"Father, I can—" She paused, realising there was no one sitting in the other chair. The plate of food lay alone before it.
Where did she go? she cried inwardly. More importantly, how did she go?
"Is something wrong?" her father asked.
"Yes, you need to stand back outside after knocking," Jenni pointed out, glaring at her father. "What if I was changing or something?"
Her father gave her a look as if the realisation had only just dawned on him. "You have a private washroom," he said, coughing. Then his eyes flashed towards the two serving on the table. "Why do you have two plates of food?"
Shit! she cursed inwardly. "I'm hungry. Do you care?"
"Are you overeating in anger?" her father asked. Thankfully whatever Dawn did, even her father's gold-rank senses were unable to pick on it.
"Why are you here?" she asked. "Did you feel like the punishment wasn't enough and now want me to clean toilets, too?"
"Quite the opposite, actually," he said, almost reaching out to pat her shoulder, but Jenni moved away, snorting audibly. "I feel like I have been unnecessarily hard on you. Yes, you've made some bad decisions, but all the dangers you faced are not your fault... I should be more understanding of your feelings."
Jenni turned to shoot him an icy look. What are you planning, old man?
"But yes, I have a reason to be angry at you, as you had been," he continued. "You ran off last time without listening to me completely. And you got yourself enlisted for a dangerous mission without discussing it with me. Hell, girl, so far as I know you, I don't think you even thought through your decision at all."
Jenni felt blood rushing into her cheeks but kept her glare.
"Anyway, I still haven't managed to tell you everything I had to say from last time," he said.
"What is there left to say?!"
Her father didn't answer immediately. He brought out a slip of paper and handed it to her.
"What is this?" she asked, opening the letter.
"This releases you from any obligations to the military or the artificer department."
"So I told her," Elder Ming said.
Gale tinkered with a half-broken piece of armour, not paying the elder too much mind. "You told her what?"
"That I love her," Elder Ming said.
Gale lifted his head to stare at the man, who was actually flustered. "Do you feel like you shouldn't have?"
"No-no," he said. "Jenni cried after... I didn't know what to do, so I left..."
"That's good, you're good," Gale said, turning his attention back to the armour. "This is shit... I can make a new one with less energy compared to fixing it."
"So this is it?" the elder continued. "Our relationship is good now?"
"I'd say it's the first step," Gale said. "Just continue to show your love and approval, and you're good."
"What if she makes another wrong decision?"
"Then you'll counsel her better, understand her feelings first, instead of trying to restrict her," he advised.
Elder Ming took a deep breath. Just then, he received a message on his longread. A message from his daughter.
"Jenni says she'd meet my friend," he said. "The man I arranged her marriage with... though she said only to annul the agreement."
"Are you disappointed?"
Elder Ming sighed. "Honestly, I don't know my feelings anymore." Your next read awaits at mvl
"Well, this almost completes a part of my agreement with you," Gale said. "So, now, can we discuss the leave I appealed for?"
"It is under reviews," the elder said.
"Yeah, I have been hearing that for over a week," he said and stood at the same level as the department head. "Let's review this man-to-man now."