The Lost War Queen

A little girl with two braids ran into a kitchen excitedly with a much older girl following behind her with a basket of fruits. "Young Miss, please slow down!" the older girl shouted in a panic. "Don't try to control me, Jennifer! You're looking down on me." The little girl retorted. A young lady cutting vegetables turned to smile at the two girls. "Sapphy you should listen to Jennifer more. She's older than you and she's your nanny too." Sapphire climbed a stool near her mother and sat down to watch her. "I always listen to her that's why she's trying to control me now." She grumbled looking disgruntled. Jennifer walked into the kitchen and dropped the basket of fruits before proceeding to wash them. "She's not trying to control you, Sapphy. She's looking out for you." "I know, I know. I wish I could look out for her the way she looks out for me." She said and the two ladies exchanged a glance before chuckling. Sapphire's mother, whose name is Roseline, turned to pull Sapphire's chubby cheeks gently but playfully. "Ai, little Sapphire wants to look out for people now." She said and Jennifer giggled, earning a glare from Sapphire. "Mom!" She frowned and pushed Roseline's hand away. "Your hand is wet." She added, while rubbing her cheeks. "Mom." She called a while later. "Mm?" "Why do you look so happy today?" Hearing this question, Roseline's face went a little red. Seeing this, Jennifer chuckled and picked a napkin to dry her hands. "That's because Master is coming back soon." Jennifer said softly and Sapphire's eyes went perfectly round in excitement. "Father is coming back! When is he coming back?" She asked excitedly and Jennifer smiled. "Lady Rose received a letter a month ago so Master might return either today or tomorrow. " Sapphire was nearly bursting with excitement. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, she noticed her mother's red face and leaned closer with her hands on the sink. Her inky black eyes had a twinkle in them as she looked at her mother curiously. " Mother, why do you look so red? Is it because father is coming back? " She asked and Roseline gripped her knife tighter as the blush on her cheeks spread to her ears. " Look! Your ears are red too! Mom, you're turning into a tomato. Is it because you miss father a lot and you can't wait for him to come back? " She asked again and Jennifer stifled a laugh. " Yes. " Roseline managed to say as she put the vegetables into a bowl. She picked up an egg from a crate nearby and was about to break it into a plate when Sapphire's curious voice came again. "Why aren't my cheeks red too? I also miss father. Your cheeks and ears are so red but mine isn't red at all." She said as she looked into a bowl of clean water, using it as a mirror to check her cheeks. "Alright Young Miss, it's time to go. We're distracting your mom." Jennifer said and carried Sapphire. " Hey! Stop! Drop me down! I'm not a baby! I'm already six years old." She complained, earning a laugh from Jennifer. " I know, I know. Our Sapphire is now a big girl. " She said and walked out of the kitchen with an angry Sapphire struggling in her arms. "Drop me down!" Her yell echoed in the house as Jennifer forcefully carried her to the room. ................................................................... Jennifer slowly combed through Sapphire's soft hair with careful precision and the usually noisy Sapphire was quiet. After combing the hair, she made it into two pigtails. Sapphire took a look at it from the mirror and a very ugly frown appeared on her face. "It's this hairstyle again! I don't like it. I want it styled like a general. I want three diagonal cornrows then you pack it into a ponytail. " She jutted out her chin, looking unwilling. " Young Miss, this hairstyle is beautiful. It makes you look meek and cute. Your father will be happy to see you in this hairstyle. " Jennifer tried to coax her gently but her frown only deepened. " I'm not meek and I don't want to look cute. I want to look like a war general, strong, brave and confident. Where have you seen a war general in pigtails? " Hearing this question, Jennifer was speechless. " Young Miss, master is returning home after a long while outside. He has been on the battlefield for almost a year. Now he's returning, he'll be happy to meet a warm cozy home and a cute daughter. If you dress like a general, you'll remind him of the battlefield he just left behind. " " That's not true! I'm not dressing like a general. I just don't want this pigtails sandcastle girl look. It's just a simple ponytail. I was supposed to be a boy in the first place. I'm my father's heir. I'll need to be fierce later. If I keep looking cute, my father will think I'm not growing at all. If you like pigtails so much you can wear it yourself! I don't want it. " " Sapphire! " It was her mother's voice this time. Sapphire looked up at her frowning mother. It was unknown at what time she came. " I've said it before that you're not allowed to disrespect Jennifer! She's your elder and you should respect her as your elder sister. I see you're being pampered too much. Jennifer, if she's stubborn you scold or s***k her. You don't need to be so respectful to a child. " " Yes, Lady Rose. " Jennifer bowed slightly. Sapphire bit her quivering lip and bent her head. " I wasn't disrespecting her. " She whispered in a small voice but her mother had already left. She lifted her head and looked at Jennifer through the mirror. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. " Do what you want. I don't want the general's hairstyle anymore. Also, don't call me Young Miss in the future. My name is Sapphire Gunther. " She said expressionlessly. Jennifer sighed. " Young Miss, I know your name. I call you this because I'm willing to. Another thing is, regardless of how you look, your father definitely knows you're growing and he's happy too. Even if you're eighteen years old and you wear pigtails, it doesn't change the fact that you've grown. It won't change your father's opinion of you and it won't change mine either. In fact, it'll deceive people. " She said as she began to loose the pigtails. "I don't want to deceive people. But how will pigtails deceive people?" She asked curiously. "It's simple. It's like what you said earlier. You think your father will think you haven't grown up if you wear pigtails when in fact you've grown. If you wear pigtails at eighteen years, people will misunderstand you as a playful weak daughter. No one, even your enemies will guess that you're so fierce and powerful below your facade. It'll be useful in war." Jennifer replied as she started combing the hair again. " But it'll be hard to get the respect of the soldiers looking like that. I want to fight to the top. I don't want to use my father's reputation to do so. " " You don't need to use your father's reputation. They'll look down on you first. It's only normal for soldiers to do so because they're naturally proud. Only by defeating them with absolute strength and brute force can you establish your authority regardless of how you look. It'll teach them not to look down on you next time. " " You know so much. " Sapphire said softly. Jennifer finished braiding three straight cornrows in the middle of her head and packed the rest into a ponytail. Then she wore her a simple crown with a hairpin. " I'm after all the nanny and guardian of the next general and war lord of this empire. I need to know certain things. Do you like this hairstyle? " She asked as she looked into the mirror. Sapphire stared at it for a while before nodding. " I like it. " She replied and Jennifer turned her around to look at her " Actually, you being a girl is not a mistake. It's destiny. You will be one of the most powerful war lords in history. You were never supposed to be a boy and you're still your father's heir no matter your gender. Do you understand? " Jennifer asked gently and Sapphire nodded with a smile. Suddenly her eyes widened. " Father is here! " She shouted and ran outside. Jennifer sighed smiling and stood up. "Her bloodline concentration is so high. She can actually feel her father from so far away even without awakening the power in her bloodline."