MY LITTLE PRINCESS

Mother

"How's your day, Little miss?" Lucy asked as she changed the girl into her sleeping attire.

"It is great! I can write better now and the teachers are all kind." Loralei answered as she remove strands of hair off on her face.

"Lucy, when will papa come back?" Lory asked hesitantly not looking directly at the maid.

"Soon, little miss, very soon." The girl just nodded as she climbed up her bed. When Lucy closed the door of her bathroom, the phone rang and she answered it before coming near Lory's bed.

"Do you miss your papa that much?" Lucy asked as she approaches the little girl.

"N-no! I am not a little girl. I am a gworn up lady now. I don't miss papa at all!" Loralei defended not minding that she spoke a word incorrectly.

"Oh... Is that so? What will I do now? You said that you don't miss master at all. Should I hung up the phone then?" Lucy acted as if she was so problematic while holding up the phone.

Lory's face lit up as she stood up on the bed and grabbed the phone from Lucy's hand then placed it on her ear.

"H-hello?" Lory spake after a few seconds of thinking.

"Good evening little girl. Are you behaving?" Albert asked when he heard the soft voice of the kid.

"Hm. I am studying hard also." She replied with a nod even though the man can't see it. Lucy, on the other hand, sat on the chair near Loralei's bed watching her as she talks happily with her father about the things that happened since he went away up to today. It's only been a few days, yet she got a lot of stories to tell.

"Papa?..." Lory suddenly said.

"Yes? What is it?" He replied.

"When are you coming back?"

"I thought you don't miss me? Why the sudden question?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"Ofcourse I miss you so much. I only said that because Lucy always say that I am so unlady-like when I want to see you." Lory answred with a pout as she look at Lucy sitting on the side.

"Now, that is not good. Telling the master about me is so unlady-like of you." Lucy said as she smirked at her.

"See! Lucy aaaalwaaays do that to me." Lory said to her father on the other line. He chuckled at how she tell things and she can even imagine her pouting face.

"I will come home as soon as I finish my work here and some other personal matters." Albert said when he remembered her question earlier.

"After your work? And another work? You have many works to do papa." Lory said in confusion.

"Yes. I have many works to do especially things for your mother." He nonchantly said but the other side suddenly became silent. After a few more second, commotions can be heard on the phone.

Albert didn't know what kind of scene was happening back home. As Lucy was watching the little miss, the girl suddenly turned quiet and pale with a frozen expression and trembling hands. Then all of a sudden, her tears starts to fall as she mutters words over and over again.

As the noise started to fade a bit, and Albert still trying to hear what was happening, he then hung up the phone and dialed again. This time, he wants to talk to the head maid.

"Tell me what was happening there. What's with all the commotion?" Albert asked in a cold and commanding tone. Lucy can't even remember when was the last time he used that kind of tone to her. He became a bit more gentler since the day he started to open up to the little miss, yet now, he is back there again, to his domineering self.

"Lady Loralei suddenly froze and started trembling as she cried and repeat the words 'I am so sorry, I will be a good girl, so please don't send me back.' Did you say something to her?" Lucy mustered up lots of courage to question her master. She cared for the little girl more than she cares about her employment.

"Are you telling me that it was my fault?!" Albert's shout can be heard out of the phone. Lucy just breathed deep and calm her nerves and pulse which is now beating so fast.

"That. Is not. What I meant. Sir." She replied with a trying-to-be-calm tone and then sighed.

"What I saw was definitely her trauma acting up, your grace. Have you said anything particular to her? Even a word can make a child tremble in fear when remembering some painful past." Lucy explained as she continue to caress the bump on the bed, the girl was hidding under the blanket still weeping and muttering the same words.

Then something struck Albert's mind. He said the word mother a while ago. Was that it? Just what kind of thing did that woman do to his child?

And then he realized something. He didn't spend much time with Loralei to explain the truth, they thought of two different person. Albert didn't had the time to state the fact about Loralei's mother, the biological one, and the woman who raised her, the one who abused the girl, were not the same.

Albert knew that he needs to wrap things up on his side so that he can go back home and explain everything to the child. Loralei needs to know how much her mother loves her and how beautiful her mother was.

"Take care of her there. I will come back as soon as I can. Please." Albert said in a calm tone. Lucy just said yes then hung up the phone and continue to hush the little girl, singing a lullaby to her until she fell asleep.