The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

Head Sage Yue and Crown Princess Pica were rendered speechless. Looking at their shocked expressions, Mana had to fight to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Crown Princess Pica was the one who actually regained her senses first. "You…made it yourselves…?" she asked in a daze. "For…me?"

Mana and Raven nodded.

Head Sage Yue had also recovered by now and there was a frown on his face. "Why is my son being made to work in the kitchen like a lowly cook?" he demanded. "I do not approve of it!"

"Oh? So you don't want our pastries?" Mana asked, raising an eyebrow mockingly at the man.

Crown Princess Pica laughed. "Don't bother with this sour faced wuss, my dear children. He has absolutely no appreciation for the good things in life!" she mocked.

And then, without waiting for anyone, she took a box of pastries from Raven and opened it. A tantalising aroma of vanilla and chocolate permeated the air. Mana and Raven had thoughtfully put a dessert fork in the box.

Crown Princess Pica didn't hesitate. She immediately picked up the fork and had a bite from each of the two pastries – one vanilla and one chocolate. Her dark eyes glowed with satisfaction as she moaned, "Oh, this is divine! I've never tasted something so delicious before!"

"It's our secret recipe," Mana declared proudly. "Only Raven and I can make it from scratch, and some of the essential ingredients grow only in our own farms. We're planning to open a chain of pastry shops soon, though."

Raven immediately knew what Mana was doing. Without missing a beat, he added, "We're planning to open fifteen stores initially, because our production of the secret ingredients can only support that many. We've got the funds in place and we're almost done training the workers. We're still finalising the locations for the shops in the Emerald Kingdom and the Sapphire Kingdom."

Crown Princess Pica took the bait, as expected. "The Sapphire Kingdom wants these shops as well?" she asked.

"We initially planned to open the shops only in the Emerald Kingdom, with Papa's help," Raven explained smoothly. "But Big Sister Bella really likes our pastries and she recommended them to Queen Carolina, and she tried some when she visited. We have only ten flavours at the moment – and she actually tried them all! Then she had a long discussion with Papa and bought out some of his share in our business at twice the price, with the condition that we open shops in the Sapphire Kingdom as well."

Both Crown Princess Pica and Head Sage Yue were shocked.

"It is really irresponsible of King Jaren to allow two young children to play with so much money and resources," Head Sage Yue remarked.

Raven's eyes flashed angrily. "Papa believes in merit and talent, not arbitrary restrictions like age and origin," he said coldly. "Please do not insult our Papa when you are unable to comprehend the intricacies of investments and economy."

Head Sage Yue's face fell. He opened his mouth to speak – probably to condemn Raven, but Mana's eyes flashed viciously and a powerful aura burst from her, stunning the man into silence.

Raven didn't notice Mana's protective glare, but Crown Princess Pica did. A strange feeling rose up in her heart again. She remembered how fiercely Raven had protected Mana last evening. These two children cherished each other so much…

At the same time, seeing Head Sage Yue at the receiving end of Mana's ire, Crown Princess Pica felt a strange sense of satisfaction, too. She was quite pleased with Raven's choice. Not only did this little girl possess powerful magic and a strong background, she had also awakened Raven's latent powers somehow, making him the most powerful heir of his generation. Crown Princess Pica knew the significance of the black token better than anyone…and that's why she was determined to win Raven and Mana over and get them to accept the inheritance. From the interactions of the royals of the Emerald Kingdom and Raven, she had reached the conclusion that her previous attitude towards Raven had been wrong. To win his favour, she had to support him and shower him with affection and show due respect to Princess Mana, King Jaren and Crown Prince Jules. The first and the last were not a big problem, since Raven was her heir now, she would support him anyway, and she always respected strength, so the three royals of the Emerald Kingdom were worthy of her respect in any case – it was the affection bit that had the woman stumped. Nonetheless, she would try her best.

Mana was oblivious to the complicated thoughts of her mother-in-law. Feeling extremely proud of Raven, Mana slipped an arm around the boy's waist, ignoring the scandalised look on Head Sage Yue's face at the public display of affection. "Papa has faith in us because we're good," she said simply. Her green eyes sharpened as she looked up steadily at Head Sage Yue. "Raven and I have never let him down, nor has Papa ever put conditions to his support and affection for us," she said proudly. "Papa allows us to learn and to make mistakes, and he also encourages us to learn from our mistakes. And he always welcomes us when we ask him for advice."

