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Alric blinked at her “I wasn’t planning to!”

…What? Tori stared at the king in confusion with the one eye not pressed against Ha Na “Then why do you bring up my old clan?”

“There are many questions about them I need to ask,” Alric explained quickly, his hands held up in a ‘don’t shoot’ manner “And you’re technically still part of them If we are to take you in as a Burkhard, I would need to issue a state you return to them, Tori Far from it Be at ease, Halmeoni”

Ha Na relaxed her grip but didn’t retreat “Don’t scare us like that, Alric”

Yes, please don’t scare hi to beat its way out of his chest

Alric’s eyes were shrewd on Tori, as if he could see every doubt and insecurity After living five hundred plus years, he was probably quite good at reading people “There seeize if I haven’t made this clear We quite like you If you wish to have a place in my clan, I elcome you with open arms”

Those words failed to compute for a , until they suddenly did with a snap He could stay He could stay if he wanted These kind people had spent a day with him and decided they wanted hiree

He opened his h the h him like an iron ball All that tumbled free from the jumbled mess was, “Yes”

Ha Na let out a whoop and hugged hi him back and forth

At the saed hi a kiss on the top of his head Tori laughed a little, the sound choked as it was strangled by tears, and he felt far more loved than he ever had Some of his fears fell away as he realized that these people had deht to stay There was no doubt that he’d been evaluated—and deeh

“Thank god,” Baldewin breathed against hiht around Tori’s waist “I didn’t want to influence you, but I hoped you’d say that”

Oh Was that why he’d sat all the way over there? Tori tried to put an ar theo so she could hug Alric