Hibbort had felt Lyra's eyes on him the moment she looked his way, but he had been engrossed in conversation with his daughter and hadn't acknowledged her until now.
Astrid, noticing Hibbort's glance, followed his gaze to Lyra.
Seeing the girl standing there awkwardly, she felt a flicker of amusement and decided to intervene.
"What's wrong, Father?" Astrid asked.
She wasn't worried about Lyra's safety.
The girl had merely glanced at Hibbort, which wasn't a crime, especially with Astrid present.
In her presence, Hibbort had never been the stern, unapproachable emperor.
As for the kind of dramatic, love-at-first-sight scenarios found in Mary Sue novels, where Hibbort would fall for Lyra and demand to marry her, such a thing was impossible.
Hibbort wasn't a frivolous man but a known romantic, devoted to the memory of his late wife, the White Moonlight Queen.
To him, all other beauties were merely fleeting distractions.