Chapter 46: Her Grandfather
Nadeira turned her head very slowly as if one wrong move-she'll be dead.
An old man was standing there, leaning slightly on a cane. His face looked lined with age, but he had eyes that looked so gentle. He did not look cruel.
Nadeira swallowed. "Who… who are you?"
The man's lips trembled before he spoke. "You don't know me, do you?"
"No," she whispered back.
He stepped closer and his voice just broke. "I'm your grandfather, child. Barbara's father."
Nadeira blinked. She had never heard about him. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would burst. "My… grandfather?"
"Yes," he nodded quietly. "I never thought I would see you with my own eyes. You grew… without us."
She tightened her grip on the book. "Why didn't you come for me? Why did you leave me there alone?"
"Because we were not allowed. We were threatened. Your father, the Duke, came to us. He told us if we ever dared to reach for you, if we even came near you, he would destroy us."
