’At least Aria has someone on her side who genuinely loves her.’ Claire thought.

’She gets to skip the whole miserable childhood phase. Because even with a massive army to run and a whole territory taking up his time, Adrian still makes some time for her whenever he can...’

She thought about it even more.

He literally cooked her meals himself whenever he could.

Even commoner men refused to cook because of the heavy social stigma. It was considered women’s work, but Adrian didn’t care. He was happily doing the job of both the mother and the father.

’Is there anyone better than him?’ Claire thought.

She honestly didn’t have an answer. She thought about Lorcan, the assassin leader. Sure, the guy was in his thirties and had a decent face. But he practically always had this weirdly cold, creepy aura.

Then there was Caelum. That runesmith and his sister definitely had great genetics. But Caelum didn’t stand a chance against Adrian when it came to looks either. Adrian was still slightly better and when Adrian dropped the jokes and got serious, the air around him shifted.

And Claire knew exactly how brutal that intensity got since she was the only one insane enough to spar with him.

Unfortunately for her, Damian walked up to the wooden bench and dragged her right out of her daydream.

"General Claire." the butler bowed slightly. "Lord Adrian is calling for you."

Damian glanced at the sleeping noble. "Is the Lady sleeping?"

"Yes." Claire asked quickly. "Is it important?"

"Yes." Damian nodded seriously. "It is urgent. He is calling for both of you."

"Understood." Claire said.

She placed a hand on Serena’s shoulder and gave her a slight shake.

The girl gasped. She jerked awake and blinked repeatedly before she turned to look at Claire.

"Adrian called for us." Claire said.

"Okay." Serena mumbled back.

She rubbed her face, stretched her stiff arms, and grabbed her books before following Claire inside the mansion.

They stepped into the private study and Adrian first looked at the giant book in Serena’s arms and flashed a small smile. "Still reading that thing?"

"Just a little bit left." she promised.

"Fine." Adrian said. "But put all of your things aside for now. We need to do something really, really important."

Claire instantly stood at attention and her face went completely serious. She fully expected him to announce another massive war or a scary political issue.

"Aria’s birthday is in two weeks." Adrian announced, his expression totally deadpan. "I need to buy her a really pretty dress, and I want your help in doing that."

Claire completely broke character. All her serious military composure vanished instantly. She actually burst out laughing right in his face.

"Okay." Claire chuckled and shook her head. "So what exactly is our job here?" Just pick a dress for her?"

"Yes." Adrian nodded. "But there is a major issue. I don’t really know her exact measurements." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"That is not a big deal at all." Claire smiled. "We can just take her to a high-end tailor and we can pay the merchant beforehand to just play along. Let the shopkeepers take her measurements while she tries on normal stuff. We just trick her into thinking it is a standard shopping trip. And once she is out of sight, you can just use the same measurements and pay them to make a custom dress in secret."

Adrian’s eyes lit up.

"That is a great plan." Adrian said. "So what kind of dress should I buy for her?"

"Why don’t we go and check what’s available first?" Claire suggested. "See what materials they have."

"Good idea." Adrian agreed immediately.

He knew they didn’t have to travel very far. The newly captured city, the one he took from Viscount Alexander, had several high end clothing shops that catered directly to wealthy merchants and minor nobles.

"Pack your bags." Adrian ordered. "We head out in a few hours. Go tell Aria to get dressed but don’t tell her anything about the actual plan."

He grabbed a blank sheet of parchment right after. He scribbled out a formal notice and shoved the paper into Damian’s hands.

"Take this to Cassius." Adrian instructed. "Tell him to deliver this to Burke. I am officially renaming the captured city to Oreswell. Tell him to handle all the legal preparations and send the updated territorial documents to the Emperor."

Adrian walked down the streets of Oreswell.

He had brought Claire, Serena, and Aria along with him just like he had planned and the newly captured city was bustling with merchants and travelers. Adrian led his small group straight toward the commercial district and was trying to get to the one his men had already talked to before. It was the best clothing store in this place and Adrian wasn’t going to settle for less.

He finally found a massive shop with tall glass windows and a polished wooden sign. It was clearly a place built specifically for rich nobles and wealthy merchants.

Adrian opened the door and the smell of fresh linen and expensive perfume entered their noses. Premium clothes lined every single inch of the walls. Wooden mannequins stood around displaying fancy silk dresses and perfectly made velvet coats.

Adrian completely ignored the price tags. He did not even bother looking at the numbers.

"Go pick out whatever you want." he told Aria instead.

The kid looked like she was about to explode from excitement. Her eyes lit up and she practically sprinted straight for the clothing racks on the female side.

Adrian just follewed happily behind her.

He kept his mouth shut about the secret mission. He did not whisper a single word to Claire or Serena about the actual birthday plan. He just slipped right into the role of a totally foolish, doting dad. And honestly, it was not an act at all.

Aria yanked a dark green dress off a hanger and held the fabric up to her chin.

"That looks absolutely amazing on you!" Adrian cheered.