Leg Massage and Seeking Mother’s Praise

Now that she had a lead, Sweet Dumpling had no trouble tracking down Prince Nolan and Serena. While the couple were out enjoying a mountain getaway, Sweet Dumpling leapt into their carriage and launched herself straight into her parents’ arms...

“Dad, Mom, I missed you so much!” Before Prince Nolan or Serena could say a word, Sweet Dumpling had already wedged herself between them, planting a big kiss on each of their cheeks and leaving both their faces smeared with drool.

There’s nothing cuter than a little kid. If it were her big brother, no way would he dare try something like this. Sweet Dumpling was smug, shaking her head in triumph—until, in the very next second, her excitement fizzled. Her dad was getting annoyed...

“You—get down!”

Prince Nolan’s face darkened. Even for his most beloved daughter, he simply couldn’t tolerate someone drooling all over him.

No one but Serena was ever allowed to slobber on his face—not even his own daughter.

“Dad...” Sweet Dumpling’s eyes welled up, her voice trembling. “Daddy, don’t you love me anymore?” She clung to Prince Nolan’s sleeve, looking for all the world like a little puppy about to be abandoned.

“Daddy, are you mad at me? Don’t you like me anymore?” Sweet Dumpling wasn’t scared—just a little girl with a wounded heart.

Sniffle, sniffle... Daddy hadn’t seen her in ages, and he didn’t even miss her a little bit? That was just too mean.

Sweet Dumpling sat in the middle, her chubby little legs dangling and swinging back and forth, her face scrunched up in an exaggerated pout. It was almost funny—if it weren’t so pitiful.

At that moment, only Serena seemed to appreciate just how cute her daughter really was.

Prince Nolan wiped his face clean with a handkerchief before finally turning to look at his daughter. But the memory of that drool still lingered, so his tone was hardly gentle: “What are you doing here?”

He hadn’t gotten any advance notice, nor had anyone told him Sweet Dumpling would be coming. The interruption annoyed him.

They were about to head back to the Capital, and who knew when they’d get another chance to sneak away together? The last thing Prince Nolan wanted was for his daughter to barge in and ruin his rare alone time with Serena.

Sweet Dumpling’s little heart took another hit. “Daddy, you really don’t love me anymore.” She’d come all this way, and he still acted like she was a bother. How was that fair?

“If I didn’t love you, I’d have sent you packing already.” Prince Nolan grumbled, scooping Sweet Dumpling up and dropping her into his lap.

Curled up in her dad’s arms, Sweet Dumpling’s confidence finally started to come back. At least...

At least she hadn’t reached the point where even her dad wanted to throw her out—like some stray puppy. Wait, no, not a puppy... her dad!

As soon as her dad relented, Sweet Dumpling seized the chance to butter him up. “Daddy, I missed you and Mom so much. I couldn’t even sleep at night—I kept waking up thinking about you.”

“Is that so?” Prince Nolan clearly didn’t buy it. He was pretty sure if Sweet Dumpling wasn’t wetting the bed at night, she was probably just having bad dreams.