"Father!"
The shout was like a sudden burst of sunlight. Reiner, as the certified "walking sun" of the household, didn't bother with walking like a normal person. He shot across the courtyard and launched himself at the man who had just stepped out of the carriage.
A man in his early sixties with iron-gray hair and a face carved by decades of brutal Northern weather, burst out laughing, loud enough it felt like the whole courtyard shook. He caught Reiner like it was second nature, like he'd done this a hundred times before… which, honestly, he probably had, even if his "kid" was now a full-grown man working under a Duke.
"Still as loud as a mountain goat, I see," he teased, his deep voice warm and amused as he ruffled Reiner's hair like he hadn't aged a day.
Standing a few paces back, Flio watched the whole scene, a small, rare smile tugging at his lips.
