an enigma

Ning Warren rested his chin on his hands and listened.

His expression was unreadable.

First she shows up asking for a divorce, and now she wants him to adopt this child?

He studied the small child in front of him.

Her blonde hair made her hard to ignore especially with such a doll-like face, her eyes on the other hand seemed to contain signs of intelligence and even an impersonality.

He liked her.

"So what do you think?" Jinyu had been waiting patiently for him to brood.

The time he took to think instead of agreeing right away really made Jinyu conscious of the Husband-Wife dynamic. She felt like the docile and soft-spoken secretary like wives in dramas who reported to their authoritative husbands about everything.

Not that such women were problematic, it was just... she wasn't such a person. She was only doing it since they're a pair now!

Ning Warren responded just like how the stoic husbands in the dramas would. First a "hmmm"

Then a nod. Followed by, "Okay."

A gracious smile formed on Pino's face. She held her hands over her waist and bowed, her golden curls spilling over her shoulders as she formed a 90-degree angle.

"Thank you very much... Father," She rose and looked to Jinyu her eyes curving "Mama."

Jinyu blinked and tried to hold back the blush as she smiled politely.

No doubt Tita had been educating her on the proper way to address her, recently they began to call her the same as well.

It made her giddy but also quite wary, if she's not careful, her heart won't be prepared to leave this world!

"Pino will be staying in one of the villages I rescued, the villagers will look after her."

Ning Warren nodded and began to shift his attention to his documents, a signal for the two to leave. "I'll send my men to stand by, you never know when they'll find her again."

"Right..." Jinyu for some reason felt it a blow to her pride, she felt her efforts were not enough but she swallowed it.

Indeed one could never be too careful. As expected of a Commander he is quite thorough. Instead of taking it personally try learning from him.

"I do hope they'll be honorable men." Jinyu spoke slowly.

A new worry occurred then based off her experience with light novels, she worried the men he sent taking over the village and even possibly overpowering Pino and sending her off.

The men in Warren's army were built like tanks, in the game, a single man was enough to mow down hundreds.

Ning Warren looked up in that moment perceiving the worry in her eyes. He wanted to say his men weren't like that but he didn't want to make any promises.

"...I'll send others to frequently report back to me."

"You both are forgetting that I can send letters with my magic..." Pino looked from the two for a second feeling rather odd, she was getting second-hand nostalgia.

Her father and older brothers would always discuss matters related to her as if she wasn't there and couldn't contribute.

In the past it suffocated her, now she could only smile politely and bear it. She held out her hand, palm facing up, a seed sprouted in a pink sphere of water, it's vines spiraled out swelling into a magenta red panda.

Ning Warren seemed neither surprised or impressed, he nodded once more. "There's that as well, however, I think sending others to check up on your surroundings is still necessary. Two perspectives are better than one."

Does he not trust me?

Pino frowned.

Jinyu patted her shoulder, she liked her privacy so she could only imagine how much of a nuisance it may be to have to be chaperoned by multiple people.

The two said their goodbyes and Ning Warren went back to writing.

"Ah, there's a public event coming up, make sure you both come."

The two blinked at him.

Pino looked to Jinyu who spaced out and nodded.

"Mmm."

"Then I'll see you then."