An Unexpected Daughter

After a brief discussion, the two of them brought Elaine to Dalia's doorstep. Jorgen didn't want to disturb Dalia's rest, and he also thought that meeting her again so soon, with such a peculiar reason, might be awkward, but he didn't have a better solution.

As soon as the young girl laid eyes on the mansion's front door, her eyes widened.

"Daddy, is this big house your estate?"

" 'Estate'? You're quite young to use that term... And don't call me 'Daddy.' Jorgen, before we enter, we need to come up with an explanation..."

"This child suddenly appeared and took you as her father. Before we sort this out, let's find her a place to stay. I'll tell her the truth. I won't deceive her with a boring lie, Elin. If you don't want that, we can go to the church right now. Follow me, Elaine."

Jorgen finished speaking, reaching out his right hand to Elaine. But she took a step back, returning to Elin's side, clutching the hem of his clothes. Jorgen had to withdraw his hand and step forward to knock on the door. The maid who answered seemed a bit uneasy because of their late-night visit and quietly inquired about their identities. After Jorgen stated their names, the door quickly opened.

"Master Jorgen, Master Elin, may I ask..." The maid paused as she noticed Elaine standing beside Elin, then couldn't help but smile. "Ah, there's also a lovely young lady. How can I assist you?"

"We'd like this child to stay the night," Jorgen said, "Is the mistress awake? I'd like to speak with her."

"She only returned to her bedroom recently. Please come inside first."

The maid led them to the living room and went upstairs to inform Dalia. A short while later, she returned to the living room and said, "The mistress has agreed to come down shortly. She asked me to prepare a bath for the young lady first."

"Please prepare some food for her too, and make it hot," Jorgen said.

Once the instructions were given, the maid left the room, and Jorgen sat back on the sofa. As he did so, Elaine stood up, placed her left hand behind her back, and stared at a small plain wooden sculpture on the coffee table. It depicted a dwarf mountain patrolman sitting on a stone, supporting his chin, holding a pipe in his mouth, and a squirrel squatted on his shoe. He was clutching the front end of a long spear as if ready to shoo the squirrel away, but he wore a smile. The squirrel held a nut and locked eyes with the dwarf.

"Daddy, can I look at this?" Elaine asked Elin.

"Please don't touch. Your nails are full of mud. And don't call me 'Daddy.'"

Elaine lowered her hand. When she tried to sit back on the couch, Elin said, "Don't sit. Your dress is too dirty."

"But my shoe soles are even dirtier," Elaine said. "If I sit, I can lift my legs."

"I don't care..."

"Elin," Jorgen said.

Elin sighed and patted the couch. "Alright, sit your little behind down. If Dalia comes in and sees cushion stains, it won't be my fault."

"Thank you, Daddy." Elaine sat down, shuffled over towards Elin, and then cradled her face in her hands, intently studying the wood carving.

At this moment, Jorgen heard Dalia's footsteps. The sound echoed from the distant stairs through the hallway. He could almost predict how many steps it would take for her to reach the living room. He had always been quite familiar with how many steps the staircase had and how many strides she'd take from the corridor to here, but it was only tonight that he felt it so keenly.

Dalia appeared in his line of sight almost precisely when he anticipated. Her gaze first landed on Jorgen, and in that brief moment of eye contact, he felt none of the awkwardness he had predicted minutes ago.

"Is this the young lady?" she asked as she took a few steps closer to Elaine. "What's your name?"

"I'm Elaine Tias, ma'am."

Dalia smiled, but her brow furrowed at the same time. She turned to Elin.

"Dalia," Elin began, "Listen. You're suspicious about something that has nothing to do with reality..."

"Elin, don't speak like this in front of the child," Jorgen turned to Dalia. "Let's go outside."

"You can't just disregard the girl's wishes," Elin said. But no one responded to him.

Jorgen led Dalia out to the corridor. He turned to face her.

"What happened?" she said, brushing a strand of hair that had escaped her careful arrangement back behind her ear.

"I was walking with Elin, and this little girl appeared out of nowhere, calling him dad."

"So... is it true?"

"We don't know yet. She seems to have run away from some relatives named Panzi. I want her to stay here for the night, see how it goes, maybe more than one night... is that okay?"

"Of course, that's not a problem. I'll arrange the best guest room on the second floor for her."

"It's not necessary; it might overwhelm her."

"Well... alright."

"So, that's settled."

"Okay."

The necessary discussion was over, but they still stood there, looking at each other. Jorgen didn't really want to say anything more; he simply gazed into her eyes, letting time pass. And she did the same. In Jorgen's eyes, everything was so clear: her hair pulled back simply, the contours of her face, her shadow cast on the corridor. It was a form of communication that existed independently of words and touches, indescribable yet profoundly intimate.

"Madam," they heard the maid say, "the bath is ready."

"Oh, alright. You take Elaine to the bathroom first, and I'll come over later," Dalia instructed Jorgen. "You and Elin just wait, I'll see if I can find out anything."

"Okay, go ahead."

The two of them returned to the living room, and Dalia led Elaine out. As Jorgen sat back on the sofa, Elin shifted his body towards him and asked, "How did you tell her?"

"I just said this little girl suddenly appeared, calling you dad, and that's all."

"Just that? Why did it take so long then?"

"I didn't realize it took that long."

