Salim watched her and turned his face into a smile. "Thank you.”
Was the only thing he could say. He still had reservations about the young child. Rosa noticed this before, the cultural boundary that makes the young child unable to stay with the family as the society will not take her as one of their people. The mother was tainted in another country by being kidnapped; this was already spread out to the community.
Thus, even when the girl returned, the father could not keep her with him as he could not provide protection. Only by tagging the children as orphans can they be safe from the harsh words of the cruel society. Chief Salim did not want his granddaughter to be titled as a tainted child, but to save her from the harshness, he could not address her as a part of a family.
‘A cruel fate indeed.’ Rosa thought as she made her last bow to the people and climbed on the horse.
“Ride safe, my dear.” Lais waved his hand for the last time as Rosa pulled the reins on her horse.