Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 126
The atmosphere was tense, and Kyden’s guard was heightened by the ongoing danger. He felt even more cautious around Ron, knowing the troubles that had arisen from mercenaries.
Kyden quietly shook his head at Ron’s wary gaze. There were no other signs of life in the house, and it seemed unlikely anyone would set a trap here.
However, Serley’s anxiety persisted, prompting Kyden to stand up.
“Please show us where the herbalist is. We’ll stay there.”
“I’ll go and get it. I’ll fetch the herbs.”
Kyden grabbed Ron’s shoulder as he was about to leave.
“No. We’ll go, so just tell us the location.”
Ron looked flustered at Kyden’s stern expression.
Just as he was about to inform Kyden of the herbalist’s location, the door swung open. Serley jumped up in surprise, and Kyden instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt.
“Dad!!”
A small girl appeared in the doorway, throwing her belongings onto the floor as she rushed to Ron.
Kyden’s gaze followed her, and time seemed to slow down.
Her bright golden hair flowed like waves. The cheerful smile on her face radiated innocence. She was adorable, but her small stature made him feel guilty for having any inappropriate thoughts.
“Oof!”
Ron grunted as he caught his daughter, who had run into him with great force.
With the sudden arrival of the girl confirmed, both Serley and Kyden let out a sigh of relief. Serley, feeling embarrassed, sat back down in his chair, and Kyden removed his hand from the sword hilt.
“Now, go ahead and greet these gentlemen.”
After nuzzling against Ron’s chest for a while, the girl lifted her head. She noticed Serley first and her eyes widened in surprise.
Her face flushed bright red, and she quickly looked down.
“Hello.”
It seemed she was shy and couldn’t hold her gaze. The girl didn’t even look at Kyden, bowing instead. Ron lovingly watched his timid daughter, then gently nudged her.
“Go to the herbalist and get some herbs. This gentleman is hurt.”
“Ah, okay! I’ll be back quickly!”
The girl, having noticed Kyden’s injury, dashed out in a hurry. Kyden watched her retreating figure and muttered,
“She really doesn’t resemble you at all.”
Ron burst into laughter at that remark.
“See! She doesn’t look like me at all, does she? What do you think? Don’t you want to meet her?”
“Let’s be reasonable. She’s just a child.”
“She’s not that young! She’s already fifteen!”
“…That’s still young.”
Kyden shook his head and let out a wry laugh. It was truly surprising how beautiful and adorable Ron’s daughter was. He found it hard to believe that anyone could think about marrying someone so young when she barely reached his chest.
This time, it was Serley who became interested.
“What are you talking about?”
Ron rubbed his palms together and explained,
“Well, you see…”
He mixed in jokes with truth, saying how Kyden was so tall and handsome that he wanted to introduce his daughter to him and suggested marriage as a condition for saving him.
Serley found Ron’s goofy behavior amusing and burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha. Even so, how could you marry your daughter off? You need to know your place! Kyden is my knight, and even though he’s collateral, he belongs to the Horman family!”
Ron didn’t seem offended at all and cheerfully nodded.
“Oh, of course. I was just trying like any father would.”
“Since Kyden is so eager, why not just let him take her?”
At Serley’s playful suggestion, Kyden furrowed his brows.
“What nonsense are you talking about, bringing a child into this?”
“She’s fifteen; she’s practically grown! Just wait a few years, and she’ll be of age.”
“Enough of this.”
“She’s quite pretty too; why not?”
Ron interjected excitedly.
“Right? My daughter is really beautiful, isn’t she?”
He was the type to be endlessly happy just hearing compliments about his daughter. Kyden looked back at Ron with narrowed brows. How could he joke about his daughter’s future like this? It was concerning how a girl raised under such an oblivious father would turn out.
In just a split second, the thought crossed his mind, ‘What if he actually said he will take her? Maybe then Ron will come to his senses and regret it?’
“Why not just take her and marry her? He saved your life; can’t you grant him that?”
Serley, now enjoying teasing Kyden, continued to chatter excitedly. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Kyden rubbed his temples and sighed.
“Haah…”
Just then, the door burst open.
A girl with a face as red as a tomato stood at the entrance, panting heavily. She glared at Ron with a furious expression. Serley quickly closed his mouth, sensing the tension.
She marched over and slammed the herbs down onto the table in front of Ron.
“I’m not getting married! I’m not leaving!”
“….Uh, no, that’s not, love.”
“I really don’t want to! I hate you, Dad!”
After shouting this, she stormed out of the house. A moment of silence followed, and Serley muttered,
“…Looks like Kyden got rejected.”
