Return of the General's Daughter-Chapter 239: Sibling Love

With an air of authority, General Odin stormed into the training ground, his commanding presence immediately demanding attention. Beside him, Freya, regal and fierce, matched his intensity with a steely gaze.

"You brats," Odin shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls, "How dare you bully your sister?" The air crackled with tension, and the early morning sunlight filtering through the trees lining the winding cobblestone path that divided the training ground from the manor cast a dramatic glow on the scene, amplifying the weight of his words.

Seven pairs of eyes spun around to face the couple.

"Father, Mother," they chorused.

With a confident gait, Freya approached Lara, her eyes sparkling with warmth. She wrapped her arms around her daughter in a swift, heartfelt embrace, pulling her close.

"Mother, I am sweaty," Lara protested, but inside, she revelled in the older woman’s warmth. She looked at her closely, and now that it was morning, she realized that her mother still looked young and beautiful.

"All of you, go wash up so we can have breakfast. Do not let your sister go hungry." Freya spoke firmly but with a warmth that a mother’s voice normally carried.

"Father!" Percival and Peridur said at the same time. "But, we have not sparred with our sister, yet."

Odin sighed. "Aren’t you ashamed? The six of you are fighting your sister. What kind of brothers are you?"

"Father, we are showing our sibling love to our sister," Asael grinned.

"Incredulous!" Odin crossed his sinewy arms across his chest. "What kind of sibling love is that?"

"It is what you call true caring, Father. We want our sister to be the best in everything, able to protect herself and not the normal, delicate, pitiful ladies of the nobility."

"Heh, your sister is still a lady. Don’t turn her into boors like you."

Lara’s heart warmed to hear her father and siblings’ bickering.

"Percival, Peredur, let us get this over with." She took a few steps back onto the training ground.

Percival looked at his twin brother. "Does sister mean that we fight her together?" Percival asked.

"I guess so." Peredur was also unsure.

Lara raised her sword. The one Asael gave her was used for training, so the edges were blunt.

Percival and Peredur attacked at the same time. One thrust, while the other sliced. Lara was on the defensive for some time. But she noticed that her brothers were not taking it seriously, so she applied more force. At her next strike, Peredur dropped his sword, followed by Percival.

"Pfft!" The four elder brothers laughed at the ugly expression of their twin siblings.

"So weak. You did not even last five minutes with your sister." Galahad sneered.

"Eh, I am not as good as Percival. He was defeated even faster than me." Peredur shrugged and picked up his sword.

"Thank you, dear brothers, for making this so easy for me," Lara said, her eyes sparkling, and a charming smile graced her lips.

Percival and Peredur exchanged awkward gazes. Who said they made it easy for her? They were fighting like they were facing their most formidable enemies.

"Hurry now, hurry up and be at the dining hall in half an hour," Odin commanded, and his sons left the training ground at the same time.

Freya was about to lead Lara to the bathhouse when she saw Reya and the little boy standing at the side.

"Reya, can you prepare Lara’s bath?"

"Yes, Madam," Reya answered cheerfully and was gone in a moment.

Sandoz didn’t know what to do or where to go. He hesitated before approaching Lara.

Lara took a handkerchief tucked into his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead and back.

Freya watched adoringly as her daughter took care of the little boy.

"This little boy is?" General Odin asked curiously. When they arrived yesterday, they noticed the little boy, but everyone was busy and he had simply forgotten about him.

"Father, Mother, this is Sandoz, the son of Duke Arces. He was abducted alongside us. We took him when we escaped has been with us for the last two years." Lara explained.

"Sister Lara saved me from the human traffickers," Sandoz said in his childish but firm voice. He looked up at Lara with a deep sense of gratitude and admiration, as if she were a beacon of hope in a dark world.

"Duke Arces?" Odin’s brow furrowed deeply as he scrutinized Sandoz with curiosity. The young boy stood nervously beside Lara, his small hand gripping hers tightly. "I had no idea he had a son," Odin continued, his voice trailing off in thought. "I know he had a daughter who was also kidnapped two years ago. The child’s mother went crazy and insisted that the abducted child was a boy, and the duke’s only son, and begged the Duke to save her son. The Duke did send people to look for the child, but when there was no trace of the child, the duke stopped looking." Odin recounted. When he looked at the boy clutching Lara’s hand, he noticed the resemblance to the duke.

"Indeed, he resembled Duke Arces," Odin murmured.

"Darling, how can you be so blind?" Freya asked in disbelief.

"Huh?" Odin was confused. Didn’t he say he resembled Duke Arces?

"Have you forgotten how the third prince, Prince Dakota looked like?" Freya pinched his arm.

Sandoz looked up at Freya and perked up. Dakota was his great-grandpa.

"Ahem, the prince was an old man when I met him. "I was just twelve then. Now that you mentioned it, indeed, he looked somewhat like Prince Dakota."

"You are really blind. I saw a painting of King Calian’s royal family. This little boy is a replica of Prince Dakota." Freya spoke loudly just to make a point.

"Okay, if my wife says so, he looked like Prince Dakota. My wife is always right." Odin raised both his hands in surrender.

Lara beamed as she watched her parents engage in their banter. Despite having seven children, there was an undeniable spark between them. Her mother’s laughter danced in the air, while her father’s eyes twinkled with affection. That look, though Lara was never in a relationship, she could tell how much her father adored her mother.

Lara paused. ’Her parents!’ How natural it was for her to call them that.