"did you enjoy your day today?" Anna asked aderi with a big smile. Aderi nodded with a smile.

"Thank you grandma and grandpa for the things you bought me today," aderi said thanking her grandparents.

"It's nothing compared to the time we were absent" her grandfather answered with a small sad smile.

"The maids will send the things you bought today to your room, now if you'll excuse us...we will get ready for dinner" her grandmother said, aderi nodded.

"See you at dinner," aderi said with a smile. With that, her grandparents walked away.

"Aderi..." Her father called as he came out from the corner of the hallway. He was there for quite some time now, he was waiting for his parents to leave.

"What is it, your excellency?" Aderi asked, aderi's father sighed and walked closer to aderi.

"Let's go to my office," he said as he started walking, aderi just looked at his father before following him.

"He's acting strange" aderi thought to herself as she followed her father.

°

°

°

"Leave us alone for a minute," aderi's father said to the butler who was inside the room.

"Yes my lord," the butler said bowing before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Aderi's father sat on his chair as aderi stood in front of her father's desk.

"The last time I was here... I got slapped" aderi thought to herself remembering the unpleasant night she got slapped.

"Ahem..." Aderi's father cleared his throat.

"Aderi...I know you don't accept me as your father anymore, I know what I did to you was unforgivable, and I'm not gonna excuse myself for what I did, but aderi...can you hear me out?" Her father spoke, his gaze was different from the gaze he always gives to someone. His gaze was soft.

"I'm all ears, your excellency" aderi said.

"After your mother died...the Callista's position was in danger, after all...the duchess's position was vacant and you came to this world...other nobles want to take our title and... I was afraid they'll use you against me,"

"I thought it would be better if they don't see you as a tool that can be used against me, cause it would bring you pain...I abandoned you, I did and said some things that I should have never done and do,"

"I'm not saying this to excuse my wrongdoings, I'm just explaining it to you...aderi the high society is very greedy and competitive...the Callista's have many enemies, and right now their target is you..."

"I was afraid that they'll hurt you, use you against me if they see you as my weakness, that time I have two weaknesses, your mother's death and you, I acted like I didn't care for you, I hurt you, so if word got out they will know you aren't my weakness..."

"But I was wrong! When I thought I was doing the right thing for you, I was making it worst...I didn't want them to hurt you, but in the end, I'm the one who did"

"Aderi...I've always cared about you, but I don't know how to show it, I don't want anyone to know, cause I was afraid that if word got out they'll use you...aderi,"

"The reason why I hate your face is because when I look at you it reminds me of your mother, and because of that it reminds me of how terrible I am as a father and a husband..."

"I can't save my wife and due to that, I let out my frustration in you, since I don't want to admit I was in the wrong...aderi, I may not ever hear you call me father again, but at least give me a chance to show you I care, give me a chance, even if you don't give me the chance of being your father again" her father said with a smile as a stream of tears fell from his red eyes.

Aderi stood there shocked, now she understands...what he did to aderi was unacceptable, but now she remembers one of the chapters in the novel. A chapter from the novel has a line most people overlooked.

"He looked at his daughter for a moment before leaving the room quickly, leni started hitting aderi again and again, and her cries can be heard from the hall. The duke just walked away clenching his fist"

"Could that line indicate that he didn't want to see his daughter getting hurt?" Aderi thought to herself.

"Y-you- f-father...what you did was unacceptable but, I understand where you are coming from, I'm fine calling your father again but I still cannot accept you as my father as a whole" aderi said, her father suddenly smiled.

"I'm glad aderi...it's fine even if you don't accept me as your father as a whole, I don't care even if you don't ever accept me as one...I'm just glad you are giving me a chance" her father said whipping his tears.

"Ahem... You may leave" her father said as he turned his back to aderi. He was hiding his tears and his joy at the same time.

Aderi left without another word.

"Why am I feeling this ache in my chest...like I wasn't supposed to say that, or to do that...what is this? My apology was sincere, but why am I feeling I'm doing the wrong thing, why do I feel like something is trying to stop me?" Thomas asked himself as he grip his clothes near his chest. His mind was buzzing like something...or someone was stopping him.

°

°

"If he hates his daughter getting hurt...why does he hurt aderi in the novel? Could there be something behind it?" Aderi thought to herself.

"Ah...I almost forgot, dinner is about to start, I have to tell my maids to prepare me for dinner, it's kinda exciting, my first dinner with my grandparents whom I never met up until now" aderi thought to herself with a smile as she ran through the hall trying to get to her room.

°

The dinner went well, but there was a little tension between Thomas and his parents. Nonetheless, the dinner went smooth.