As the conference room door closed, Akali smiled and turned to Freya beside her.
"Hey, Freya, don't tell me you've taken a liking to him?"
Freya immediately glared at Akali.
"Aunt Akali, that joke isn't funny at all. If Father heard you, he might get angry with you."
Akali shrugged. "I doubt it. No matter how much he loves his daughter, you'll have to get married sooner or later. Now, how old are you this year?"
"I'll be twenty-four before long." Freya gave a soft snort. "Who says I have to get married sooner or later? Neither you nor Aunt Avita is married."
"The two of us are different. The man we love won't accept us." Smiling, Akali reached out and stroked Freya's head. "Freya, if the President had accepted me back then, I might have a daughter about your age by now."
Freya giggled. "That's between you grown-ups. Don't drag me into it. If you want a daughter, I can be your daughter too."
"Yes, Avita and I watched you grow up, and we've often thought of you as our daughter." Akali paused, her smile fading. "All right, enough joking. On a serious note, Freya, you're almost twenty-four. You're nearly at the age you agreed on with the President. Have you made up your mind yet?"
Freya immediately looked troubled. She frowned in thought for a while, then slowly shook her head.
"I haven't decided yet."
"Why? Are you still not interested in taking over the guild?"
"It wouldn't be right to say I have no interest at all. Over the past two years, I've tried getting involved in some of the guild's work, and I've actually found a lot of it quite interesting. But... I keep feeling that deciding my future so early is a little... a little