Chapter 343: This Is Our Chance, Father.

"I really should have expected something like this," he whispered to himself. "Why did I even assume he would actually fight? Though he is really good to his citizens, I guess I just didn’t expect him to actually go against Maximillian."

Roderick shook his head and closed his eyes.

Adrian was just chilling.

He was currently sitting on a really thick log that was mostly used to cut firewood. There were multiple logs like it scattered around him, and a few of the top brass of his territory along with the other nobles were sitting on them as well.

Adrian calmly watched as the soldiers relaxed across the camp. They were all sitting on the ground doing their own thing. Some of them were drawing in the dirt while others were singing or gossiping. A few were busy sharpening their swords and some were even fighting. It was more like light sparring since they definitely weren’t going for each other’s lives.

Seeing all of this made Adrian turn to look at Draven.

"Do you think we should have a short fight too?" Adrian asked. "It’s been quite a while since I’ve actually sparred with anyone."

He shifted his gaze over to Claire.

"And my beloved general has been refusing to fight me for quite a while now, and I don’t even know why," he said. "She’s clearly stronger and I even told her I wouldn’t use my magic, but she still refuses to fight me."

Adrian cleared his throat and straightened his back to imitate Claire. He put on a dignified and strict expression that instantly made Claire’s face turn a little bit red. Then he combed his hair back with his fingers and held it in a fake ponytail as he spoke in a mockingly serious tone.

"My lord, I cannot fight you just for one single reason," Adrian said. "If something happens and you are injured, how am I supposed to answer the people? You are a very reckless man and I cannot bear to harm you."

Baron Kaldwin and his son Sebastian burst into loud laughter the moment they heard that. Both of them gave Claire a very knowing smile because they knew exactly how much of a battle maniac she really was. She was the type of person who normally wouldn’t care if she was fighting the lord of the territory or not.

Sebastian leaned a little closer to his dad and whispered in his ear.

"This is probably the first time I’ve ever heard her doing something like this. I don’t think we’ll ever find a better opportunity to get her married."

He paused for a second and looked back at Claire.

"I might be wrong, but maybe there is something else going on here. Maybe she actually has feelings for him. Based on my experience from attending the Knights Academy, a lot of girls there had this tendency to not be too aggressive in front of the guys they liked. They wanted to show them their feminine side."

He shook his head.

"I don’t think it’s something that comes naturally. It’s something they talk with each other about and decide that it is better to act weak in front of the guys they like."

Baron Kaldwin nodded and whispered back. "Well, maybe they did talk it out. Honestly speaking, a lot of guys do like girls who are more willing to take help since it makes them feel like they’re contributing something. But I personally prefer girls who are really strong by themselves."

Sebastian gave his dad a sideways glance.

"You know, you’re really different from other guys," Sebastian muttered. "A lot of them dote on their daughters, but you’re over here being way too harsh on her instead. You treat her like a son and then you treat us like daughters. You dote on us way too much compared to her."

Kaldwin shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

"I’m talking about romantic interest, not about my daughter. I just didn’t want her to get hurt."

He looked down at his hands.

"You know how it is when someone becomes a knight. It’s just constant fighting. I didn’t want her to be in danger. Even though I married a knight because she was strong, your mother was someone who did not act weak in front of me. That was the reason I fell for her, but that was also the thing that took her life. I didn’t want the same thing happening with Claire, but she still ended up following in her mother’s footsteps."

Kaldwin looked back up at his son.

"Adrian seems like a good guy, and considering the fact that she actually stopped being aggressive in front of him to the point where she refuses to fight him, I do suspect she might actually have feelings for him. Maybe we should give her a good push. Or maybe we just give Adrian a push instead. After all, my daughter has no weaknesses when it comes to looks. Just look at her."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, stop boasting. I know my sister is great, but I’m still not sure if Adrian is done being a single dad. If you remember correctly, he did say he wanted to focus on his daughter more almost two years ago."

Kaldwin waved his hand dismissively.

"That was when he was fresh out of his marriage right after his divorce. I’m sure he had a lot of negative feelings about marriage in general back then, so it is fair for him to have had that response."

He raised a hand to stop Sebastian from interrupting.

"Trust me on this. You might have a lover right now, and I know exactly how many you have too, so you don’t have to hide it from me. But as a man who was unmarried for almost five years after your mother passed, I know how lonely it gets. I really do miss your mother and I still miss her now, but it is good to have someone right beside you all the time. A position of partner for life is something that kids can’t fill."