Julia was re-informed about the return of her father once they arrived at the Knight mansion.
"How long had he been back?"
Julia asked as she made her way from her room towards her parent's section of the mansion. As a large household, there was more than enough room for everyone and the guests they also received.
"It's been a few days and while he still keeps busy, he made it clear to send you over once we returned from the academy."
James replied walking a step behind her to show their status. Regardless of strength, he was still a servant.
"Any idea why he wishes to see me?" She gave a side eye, curious as to what her father wanted. Of course, their relationship was good. It was just that her dad rarely stayed at home and focused on his duties.
"Not sure, but from where he returned from, I can more or less make an educated guess." James hinted and waited for Julia to give the go-ahead if she was interested in hearing his take on the matter.
She nodded and James proceeded to give her his guess.
"He returned from the Kovan system. I think it has something to do with the Younge family."
Julia furrowed her brows not entirely sure what that meant. Of course, she knew about the Younge family as just like theirs, they were a powerful family of hunters who have had a Class S hunter in the past.
Of course, the family was still strong as one of its members was on the verge of breaking through to the S Class rank.
"What does that have to do with me?" She inquired with raised brows. She failed to find the connection between her and that family.
"Like I mentioned earlier, Miss Julia. It's just an educated guess."
Julia remained silent and did not reply, lost in her own thoughts and trying to find the link she was missing.
A few minutes later, Julia arrived at the large double doors that led into the office space of her dad as James stood behind and would wait till she finished.
With a sharp breath, Julia opened the doors and entered.
Her eyes drifted to the man seated in a desk chair with his back towards Julia and face looking out the window.
Julia slowly arrived before the desk and called out softly, "Dad?"
Abruptly the man, known as Lucas Knight, spun in his chair and faced Julia with a bright smile. He looked middle-aged but had no wrinkles.
His eyes were normal like Julia's and had short dark hair with streaks of white that was not an indication of old age.
"My baby girl, did you miss me?"
He asked with open arms still sitting in his chair.
Julia observed the man with a serious expression before it broke as a wide smile graced her beautiful features.
Her serious expression moments ago was a thing she and her father had where they alternated between a strict parent-child relationship and friendly.
Suddenly, Julia leapt into the open embrace of her father as the two reconnected after so long.
"My, my. My baby girl sure did miss me."
"Mm." Julia nodded in delight with eyes closed just enjoying the warmth of her father.
Lucas chuckled with a head shake. Julia still behaved like a little girl. Of course, being called princess would do that to a person and wasn't always a bad thing.
"I've heard all about your exploits with your friends and in the academy. And I must say, I'm proud of you."
Her father spoke with a proud tone and a distant gaze while rubbing Julia's back. As a concerned parent, even in his absence, he still kept an eye on his baby girl.
"Yeah?" Julia raised her head and looked at her father.
"Of course, I would have failed as a father if I didn't know that much. And if you're talking about your boyfriend, Alexander, then all the more so.
"That boy is more famous than even your uncle now," Lucas chuckled.
Returning to the other side of the desk, Julia took a seat and did not immediately ask about why she was called but engaged in small talks with her dad about everything she did.
And Lucas listened with rapt attention even though he already knew most of it. He couldn't take away the joy on his daughter's face while she was talking.
"And that's how Alex confessed to me." She ended with a grin.
Naturally, she avoided mentioning her 'character' issues. But Lucas wasn't born yesterday, he spotted the holes in her story but chose to remain silent.
"That is indeed a wonderful experience. I'd like to meet the boy myself."
He gave his honest thought. In fact, it had been on his schedule for a while now.
'With Zol's interest in the boy, it would be a shame to be left behind.'
"Definitely, I'll introduce him to you. We even plan on meeting in a few days." She added in excitement, already forgetting why she was here.
"Good. This brings me to the reason I called for you, Julia."
Lucas's tone took a serious turn when he used her name instead of his endearment term. And Julia noticed the change as well and composed herself.
"You are familiar with the Younge family, correct?" Lucas asked and Julia nodded.
"Good. Some time ago, long before you even began attending the academy, the head of the Younge family and I made an arrangement."
He paused to give Julia time to digest his words as he knew she would go berserk. Watching her nod in understanding, he finally dropped the bomb.
"I want you to meet the young heir of the Younge family."
Julia furrowed her brows not liking the sound of those words. However, before she could make any comments, Lucas raised his hand.
"Let me finish. Understand that this was done before you met Alexander and because I gave my word, I can't take it back.
"I just need you to give the boy a chance to meet with you."
He ended and waited for her daughter to explode like he expected, yet Julia just remained still with furrowed brows.
Her eyes bore into his and while there was a glimpse of simmering emotions brewing, Julia stayed calm, surprising her father greatly.
'Did I miss something?' He mused in confusion.