"…I apologize, master. Ever since you departed to Keinshelm, Gael has been working very hard to advance to the next stage. Though he's made little to no progress, he tried his best."
"Is that so? Next time, stop him in my stead if I am not there, Valencia. He is still young, and he shouldn't be rushing to advance. When we head indoors, please get me the daily reports for his training and tutelage," The Archduke advised.
Valencia nodded and her gaze flickered back to her younger brother who laid in the Archduke's embrace. Her eyes softened as she murmured, "I understand."
Watching as they spoke, Ines recalled her previous interactions with the older man. Compared to how at peace and happy he was now, it was a far cry from the formal and polite front he wore before her.
'…They look like a family—like a father finally seeing his children months after being at sea.'
Then again, Bascombe was his home, it was no wonder why the Archduke seemed to have finally loosened up.
