After some time, the old man who had left to bring Alice's child returned. Behind him, a maid holding a four-year-old girl in her arms also walked in.
The little girl appeared quite skinny, with a space bun hairstyle and an adorable face. She was wearing a worn-out one-piece dress with patches here and there. There was also a crudely made doll in one of her hands, while the other hand was wrapped in cloths as though it had been plastered for a fracture.
Magnus's brows creased together when he saw the little girl. He could see from the expression on her face that she was quite afraid at this moment.
"Stand her in front of Senior," the middle-aged elder of Phynicland said to the maid.
The maid hurriedly nodded and stood the little girl in front of Magnus.
"What is your name, little girl?" Magnus asked with a gentle smile on his face.
Little Alicia hugged her small doll with her left hand and said in a low voice, "Al... Alicia... I am a slave of Phynicland."
Magnus's frown deepened. He could clearly tell that the little girl had been taught to introduce herself like this in front of others.
"Her mother is a traitor, so we have to make her remember her real identity from a young age, so that she won't repeat the foolish mistake of her mother," the middle-aged elder explained when he saw Magnus staring at him.
"What happened to her right hand, why is it bandaged?" Magnus asked as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the little girl.
"Oh, she broke one of my priceless bowls a week ago while cleaning my room. So, by the rules of our Phynicland royal family, we broke her arm and made it heal on its own. This way she will think twice before making such a mistake in the future," an old man from the group of people standing behind the middle-aged man said with a smirk on his face.
Magnus squatted down before Alicia and rubbed her head affectionately. "Did your arm hurt?"
Little Alicia bit her lips and nodded. Her eyes instantly turned watery when Magnus asked about her hand.
"Alicia didn't break it. It was old master's cat that broke that big pot," Alicia said as tears started to flow from her eyes.
"Philip... heal her hand," Magnus called out to one of his guards.
One of Magnus's black-coated guards stepped forward and squatted beside little Alicia.
"Little miss, I am going to heal your hand. Just close your eyes. When you open them, your hand will be perfectly fine like before," he said to Alicia with a smile.
Alicia nodded while sobbing and closed her eyes.
"Second rank, Instant Heal," the guard said in a low voice, as he slowly rubbed his hand over Alicia's bandaged hand.
A golden glow swept from his hand and slowly entered Alicia's hand. After five minutes, the guard nodded towards Magnus and went back to where he stood.
"You can open your eyes, little girl," Magnus said gently as he placed his hand on Alicia's bandaged hand. Suddenly, the bandage on Alicia's hand vanished as though it was never there in the first place.
When Alicia opened her eyes, her two big eyes widened in surprise. She moved her hand here and there and said in surprise, "The pain is gone."
"Senior, you are interfering in the matters of another kingdom. Our emperor will not be happy if he finds out about it," a young-looking woman from the group said with a frown when she saw this.
Slap
The middle-aged elder gave a slap to the woman and said coldly, "Shut up. Do you know who you are talking to?"
Magnus ignored the elder of Phynicland and picked Alicia up in his arms. "You are going to come with me, to my place. From this day on, I will be your grandfather, and you will be the little princess of Nyxvelia.", He said to Alicia with a smile.
The elder and his subordinates stood rooted to the ground when they heard Magnus's declaration.
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and said, "Senior, she is a soul slave by birth. She is not worth such a noble status."
"Her mother is recognised as a big sister by my grandchild. That is enough for her to be part of us Nyxborns," Magnus looked at the middle-aged man with a cold gaze and said, "Be happy that he did not come to pick his niece with me. Otherwise, even I am not sure what that brat would do after seeing the state Alicia was in."
The middle-aged man's expression changed. "We are deeply sorry, Senior. We had no idea that Alice has connections with the Nyxborns."
Magnus ignored him. He looked at Alicia, who was staring at his face from his arms, and said gently, "Little girl, your uncle told me to bring you with me to my home as my granddaughter. So from now on, when you tell your name to others in the future, say, 'It is Princess Alicia Nyxborn of Nyxvelia.'"
Little Alicia clutched the little doll in her hands and said hesitantly, "But they will beat Alicia if Alicia doesn't say I am a slave to others whenever I talk to other people."
"Haha..." Magnus suddenly laughed. "Beat you? Even in the entire Celestia, there is no one who has the guts to touch Magnus's granddaughter. So don't worry."
Magnus then looked at the middle-aged elder and asked, "Alice's mount?"
"After Master William died, that beast only listens to Alicia. Only she can summon it now," the middle-aged elder said helplessly.
"Grandpa, Alicia can call Lily over, but you can't harm her. She is Alicia's friend," Alicia said innocently to Magnus.
"Don't worry. Your uncle asked me to bring your mother's mount along with you. I am asking you to call her over so that we can go to our new home together," Magnus said lightly.