My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 416

Lyra

I stepped into the dining room, expecting the usual tedious affair, my parents, myself, and a handful of sycophants vying for my father's attention. Instead, a dozen unfamiliar faces greeted me, all eyes trained on the doorway I had just entered through.

Odile stood immediately, beaming. "Lyra!" she called, already crossing the room toward me.

I stared, bewildered, as she closed the gap and pulled me into a fierce hug. My whole body went still for a beat before I caught myself and hugged her back. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice coming out more breathless than I meant it to.

"Oh!" Odile laughed, releasing me from her embrace. "My brothers and I decided to pay your father a visit. The boys have been dying to see him."

I glanced toward the table, taking in the two men Odile referred to as her brothers. They were visibly older, their faces lined with maturity and experience. It didn't add up. Odile talked about them like they were still boys, but they looked like grown men.

"What is going on here?" I mumbled, more to myself than Odile. My eyes landed on my father, watching me with a warm smile. Irina sat beside him, head bowed, plowing through her meal without so much as a glance my way.

"These are your brothers?" I asked, still feeling the sting of unease.

"Yes!" Odile practically bubbled, linking her arm with mine and pulling me toward the table. "Let me introduce you. This is Gero, and this is Rennick."

We neared the table and their eyes rose to greet me. Gero, the older of the two by the looks of it, stood with lithe grace, a confident stride carrying him toward me. "A pleasure, Princess Lyra," he said, his voice a deep, soothing baritone.

My father chuckled the moment Gero stood, warm and fatherly.

Rennick spoke up from his seat, grinning. "Watch out, Princess, this one will bore you to sleep before the eggs are cold."

Gero didn't so much as blink. "Ignore him."

But before either of them could say more, Rennick shoved to his feet and barreled past Gero with an excited grin.

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