Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen
Chapter 724: An Old Friend

Chapter 724: An Old Friend

Carolyn's POV:

I had no doubts about it and immediately followed the servant out.

The Queen had clearly dressed up for the banquet, her floor-length gown sparkling with diamond shards. However, she had also put on a thick, warm fur cloak, as if she was in a hurry and didn't even have time to change her clothes.

And indeed, that was the case. She hastily instructed me, "Something unexpected has come up, and I must handle it. I might not be able to make it back for the afternoon party. My father and Aldrich will take over hosting the banquet, but I'll leave the Southern Duke's matters to you, all right?"

"Of course, please don't worry. My father will understand; official duties come first." I reassured her.

The Queen hurriedly left, and a sense of foreboding sent shivers down my spine.

About half an hour after the royal carriage departed, another car with the emblem of the Southern Pack on the front slowly arrived. Inside the car was my father, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

I immediately ran downstairs and rushed into my father's arms, excitedly saying, "You're finally here, Father! I've missed you so much!"

My collision pushed my father back two steps but then hugged me and smiled, "I've missed you too, my little princess. I wish you called me more often; this lonely old man barely gets any calls from you."

"That's my fault..." I felt a bit guilty. "You know, I've been busy with school, research, and other things. Travels and social events... All right, I'll call you more often from now on."

My father laughed and said, "It's all right. As long as you're safe and happy, I'm content, my dear daughter."

While we were talking, the former king and queen also arrived. They exchanged affectionate hugs with my father and reminisced, "It's been so many years since we last met, old friend. Time flies, and we've all grown old."

"Who can argue with that?" My father shrugged. "The children have all grown up in the blink of an eye. We can't fight aging, either. How have you been in Europe? Living the good life, I assume?"

The former king replied, "It's indeed a good place for retirement. If I had known Garcia Manor was so comfortable, I would have abdicated early and gone to live off Elena's fortune."

The former queen playfully scolded him, "Stop being so mischievous. The children are here; you're not afraid of embarrassing them!"

We entered the palace with laughter, and the servants had already sent my father's luggage to the guest room.

"Selma held a welcoming party for you," the former king said. "But unfortunately, something urgent arose, and she had to attend to it."

My father quickly replied, "You know, I always feel at ease in such social occasions. So, please tell the Queen not to worry about me. National affairs are more important."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the conversation naturally turned to me. The former queen brought up my love life, like many elderly ladies, she seemed keen on playing matchmaker for her younger relatives.

But I politely declined, saying, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Your Majesty, but I don't have any particular pursuit of love and marriage. Let things unfold naturally."

The former queen seemed a bit regretful but respected my wishes.

Then she brought up someone else, "Have you met the new royal butler? That young man named Spil is Selma's private butler for Yarin."

"Lennon, I must say, you'll like him once you meet him. He's a fine young man, honest, strong, and efficient. Although he's a bit quiet, silence can also be a virtue, isn't it? I wanted to introduce him to Bertha, but Bertha isn't very enthusiastic about it. Sigh, I think I'm getting old; young people nowadays don't seem as eager to get married as we were back then."

My father laughed, "Times have changed. Let the younger generation handle their own affairs."

As we chatted, one of the Queen's secretaries knocked on the door and whispered something in the former king's ear.

His face changed slightly, and he said, "I see, understood." Waving his hand to dismiss the secretary.

"Do you have official business to attend to?" my father asked. "Don't worry about me; Carolyn is here to keep me company."

The former king hesitated for a few seconds and then said dryly, "It's somewhat related to you, Lennon... That witch had an accident. Would you like to go see her?"

The term 'witch' puzzled me for a moment, but then I quickly realized that the former king was referring to my half-sister, the one with whom we share a father but different mothers.