"I want to meet your father."
"Eh?" Sarah's expression turned from surprise to fear to anxiety.
"Am I making things hard for you?" He asked.
Evander was not only the dean of the academy but also the high general of Earth Armed Forces.
So a cadet would have no chance of meeting him in private.
In a sense, Varian's request was presumptuous. But he wouldn't ignore his own daughter's request, right?
But looking at Sarah, it seemed something was wrong.
Sarah gazed out of the window in silence..
It was night. Yet, the neon lights ensured it was as bright as day.
She glanced up at the sky. There was a colorful disc in the sky—Moon and a red crack—Demon Abyss.
"When I was a kid, I used to watch the moon with my parents." Sarah's face broke into a small smile.
"They met on moon during a mission. So they both liked it very much." Her eyes sparkled in nostalgia.
"They told me the myths of the moon. A white moon. A moon that wasn't a military base. My dad said once the war was over, everything will go back to how it should be. He promised we would watch the moon together." Sarah's smile slowly receded.
"After she was gone, he changed." Sarah's voice shivered lightly.
Varian sighed.
"He used to call me every day. Now, he merely shows some gestures. Now, we rarely talk and when we do, it'd be about my progress or the lack of it." Sarah clutched her forehead.
Varian didn't think there was so much misery behind her usual confident smile. He shouldn't have brought this up.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up." He apologized.
Sarah shook her head and gave her usual confident smile. "Likewise. I didn't know why, I just felt like telling you."
Varian rubbed his chin and looked at her seriously. "I know why."
Sarah perked her ears with a curious expression.
Varian coughed and looked at her with a straight face. "After I advanced to level 4, my charm is finally showing. I can give all girls a sense of reliability. Sarah, you're also charm—"
Bam!
A pillow hit his face softly, followed by a giggle.
"Why didn't I know you were a little narcissist?" Sarah looked at him with a smile.
"Me neither. But I can't keep denying the truth." Varian flicked his hair with a sorrowful expression.
Bam!
"Hahaha, stop." Sarah clutched her stomach as she broke into laughter.
Varian smiled at her.
After a few minutes, Sarah calmed down.
"Thank you." She said.
"Huh?"
"After seeing me sad, you were trying to make me feel better, right?" She looked into his eyes with confidence.
Varian sighed in defeat. "While I appreciate your intelligence, you should really turn it off sometimes."
Sarah's lips twitched. "Is that a praise or an insult?"
"Guess?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly typed a few words on a special device. "I requested him. But I'm not sure whether he would agree."
Inwardly, she thought. 'I requested my father to do a federation wide appeal to find him. Varian doesn't know yet. Or it'd be embarrassing.' Her face lightly flushed.
Varian raised an eyebrow at her flustered expression. "You won't get into trouble, right?"
Sarah hurriedly shook her head. "H-He's still caring. He just doesn't talk anymore. Anyway, you are not going to tell me why you want to meet him, right?"
Varian looked at her in shock.
Sarah nodded with an 'I knew it!' expression.
"If you're fine, we can move to Academy. You have a lot of catching up to do and need to take the missed tests. Another monthly test is coming. Enjoy the pain." At the end, she smiled gleefully.
'Damn. I just want to practice.' Varian rubbed his hands in nervousness. As he did, he felt the metal touch on his finger. The ghost ship ring.
'Boo!'
'Yes, master?'
'I'll rely on you for my exams.' Varian pushed the burden to his AI.
'B-But that's not fair.' Boo protested.
'What's truly not fair is the Inheritance you touted about. Now, I just want to focus on getting stronger and earning merit points.' Varian persuaded the little ghost.
Sarah took Varian's silence as him being worried.
She smirked. "Want last 10 year test papers? Tests will be cakewalk."
Varian shook his head and said with a serious expression. "Do I look like someone who takes the easy path? Even if I shed my tears and pour my blood, I'll study hard without anyone's help."
Sarah was surprised at his answer, and then immediately turned back to normal.
"That's good." Then she coughed lightly and explained. "I don't use those papers either. I collect them for Ivy."
She directly threw Ivy under the bus.
"Achoo!" Ivy sneezed in the class and wondered who was badmouthing her.
Varian smiled at her and nodded with a solemn expression. "I know, Sarah. You would never do that."
Sarah smiled back at him. "Varian, I trust you never do that as well."
Behind their smiles, they both thought.
'He's lying.'
'She's lying.'
"You both are lying." A calm voice jolted them.
"Ek?!" Varian and Sarah suddenly turned to the unexpected guest.
Anna, the maid, looked at them with an expressionless face.
"Aunt Anna, you're scaring us." Sarah stood in front of Varian.
Even though he tried to calm himself, Varian still found his heart racing.
This was a Level 8 maid, dammit!
She had silver hair, an oval face and a more than ample bosom.
Anna ignored Sarah's protest and glanced at Varian.
Varian smiled at her, eliciting a raised eyebrow.
Usually, anyone his age would be flustered meeting a Level 8 awakener. Even more so when meeting a Level 8 maid.
'Confidence or arrogance?'
She gave him a professional smile and turned to Sarah. "He should've recovered by now."
Sarah opened her mouth and was about to protest.
"I know. We'll take him to the academy. I'll talk to the Supervisor. But young miss, please get some—."
Sarah suddenly said. "I know. I know."
Varian was surprised. She seemed less like a maid and more like a relative.
'Maids are awesome.' He sighed and stood up. "I'll get changed."
Soon, he was seated in Sarah's private space shuttle as they took off to the Imperial Defense Academy.