Chapter 240: A Parent’s Pride, A Sister’s Jealousy
Half an hour ago..
From the stone-carved balcony above the training grounds, Odin and Freya watched in silence. Freya’s eyes shimmered with a blend of pride and concern, her fingers gently twisting the edge of her silk shawl. Beside her, Odin stood with military precision—hands clasped tightly behind his back, expression carefully neutral. Only the faint tension in his jaw betrayed his thoughts.
"She’s not the same little girl from two years ago," Freya murmured, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Lara as she dipped and spun, effortlessly evading her brothers’ strikes. The girl moved with lethal grace—each step measured, each parry smooth. A tremor of sadness in Freya’s voice was softened by admiration. "She is no longer my little girl. Somehow, I could feel the change in her. She’s a bit colder and distant."
If Lara had heard what Freya said, she would have cried, for she knew that as long as she could remember, she had shown her warmest self last night.
"No," Odin agreed quietly, eyes never leaving the sparring match. "She’s more."
Freya turned to him, one eyebrow arched in mild surprise. "You don’t seem surprised."
Odin’s gaze remained steady, unyielding. "I’m not. She disguised herself as a man and fought alongside the soldiers of Northem to reclaim Calma." He watched as Lara disarmed Galahad with a swift thrust of her spear, the weapon clattering to the ground as he stumbled back, breathless. Odin’s eyes flickered with a hint of pride. "That’s where I first met her. That man, Kane Mendel, that’s what she called herself. The resemblance to Asael was... uncanny." He paused and looked at his wife teasingly. "Even I doubted if I fathered a child outside without my knowledge."
Freya glared at him and gave him a sharp jab in the abdomen. Odin just chuckled. He loved to see the blush on his wife’s cheeks as he teased her.
"What? Did she fight in the war? How could you let her?" Her voice rose, trembling with shock and anger, and before Odin could respond, her hand lashed out, striking his chest thrice.