A young girl sat in the middle of a lavish restaurant. The child's dress matches the surrounding mood, red and blooming like a rose, a luxurious dress with a tint of purple.

The girl's entire set was clearly styled by someone who understood royalty rules and how to take care of a princess with long white hair, who was now busy savouring her steak.

There were already a dozen plates piled up on the young girl's table, but that wasn't the reason everyone either stared at or stayed away from the centre of the restaurant.

There was another reason in their mouth that they dare not say lest they invite disaster. In the end, all the other guests could do was allowing the girl to continue gobbling up her food.

When finished, the girl's tiny hands put the plate she had licked cleanly onto the pile of dishes on her table. Then, the girl's two red eyes roamed the restaurant, searching for her assigned waiter.

Everyone was shaking under the girl's gaze, but she didn't care for them. She just wanted to continue eating. Luckily, "Lucy!" Her father came back.

The big, bare-chested man broke through the restaurant door violently with a big smile on a face that caught everyone's attention, including Lucy, who now jumped down from her chair.

Lucy's eyes shone with joy, "Papa!" Lucy replied and ran over to the man with her little legs.

The man greeted with open arms as he grabbed and lifted Lucy as soon as the young girl reached his large, rough, and scarred hand.

He pulled Lucy closer to a comfortable cradle, "How's the food, honey? Is it good?" And asked her a simple question.

"Hm!" Lucy nodded with a sweet smile.

"Nobody bothered Lucy, right?" The man asked sweetly without looking at the young girl. His eyes were busy throwing hate and accusation to the whole restaurant, who was petrified under his gaze.

Fortunately, Lucy shook her head. Instantly, the threatening aura disappeared from the man. He then walked towards Lucy's table with the young girl in his arms, smiling and hugging him.

He snapped his fingers, summoning the waiter who had been serving Lucy to come, something the waiter did with a little trembling. "How much is all of them, my friend?" The man asked in a friendly manner.

However, "Uh ...." It didn't help the waiter, "It's... it's free ...."

Hearing the waiter answer, "Oh, come on!" The man's voice rose, "I don't know why all of you are doing this to me." Everyone froze under his gaze once again.

"I want to pay." The man emphasized, "So tell me the price, friend." As he bent down so he can meet the eyes of the cowering waiter.

Finally, "Six ... sixteen pieces of gold, Si ... sir ..." The waiter answered in a doubtful and questioning tone, not knowing the name of the famous man.

Realizing this, "George, my friend." George held out his free hand with a more genuine smile, "George Mayn."

Doesn't want to insult the muscular man, the waiter accepted, "I am ... Eros." And replied, widening George's smile.

"Nice to know you, Eros." Said George, who finally let go of the waiter's hand, "So how much was that?" Moving the topic to the business at hand, "Sixteen gold coins?"

The waiter nodded.

George reached behind him and fetched the gold pouch that he hung around his waist.

He pulled the bag forward, then dropped it on the table, making the piled-up plates there jump and fall to the floor of the restaurant.

They crack, tear, and break. Inviting laughter and applauds from Lucy that George watched lovingly.

Seeing such strange acts, no one dares to move or make a sound even after the crashing stops, "Ah, and of course." Forcing George to also breaks the silence as he continued, "Take charge of the plates too, Eros." Finally stopped playing with his beloved daughter.

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Eros nodded, took out thirty gold pieces from the pouch that he carefully opened, then closed it back with the same care.

George, who watched the waiter's every move, "You done?" Asked as the waitress had just finished wrapping the pouch back.

Surprised, the waiter jumped, dropping most of the coins he had picked up.

However, the waiter knew which was more important than picking up the gold coins from the floor, so he nodded politely, answering George's question.

Seeing this, George returned the gold pouch to his waist, "Thank you." And finally walked out of the restaurant with the princess, freeing everyone from the burden of his presence.

Outside, the sea of people split open, allowing George and Lucy to pass without much trouble jostling with other people.

George and Lucy chatted on a small scale along the way to the inn, with Lucy sometimes questioning boring things and George responding excitedly.

Until, "How long has it been since we last got to the capital, Lucy?" Their topic arrived at the thing Lucy had been waiting to hear from her father.

"It's been so long ..." Lucy replied with a tinge of melancholy, a little acting she taught herself.

