Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 billion people

Chapter 8: The Serf's Daughter

He is just an ordinary one in 1.4 billion, with an identity that sounds impressive, but in fact he is a social marginalized person with nothing in this new world.

His country does not exist on this continent, nor even among the stars here.

Perhaps it would be possible to fool the villagers of Fruit Basket Village who had never left the village, but facing a knowledgeable lord like Viscount Hughes, it would probably be easily exposed!
By then, he would have implicated Anlia and the others and caused them to be punished by the angry lord.

Thinking of this, Xia Mingyu made a decision in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Anlia."

He said calmly, then ignored the blonde girl with a pleading look on her face and went straight back into the room.

Don’t agree to something that you can’t do from the beginning. Otherwise, it will only cause the person you are promising to misjudge and make things worse than failure.

In a wooden house built with logs and thatch on the edge of the village.

"Really? His Highness refused!"

After hearing his daughter's answer, Robert, the village chief, seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground.

"Father, father!"

Seeing this, Anlia hurriedly helped him to a chair and quickly brought him a bowl of water.

"Are you okay?"

The girl looked worriedly at her adoptive father, whose face was still as pale as paper after drinking the water, and tears flickered faintly in her blue eyes.

"I'm fine. It's just an old problem. I get headaches when I get nervous. I'll be fine after a rest."

Robert let out a long breath and soothed with a smile.

But his weak voice and bloodshot eyes showed that he was just holding on.

Anlia was silent. She did not expose her adoptive father's lies, but she felt even more guilty.

Her adoptive father was in good health at first, otherwise he would not have become the village chief.

When she was six years old, she climbed to the highest point of the orchard out of play. As a result, she couldn't get down and cried loudly. In order to save her, her adoptive father accidentally fell from a height and broke his head. From then on, her health deteriorated, and she would suffer from splitting headaches whenever the weather was bad.

"I'm sorry, father. If I hadn't been a burden to you, you would be much happier than you are now!"

Unable to bear the inner torture, Anlia knelt on the ground. Her eyes and nose gradually turned red, warm tears moistened her cheeks, and her voice became choked.

"Get up, my daughter. You have never been a burden to me, but a gift from God to me."

"You never owe me anything. Instead, I should thank you. It is because you bring me those beautiful memories that seem to have happened yesterday that my life is complete."

Robert bent down and gently stroked the girl's silky blonde hair, his weathered face full of kindness.

"But...but I failed to live up to your expectations and failed to impress His Highness."

Anlia raised her tearful face, her beautiful blue eyes full of self-blame.

"This is obviously a trivial matter to His Highness, but he still..."

"Enough, Anlia!" The adoptive father, who had been kind just now, suddenly said sternly with a serious expression.

The girl was so frightened by this scene that she was at a loss as to what to do.

"We can't resent others for not helping us."

"After all, no one owes us anything."

"Even if we have lent a helping hand, it was out of kindness, not for any reward."

"God will judge everything."

Robert said in a deep voice. He didn't want his daughter to be a narrow-minded person, because he was a serf with nothing, and kindness was the greatest wealth he left to his daughter.

"I will remember your teachings, Father."

Anlia wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hands, and her delicate face, like a flower bud, gradually became firm.

"But no matter what, no matter what means, I will never watch you become slaves to be bullied at will."

Anlia said firmly.

"You are right. We shouldn't force His Highness to lend us a helping hand. Therefore, I will offer him a gift he cannot refuse."

Anlia bit her lip, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.

But her hands were unconsciously crossed in front of her, and her fingers gently twisted the corners of her clothes, revealing her inner panic and anxiety.

No one knows a son better than his father. Seeing the girl's appearance, Robert instantly guessed what his daughter, who was much more beautiful than a noble lady, was going to do.

“No, no.”

"Father, this is my own choice!"

Robert wanted to stop her, but Anlia shook her head vigorously.

He opened his mouth, wanting to stop it angrily like a good father, but when he thought of the faces of those who trusted him, his lips moved but no sound came out.

In the end, Robert could only let out a long sigh, a sigh so heavy that it seemed to contain all his helplessness.

"My daughter, I'm sorry that your father is just a humble serf." Robert lowered his head, his face full of guilt.

"But I am honored to be the daughter of a serf." Anlia said calmly.

Robert's body trembled when he heard this. He tried hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out of his eyes and turned back to the room.

As a father, it would be ridiculous to cry in front of your children.

After a moment, he calmed down and came out holding an old but clean wooden box without a trace of dust, and handed it to Anlia.

"Open it and take a look." Robert said in a deep voice.

The girl opened the wooden box with a hint of curiosity, and inside was a folded blue dress.

Anlia's expression suddenly became extremely surprised.

"Do you remember it? When you were thirteen, a traveling merchant came to the village. You immediately fell in love with it among the goods he showed you. You cried and made a fuss, even going on a hunger strike, trying to get me to buy it."

"You said that if you lost it, you would have no dreams in your life. You said this was the only time in your life that you would be willful. The village has a bumper harvest this year, and I have the ability to buy it for you." Robert said lightly.

"But father, didn't you firmly reject me back then? Even when I went on a hunger strike until I fainted." The girl looked at her adoptive father with puzzled eyes.

"I rejected you because I am just a serf. As a child, you will encounter more things you want in the future, but I can't do anything about it, so I rejected your willfulness."

"And I keep it because, though I am only a serf, I still love you."

Robert smiled kindly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to relax with this warm smile.

This scene made Anlia's eyes sore.

"I wanted to save it for your wedding as a surprise, but now, it's obvious that you need it more."

"My daughter, even at the ugliest moments in your life, you must maintain your humility, kindness, and... a little bit of beauty."

"Go, and charm that noble prince, just as the bards sang!"

Robert pretended to be nonchalant, but tears kept flowing.

(End of this chapter)