Chapter 155: The Hero Arrives
Irene felt pathetic, rushing forward but stopping short in front of her father.
The urge to jump into his arms was overwhelming, but she knew they would further accuse her of acting like a girl so she merely folded in half, bowing to the man as she resisted what she really wanted to do.
The knight chuckled as he witnessed his daughter’s struggle and he merely ruffled her hair that she had been growing out again because it was winter. She had cut it a few times over the warmer seasons but she was allowing it to brush her shoulders to stave off the cold. Since she wasn’t the only one, she always figured it was alright to do.
"What brings you this way, father?" she asked. "Last I checked, you were supposed to go to Earl Auden’s for the Winter Solstice banquet. When an apprentice for the Royal Knights accused you of not keeping up your duties, I told him as such."
It wasn’t lost on her that there was a table full of Royal Knights sitting just beside her as she said that. Even an apprentice of the Royal Knights couldn’t be considered a higher rank than her father and most noblemen didn’t stand for being spoken badly about.
She hoped that Arin was sweating the reaction of such a rough-looking man as her father. The lack of hand and new scar through his eyebrow was certainly adding to his appearance.
"I figured it was alright to see the knights a bit earlier," he admitted a bit guiltily. "Your mother and brother are already at Auden Estate taking advantage of the Countess’s hospitality. It was the only way your mother would allow me to head west."
Irene grinned at that. As long as her mother found a way to be occupied so she wouldn’t have to stay home and worry about her father, that’s all that mattered.
"We are appreciative of your presence regardless, Arthur," Gunnar admitted as he stepped forward and placed his palm on the inside of Arthur’s forearm. The red-headed knight returned the embrace. "The Princess and Crown Prince will feel more relieved to have the greatest knight in Tenetium in the entourage. I’m sure you’ve heard a bit of what happened."