fun and enjoyment with any other kids in his life. Flora was his first true friend, just as Damien was Flora's.
He had a low-spirited expression as he said, "I...don't think my father would ever visit the Imperial Capital. It's too expensive for us to even stay there for a single day." But suddenly his eyes flashed and said, "But I will grow up to be a great alchemist teacher and join the Alchemist Society in the Imperial Capital. That way I can come see you again." He beamed.
Flora was dejected hearing Damien's first half of his sentence but when she heard how he aspired to be a great teacher in alchemy, she didn't know what to think.
As far as she knows, the Alchemist Society was an exalted organization that only accepts the best of the best. She couldn't imagine them even hiring a cripple to clean their doorsteps.
But she didn't want to discourage Damien and said, "Then I will wait for you." She said with a smile. "I will try to come to Moonstone City if I can. But you should still remember your promise, okay? Let's do a pinkie promise."
Damien smiled till his ears, "Of course. I won't go back on my words. One day I will definitely come see you again. Pinkie promise." Damien twisted his little finger around Flora's as they sealed their promise.
She didn't tell Damien anything about her father planning to help them since she doesn't want Damien to think that he owes her.
As Flora was leaving, she saw Damien's figure getting farther and farther and muttered to herself, "Damien, don't worry, I will help you achieve your dreams."
