'Good morning, Isla.'
Isla slowly fluttered her heavy eyes open to see her father sitting by her side.
'Good morning, Dad.'
'Happy birthday, my absolute life,' he whispered tenderly, his eyes shining with unshed emotion.
'Thank you, Dad.'
The King gently took her small hand in his, his expression turning serious yet endlessly loving.
'Today is a profoundly momentous day for you, and all of my deepest blessings are with you as your entire life is about to change forever, Isla... you don't think of me as selfish for this, do you?
Are you truly happy?'
Isla smiled brightly, squeezing his hand back.
'Yes, Dad, I am completely happy.
And why shouldn't I be?
From today onward, I am going to become completely different, someone utterly unique, so it is only natural for me to be overflowing with joy!
And besides, if I am not happy, who will be?
That yellow-eyed jaundice patient?'
The tension instantly evaporated from the room as the King burst into booming, genuine laughter.
'Isla, your words are exactly like you—entirely unique and wonderfully unpredictable.'
'What on earth are a father and daughter discussing so early in the morning?'
The grand oak doors swung open, and the Queen gracefully entered the bedchamber, a warm, curious smile on her face.
The King chuckled, glancing at his wife.
'Oh, it is absolutely nothing.
You already know perfectly well that your daughter takes entirely after you when it comes to spinning clever, dramatic tales.'
'Is that so?
And what exactly did our sweet princess say?' the Queen challenged playfully, walking closer to the bed.
'That is a closely guarded secret we simply cannot share with you!' the King teased.
'And besides, were you secretly eavesdropping on our private conversation? Sneaking around in the corridors and listening to whispers hardly suits the majestic dignity of a royal, my Queen.'
'Oh, please!' the Queen scoffs with a dramatic, affectionate roll of her eyes.
'I was absolutely not eavesdropping on you two! Your booming laughter was echoing so incredibly loudly down the royal halls that even a deaf person could hear it clearly! And furthermore, she is not exclusively your daughter; she is my precious child as well, and I have every single right to listen to her.'
While the King and Queen continued their lighthearted, familiar bickering, a profound, overwhelming wave of raw emotion suddenly crashed over Isla. Back in her tragic, desperately lonely past life as Miss Francisco, these simple, beautiful moments of domestic warmth were exactly what she had starved for.
She had endlessly yearned for someone, anyone, to simply care for her without any dark, selfish motives.
She had desperately craved a real family—a mother who would tenderly feed her by hand and scold her when she was wrong, and a father who would warmly step in to shield her from that very scolding.
Completely lost in these heavy, bittersweet memories of her past, she didn't even realize the exact moment the hot, silent tears began to stream steadily down her pale cheeks.
Suddenly, both the King and Queen stopped their banter, their eyes locking onto Isla's weeping face with immediate alarm.
'Isla?' the Queen gasped, rushing to the bedside.
'Yes, Mom?' Isla sniffled, her vision blurred.
'What is wrong, my sweet child?
Why are you crying?
Is your injured ankle causing you agonizing pain again?'
The King immediately stood up, sheer panic lacing his booming voice.
'Hold on, I will summon the royal physician this exact instant!'
'No, no, Dad, wait, I am perfectly fine!' Isla choked out through a sudden, beautiful mix of joyful tears and breathless laughter.
'I was just crying because I suddenly realized how incredibly, wonderfully lucky I am to have you both... I am just so unbelievably lucky.'
Without another word, Isla threw her small arms around both of them, pulling them down into a tight, desperate embrace.
The Queen, though momentarily bewildered by the sudden outburst of emotion, completely melted into the hug, gently and lovingly stroking her daughter's hair.
'My precious girl, we are equally blessed to have such a brilliant daughter like you, and we are so endlessly proud of you... but...'
'But what, Mom?' Isla asked, wiping her wet cheeks and pulling back slightly.
'But you must remember that tomorrow is your grand, official birthday celebration, and we have an absolute mountain of frantic preparations to finish today!' the Queen reminded her with a brisk, maternal warmth.
'Therefore, you need to hurry up and get dressed this instant. Go on now, get ready!'
Isla beamed, the heavy shadows of her past finally lifting. 'Okay, Mom, Dad.'