"Tired of seeing villages and small towns, huh, honey?"

"Mhm ..." Lucy nodded sadly.

"Amazing!" George smiled, stopped, and shouted, "Three days from here is the capital of a small country that Papa heard has a tough military culture." Freezing the parting human sea, "Do you want to go?"

Lucy could not hide her joy. She nodded as hard and as fast as she could so that her father knew very well that she really wanted to go.

"Papa gets it, bunny." George slowly lowered the now confused Lucy, "But that means Lucy has to walk now." Continued George, who now put Lucy gently on the ground.

"Eh ... why!?" Lucy protested, jumping up and down with her hands in the air, asking to be picked up again.

"You're going around the capital city looking for the best steakhouse, right?"

Lucy nodded.

"Then Lucy's feet must be healthy." George continued, "Besides, Papa's friend said, rarely walking will cause Lucy's legs to become unusable." Threatening Lucy, "Do Lucy want that?"

Answering him, "Uuuu ...." Lucy whispered, "... as long as Papa is there ...."

George caught the whispers. He raises his voice, "Lucy." Forcing Lucy to finally shake her head.

George smiled understandingly at the behaviour of Lucy, who bowed her head sadly. The man then lowered his head down to be equal to the daughter he loved.

He placed his big, rough, and scarred hand as gentle as possible on his daughter's head, then he began to carefully stroke the child's white hair.

"How about this, Lucy." George softened his voice, "You're walking today, and tomorrow ..." As he persuades Lucy, "We're leaving, and Daddy will take us to the capital in a day?" Giving her an offer.

An offer that Lucy couldn't refuse.

The opportunity to quickly get to another steakhouse was something Lucy would take without much thought.

The young girl nodded without hesitation in her eyes, inviting George's laughter which surprised everyone who was watching them.

But George didn't care, he offered his big index finger to his daughter, and Lucy accepted with a big smile.

The two of them then walked, letting the human sea that parted for them slowly unite when they finally reached the inn where they would sleep today.

They were the first to arrive before dusk arrived. This allows the two to walk into their room without any hassles. Enabling George's mind to easily slip into a problem that's been there since the first time he took Lucy from Hell.

As usual, no one knows anyone who can treat Lucy's disease. A bad sign, seeing how George felt his daughter's heat was rising again from the grasp of the girl's hand.

Of course, he wouldn't say that to his daughter. He won't be the bearer of bad news and never will be.

What George will bring home to his cute sleepy daughter is a delight that not even Heaven can offer.

Because that's what he promised the girl in his heart.

Perhaps that's why George didn't turn down most of the girl's stupid requests, including to be told sleep stories, sung about, and even cuddled to sleep.

The big man watched closely the expression of his adopted daughter, so peaceful and innocent the face, that George could only remain silent so as not to wake Lucy.

He stroked his daughter's long white hair lightly, trying to take the girl he wanted to see as an adult deeper into her dream.

Peaceful nights like this always reminded him of the first time they met. Two desperate people who find a home with each other manage and create a much closer relationship than some families' blood ties.

There had been so many places they had visited together, so many sights that the two had seen for themselves.

Each of these experiences warmed George's heart, made him want to give even more to this angel who had been kicked down from Heaven.

That's why George had to hurry. He had to find what he had been looking for a long time before the girl's body was scorched by the intense heat of the simple fact that she was too bright for her own good.

Accompanied by thoughts like that, George sometimes wishes that his daughter was normal, to not have a curse that kills and hurts her slowly.

But in the end, George always realized that it was a wrong wish to ask for.

After all, it wasn't his daughter's fault that she was saddled with a curse that made her so different from other little girls on the continent.

To discriminate and treat them like monsters just because they are a little different is society's fault and ....

"Papa ..." George's train of thought was broken by his daughter's calls and change of expression.

"Papa's here, honey." George whispered softly, "Papa's here ...." Hugged his daughter tighter, "... here ..." And fell asleep with her.

George opened his eyes, woke up worried that he was too late, but then realized that the sun had just arrived, and his daughter was still asleep as usual.

"Lucy." Knowing full well that they had to leave early in the morning to get there before dusk came, "Honey." George began whispering into his daughter's ear as she lightly protests.

"It's time to go, honey." George stroked the girl's hair, "Come on, beefsteak wait for nobody."