Roland was dragged out of bed by Nightingale.
Upon learning that Nanawa Pine's father had come to the door, he was first surprised, but quickly realized that this was a rare opportunity – to keep the little girl to help fight against the Months of Demons, he had to find a reason for the Pine family to stay in Border Town for the winter.
Originally, this was an extremely difficult matter. The Fourth Prince's reputation and prestige had fallen to the bottom among the nobles, and coupled with the tense relationship with the fortress, these families in the eastern district of the fortress were obviously unlikely to stay in the town. Roland had not considered cooperating with the nobles from the beginning. They might be good at fighting for power, but they were not suitable for fighting side by side.
He quickly put on his clothes, washed up simply, and came to the reception room.
Tigu Pine, who had been kept waiting here for a long time by the guards, was already furious. Seeing the prince, he immediately stood up, "Your Highness, where is my daughter?"
This was the first time Roland had seen Nanawa's father. He was burly, not tall, and a circle of beard on his face made him look extremely rugged. The waist-tied cotton top and tight-fitting leather pants made him look more like a hunter than a noble.
"She is fine, Mr. Pine –"
"Why did your guards let her in directly, but blocked me outside?" Tigu interrupted with a full voice, "I need an explanation, Your Highness! Please bring my daughter out to see me!"
What's with this rhythm? Roland was stunned. The scene he had envisioned should have been that the other party knew that his daughter had unfortunately fallen into being a witch, either humbly begging him to conceal the news, or simply letting him solve this problem. But he really hadn't expected Pine to be so aggressive and not act according to noble etiquette at all.
As for why the guards let Nanawa in, it was entirely because of his own instructions. She came to play with Anna every two or three days, and the guards were familiar with her.
After thinking for a moment, Roland summoned a maid and asked her to bring Nanawa over.
No matter how rude the other party was, he was still Nanawa's father. He would let the two meet and talk first. If he showed any intention of handing the little girl over to the church or abandoning her, it would not be too late to take measures himself.
Nanawa came out with Anna.
The moment he saw his daughter, the impatience in Tigu Pine's eyes disappeared immediately. He opened his arms and shouted at Nanawa, "Come to Daddy."
But the little girl just hid behind Anna,露出半个脑袋, "Will you sell me to the church?"
"Cough... what are you talking about, silly child? The church doesn't accept idiots like you. Come home with me."
This reaction made Roland a little confused. According to Nightingale, Nanawa was seen by her father when she used her magic, and she fled in panic to the castle to find Anna, while her father chased after her with murderous intent.
But now, Tigu's eyes towards his daughter only showed concern and doting, not at all like the hatred that ordinary people have for witches.
Was he mistaken about something?
Roland hesitated for a moment and decided to be frank, "Mr. Pine, your daughter is a witch, I believe you know that."
"What are you saying, Your Highness? I don't understand," Tigu stomped his feet and stepped forward to grab Nanawa's hand, but Anna blocked him sideways.
"Father, I've become a witch... I'm sorry," Nanawa said softly.
Tigu finally became a little anxious, "Don't talk nonsense! What witch? It must be that Karl guy who taught you. I knew I shouldn't have let you go to the academy. The church's rhetoric is all bullshit!"
Hearing this, Roland suddenly understood something in his heart. Perhaps the reason why the other party was trying so hard to cover up for Nanawa was because he had misunderstood himself?
So he was so anxious before seeing his daughter.
"Anna," he winked at the witch. The latter nodded and faced Tigu, who was trying to bypass her and pull Nanawa away, and stretched out her right hand. Flames spewed from her palm, passing over the top of his head.
Tigu widened his eyes and stepped back a few steps in a panic. Nanawa also hugged Anna's arm in horror, "Sister Anna, no!"
"Your Highness, this is –!"
"As you can see, she is also a witch, just like your daughter," Roland spread his hands and said, "The reason why Nanawa can enter and exit the castle freely is not what you think. Can we talk now?"
Tigu seemed to wake up from a dream at this time, "Ah," he said twice, "Your Highness, I..."
"Sit down and talk," Roland pointed to the table, "Have a cup of tea first."
As expected, he sighed in his heart. Was his reputation so bad that he wouldn't even let go of children? Roland now completely understood the other party's rude behavior at the beginning. A father who cares about his daughter saw his daughter running into the lord's castle, and the guards at the gate looked like they were used to it. What does that mean?
If he were the person involved, he would probably have the heart to tear down the castle with his bare hands.
As for why he kept denying that his daughter was a witch, the intention was even more obvious – Tigu was worried that the prince would threaten him with the saying that "Nanawa has fallen and needs to be purified," and he himself simply didn't care whether his precious daughter was a witch or not.
Tigu hesitated for a long time, but finally sat down, picked up the teacup and gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and looked a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I was rude. May I ask when did you know my daughter became... a witch?"
"Before winter. The first to discover her awakening was not me, but her teacher Karl Vanbert. Because of his friendship with Anna, he entrusted Nanawa to me, hoping that I could give her protection," Roland explained in detail, "And in this month and a half, she will come to the castle to practice her abilities whenever she has time. By the way, your daughter's ability is healing."
"Is that so..." Tigu scratched his head, "I was wondering why that cat could suddenly run and jump."
"Cat?"
"Cough cough, it's nothing really. When I got home, I saw this child sitting at the door holding a cat that had been hit by a carriage. I was planning to sneak up behind her and scare her, but she ran away when she saw me, and so did the cat. It had broken its leg," he looked at Nanawa and Anna, "Are you friends?"
Before Anna could express her opinion, Nanawa nodded quickly.
Tigu's expression softened a little.
Seeing this, Roland asked, "You don't seem to think that witches are evil beings seduced by demons."
"My daughter is certainly not an evil being!" he said decisively, "No matter what she becomes, there is no doubt about that!"
He was completely different from Anna's father. Roland couldn't help but sigh. He now understood why Nanawa was always carefree and had a smile on her face. Such a family was like a warm cradle for a child.
"I don't think so either, Mr. Pine," the prince said directly, "Your daughter's ability is of great significance to the injured. I hope she can stay in Border Town and help me fight against the Months of Demons."
Tigu hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness, please forgive me for refusing. When the Months of Demons descends, it will become very dangerous here. I can't leave her in the town."
Tigu Pine's fiefdom does not belong to the jurisdiction of Border Town, so even if he is a prince, he cannot directly order him. But as long as he is willing to sit down and talk, Roland thought, he will be able to persuade him.