Li Jie accepted the miniature masterpiece, gently turning it in his hands. His young eyes filled with wonder at the intricacies before him—a toy unlike any he had encountered in his brief years.
This revelation carried a whisper of familiarity. Merely a day past, during the Huang family’s formal invitation to the imperial palace, Li Jie’s gaze had brushed against a similar delight. At the time, he surmised it belonged to the children of one of the maids, for he hadn’t crossed paths with any children of his age within the Huang estate.
Now, as he found the butterfly-shaped wonder nestled in his garden, devoid of any child’s laughter or the presence of Huang household maids, perplexity danced in his innocent gaze.
Li Jie launched the enchanting toy into the air, envisaging its flight with the certainty only a child’s imagination could bring. The butterfly danced momentarily before returning to the earth, and a furtive grin stole across the prince’s visage.
However, a pang of guilt lingered. The toy was not rightfully his to enjoy, and the awareness of this transgression cast a shadow upon his cherubic countenance. Nevertheless, the allure proved too potent for the young prince to relinquish, and the stolen joy continued to be cradled in his small hands.
Yet, amidst the thrill, a veil of melancholy settled over Li Jie. The stark reality of his solitude, devoid of playmates, colored his expression. The one toy that had captured his heart wasn’t his to keep, accentuating the poignant isolation that enveloped the six-year-old.
With a sigh heavy with the weight of innocence, Li Jie clutched the butterfly toy, contemplating a world where possessions were fleeting and companionship scarce.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Isn’t the prince a bit too spoiled?” one had jestingly remarked, laughter trailing her words. “I mean, who’s ever heard of a six-year-old having so many things?”
The second maid, sensing the potential cruelty in their exchange, had hesitated before responding, “I don’t think he has that many, really…”
A stern rebuke from the first maid had cut through, “He’s a prince, for heaven’s sake! Princes have everything. I bet even the emperor will tire of fulfilling his constant requests.”
In truth, Li Jie had never been one to burden his father with extravagant demands, reserving his desires for the essential or the profoundly cherished, like the cherry blossom tree that graced his garden.
But those careless words, overheard in a moment of vulnerability, planted seeds of doubt in the young prince’s heart. A sudden reluctance to approach his father for even the simplest joys took root—a hesitance born of the fear that his innocent requests might indeed be perceived as excessive.
And so, with a heavy heart and the weight of unspoken words, Li Jie refrained from seeking solace in his father’s ability to mend his solitude, even for the smallest pleasure that now captivated his lonely heart.
Summoning courage tinged with embarrassment, Li Jie approached a maid, cheeks ablaze with youthful bashfulness.
“Excuse me, miss…?” he stammered, seeking guidance.
The maid, gracious in demeanor, met his gaze with a warm smile. “Your Highness?”
Li Jie presented the toy with a tentative gesture, his humility apparent. “I’m uncertain of the owner of this toy, and… I don’t wish to possess something that isn’t rightfully mine… Could you…?”
The maid, discerning the genuine concern etched on the little prince’s face, accepted the toy with a reassuring smile. “Fear not, Your Highness. I shall attend to this matter.”
Li Jie’s countenance lit up in gratitude. “Thank you!”
With that, he hastened away, a subtle blush hinting at his vulnerability—a trait he wished to conceal, having learned that both changing color and stuttering were perceived as signs of fragility.
As the vignette played out before her, the maid adorned her features with a contented smile, basking in the delicate interplay of innocence and responsibility. However, her intentions to address the prince’s inquiry were momentarily paused by the arrival of another figure—an additional young lad, whose demeanor exuded an unexpected blend of maturity that, rather than casting him as a miniature adult, merely rendered him a charming semblance of a little man.
“Young Master Huang?” The maid extended a gesture of acknowledgment, her demeanor exuding a profound respect. “What brings you to this place?”
The boy, despite his mere eight years, radiated a demeanor of unyielding determination. “That toy belonged to me. Return it to the prince and convey that it is a gift from an anonymous benefactor,” he declared with a composure beyond his tender age, leaving the instruction hanging in the air.
With a sense of purpose, he strode away, his departure marked by a peculiar, duck-like walking posture that elicited a fond chuckle from the observing maid.
Whether adorned with nobility or rooted in commonality, a child, at its core, remains unequivocally and simply a child.
