Back in the Duke's study, Reed Lockheart sat in his leathery red chair, signing important documents when the head maid, Vii, knocked three times.
"Come in," Reed responded.
After a few seconds, Vii entered. Her long, silky black hair and deep blue eyes were still striking, despite the visible wrinkles on her face.
"Your Highness, the time for the test is rapidly approaching. I wanted to remind you of your upcoming scheduled event," Vii spoke as she bowed deeply.
"Event…" Reed murmured to himself.
"Not such an event, but father-daughter bonding time. I have looked forward to it for a long time. What do you think, Vii, will she impress me?"
The head maid looked at Reed, contemplating her answer with her emotionless face. "I'm not sure. If I had to answer, I noticed Master Luna and Master Nyx's training time has increased noticeably. But to impress someone of Your Highness's skill would be rather challenging in such a short time."
"Is that so?" Reed's exhale turned into words as he stared at the papers with a warm, gentle expression. His eyes lingered a bit too long on one spot, which made the ink from the feather he was using to write drip and ruin the document.
"Ah, well, let's go," Reed said as he stood up and walked up to Vii.
"Then, I'll lead the way, Your Highness," Vii expressed in an emotionless tone.
"No need to be such a statue. A bit more emotion in your words; the new maids have lately been feeling down due to your tone," Reed suggested in all seriousness, as he wanted to help.
Vii glanced over her shoulder at Reed, lingering for a while before answering, "I'll keep it in mind, Your Highness."
"Haha, still cold as ever. Same old Vii." Reed's voice turned quiet for a second before stopping altogether, unsure if he had told something wrong, and walked down the corridor towards the training center.
***
Luna and Theia strolled down the corridor towards the training center, where Luna would have her test.
As they walked, Theia's eyes lingered on Luna. Luna's smile was gentle, as if she was genuinely looking forward to the test.
"I'll introduce you to my dad and the head maid," Luna said. "Those two people are part of my family, so I want you to know them. If you want, that is."
"Not sure if the head maid is part of our family though…" Luna muttered to herself
Luna glanced at Theia as she nodded in affirmation. Luna chuckled. "Then it's all set, right? I think I will impress my dad enough that he'll let me train in swordsmanship."
"I trained a lot, but it's probably not enough with time running out. But on a positive note, I made a lot of improvement in just a month, right?"
Theia frowned and raised an eyebrow at Luna's words, but a warm feeling immediately replaced her expression as a blush grew on her cheeks, and she nodded along.
Luna smiled from ear to ear at Theia as they passed by the doors. She jolted to an immediate stop. "We've here… So, are you ready?"
Walking back toward them, Theia nodded and murmured, "Yes."
"Then let's go inside!" Luna grabbed the handle and opened the door wide, revealing two figures inside: Reed and Vii.
***
Reed and Vii stood in the middle of the training center, watching as Luna stepped in. Theia was hiding behind her, gripping Luna's training clothes and hiding herself from their sight.
Luna waved toward Reed and cheered, "Dad! I came!"
Reed saw his daughter happily call for him, and as he was about to greet her back, he noticed someone behind Luna. "Who is that person behind you?" he asked.
"Her? I found her in the outer garden over a week ago, so I treated her and we've become friends."
Theia, still hiding behind Luna, didn't dare to come out. Her face was fully red and her hands trembled.
Luna looked over her shoulder at her, saying, "There's no need to be this flustered, Theia. It's just meeting my dad. Is everything okay?"
"I…It's your family. It's very important," Theia murmured to Luna.
"Ah, I understand, but don't worry, nothing will happen."
Reed turned his head toward Vii and asked, "Why am I hearing only now that Luna found someone lying in our outer garden?"
Vii looked at Luna and then at Reed and bowed deeply, unsure of what to say. "I… knew nothing about this."
Reed looked at Luna and sighed as his weariness softened. "Then, Luna, I want to see that person behind you."
"Ah, then, Theia, please show yourself. I'll hold your hand," Luna said, extending her hand to Theia.
Theia loosened her grip on Luna's clothes and grabbed her hand. Stepping away from her hiding place, she showed herself to the Duke and Head Maid.