"What do you mean by 'He escaped'?" A man roared as he glared at the servant whose back was bowed down with his head lowered.

The trembling shoulders indicated that he was frightened at what was about to happen to him for he had failed his duty of keeping watch.

The servant who was bowed had been so worried about his future that he had not observed the shuddering body of the man standing before him.

"Go back to your station and await your orders." The man commanded which was instantly followed but the servant.

Watching the back of the young servant boy who was fleeing, the man wiped the sweat on his brows as he turned around.

"I need to inform the King of this matter." He muttered to himself as he made his way out of the dark space he was inside until now.

After all, being the trusted steward of the King meant that he was in charge of keeping a track of all the happenings in the Palace and notify the King of the same.

Following the paths that he knew all too well, the steward made his way towards the place that King Ophire might be at his moment.

The large and beautiful garden filled with roses was the biggest indication that he had reached his destination, the Rose Palace.

The Rose Palace that was the residence of Princess Felicia was where the King could be found after his daily meetings with his noblemen.

The steward clenched and unclenched his fists as he made his way to the pavilion at the far end of the Palace garden, a common lounging area for the King when he came over to visit his daughter.

The soft giggle he could hear as he got closer to their location made him tremble as he feared what might happen once King Ophire was made aware of the bad news.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Her Highness." He greeted while bowing his head in reverence to the Royalty.

King Ophire turned to the side and glanced at the man, his steward who had come over and disturbed him during his alone time with his precious daughter.

The view of the father and daughter sitting next to each other as they munched on freshly baked cookies gave off the ambiance of any parent and child spending some leisure time with each other.

However, neither were they a pair of normal parent and child nor did they have the luxury of having leisure time.

Being the monarch of the land, he had large amounts of responsibilities that he willingly carried on his shoulders while his child, the Princess of the land did the same.

Though they were busy with their busy schedules, they always made time for each other.

This was especially true for the King as he was bearing both the responsibilities of both the father and the mother.

'She refused to come over when I had sent a messenger to our Palace.' King Ophire Rosenhyde sighed when he recalled the reply he received from his Queen.

The King loved his wife dearly but the frigid attitude she displayed towards their daughter had always been a thorn in his heart.

No matter what he said, it could never change the cold behavior she had whenever their Princess was mentioned.

Thus he had determined to give this little doll of his, all the love in his heart to make up for what his Queen couldn't offer.

The little girl beside him looked up and smiled at him as though she could discern what he was thinking about.

"I'm alright, Father." She whispered while putting on a brave smile but anyone with eyes could make out that her smile was not one from the heart.

Ophire raised his hand and ruffled her golden locks which made her let out a soft giggle that touched his heart.

Being a member of the Rosenhyde Royal family, Princess Felicia Rosenhyde possessed the same traits as those of the same family did.

The glossy blonde hair, those sparkling blue eyes and mesmerizing features found in all the Rosenhyde family members were clearly visible in her as well.

Princess Felicia held her father's hand and pouted when she noticed that he had just messed her hair up.

"Father, Felly is not a child any longer! Felly is about to become six years old soon!" She grumbled while trying to adjust the strands that had been displaced.

King Ophire chuckled out loud and nodded at his lovely child who was pouting in return.

"Father will make sure to let the entire Kingdom know that their adorable Princess turns six this year." He declared and smiled upon noticing the shy smile that had appeared on her face.

Felicia giggled and hugged her father's arm when she heard the pleasant news that he had revealed to her.

A child who lacked the love and care from her parents would certainly try to find it by other means, this was why Felicia loved it when she was placed at the center of attention wherever she went.

What other occasion than her birthday to be the center of everyone's well wishes and love?

Thus she was immensely pleased with what she had just heard as she knew that her father would never go back on his words.

The steward who had stayed with his head lowered never complained or groaned due to the pain for even a single second as he did not wish to interrupt this touching scene.

Felicia tugged at her father's arm and signaled towards the steward to remind the King of his presence.

Only then did King Ophire realize that he had forgotten to give the seward permission to rise up.

"Speak." He ordered and at once the steward stood straight.

However, he did not answer the King but instead, he glanced at the child next to the King before turning his gaze back to his Master.

Upon noticing the hesitation clearly written on his face, Ophire frowned since there were only a few matters that should not be mentioned in the presence of the children.

Felicia shook her head and rose from her seat while picking up a few cookies in her greedy hands.

"I have to get back to my home assignments given by the Royal Tutor." She explained and smiled at the man who had the same hair and eyes as her.

Ophire knew that his daughter was smart enough to realize what was going on and had offered to leave before she was asked to.

"Study well, Felly." He reminded her before she left the pavilion.

As he watched the child munch on the cookies as she walked away, the steward was preparing his nerves to face the wrath of the King.

Once he was sure that the Princess could not hear their words, the steward bowed once again before delivering the news for which he had come here.

"The tribute that was sent from the neighboring country has been missing since early this morning." He disclosed the bad news he was informed about by the servant from earlier.

The next moment, the steward felt as though the oxygen in his lungs had been punched out when he noticed the glare from his master, King Ophire Rosenhyde.