Reya rushed to the door, barely registering her own movents as her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t bother to check who was outside—her hands moved on their own, unlatching the gate and pulling it open without a second thought.
And then she froze.
Her breath caught. A strangled gasp escaped her lips, and before she could think, she scread. She turned on her heel and sprinted back inside, her skirts tangling around her legs.
"Miss... Miss!" she panted, gripping the doorfra as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
Jethru exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. This girl. Sotis, he wondered how a woman of marriageable age could still behave like such a child.
"Who is outside?" His voice was clipped with irritation. "And why in the world did you leave the gate open?"
Reya didn’t answer. Instead, to everyone’s shock, tears welled up in her eyes. Then, suddenly, she burst into sobs.
"Miss, pinch !" she wailed, shaking Lara’s arm.
Lara, bewildered, hesitated.
Jethru, however, had no patience for theatrics. He reached over and smacked Reya’s arm, earning a sharp yelp.
"Grandpa!" she protested, rubbing the sore spot. "You’re so heavy-handed!"
"Enough of this nonsense! Who’s outside? What made you run like you’d seen a ghost?"
Reya’s lips quivered. Then, with a sniff, she whispered, "Grandpa... it’s them. They finally ca."
Jethru’s frown deepened.
At that mont, a voice called out from the doorway, smooth yet laced with amusent.
"Sorry for the intrusion. Since the gate and the door were both open, we figured we might as well co in."
Lara stiffened. That voice, it sounded so familiar.
She turned slowly, her heart hamring against her ribs. Standing in the entryway were three young n, dressed in plain clothes, yet they looked dignified, and there was no mistaking their presence.
Reya wiped her tears hastily and took a few steps forward. "Sir Bener, Sir Gideon, Sir Percival..." Her voice trembled with emotion. "I’m sorry! I was just so shocked—and so happy! It’s been a long ti."
Jethru’s gaze darkened as he studied the visitors. He knew Bener—knew him well enough to rember how the young man had pestered him for training. But the other two... they were unfamiliar.
His eyes flickered toward Lara, then back to the n. He could sense sothing heavy in the air, a connection yet to be spoken.
Then, Lara spoke, her voice calm.
"They’re my brothers."
Silence.
Jethru blinked. "You’re what?"
Reya, still teary-eyed, repeated louder, "They are Miss Lara’s brothers!"
Jethru was struggling to process the revelation. His gaze on Lara turned sharp, filled with questions he hadn’t thought to ask before. He had known she ca from Savadra, that her father was a wealthy man. But General Odin’s daughter?
Agilus, who had been quietly admiring Lara’s beauty all this ti, finally snapped out of his trance. His gaze darted between the n, and recognition hit him like a thunderclap. The nas. Odin’s sons. His brain montarily short-circuited.
Bener... the younger brother of Asael. And Asael... Asael bore a striking resemblance to—Could it be that Kane has a twin or a younger sister?
He hoped that Lara was the sister and not—
His stomach dropped.
Bener took a deep breath, stepping forward. "Sis, we finally found you. Why did you leave Carles without saying goodbye?" His voice was thick with emotion. "We only went out for a while to find gifts for you... to surprise you even if your birthday had passed.. but we were the ones surprised. When we returned, you were gone."
Gideon followed, his tone gentler. "These were ant to be your birthday gifts. It may be late, but it’s better late than never."
Bener carefully handed her two intricately carved sandalwood boxes. "This one is from Asael, and this one is from ."
Lara took them with trembling hands. She swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry.
Damn it. When did she beco so sentintal? This was the first ti she received many gifts.
Gideon and Percival also presented their gifts, and the one from their father and Galahad who went back to the capital to investigate
Jethru’s mind reeled. "How co no one told that you are the daughter of General Odin?" He cast an accusing look toward Reya.
Reya, feeling the weight of his stare, spoke hastily. "Grandpa, you never asked. But I rembered ntioning when we first arrived at Mount Ourea. Have you forgotten? I asked your help to send us back to Savadra."
Jethru frowned. He tried to rember, but that was two years ago. He glanced at Lara, and he knew she must have intentionally kept the information from him.
He clenched his fists. "In Carles, I had always heard rumors that Kane ndel was the illegitimate son of General Odin, but I never imagined—" He stopped short, realization crashing over him like a tidal wave.
The so-called ’Kane ndel.’
His disciple, Lara Norse, was the daughter of his first disciple, General Odin.
Agilus, anwhile, stood frozen, mouth agape. He was looking like soone had just told him the sky was green. His jaw slackened so much that an orange could have rolled right in.
His head turned toward Prince Alaric, who had been watching the entire scene unfold with an infuriating smirk, amusent flickering in his eyes.
"Ari," Agilus croaked, his voice cracking. "Don’t tell you knew all along that Kane was a woman?"
The prince arched an elegant brow. "It’s not my fault that so people are born blind."
Agilus choked on his own saliva.
"Then—then—" His face turned red as mories flooded back. He and Aramis... The things they had thought...
Alaric rolled his eyes.
"Then when did you learn that she was a woman?"
Alaric sighed. Agilus was too noisy.
"I learned of her identity the following day she saved ."
By the gods.
Kane ndel... was Lara Norse. The lost daughter of General Odin. The sister of Asael, Galahad, Bener, Gideon, and the twins, Percival and Peridur.
He had been an absolute fool.
And the worst part?
Prince Alaric knew all along.
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