This is the Last Time

When Marissa held him all of a sudden, his body even flinched as if the shock had scared him. However, Larkin was a master of holding things in, and so the shock and fear didn't show to others. Even Marissa didn't feel much of his body trying to move away.

After realizing that it was indeed one of his daughters, Larkin only smiled down at her. He then softly ran his hand on her head, making sure that he wouldn't ruin her hairdo. After that, she took a step back and smiled at him as well. She even made a very low curtsy.

"Father… I haven't treated you properly for a very long time, and yet you did what you could despite the restraints and the distance. Even if we both felt that it was never enough for us to come back to House Ellis, we had recognized your efforts. However, we did have the agreement not to step away from our current Houses." Marissa was still low on the ground as if she was faced with the king instead. "Still, we thank you for your actions.