Tang Yue sheepishly returned back home around evening, after the trio spent the entire day in the market having lots of fun.
"Father." She called out and stepped in.
The old man was sitting in the front courtyard itself so she didn't have to look for him anywhere else.
Kosa was deeply engrossed in his own thoughts and absentmindedly looked at the young dwarven girl scratching her head.
"You… You are still here?" The dwarf mumbled. His voice was a bit shaky and his eyes were glistening.
"Father, what happened?" Tang Yue hurried over in confusion and asked.
But the old man silently walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank the heavens, child. Thank the heavens."
Tang Yue sighed in relief. It looked like the tears in his eyes were simply happy tears after all.
She smiled and enjoyed the warm embrace.
"Child, we don't have anything to worry about anymore."
"That deviant is dead. The engagement is void and there is no wedding."
"Their family won't pressure us any longer."
Kosa sighed in relief and shook his head, but he abruptly stopped.
He felt foolish having forgotten one important detail.
This daughter of his was quite fond of that deviant!
"Ah… Umm…" He looked at the young girl, without knowing how to tell her the news.
But, Tang Yue simply smiled and eased his tensed nerves.
"Father, I also heard. Don't worry, I never liked him."
"I lied the other day because I didn't want us to lose our family mines." She explained.
Kosa stared at his daughter dumbfounded. This little brat had even managed to fool him!
"Silly child. You are more important than anything else."
"Don't hide things from this old man in the future." He sighed and patted her head.
Tang Yue obediently nodded. "I understand, father."
"But father… will Lord Byron create any more problems for us now?"
"Heh. What can he do now? How will there be a wedding without the groom?"
Kosa chuckled, but he quickly added in embarrassment. "Cough… Cough… We shouldn't rejoice in others misfortunes."
Tang Yue smiled and winked at the old man, making him laugh some more.
Kosa couldn't help but feel proud of his daughter.
The young girl had matured quite a lot and she was becoming a caring and considerate woman.
"Ok. Go to sleep soon then."
"Now that all our problems are settled, I can also accompany you easily."
"We will go to the city first thing in the morning tomorrow."
"Father will help you take apprentice tests for the smithies."
"Their standards will be high and even after joining it will be very tough to keep up with the training."
"So if at any point of time, you don't feel like doing these things, you have to immediately tell me."
"There is no reason for you to work so hard."
"We have our mines and they are more than enough to feed our family for generations to come." Kosa patted the young girl.
Tang Yue obediently nodded and didn't say anything more.
She just silently watched the old dwarf as he leisurely walked into the house and headed to his room, without the usual worry lines on his face.
A warm and loving smile surfaced on her lips, but it soon turned melancholic.
After all, no matter how much she wanted, none of this happiness, affection, and love belonged to her.
This was not her father and this was not her family or life.
She was merely an impostor and a liar…
Tang Yue then headed inside as well and went to sleep.
Charlotte and the little kid as well settled down for the night, both on the bed and both on either side of Tang Yue.
Charlotte hadn't gotten much sleep these past few days, so she quickly fell asleep.
And after having witnessed what happened tonight, Xander didn't want to disturb Tang Yue too much.
He allowed her to sleep peacefully and didn't play any dirty tricks on her.
The next morning everyone woke up early and prepared the carriage for a trip to the city.
The journey was not too long and the group arrived at the city by the end of the day without any incidents.
The carriage stopped at the city gates and Kosa promptly jumped out to pay the 1 gold fee, which was a requirement to enter the city.
The royal city was completely different from the small remote village and was filled to the brim with a crowd of rich dwarves.
Everyone was hustling about here and there, most with a purpose to their gait.
It was completely different from the laid-back village life.
But Tang Yue was already used to this atmosphere, having experienced it back in the elven lands.
The only thing that bothered her was the sight of dwarves everywhere.
Except for a few spirit beasts and orcs here and there, no other higher beings were present in the vicinity.
Tang Yue even started to feel slightly dizzy at the sheer number of dwarves around her.
This would truly be a test to her disguise!
Likewise, Charlotte was also nervous and slightly touched her hair and tail, as if she was making sure everything was in place.
Only the little kid leisurely whistled and jumped out of the carriage.
He looked like he had just come here to sightsee and have fun, which was technically true.
The establishments in the city were much more expensive compared to the dwarven village.
It cost them 30 coppers just to rent a room in the inn for the night, but it was still considerably cheaper than the Eldorian royal city.
The group didn't explore the city in the night and simply headed straight to the small cramped inn room.
It was a bit tight for three adults, one child, and one wolf cub to all sleep in the same room, but somehow there were no sad faces.
Charlotte, being the slave, quickly arranged all the beddings and everyone slept with a smile.