Chapter 67: My Princess, Don’t Be Sad, I’m Still Here

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: My Princess, Don’t Be Sad, I’m Still Here

Miche squatted down, affectionately taking Amy’s hand. With a gentle tone and demeanor, she attempted to awaken their past fond memories.

In the past, she had only been good to Amy because the girl had been useful to her. When Amy was no longer of much use, her affection had faded. But now, Amy was her only hope of staying in the Golden Dragon Clan, so she had to continue currying favor with her.

"I won’t let you take care of me. Who knows if you’re trying to kill me." Amy had seen through Miche’s hypocritical true colors. This time, she didn’t fall for it and decisively refused.

"Amy, I’m clearly doing this for your own good. How could you think of me like that?

"I know you hate me because Loki treats me better than he treats you. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again." Having lost face, Miche could only switch tactics.

She acted extremely magnanimous and forgiving, which in turn made Amy look petty and narrow-minded. Seeing that Amy still refused to compromise and realizing it was hopeless, Miche had no other choice but to run away crying.

"Miche, wait for me! Careful, the road is slippery!" Loki hurriedly chased after her.

"Loki, you haven’t taken Amy with you! Don’t go!" Laxus wanted to bring Amy and continue the chase, but Loki and Miche disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that they couldn’t catch up, tears welled up in the corners of Amy’s eyes. "Uncle Laxus, take me back with you, please? I’ve already been abandoned by my father. If you don’t want me either, I really will become an unwanted feral child."

Over the past few days, Amy’s tears had come readily whenever she needed them to secure a place to stay. She was simply trying to use pity to soften Laxus’s heart.

Laxus’s heart practically melted into a puddle. Deep down, he vaguely felt that his sister was being too cruel.

At this thought, a look of worry washed over Laxus’s face. "I’ll take you back to the Golden Dragon Clan, but since your mother won’t accept you, you’ll have to stay with me for now."

"I like you, Uncle Laxus. I want to live with you." Amy knew her uncle was soft-hearted and definitely wouldn’t leave her alone.

Laxus led Amy back up the mountain, riddled with anxiety the entire way. He knew his sister didn’t want to see Amy, and he had been wondering where he should settle the girl.

After much thought, the only option was to leave Amy in the care of their mother, Rebecca. This way, with Amy living under the same roof as his sister, she might gradually come to forgive Amy.

The stone house Ophelia lived in was shared with her mother, Rebecca, and the others. However, she had asked Tyler to partition off a private space for her using wooden boards and animal hides, though it wasn’t soundproof. Therefore, she could hear any commotion inside the house.

"You stay here and sleep for now. I’ll talk to your mother," Laxus said as he found an animal hide to make a bed on the floor for Amy, temporarily settling her in a grass nest.

"Mother, please take care of Amy for the time being," he added.

Rebecca was naturally willing. "Amy is quite pitiful. Even if she did something wrong before, Ophelia can’t really be so heartless, can she?" Rebecca suddenly felt sentimental.

"I’ll try to persuade her again," Laxus said, pursing his lips.

"Why are you here?" Ophelia had already heard the conversation between mother and son outside. At this moment, she had no good looks to give her own brother.

"I brought Amy back." Laxus then recounted the incident where Loki snatched the medicine to cure Miche.

Ophelia wasn’t surprised; she had guessed as much. She sneered, still unwilling to let Amy stay. Her voice was cold and clear. "She may be pitiful, but that’s not a reason for me to forgive her!"

"Amy knows she was wrong now..." Laxus began, continuing to persuade Ophelia.

"She was the one who cruelly rejected me as her mother in the first place. Just because she knows she was wrong now, why should I forgive her?"

Having experienced her past life, her heart had grown utterly cold and filled with disappointment toward this daughter. This was no longer something she could forgive. If she forgave Amy, it would be a betrayal to her past self.

"If you insist on letting her stay, I have no objections. But don’t let Amy appear in front of me, or I will not hesitate to kick her out." Seeing that Laxus had never tried to understand her, Ophelia felt exhausted and could only lay out her stance. Allowing Amy to stay was already her greatest compromise.

"Alright then." Laxus left dejectedly.

Hiding behind the wooden partition, Amy heard their conversation crystal clear.

"Don’t cry, Amy. Your mother might not want you, but Grandma does." Rebecca gently coaxed the girl in a low voice and carried her away.

Meanwhile.

After Laxus left, Ophelia sat expressionlessly in her nest of grass. Her eyes were vacant, like a soulless ragdoll.

"Ophelia." Seeing her like this, Tyler’s heart ached. His voice pulled Ophelia’s thoughts back to reality.

Ophelia stared blankly at Tyler. "W-what is it?"

"Don’t be sad, Ophelia. I will always be with you."

Ophelia felt she had tried desperately to hide her sorrow, yet Tyler had seen right through it at a glance. She lowered her head, digging her fingernails into her palms.

A dark glint flashed across Tyler’s eyes as he knelt on one knee beside the grass nest. He gently advised her, "Princess, don’t be unhappy over unworthy people and unworthy things.

"Nothing in this vast world is more important than your happiness."

Hearing Tyler’s gentle voice, Ophelia’s emotions instantly crumbled. Tears fell silently as she spoke in a hoarse voice, "Why is it that just because someone apologizes and knows they’re wrong, they have to be forgiven?

"It’s as if I’m a sinner if I don’t forgive them. Am I really being too cruel?"

Ophelia was so heartbroken she was on the verge of a breakdown. She couldn’t understand why everyone was urging her to forgive Amy. Even her own mother and brother were doing it. Had they forgotten how Amy had hurt her? Was this world really a place where an apology meant mandatory forgiveness?

Seeing everyone condemn her cold-bloodedness, she began to doubt herself. Had she really done something wrong?

Seeing Ophelia cry, Tyler felt an intense ache in his chest. He gently wiped the tears from the little female’s cheeks with his rough fingertips, offering warm comfort.

"Princess, it’s not your fault. They just haven’t experienced it firsthand.

"They are only soft-hearted because Amy shares your blood, and they’re afraid you might regret it later."

Laxus and Rebecca might not understand the Princess, but he did. He had stayed by her side for the past four years, and he knew exactly how Amy had treated her. The ragdoll the Princess had painstakingly sewn was thrown away in disgust by Amy. The rice she had meticulously saved up was taken by Amy and given to Miche.

In Amy’s heart, the Princess wasn’t a mother at all; she was more like an enemy. If he had known Amy would break the Princess’s heart like this, he never would have agreed to let her give birth to the girl in the first place. His Princess shouldn’t be heartbroken over someone like that.

Tyler leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ophelia’s red, teary eyes.

"My Princess, don’t be sad. You still have me."