Return of the General's Daughter-Chapter 234: Her Coming of Age

Mira was startled at first. But she recovered quickly. She rose gracefully from her seat, smoothing the folds of her gown, and began to walk toward Lara and the prince. As she stepped into the light, her smile returned, polished and flawless.

"Your Highness," Mira said, her voice sweet as honey, slipping between Lara and Prince Reuben with practiced elegance. She dipped into a curtsy so low it bordered on theatrical. "Welcome to our home. I am Mira Norse. I do hope the celebration is to your liking."

"Happy Birthday, Miss Mira." Prince Reuben greeted Mira in the same way he greeted any noble lady. "We came in a hurry, I’ll send the gifts tomorrow."

Reuben did not come to her party. He came to see Lara.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Mira said sweetly.

General Odin and Freya looked at Mira guiltily before the couple stepped forward and escorted her up the platform. As per tradition, General Odin and Freya each delivered their speeches, and the Norse brothers came up the platform to give her the red roses.

Before the ball could officially begin, Mira’s father and brother arrived, along with her mother, the third wife, and nine sisters.

General Marlon Norse envied Odin. He fathered six sons from just one woman, and each of his sons was excellent in their own ways. On the other hand, he has three wives and two mistresses outside, but he only produced one son and ten useless daughters.

When Odin asked him to adopt Mira, he had no qualms about it. In fact, the adoption could greatly benefit him, so he agreed without hesitation. He had lots of daughters, he wouldn’t miss one.

"Cousin, I’m sorry we just arrived. Something came up at home." Marlon apologized.

Even though Odin was displeased, he could not show it openly.

"You are just in time. You should be Mira’s first dance as her biological father."

Marlon was about to protest, but he saw the two princes among the guests, and his eyes widened. "You invited Prince Reuben and Prince Alderan?" He asked, disbelief on his face.

"No." General Odin denied it. "I am surprised, too."

"Cousin, you should do the first dance as you are now the father of Mira. So it is only right that the first dance is yours." Marlon found ways to excuse himself from dancing. He wanted to grab the opportunity to ingratiate himself with the princes.

General Odin looked at his cousin, who was older than he was. He seemed not to care about Mira at all.

In the end, Odin led Mira to the dance floor. The Norse brothers surrounded Lara and Freya, fighting over who should dance with Lara first.

"I am the eldest, so I should be the first." Asael used his seniority to coerce the others.

"Isn’t that unfair? Then I am the youngest. Shouldn’t I be the one to do the honor?" Percival argued.

While the brothers were fighting over who would dance first, Prince Reuben approached Freya and asked permission to dance with Lara.

Freya thought that the Prince was very courteous.

"Daughter, go enjoy yourself and dance with the Prince. Your brothers need time to decide the sequence of dancing with you."

Lara had no choice but to accept the hand extended to her. Who would dare to reject a prince?

On their way back to the capital, Reya taught Lara the steps of the typical dances in Northem. Lara, a fast learner, mastered them in no time.

When the Norse brothers realized that Reuben had whisked Lara to the dance floor, they were resentful, but they knew their bickering had given the second prince the opportunity to steal Lara’s first dance.

"Does she knew how to dance?"

"Maybe she does."

"But didn’t she stay in the jungle in those two years? How could she learn to dance there?"

"Look at how gracefully Mira danced. No one could be better than her."

The murmurs that grew louder were once again directed at her. But it was the look on her face that stilled the courtyard. Her eyes—sharp, unyielding—swept over the gathering with a calm authority that belied her youth. She held her head high, her expression composed and regal.

Then, escorted by Prince Reuben, she stepped onto the dance floor. The music shifted, and she started moving.

"Oh, so you learned these dance steps?" Reuben asked while moving in sync with her.

"Hmm." Lara hummed. She felt that the dance was boring.

Mira swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and forced her hands to still. She had seen how the Norse siblings surrounded her earlier and tried to fight each other for Lara’s first dance. It was supposed to be her.

She continued to dance, now with Galahad, as Asael waited for his turn to dance with Lara. The brothers decided to follow the order of their birth sequence to dance with Lara. She would not let them see her falter—not here, not now. She smoothed her skirts, lifting her chin. If they wanted to parade Lara around as if she were some miracle, fine. She would play her part. But she would not let her light be extinguished by Lara’s sudden return. She had worked hard to enter the Norse family, and she would not let Lara ruin her plans.

After Reuben, Asael danced with his sister. Mira, on the other hand, approached Prince Reuben, who sat beside Alderan.

"Thank you for attending, Your Highnesses," she finally said, her voice smooth and steady. Your purpose might differ, but I am still honored by your presence." Mira sounded pitiful, then cast a subtle glance toward Lara. "I’m sure it means the world to my sister."

Prince Alderan raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering across his face. Reuben, however, only inclined his head, his eyes flicking back to Lara with unmistakable curiosity. "Thank you, Miss Mira," he said politely, despite his tight smile.

Lara watched the exchange from the dance floor with unreadable eyes, her expression perfectly composed. For a moment, she said nothing while she tried to match Asael’s steps.

The smile on Mira’s lips barely wavered, but Lara saw it—the flicker of resentment, the shadow that slipped across her features like a passing storm cloud. It was gone in an instant, replaced with that perfect, practiced grin.

But Lara knew she’d seen it.