WHEN Astrid glanced up, he saw the duke—no, his grandfather—standing there, utterly still, as if time itself had paused. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before the other turned away, but not before Astrid caught the unmistakable shimmer of tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Now it was Astrid’s turn to freeze. He wasn’t oblivious—he knew exactly what those tears meant. His grandfather was likely overwhelmed because it was the first time Astrid had addressed him by that title. Still, he hadn’t expected to see the old man cry. It seemed so unlike him, so out of character. The moment left Astrid feeling awkward, uncertain of what to say next.

But his awkwardness didn’t last long, as his grandfather was the first to break the silence.

“Well then,” his grandfather said, his voice steadying, “I suppose I’ll go take a look around the farm.”

Anthony quickly turned away before the tears in his eyes could spill over. He hadn’t expected to be so overwhelmed with emotion just because Astrid called him ‘grandpa.’ But here he was, on the verge of breaking down. Could anyone really blame him, though? He had resigned himself to the idea that it might take years—if ever—before Astrid or Reas would call him by that name. He wouldn’t have been surprised, given the consequences of his past actions. He had no right to demand that they see him as their grandfather. And yet, Astrid had just called him ‘grandpa.’

Of course, Anthony knew that Astrid might not truly be accepting him. This could simply be Astrid making a compromise. He had overheard the conversation between Astrid and Emmaline, and from that, he gathered that Astrid’s gentler attitude was likely influenced by her reassurance that things between them were “alright” now. Astrid must have decided to move forward because of that. S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Even if that were true, it didn’t diminish the emotional weight of hearing Astrid finally call him “grandpa.”

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Casey looked at his father’s back. He couldn’t help but raised a brow. Remembering the expression the other had earlier, he felt a bit complicated. Because it’s not like the father he knew at all. But then again, since Nicol was born, his father had been acting differently—softer, more caring, showing emotions Casey hadn’t seen before. Yet, despite it all, Casey had chosen to ignore the change. His anger had blinded him, making it hard to believe his father could truly change.

But after today, there was no way he could continue convincing himself of that.

Yes, people could change for the better—his father was living proof of that. But Casey also knew that some people were beyond redemption, like the old duke of the Lancaster family.

There’s really only one question here. He glanced at the prince. Could this guy really change? As he watched the prince gaze at Astrid, as if he were the only person in the room, Casey felt foolish for even asking. Hadn’t the prince already started to change?

Though a twinge of guilt tugged at him for constantly judging the prince, it didn’t mean Casey was ready to lower his guard. If the prince ever hurt Astrid, he would be the first to ensure he never got close to his nephew again.

But for now, he was willing to give the prince the benefit of the doubt.

“Thomas, Cassius, aren’t you two planning to take a look around the farm?”

His father’s voice snapped Casey out of his thoughts. He turned and realized, with some surprise, that his father was still in the dining room. He hadn’t even noticed.

The other was looking at him and Thomas as if he was trying to say something. But Casey was never really that good at deciphering what his father was thinking, so he could only stare at the other. Good thing there’s Tommy, who immediately responded;

“Yes, we’ll join you.”

Their father nodded, seemingly satisfied, before turning to Nicol with a much softer expression. His voice grew gentler as he said, “Nicol, why don’t you stay here with your brother Aster? Maybe you can help him clean up?”

Nicol eagerly nodded. “Okay! I’ll help Brother Aster clean up!”

After that, the three Grimaldi men also left the dining room. Not long after, Hildred pulled Edmund away, stating that they would also take a little walk.

“Then, I’ll also—”

Before Slade could finish, Wulfric cut him off.

“Alright, let’s get this cleaned up.”

Slade glanced at the captain, clearly bewildered. “Wait, are you talking to me, Captain?”

“Of course I am,” the captain replied, giving him a look that seemed to ask why he’d even bothered asking something so obvious. “Or are you planning to sit back and let Aster and this kid handle all the cleanup on their own?”

Slade almost pointed out that Aster and Nicol wouldn’t be left to clean up alone, considering the captain was still there. But he knew better. If he said that, the captain would undoubtedly ‘punish’ him with extra sparring sessions once they returned to Alluna.

At the end, he could only sigh and say, “No, I’ll help.”

Wulfric nodded. “Good.”

Watching this scene, Aster couldn’t help but chuckle. He wanted to say that there’s really no need for them to help, but he knew Wulfric would still insist on doing so. Not to mention, Nicol. So, he could only silently apologize to Slade for being dragged into helping.

—–

As Casey walked, he glanced around. They were still close to the house, so there wasn’t much to see yet. His father was walking ahead, and as Casey watched his back, he couldn’t help but wonder if the man even knew where he was headed. Surely, they wouldn’t get lost on the farm, right?

Once they were far enough from the house to be out of earshot, his father suddenly stopped and turned to face him and Tommy.

“I won’t be returning to the capital with you,” the other suddenly announced. “I’ve decided to stay here indefinitely.”

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