Chapter 5: Queen & Chariot.
Leo and Snow entered the house holding the hands of their daughter, and Lily burst with joy, she ran around like a little butterfly fluttering in the garden full of flowers. The young man smiled and said, "Snow, can you go with Lily, I have seen this place earlier, now I want to rest a little."
Snow nodded and Leo sat down on the couch, while the mother and daughter moved around the house, Leo leaned back on the couch and thought, 'System, bring up the attribute panel.'
Name : Leo Cardinal
Age : 24
Level : Beginner Father
Strength : 2
Stamina : 1
Intelligence : 6
Speed : -1
Skills : None
Talent : You are a waste of space.
Items : None
The young man took a deep breath. Although he has improved a lot, it was not even close to what he wanted to achieve, even basic humans had stats that were way better than him. These days, as he improved, the progress slowed down a lot.
After a few minutes, Lily came back and sat down next to him as she panted. Snow followed behind her slowly, and Leo asked, "Lily, did you like it?"
Lily replied, "Yes, baba, it is so big. We have a big garden in the back, and I want the room across from you and ma, so that I can rush in when I want to. I will place all my toys in my room, on the side, and that tea table too, we will have a tea party."
Leo smiled and gazed at his daughter dotingly. Snow also listened to the little bird chirp beside her, before she said, "Leo, we can give away some stuff from the old house, and bring some of the stuff that we need."
Leo nodded and said, "We will do as you say."
Snow and Lily talked, and Leo provided some inputs regarding the decoration and stuff. After some time, Snow said, "Lily will have a week off for the spring festival next week, then we can move in here. What do you say?"
Leo nodded and said, "It is fine, also, can we take her to visit my parents?"
Snow smiled and said, "Yes."
The family spent a few hours inside the house, and then they left after calling a cab at the door of the community. Leo was tired by this commute, but he did not complain. When they reached home, Leo lay in his bed, and fell asleep.
Lily stood beside her mother, as she cooked dinner, and asked, "Ma, when will Baba get fine?"
Snow replied calmly, "It will be slow, but he will be fine very soon baby."
Lily nodded but then she said, "Can I take him to my father's day meeting in the school?"
Snow replied, "If he is medically fine, then, yes."
Lily nodded with a smile and said, "I will pray to the goddess that Baba gets better soon."
…
One more week passed quickly, before the family prepared to move out. Snow gave away the medical equipment in the house to Dr. Kaya, and Leo walked out of the house with a cane. His steps were a bit stronger than last week, and his face looked healthier as well.
The young man took a deep breath, and thanked Kaya with a slight bow. Kaya shook her head and helped him up. She said, "Leo, Snow has suffered a lot, now that you are recovering, I wish you both happiness and look after each other."
Leo smiled and replied, "Thank you, Doctor. I will make sure that she has a better life."
The people from the building, who knew Snow, came forward, and wished them well, while Leo just smiled silently. He did not know anyone here, everyone only knew Snow and Lily. They got in the car, and the movers followed behind them.
Lily looked at a toy chariot. She said smilingly, "Baba, you know, Ma said to me that one day a prince will come to find me on a white horse."
Leo looked at Snow and said, "What are you thinking, teaching her all this?"
Snow chuckled and Leo looked at Lily and said, "Baby, why do you want a prince? Who knows how many princesses he has?"
Lily opened her eyes in surprise and asked, "Then Baba, what should I do?"
Leo smiled and said while brushing her hair, "Grow up to be brilliant, and become a queen. The prince will bow to you."
Snow was surprised and wanted to say something, "Then Baba, how many princesses do you have?"
Leo was left speechless, and Snow raised her eyebrow as she said, "Now answer."
The young man took the challenge, and said, "Your mom is the Queen and I am a King. I have only one Princess, and that is you. I bow to your mother, and then you. A king is better than a prince."
As he said this, the young man replied with a smug expression on his face. Snow clicked her tongue and remarked, "Sneaky."
Lily had a thoughtful expression on her face. After some minutes, she said, "If Ma is a Queen, and she gets you. Then I will get a King as well."
Leo leaned back in the seat while the cab driver and Snow erupted in laughter, and while bantering, they reached the North Star Community. The guards were already informed of their arrival and they took them inside. The movers and packers were also allowed inside.
Snow coordinated the work with the laborers, while Leo watched over Lily and told her fun stories, making the girl chuckle every few minutes, until she gradually fell asleep with her head in his lap.
Snow watched the two and shook her head with a faint smile, both the people had a habit of sleeping with their mouths slightly open. She finished paying the people, and then went inside the kitchen to use some basic ingredients to make a soup and noodles, while she boiled a few eggs for Leo.
The father and daughter pair woke up as they smelled the food, and Snow poked the noses of both the people and said, "Greedy ghosts."
The house was radiating with a warm energy. Night came quickly and the trio slept in the same bed for the first time. Leo looked at Snow and Lily who were sleeping beside him, and thought, 'I will not let you two suffer as long as I have a breath left in my body.'
After a bit, he gradually fell asleep.
…
The next morning, Leo woke up to a loud cry. He sat up in the bed, due to his weak physical fitness his brain reacted slower than it optimally would. He walked out of the room and found Lily crying in distress while Snow was trying to calm her down.
He rushed up to her and asked, "Baby what happened."
Leo had not gained proper mobility, so he directly sat down beside Lily and asked her with concern. Snow saw him, and she said, "Lily, see Baba is here, please calm down."
Lily was bawling, and did not hear it. Leo gently patted her head and asked, "Lily, baby, tell me what happened? Are you okay? Did you get hurt, sweetheart?"
Lily fell in his arms while crying hard. She said while trying to breathe hard, "Baba, my chariot broke. It was the first toy mom gave me."
Leo sighed and patted her back gently as he said, "By the time you come back from school, Baba will fix the toy."
After a few minutes of cajoling, Lily calmed down, and went to school with a pair of red eyes, and although Snow did not say anything, it was the first toy she ever bought for Lily, she was saddened as well, but with her maturity she did not mind.
The chariot was made of clay and it was very delicate. Leo sat on the couch after he sent the two away with his eyes, as they did not want him to come out and get tired. The wind in the morning was a bit cold, and so, Leo was told to stay inside.
The young man picked up the pieces of the toy, and tried to put them together, but he found that some fragments couldn't be realigned. He thought about what to do, and then the system notified, 'Ping: Host, in order to enable you to complete the wishes of your daughter, the system is giving you the skills of a master potter, and you can use the clay to mold a chariot on your own.'
Leo sensed blood rush to his mind as information began to pour in and when he adjusted his state of mind, he almost wanted to cry the tears of blood as it would need him to do a lot of manual work which was a bit hard for him.
'Ping: Host, it is about the trust your daughter puts in you. So, please try to work hard.'
Leo sighed and then he picked up the new phone that Snow got him the other day, and looking through some shopping applications, he ordered a pack of clay which would be delivered by noon, and in the meantime, he decided to check on a few people from his past.