Chapter 44

The birthday party was held at a traditional-style estate. Since Eira had always been close to the Reynard family, she showed up early that day. At that moment, a few family members were chatting. When Eira walked in, everyone froze for a second-no one expected that the little girl from before had turned into such a stunning beauty. She was glowing, almost too dazzling to look away. "Eira?" someone called in disbelief. She gave a gentle smile and stepped forward to hold the old man's hand. "Hi, Mr. Reynard." Mr. Reynard lit up immediately, his wrinkled hands pulling her closer as his dim eyes welled up with tears. "I'm just glad you're back. You've probably been through a lot in these past two years, huh?" His kindness struck a soft chord in Eira's heart. "Not really. Don't worry about me." He stopped smiling and gave her a stern once-over. "Look at you-so thin! What happened to you out there?" "I..." The moment she thought about those aimless, heavy days spent trying to please Alexand