As the car hit the road, Lance turned to Edwin and asked, "How far is your house?"

  Edwin glanced over with a grin. "Our house. You're my son now. What's mine is yours." Then, a little more serious, he added, "But just so we're clear — my first priority will always be my daughter. Don’t take it too personally."

  "Alright," Lance replied, a bit surprised. He has a daughter? Most people adopting from orphanages usually wanted to skip the whole baby-diaper-and-midnight-feeding phase. But here was a man bringing someone new into a family that already existed.

  Edwin continued, "With this traffic, we’ve got about a two-hour ride ahead. If you want to nap, the backseat’s all yours."

  Two hours?! Lance thought, panicked. He had planned to visit the orphanage again on his next day off and had even left some of his luggage behind out of laziness. Great. Hela’s definitely going to toss it all out. Hopefully, Iris finds it first... maybe there’s still hope.

  Seeing Lance's stunned expression, Edwin smirked. "Surprised? Didn’t know? There are only 50 orphanages in the whole city. They’re all charity-funded — the government doesn’t put a cent into them. Only a handful of people with kind hearts and deep pockets keep them going."

  "Wait, what? Isn’t that kind of the government’s job?" Lance asked.

  Edwin sighed. "It should be. But after the recent war with Arjoo — the western neighbor — things changed. Vraxen took a serious hit. The economy’s a mess. Haven’t you noticed how food prices have gone up? Poverty’s rising too."

  "But... didn't the news say we won the war?" Lance’s voice wavered in disbelief.

  "That was propaganda," Edwin replied bluntly. "A scheme to keep people from panicking. Anyone paying attention knows the truth. Just look around. Soldiers returning in coffins, inflation, shortages... It speaks for itself."

  Lance sat in silence, absorbing everything. Edwin glanced at him and added more gently, "Don’t worry. We’ve got plenty. You won’t be missing any meals under my roof."

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Lance hesitated, then asked, "Can I ask you something else? And I don’t mean this as criticism..."

  "Go ahead. And drop the 'Mr.' — just call me Edwin. 'Dad' can come later."

  Lance nodded. "Why adopt me at all? You already have a child. I mean, if you didn’t, it would make more sense — maybe you just wanted some youthful energy in the house. But with a daughter already... why bring a stranger into your home?"

  Edwin glanced at Lance, a small smile forming. "It wasn’t my idea — or my wife’s. It was my daughter’s. She’s always wanted a big brother."

  Huh?! Lance blinked. This is the same logic as buying a pet for your kid... Are these people insane? What kind of weird tasks is this girl gonna make me do?

  His anxiety must’ve shown, because Edwin laughed.

  "You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Don’t worry — we’ll treat you like family. And by the way, you're starting school tomorrow. The semester started a month ago, but I’ve already arranged everything."

  Before Lance could even protest, Edwin slowed the car and said, "We're here."

  Lance turned his head and stared in awe.

  A mansion towered ahead, its white brick walls shining in the sunlight, the roof a cool cyan that gave the place an almost fairytale-like castle vibe.

  He looked at Edwin, who caught his gaze and said, "My daughter's favorite color."

  As they entered through the main gate, the car glided up to the front door. Both stepped out. Lance moved toward the trunk to grab the luggage, but Edwin stopped him.

  "Someone else will handle it. Come with me."

  So cool... Lance thought, barely containing his excitement, and followed.

  Just before Edwin could knock, the door swung open on its own.

  Two figures stepped into view.

  One was a woman with striking black hair, sharp green eyes, and a calm beauty that carried a quiet intensity. She wore a soft yellow-white dress and held herself like she was seconds from exploding.

  Beside her stood a girl — shorter than Lance, golden-haired, and dressed in a cyan gown patterned with black and white. Her green eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked up at him.

  Edwin paused, then turned to Lance.

  "This is my wife and daughter," he said. "Or rather, your mother and sister now."

  Lance met the woman’s intense gaze. She looked at him like she was trying to read his entire life story in one glance. The girl beside her just smiled — an open, genuine smile full of questions and energy.

  Great, Lance thought. I’ve officially walked into a castle, and I might be the dragon... or the jester. Only time will tell.