How dare you bully the female lead

Chapter 12

As I came out, Satin was still standing in front of the door with that same suffering look on her face. I just ignored her and asked the guards to take me to Lichen and Karlene ignoring the Empress royally. I finally managed to join the tea party and told the guards not to let anyone in. It was nice seeing that I still had influence after five years and they just nodded before guarding the door. At first I didn't talk about the important topic. I sat down in front of Lichen and started by smiling:

"I am so sorry I am late. I hope you didn't wait too long for me."

Lichen quickly shook her head:

"It's okay.

-You are so nice. Thank you for being understanding. I promise I won't be late again.

-It's okay.

-You are really so cute. Pink suits you perfectly."

She started blushing.

"You are more... Prettier."

She spoke very low and I had to focus to hear her:

"Do you think I am pretty?"

She quickly nodded:

"Thank you so much. I am very touched by your compliment. Was it nice talking to Karlene while I was away?"

Lichen nodded vigorously:

"Yes. She is very nice to me.

-I am glad to hear that. Karlene is my best friend. I really love her. She is very nice. Did you know that she is a doctor?"

She shook her head.

"She is a very smart lady and if you are ever hurting somewhere, you could talk to her about it. She was always there for me when I needed help."

Lichen didn't say dare anything so I grabbed her cup and filled it with warm water:

"What kind of tea do you like, darling?

-I... I don't know."

I could see her face crumble and she started shaking.

"There are a lot of flavors to choose from, right? I always have a hard time when I haven't tried any yet."

Lichen started calming down and she looked up to me with big curious eyes:

"Look, this box contains red fruit flavored tea herbs. It is a very good one. My son's favorite. He must be around the same age as you. Maybe you would like it too. On the other hand, my favorite is this one: it's a lemon flavored one. You could even try both if you want. You don't have to necessarily choose. There is no pressure."

Lichen started twisting her dress and I could see her look at the two boxes one after the other.

"Your favorite one.

-Do you want to try my favorite flavor?"

She quickly nodded and I served her the lemon tea with a smile:

"I really love lemon. It is my favorite fruit. What is yours?

-I..."

She started frowning but I waited for her to finish her sentence not rushing her:

"I like cherries.

-Cherries are very tasty indeed. Karlene likes them a lot too."

The latter nodded:

"I only eat cherry flavored candies. Do you want one? I always have some in my pockets."

We continued talking with Lichen for long minutes and I could feel that she was finally opening up to us so I tried getting to the point:

"Do you know who I am, Lichen?"

She nodded.

"Really?

-You are my fairy godmother."

I couldn't help laughing and Lichen immediately went red trying to disappear in her chair:

"I am not making fun of you, darling. I am laughing because I am happy. You made me happy because you are so cute. I am some kind of a fairy godmother but I am even better than that. I am your aunt."

She opened curious eyes again and stared at me shyly.

"I am your mother's sister, Nebula. If you want you can call me aunt. You and I are from the same family, sweety."

Lichen seemed really happy about this and seeing her smile made my heart explode. She was so cute!

"Really?

-Yes.

-A... A-aunt."

She smiled and it was so bright that I thought I would go blind:

"Aunty.

-Yes, darling. That's me. I will always be here for you. I am so sorry that it took me this long to come here."

The next second Lichen started crying and I looked at Karlene panicked. What did I do? Did I say something wrong?

"What are you feeling darling? Why are you crying?

-Happy. I-I am crying because I a-am happy."

I thought I was going to cry too. This tiny child was this happy to have a family. I was going to kill anyone who hurt her.

"I am very happy too, darling. Anyone would want such a cute niece like you."

Lichen finally stopped crying and I fed her before saying:

"Do you want to go back to your mom?"

Lichen immediately froze and started fidgeting.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to ever see her again. We will do whatever you want."

She looked up to me with teary eyes:

"Really?

-Yes. You just have to say the word and I won't let her approach you ever again. I will protect you from scary people."

Karlene slowly nodded:

"Nebula is the best swordswomen of the Empire. You don't have to be scared anymore. She will protect you against any monsters."

I wasn't exactly the best but a child didn't have to know that. I couldn't deny that I was good and I even spent the last 5 years perfecting my technique with Persimmon. I could protect her. Hearing Karlene, Lichen went back to crying but this time there was something desperate about her screams:

"I don't want to die."

I froze.

"May I hug you?"

Lichen nodded and I pulled her against my chest. The little girl curled up against me and grabbed my clothes with all her might. She was clinging to me and I couldn't put her down for half an hour. I just rubbed her head and comforted her slowly:

"I won't let anyone hurt you. I am here now. You will be safe I promise. Do you want me to take you away from here?"

Lichen shook her head:

"Do you want to stay here?"

She nodded:

"E-e-empress. I-I don't want to leave the E-empress."

I promised not to take her away from Satin and soon after, Lichen fell asleep. I didn't understand why she wanted to stay close to a person who called her "that thing" but I couldn't go against her will. I had to listen to her. With Karlene we took Lichen to her bed and stayed by her side to make sure she would sleep well. Looking at the tiny child, Karlene signed:

"What has she gone through?

-I don't know... But I am going to kill my sister."

Karlene who was usually a pacifist didn't say anything. Even a blind person would notice that Lichen was terrified of Imeena. I wasn't going to let her take this child. Having decided this, I left Lichen with Karlene to go back to my sister's room but as I arrived, I saw Satin and five guards in front of the door. Hearing me come, they turned around and I could see how troubled Satin was. I walked up to her and asked:

"What happened?

-Imeena is gone."