Am I Evil?...

22

As Xu Ming leisurely strolled back to the grand garden, a tiny and pouty voice caught his attention.

"I don't want this. I'm bored. Where is my papa?" The tiny voice pouted.

Turning his attention towards the small voice, Xu Ming saw a tiny little child sitting on the edge of a knee-high brick wall with four ladies, probably his maids and nannies, near him. The little boy had straight and black shoulder length hair and a small face with some baby fat. His eyes were silver, which did surprised Xu Ming a bit. Nonetheless, in Xu Ming's eyes, he looked like every other child to Xu Ming.

"I want to go find papa." The tiny child pouted again to an older lady by his side.

The older lady cautiously and reluctantly shook her head and told the young child, "Your young highness, your father, the first prince, is perhaps busy. Let's wait for him to come find you when he is free, okay."

"Nanny Mao is right. Let's wait for his highness to come find you. In the meantime, don't you want to continue playing with your gift. Kaleidoscope are rare toys. Don't you think it's amazing?" One of the young ladies tried to convince the young child.

"I don't want it. Throw it away. I'm going to go find papa." The young child frowned as he tossed the kaleidoscope on the ground and walked away.

As the group of maids and nannies quickly follow behind the young child, Xu Ming settled his gaze on the colorful, short wooden tube.

'kaleidoscope?... what's a kaleidoscope?' Xu Ming wondered as he picked up the short tube.

Xu Ming shook the kaleidoscope and heard a quiet rustling from within. Curious, as he turned the kaleidoscope around and around, he spots a tiny hole on one end of the short tube. The tiny hole was covered with a piece of glass. This intrigued Xu Ming even more, and made him even more curious as to what could be inside the tube.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at jarring the tube open, Xu Ming finally decided to peer into the small glass cover hole. Once his eye adjusted and the image at the end of the tube became clear, Xu Ming let out a loud, astonished "Ahhhhhh!". Quickly taking the tube away from his eye, Xu Ming stare straight ahead, but the image isn't there. Quickly turning the other end of the tube towards him. The image that he saw was not there either. Astonished, Xu Ming quickly peered into the small tube again. However, this time the image that greeted his eye was different from the one before. Xu Ming repeated this process a few more time and each time he saw a slightly different picture.

"Magic... Hah! I found a magical artifact. I'm keeping this forever." Xu Ming laughed and grinned to himself. Being completely oblivious to the presence of a small child and a few ladies behind him.

"That's mine! You can't take it." A pouty voice scolded from behind Xu Ming.

Turning around Xu Ming saw that the child and his group of maids and nannies had came back, and the child was vehemently staring at the magical tube in Xu Ming's hand with a frown.

After glancing back at the magical tube in his hand then the child's displeased and glaring silver eyes, Xu Ming quickly tucked the magical tube into his sleeve and stood up, preparing to walk away.

"Hmph! Didn't you hear what I said?! Give me back my toy." Yuzhu's glare intensified.

'Toy?! Scoff... child, this is a magical artifact. I will be crazy to give his back to you.' Xu Ming spoke in his head.

"What thing?" Xu Ming pasted an oblivious expression on his face.

"This brother has no idea what you're talking about. So if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to." Xu Ming casually told the child and proceeded to walk away.

However, before he could even take 5 steps, the child quickly rushed forward to blocked his path.

"Shameless! I saw you put it in your sleeve. Now give it back, and I may lighten your punishment." Yuzhu stated in the most serious tone that his small body could mustered.

"Like I said, this brother has no idea what you're about, and I did not steal anything. How can you punish me? That's not very fair." Xu Ming frowned as he crossed his arms.

"Us maids and nannies clearly saw you place his highness, imperial grandson: Yi Yuzhu's toy in your sleeve. To dare covet things from the imperial family. Even in death you will not have an easy life." One of the older nannies reprimanded Xu Ming.

Xu Ming of course had no knowledge that the child in front of him was the royal grandson, but now that he knows, he is even more convince that the item is magical since the royal family will always hog all the good things to themselves.

However, just as Xu Ming as about to retort the older lady's comment, Yuzhu's eyes brighten and he quickly dashed past Xu Ming, towards the arms of a tall, bronze skin man.

"Papa!" Yuzhu exclaimed happily.

Following Yuzhu, Xu Ming's eyes aligned with a pair of very familiar dark black eyes and an exquisitely chiseled face. The man was a head taller now, his fair jade-like skin was now bronze, and his face seemed to have fully matured. But nonetheless, having spent quite a few years with the person every day, he could still distinguish who the man was as soon as he saw his face.

'Yu... Excuse me. It's Yuhan. Yi Yuhan!' Xu Ming cursed in his mind and force himself to not show even the tiniest clues as to who he really was.