"Clearly, King Jaren has an eye for these things," Crown Princess Pica murmured. "How else could the Emerald Kingdom be so rich?"

"Indeed," Raven agreed whole heartedly. "Papa is brilliant." He regarded Mana with soft eyes. "Mana has also inherited his talent," he added.

Mana smiled at him. "None of us are as clever as you," she said. "I couldn't do half the things I do without you."

Raven flushed under her praise and a beautiful smile bloomed on his face.

Head Sage Yue and Crown Princess Pica were bedazzled for several moments, staring at Raven stupidly.

Mana grinned in satisfaction. A smiling Raven was a beauty that could launch every ship in the world – let alone a thousand or thirty thousand!

The two adults regained their wits soon enough.

Head Sage Yue was disdainful of business matters, which he regarded as affairs of uncouth merchants and not something a person of dignified bearing like him should associate with. Mana rolled her eyes mentally. This was probably why the Pearl Kingdom perpetually on the verge of bankruptcy and kept selling land to Papa.

On the other hand, Crown Princess Pica's eyes glowed with excitement. "Raven, Mana – could you also open a few stores in the Obsidian Kingdom? I'll be your investor. I'll buy as much as Queen Carolina did, at thrice the price! These pastries are the best things I've ever tasted and we should definitely have some in our kingdom, too!"

Mana looked at Raven, leaving the decision to him. She, too, was curious to know what plans the little genius had cooked up in his clever head!

Raven tapped his chin thoughtfully before he spoke up slowly. "If Mother really likes the pastries, we could set up some pastry shops in the Obsidian Kingdom as well. We were originally planning only for about ten shops in the Emerald Kingdom and five in the Sapphire Kingdom, but if Mother wants…" he murmured. He paused and looked at Mana. "Maybe we can do eight here, three in the Sapphire Kingdom and three in the Obsidian Kingdom…? We can use the remaining share of the raw materials to expand the farms, and we'll be able to open more stores once the new batch is ready. Will Papa be ok with that? Big Sister Bella won't mind too much, will she? We'll promise to open the remaining two for both of them within the next six months…"

Mana was so proud of Raven in this moment that she wanted to hug him and praise his business acumen! She'd do that later, when they were back in the imperial palace. Right now, they had some big fish to fry!

So, Mana took Raven's hand and patted it affectionately. "This business is as much yours as mine, Raven. If it's something you want to do for your mother, how could I refuse? We'll have to run it past Papa once, since he is still the major investor in our business, and also inform Queen Carolina, since she has also invested some capital in it…"

"I'll go with you to right now and speak to King Jaren!" Crown Princess Pica said eagerly.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Mana offered generously. After all, this was an investor, and she could afford to be polite.

Crown Princess Pica was delighted. "Let's go!" she said enthusiastically.

Seeing the three about to leave, Head Sage Yue cleared his throat loudly.

"What do you want now?" Crown Princess Pica asked grumpily. "You have neither the money to make an investment, nor the capacity to understand monetary matters. Go meditate or something."

Head Sage Yue flushed with embarrassment. "Er…the pastries…" he murmured.

"Didn't you say you didn't want them?" Crown Princess Pica mocked. "Raven and Mana went through the trouble to prepare them for you with their own hands, and you didn't even appreciate it. Now that you know how precious they are, you want a bite? Still such a pretentious hypocrite!"

"They made it for me, you have no say in it!" Head Sage Yue retorted, gritting his teeth. He turned to the children and asked politely, "Raven, Mana, may I have the pastries, please?"

Perhaps it was the desolation and despair in the man's eyes that moved the children. Mana and Raven exchanged a look, and then Raven handed the box to Head Sage Yue.

"Thank you," he said, his eyes turning brighter and a small smile gracing his face. "May we meet tomorrow for lunch, if convenient? There are some pressing matters I would like to discuss with both of you, and if possible, King Jaren as well."

Mana and Raven looked at each other again and nodded.