The King's Mistress

Chapter 58: Father And Daughter

"Queen Roxine, I am in your debt. What request you might have, speak freely. If it is within my ability, I will see to it that it’s done."

The Queen was not surprised that Sierra had already read her movements.

"Thank you, Sierra. That’s most kind of you. Unfortunately, this little reunion cannot last forever. For all of our safety, I can only give you no more than an hour. After that, we can talk. Fair?"

"Fair."

With that, the Queen took her leave from the Drawing Room, giving the father and daughter some privacy. For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke a word. They did not know what to say to one another.

Sierra had so many things on her mind. In front of General Leon, she found herself hunching her shoulders and leaning back in her seat. It felt like she had traveled back in time to when she was seven.

Her father always exudes an air of authority. She never dared to disobey him or speak out of line. She was like one of the many soldiers he trained in the army camp. Always listening to his orders and doing as he asked.

They did have their tender moments together, but they were not often.

"Sierra?"

"Yes, father?"

"Are you eating well?"

He cared for her well-being, which she knew to be genuine. She recalled the times they had meals together. Even those were rare at times, especially during the years of war. He would barely ate anything, always in the company of his war council.

But when they had time to have a meal together, he would never fail to put more food on her plate. He always asked if she had enough to eat.

"I am, they feed us well," she replied to him with a smile.

With the ice broken between them, Sierra decided to open up a little too.

"How are your injuries?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Much better. Though, I am not as young as I used to be," Leon sighed as he stretched his torso.

Sierra could hear his labored breathing. The muscles tensed in his body. She felt as if she could sense it. It was at this moment that she realized how much older he looked from the last she remembered.

Though they had only been apart for a short period of time, General Leon looked as if he had aged a decade. For the first time, Sierra noticed the gray hairs in his sideburns, the wrinkle at the edge of his eye.

How had she not noticed any of this before?

"Take care of yourself, father," it took everything in Sierra to not let her voice waver. "Remember to wear a thicker coat as winter approaches. And always remember to light the fireplace in your office. It gets cold during the night and I won’t..."

She could not bring herself to finish her sentence. Sierra had always been the one who lit the fireplace in her father’s office. She would sneak in and light it up for him, draping a coat over his shoulders if she found him asleep at his desk.

Leon understood what she was trying to say. He reached his hand out and placed it caringly on Sierra’s. The father and daughter looked into each other’s eyes. They did not need words to express themselves.

"If you need anything, the Bancroft Family will provide. I know Frederick likely did not provide enough for you. That bastard won’t show you any more kindness than necessary," Leon spat. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Sierra widened her eyes in surprise. This was the first time she had heard her father speak ill of the King of Cair. General Leon had always been a loyal soldier to the crown. Sierra herself had been punished many times for speaking ill of the crown.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked her.

"I just did not expect you to refer to the King of the Kingdom you serve a quote on quote ’bastard’," Sierra commented.

Both of them glanced at each other, before breaking out in a short bout of laughter.

"He lost my loyalty pretty quickly after what they did to you. How dare they treat the heiress of the Bancroft Family like this?!" Leon slammed his fist against the table.

Sierra looked over at him, "Heiress to the Bancroft Family? But I..."

But Sierra was not his blood daughter, how could she ever inherit his lands and titles? It was impossible. It was not allowed. Even if the General willed it, the extended Bancroft Family would never allow it.

They would have more than a few strong words to say and she was sure of it. From the moment General Leon adopted Sierra into their family, many members of the extended family have made their displeasure known.

They never stopped putting her in her place at every function they attended. Even when Sierra had her Coming of Age ceremony, many chose not to attend. It was a clear sign of disrespect to the current head of their family, but that did not stop them from making their thoughts known.

"I have named you in my will, my daughter," Leon said as he caressed Sierra’s face, continuing to speak, "Should anything happen to me, you will take my place as head of the family."

Sierra was speechless.

She was touched by his actions, though she did not understand why he would do so. Then, it clicked in her mind. He was doing this to keep her safe, to keep her alive. Should she not get selected by King Alistair to become his concubine, she would return to Cair.

By naming her next in line to take over in the Bancroft Family, she would be untouchable.

"But what would the others say? Lady Delilah, Lord Castor, Earl Samson, wouldn’t they have something to say?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

She did not want her father to end up fighting with his family over her. She did not want that.

"Don’t worry about any of them, Sierra. You are my daughter. Even if we’re not related by blood, you are still my one and only daughter. Nothing in the whole of Gaeia will change that."

Sierra could no longer hold back all of her emotions. She leaned forward and embraced her father in a warm hug. Leon hugged his daughter tightly too. He did not know when the next time they would meet in person, but it was going to be a while.

"What if I end up marrying the King of Drakin? What happens then?" Sierra asked.

"Does he know?" referring to Sierra’s identity as the daughter of a general and not a King.

Sierra shook her head.

"Has he fallen for you?" Leon asked as he raised an eyebrow.

She blinked multiple times as she quickly shook her head.

"No. Not that I can tell..." that did not sound convincing and she knew it.