Chapter 8 The Princess Needs to Be Protected

Unlike Charlotte's excitement, Andy and Noah's faces dropped the moment they heard the news. They weren't thrilled at all, but knowing how bummed Charlotte would be, they grudgingly went along with it.

Charlotte ignored Andy and Noah's reluctant looks and took them to preschool.

Since it was their first day, Charlotte helped them sign in and met their teacher.

After getting everything sorted, she crouched down, smiled at them, and said, "Don't cause any trouble at school, be good, and wait for me to pick you up after, okay?"

Andy and Noah nodded obediently.

Watching Charlotte leave, they walked into their classroom.

The teacher clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Kids, we have two new classmates today. Let's welcome them and have them introduce themselves, okay?"

All eyes were instantly on Andy and Noah.

Seeing their cute faces, the class cheered, "Okay!"

It's human nature to appreciate cuteness, even for kids.

Andy and Noah didn't seem nervous at all. They walked to the front of the class and introduced themselves confidently.

"Hi everyone, I'm Noah. I hope we can all be friends."

"Hi everyone, I'm Andy."

With smiles and charm, their classmates immediately warmed up to them, their eyes glued to Andy and Noah.

The teacher, happy with the warm welcome, pointed to seats for Andy and Noah.

To their surprise, Emma was sitting right in front of them.

The moment Emma saw them, her eyes lit up, and she gave them a sweet smile.

But Andy and Noah remembered how Charlotte had been bullied.

Ignoring Emma's friendly gesture, they kept their faces cold.

Emma watched, and the light in her eyes dimmed as she lowered her head, looking hurt.

She didn't get why they suddenly didn't want to talk to her.

Emma had autism and didn't like to talk much. She was often left out in class.

So, meeting Andy and Noah had made her genuinely happy.

But it seemed like Andy and Noah didn't like her.

Thinking of this, Emma felt so sad she wanted to cry, her fingers twisting together tightly.

Andy and Noah could sense Emma's sadness and felt a bit bad themselves.

But thinking of Charlotte's sadness, they steeled their hearts.

In their world, Charlotte was the most important person.

Even though they couldn't make Emma pay for James's sins, they knew they couldn't be friends with her.

Andy and Noah, almost on purpose, quickly charmed their way into the hearts of their classmates.

Emma kept watching them quietly.

Seeing them get along so well with the other kids made her feel even more down, and her head hung lower.

She envied them deeply, wishing she could join in their fun and play with them too.

Even though Noah and Andy had decided not to play with Emma, they couldn't help but notice her.Seeing her sitting alone, Andy felt a pang of sadness, like seeing an abandoned little puppy.

Noah, trying to sound casual, asked, "Why don't you guys play with that girl?"

A slightly chubby boy spoke up. "She doesn't talk. When we ask her to play, she ignores us. If she gets hurt, the teacher scolds us. We don't want to deal with that."

Noah thought it sounded like a hassle.

He silently labeled Emma as troublesome but couldn't help but keep an eye on her.

She was James's kid with another woman, so Noah paid attention to her, definitely not out of pity!

The boy continued, "It's not that we don't want to play with her! Sometimes we feel sorry for her and try to help, but no matter what we do, she never responds. Sometimes she even hits us."

The boy shook his head and added, "Some kids bully her because she's always alone. We help her chase them away, but she never thanks us. It's so rude! Everyone can vouch for this!"

The surrounding classmates nodded in agreement.

A complex look flashed in Noah's eyes.

Back when Charlotte had them in Mirathia, despite the more open culture, many people still labeled them as fatherless orphans and bullied them.

Emma was somewhat luckier, but not by much. No one bullied her, yet she found herself alone, with no friends, silently enduring her grievances.

That feeling was truly hard to bear.

Now, seeing Emma like this, Andy and Noah just couldn't bring themselves to be cruel.

She didn't actually do anything wrong.

Thinking of this, Andy smiled and took Emma's hand.

"I think she's adorable, like a little princess who needs protection!" he said, "Maybe she's just shy. If we play with her, she'll be happy."

Kids didn't hold grudges for long.

Moreover, Emma was quite cute. They didn't dislike her; it was just that her unwillingness to interact with them made them keep their distance.

So, with Noah and Andy's encouragement, the other kids nodded and smiled. "Then we'll play with her from now on."

The first boy clenched his little fist and said firmly, "I'll play with her every day. If anyone bullies Emma, I'll beat them up."

Emma, though slow to react, wasn't stupid. She quickly understood Andy and Noah's intentions and nodded.

"Okay," she said softly, clutching Noah and Andy's clothes tightly, unwilling to let go.

Kids' moods changed quickly, and soon they dispersed.

After they left, Noah's face turned cold.

He said, "Let go."

They hadn't forgiven her!

Emma's tears fell instantly, and she looked at them, sniffling.

She cried out, "No, please!"

Emma's crying made Noah and Andy even more irritated. They wanted to scold her but couldn't bring themselves to do it.

Seeing her so pitiable, yet still trying to win them over, Noah finally relented, though reluctantly.

He said, "Fine, stop crying. We'll play with you from now on."

"Pinky swear!" Emma held out her little finger, looking at them timidly.