Chapter 920

Chapter 920: He Is My Father

Upon feeling the palm that rested on her head for a brief moment before it disappeared, Yvonne raised her head and smiled but her father wasn’t looking at her.

Therefore, she too directed her attention to the place where everyone in the Banquet Hall was now gazing.

The moment she turned in this direction, the tall man with a sturdy body wearing a royal blue attire accompanied by the dark mantle caught her eye.

The face she was extremely familiar with fell into her line of sight, causing her to feel dazed as memories of the past resurfaced in her mind.

As a child, she had run into the arms of the man with that same face, laughing and clinging to him as he carried her over his shoulders.

She could still hear the panicking voice of her mother who was reprimanding him for being reckless with the child.

The simple words of comfort he had uttered next also echoed in her mind.

.....

Memories of how the family of three had spent their lives together emerged in Yvonne’s mind, bringing both nostalgia and grief.

She was barely eight years old when her parents perished in an accident, leaving behind her and her younger brother who was just a toddler back then.

Their Grandpa was the one who had looked after their upbringing ever since.

Though he wasn’t the perfect parental figure, Yvonne knew that everything he had put her through was to ensure that she would be able to survive valiantly once he was gone.

She had worked hard to gain his approval and stabilize her position as the heir so that her younger brother did not have to experience the same torment she had undergone in the name of her grandfather’s training.

Her nose felt sour when she thought of how she would comfort her younger brother who did not know where their parents were and why they wouldn’t come back.

As Vince, her younger brother grew older, he found it difficult to even recall how their parents’ appeared.

If there wasn’t a family portrait of them with a baby Yvonne then he would have long forgotten about them.

Yvonne, on the other hand, had thrown herself into work to forget about these matters and thus had never given it too much thought.

Though who would have thought that one fine day she would suddenly be thrown into a whole other world where she would find someone who resembled her father?

Now looking at the King whose face was the same as her father’s from her previous life, Yvonne did not know how to deal with this.

Each time she looked at the King, memories she had with her father which were beginning to blur ever since she had arrived in this world had begun emerging once again.

She had only met him a handful of times but each time, she could not separate the two individuals in her mind.

However, today it seemed that the confusion which had been lingering in her heart had dissipated in just an instant.

When she saw the King carefully escorting the Queen who walked next to him, Yvonne realized that this man was not her father.

He was King Ophire Rosenhyde, the husband of Queen Zena and the father of Prince Fritzen and Princess Felicia.

‘He has nothing to do with me.’ She reminded herself to not confuse her father from her previous life with this man as they were two different individuals.

Resolving the conundrum that had been buried deep within her, the little girl raised her head to glance up at the man who stood next to her.

‘He is my father now.’ She declared and smiled when she thought of how gentle and considerate her father was.

Rutherford had long sensed the glimpses of his child but had been focusing on the King as he did not wish to give anyone a chance to point a finger at him for being disrespectful toward their Ruler.

However, his concentration was bound to break when he felt a tiny hand gripping his wide palm.

Lowering his head, the Earl was confused when he realized that it was his child who had reached out to hold his hand.

His daughter was never one to take initiative to get closer to him unless she wanted something from him.

Though this time, when he glanced down at her, there was no mischievous glint in her eyes that he often found when she was hoping to gain something from him.

Instead of facing an expectant look which she shot at him whenever she acted this way, all he could see was affection and warmth in those amethyst eyes that were now staring at him.

For some reason, a tiny voice in his head pointed out that there was even a hint of heartache evident in those beautiful eyes.

However, he soon shook that thought out of his head as it made no sense to him.

There was no way that his daughter could have experienced anything that could invoke such an intense emotion within her.

Therefore, he attributed this strange thought to him thinking too much.

‘Is she still nervous?’ He wondered if this was the reason for her unexpected action.

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If she was anxious and was trying to regain her courage by holding his hand then he wouldn’t stop her.

Since she had taken the initiative, the father’s heart was overjoyed.

He then gently squeezed her hand as though he was acknowledging her feelings and asking her to let go of her worries.

Yvonne felt embarrassed when she realized what she had done but did not retract her hand, continuing to enjoy the warmth radiating from his hand over to hers.

Thus this pair of parent and child were busy gazing at each other when the King and the other members of the Royal family entered the Banquet hall before moving to the elevated platform that had been set up for them.

Princess Felicia was equally nervous as many other girls in this hall which had also been sensed by the considerate elder brother who held her hand while leading her forward.

This simple gesture helped ease some of her anxiety as it emboldened her steps.

When King Ophire witnessed this sight he felt relieved at the thought of his heir looking out for the young girl even without being asked to do so.

Satisfied with his son’s chivalrous attitude, the King nodded inwardly before looking away.

Standing at the forefront on the elevated platform, he scanned the numerous familiar and unfamiliar faces that could be seen in this hall today.

Earlier as he had been walking towards his Throne, his eyes had caught sight of a certain pair of father and child who had been lost in their little world.

Thanks to his sharp sight, he could also see their connected hands which filled him with amusement at the thought of how the Earl who was deemed to be scary even by many adults was so gentle and kind to his daughter.

However, when his gaze fell on the child, the name she had called him when they first met each other resounded in his mind.

He did not know what that word meant but for some reason, he could feel the weight it held which also seemed to have affected him somehow.

“My King?” The whisper coming from his side shook him out of his thoughts, making him glance at the one who had just spoken.

It was his wife who was now standing next to him who had just whispered upon noticing his frozen posture.

Her actions had helped him return to his senses so King Ophire smiled at his Queen before reverting his attention to his subjects who had arrived for his sake today.

“I’m glad to see that so many of you have come to celebrate this special occasion with me and my family.” He spoke in a loud voice as he glanced at those present here today.

In acceptance of his words, Queen Zena nodded her head as a subtle smile formed on her face.

“Let us hope that tonight turns into a newer tradition that will continue to be followed in the future as well.” King Ophire announced while turning to give his only son, Prince Fritzen, a sideways glance.

This statement not just revealed the King’s stance about the unusual and unexpected guests who had been invited today but it also hinted that he hoped for this tradition to be respected and carried forward even after he was gone.