"Hey," Elin lowered his voice, "when you were kissing her, did she..."

"Why don't you think about your own matters instead?" Jorgen interrupted him.

Twenty minutes later, Dalia returned to the living room with her sleeves rolled up, her hands shimmering with a faint glow from being damp. She didn't seem very pleased.

"I had Elaine taken upstairs. Elin, you really don't remember anything about what you did?" she said.

"What did she say?" Elin stood up.

"She's nine years old this year, her mother's name is Grenna..."

"I already know all that. It doesn't prove anything."

"Also," Dalia continued, "she said her mother met you in Southshore."

"Southshore? That's an absolute lie; when did I ever go..."

He suddenly stopped, lowered his head, and his left hand reached toward the back of his neck.

"You should be remembering something now, right?" Dalia said.

Jorgen looked at Dalia, who was showing an unusual interrogative expression, then at Elin. "Ten years ago, you were in Southshore for sure..."

"Stop," Elin still didn't lift his head. "I know where I was ten years ago. Let me think."

Ten years ago, they were both in Southshore. They both thought of this, but no one immediately said it.

"Alright... that's probably how it went," Elin finally said, still not looking at them. "At that time, you two had taken the ship back to Stormwind. I was too severely injured to recover fully, so I stayed in Southshore for a while. If I recall correctly, there was a temporary female worker at the hospital I was in..."

"Enough," Dalia said. "Don't tell me the rest."

"Where is her mother?" Jorgen asked.

Dalia turned to Elin and said, "I asked that. She wouldn't answer, only said that you promised her mother that she could come to Stormwind and rely on you. Your statement at the time was that you had to return to discuss a big business deal, so you had to leave her mother temporarily; as soon as it was settled, you would go to get her."

Elin put his left hand to his temple. "I didn't know she was pregnant."

"Would knowing have prevented you from telling this lie? Goodness, you really..."

They fell silent for a while.

"I also asked some other questions," Dalia said. "The uncle, Panzi, who brought her here, is Grenna's brother. He treated Elaine very poorly. She had many injuries, and her hands, it's clear she's been doing rough labor for a long time. So please, don't easily send her back to Panzi."

"We'll figure this out," Jorgen said, turning to Elin. "This Panzi might be trying to blackmail you, 'the great cheese merchant.'"

"Blackmail? You reminded me," Elin said. "It could be him who had the little devil memorize these things, and then..."

"She's your daughter!"

Dalia almost shouted this. She hadn't expected herself to get so worked up and almost held her breath as she spoke. There was anger in her eyes, but it was a less powerful anger that had become somewhat diminished due to her growing disappointment. Even so, Elin still didn't dare look into her eyes; he turned his head to the side and tapped his forehead with the back of his right hand.

"We should go," Jorgen said. "Let the girl rest, and you should rest too, Dalia. According to you, we'll first investigate this Panzi. Did Elaine mention where he stays?"

Dalia gave them the address of a cheap inn.

"Alright. As soon as we have time, we'll come back and prioritize sorting this out. Elin, let's go."

Elin silently followed behind Jorgen, and the two of them headed for the front door.

"Jorgen, wait," Dalia caught up to him. "There's something else I need to tell you."

"You go ahead by yourself and have some time to think about this," Jorgen told Elin.

Elin looked at the two of them as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't; this was quite rare for him. He walked away alone, his pace quickening as he went. Jorgen turned to face Dalia.

"There are things I can't say in front of Elin," she said.

"What is it?"

"That little girl didn't just do regular labor. Her hands bear some... marks. Can you bring a decent doctor tomorrow?"

"Burns?"

"No," Dalia hesitated but then continued, "She might have handled raw poison materials without protecting her hands. It's not complicated work, just rough, like picking leaves without gloves."

Jorgen frowned. "Is it serious?"

"At least for four or five years."

"I understand. I'll find a suitable doctor for her."

"You must."

Jorgen hugged her, and she held him tightly against her chest.

"Don't think too much."

"I'm just so disappointed in Elin... Why would he doubt his own daughter like this?"

Jorgen couldn't directly answer that question. In his embrace was not just a woman; she was also a mother who had hidden her maternal love deep within her heart for many years. She couldn't tolerate the same love being trampled on and doubted by those around her. She felt an injustice for Grenna, even though she had never met this woman.

"Give Elin some time; he'll come around," Jorgen assured her.

Dalia withdrew slightly from their embrace and looked at him. "So, you will come tomorrow, right? With the doctor."

"I can't guarantee a hundred percent, Dalia."

"Very well."

Not long after Elin left Dalia's house, he circled back but didn't head to the main entrance. There was a large tree on the eastern side of the house. He made his way to the tree and glanced around before quickly climbing up. Crouching on a sturdy branch, he pushed aside the leaves before him.

From this vantage point, Elin could see the second-floor windows of the house. A window on the left was illuminated; he spotted the silhouette of Elaine inside. She was partially reclined on her bed, with a maid sitting beside her, talking about something.

"A nine-year-old child doesn't need a bedtime story," Elin muttered to himself. Elaine lay down, and he straightened up slightly, but all he could see were faint shadows on the curtains. The branch under his feet made a creaking sound.

Next, the maid left the bedroom, holding an oil lamp. The room went dark, and he couldn't see anything. Elin rubbed his eyes, yawned, and stared at the pitch-black window for a minute before jumping down from the tree.