Finally seeing her mother alive before her, the girl was moved to tears. But that wasn't the main point right now. The key was to find out why her father and brother had fallen out.
Suddenly, she heard her parents arguing. Her mother was questioning why her father had betrayed her while she was pregnant. Her father didn't explain, only apologized over and over. In the end, things escalated to the point of divorce, and her brother heard all of this clearly from outside the door.
Just as the girl reached this point, her consciousness was suddenly yanked back into the real world by her brother.
"Sister, are you okay? You just zoned out and didn't answer me. You scared me to death. Are you hurt somewhere? Did father say something to you after I left?"
The girl quickly smoothed things over. "Of course not. I'm just a little tired."
Hearing that, her brother grew even more anxious. "Right. Your illness has only just cleared up. Maybe this is too much for you. If you're having a hard time, you have to tell me right away, because you're the sister I treasure most."
The girl nodded again and again at his words. Even so, when it came to rumours about their father, her brother definitely wouldn't tell her more. So she could only go to their father herself, planning to use mind reading to get to the truth.
But when she tried to activate the skill on her father, she got a skill error prompt instead. After several errors in a row, just as the girl was about to assume that damn system was acting up again, another window popped open. On it were her father's inner thoughts. He was silently praising how adorable she was.
It seemed that she couldn't see the deepest memories in her father's heart with this skill, but she could hear his thoughts. Even just from those thoughts, it was enough to confirm that her father still loved the two of them.
So the girl immediately started acting spoiled with her father. She even climbed right into his arms of her own accord. Seeing how cute she was, her father couldn't help but reach out and pat her head. Feeling that gentle warmth from him, the girl became certain that her brother must be mistaken. After all, how could a father who loved them like this do something so awful?
She looked at her father very earnestly. "Daddy, I know it was actually you who saved me and brother, because you love us very, very much."
Her father flinched at those words, clearly not expecting her to suddenly say that. The tips of his ears flushed red. Her mother had once said that whenever her father got embarrassed, the tips of his ears would turn red. It seemed she'd guessed right, but her father seemed to have some burden he couldn't speak of, mumbling that he wasn't worthy of loving them.
Just as the girl was puzzling over this, Uncle Yuming suddenly arrived to make his report. As soon as he saw the girl there too, he was instantly overjoyed. He immediately wanted to rush over and scoop her up. But the girl, annoyed at having their conversation interrupted, wanted nothing to do with him. This made Uncle Yuming terribly dejected. He had even shaved his beard clean especially for her.
His clingy, overdramatic behaviour also greatly annoyed her father. "Don't go blaming this on the princess. It was clearly you who wanted to shave."
Seeing father and daughter so united against him, Uncle Yuming burst into loud, theatrical sobs on the spot. The girl was speechless at his over-the-top performance. So she simply went back to clinging to her father instead.
But when her father saw her acting so sweet, his face only grew more desolate. "Don't you hate me? It's my fault you two lost your mother at such a young age."
Her father confessed to the girl that he was a sinner. That because of him, they had lost their mother so early. And deep down, he believed that someone like him had no right to be near them.
Hearing the thoughts in her father's heart, the girl burst into tears. "So that's why you've always treated us like that. That's awful, when you never really hated us at all."
Seeing her crying harder and harder, her father hurried to pick her up and soothe her, but her tears only flowed more fiercely. "I really love playing with daddy, but I hate the you who pretends to hate us. We finally got to meet each other again after all."
Her father's death in their previous life had been a devastating blow to their whole family. They had forced themselves to endure the grief and held a funeral without even a body. So in this life, when they met again, the girl had been unable to contain her excitement. Yet her father had always treated her so coldly. It hurt her too much.
Seeing her like that, he pulled her tightly into his arms, not knowing how to comfort his sobbing little daughter. Hearing her cry so heartbreakingly, he couldn't help the tears that welled up in his own eyes. He could only say I'm sorry to her over and over.
Just then, the system's long absent notification sounded. Mission win over dad complete. New branch mission unlocked. Become close with dad.
On the other side, after learning that the three of them had argued, Lady Nice hurried over to sow discord with her brother. Now was the perfect time to drive a wedge between them. When she reached the door, she suddenly heard her brother telling Lieutenant General Bush to leave.
Even though Lieutenant General Bush kept saying he had been sent by their father to protect him, her brother simply refused to believe it. After all these years of being ignored, plus what had happened with their mother, he had long since given up on their father. Now he only wanted Lieutenant General Bush to get out as quickly as possible.
Eavesdropping on this, Lady Nice found it hilarious. Their father sending Lieutenant General Bush over was basically his way of acknowledging her brother as heir. Yet that foolish boy was driving him away. This situation was perfect for her. So she shoved the door open and told Lieutenant General Bush to take the hint and leave.
"Clinging on like this. Are you planning to rebel or what?"
Her brother quickly noticed the clothing she was wearing, which had originally belonged to their mother. In the next instant, magic began swirling around him. He then fiercely demanded to know why Lady Nice was wearing their mother's clothes, and told her to think carefully before she spoke, or he didn't know what he might do to a thief who had stolen his mother's belongings.
Hearing that, Lady Nice went pale with fright. She dropped to her knees and begged for mercy. "You're mistaken, Your Highness. Her Majesty the queen gave this to me. She gave it to me as her final gift."
Only after that answer did her brother calm down, and he told the two of them to get out. But to his surprise, Lady Nice refused to leave. She thought he was just an easy to fool child.
"Your Highness, Her Majesty earnestly entrusted you to me. She begged me to take good care of you."
Her brother froze at that. "Not my sister too, only me?"
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Lady Nice beamed. "Of course. Her Majesty loved only you. From now on, I will love and protect you in her place. I'll do a better job than His Majesty the king ever did."
She had barely finished when her brother shoved her away. "You liar. How dare you say that mother didn't love my sister? And how dare you use her to tell your lies? I don't need anyone else to take care of me. Just having my sister is enough."
No sooner had he said that than he saw the girl standing in the doorway, secretly laughing at him.