Contractual Relationship (1)
Late at night, after hearing everything about the Black Lotus Society from Kyle in the kitchen, Beatrice seized the moment he lingered downstairs to complete all her preparations. She changed out of her day clothes into pajamas, clutched a pillow to her chest, and slipped into Kyle's bedroom.
Today's events had given her much to think about... and it wasn't just Kyle who was wrestling with new thoughts.
Beatrice sat on the edge of the bed with a troubled expression, staring blankly as she waited for him. The Black Lotus Society was a group that had tried to kidnap her to see if she could be used as a weapon. That was the story Kyle had told her today.
If that was true, then what about him? If the Black Lotus Society had plotted to abduct her for use as a weapon, what was Kyle's aim—the man who had known all her secrets from the start and proposed adopting her as his daughter?
What purpose did he have in making her his adopted daughter...?
It was a question that had nagged at her since their first meeting, but she'd never had a real chance to unravel it. Even when she'd mustered the courage to broach the subject, Kyle always deftly changed the topic.
As he'd hinted before, he clearly had no intention of telling her yet. So she'd decided not to ask.
Her current life depended entirely on him, and he was her guardian in truth. Pestering him with questions he didn't want to answer might just annoy him.
But the more she held back, the more her doubts grew.
How had he known about her?
Looking back, it was like that from the very beginning.
From their first encounter in the back alleys of Edenberg, Kyle had acted as if he knew everything. He'd found her hiding spot without effort and called her by name: Beatrice Edenberg.
Not only did he know she suffered from the Blood Death Disease, but he'd prepared the Blood Flow Catalyst in advance, as if he'd anticipated the whole ordeal.
Even when they'd left Edenberg for Handel, the mystery deepened. The moment Beatrice first stepped into the house, she'd seen her room—decorated as if for a little girl—and her curiosity had only intensified.
How much did he know? How? And why had he taken her in as his daughter?
She understood the Black Lotus Society's motives, but Kyle's reasons for shielding her from them remained a complete enigma.
It was something she hadn't dwelled on while wearing the pretty clothes he'd bought her, going shopping together, or strolling the paths around the lake.
No—more accurately, something she'd deliberately avoided thinking about. Her instincts warned that digging too deep might hurt.
Creak, creak—
Beatrice lifted her head slightly at the sound of footsteps on the stairs—Kyle coming up. Until now, she'd pretended not to know, hypnotizing even herself into not prying.
But...
...What do you think of me?
The accumulated questions had finally reached a breaking point.
She wanted to know. Even if the answer might wound her.
Better than contentedly drifting through this peaceful life like an oblivious child, terrified of losing it all.
...Yes, she wanted the truth.
Creeeak—
Beatrice gazed steadily at Kyle as he opened the door and entered, then spoke.
"Just for tonight... can we sleep together?"
First, she'd test the waters gently.
*****
My brain short-circuited for a moment.
It was a bit of an exaggeration, but close enough.
I froze in the doorway of my bedroom, staring blankly at the girl sitting demurely on my bed. Was I hallucinating? Hearing things too?
To check, I glanced at the room next door—Beatrice's—but it was empty, door ajar, not a single sign of life inside.
So the girl on my bed was indeed Beatrice.
"...Um..."
Once I'd finished denying reality, it was time to assess the situation properly.
Why had she suddenly come to my room and asked to sleep together?
The reason was obvious. She must be scared.
It hadn't even been a few hours since the Black Lotus Society's thugs had tried to kidnap her. Sleeping alone in the quiet must feel daunting.
That's understandable.
It made sense. I nodded to myself and finally looked back at her.
She was still perched on the bed, hugging her pillow, gazing up at me.
"...All right. If that's what you want, I can stay by your side until you fall asleep."
First, I'd try to soothe her.
Sharing a room with her was still a bit much. Father-daughter or not, we weren't blood-related, and my sense of propriety rang alarm bells.
"But don't do this next time. I said to come to me if something's wrong, but this kind of request is hard to grant."
I was honestly glad she relied on me enough to want me nearby until she slept, but there were plenty of other ways to ease her fears.
I averted my eyes from her ruby gaze, which seemed dimmer than usual today.
"Come on, then—back to your room. We'll be up till dawn at this rate. Haha."
I took a step as if to lead her next door, but...
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Beatrice?"
She showed no sign of moving. Not even standing to follow me—just sitting there like a statue, staring.
Frustrated, I frowned and turned back to her.
"Wh-what's the problem? Say something. I'll listen properly."
Unable to bear the stifling silence, I let my irritation slip. Beatrice's lips twitched slightly.
Her eyes remained deep and unreadable.
"...You."
She spoke in a voice that seemed to hold back waves of emotion.
"You... sometimes draw a line like this."
"...?"
The opening words were oddly hard to grasp. Draw a line? Me? Who?
I narrowed my eyes in confusion, and Beatrice continued with a self-deprecating edge.
"You try your best as a 'father,' but it always feels like you're doing it out of duty... I can't shake that thought."
"..."
"Looking back, it's been that way from the start. You said you wanted something from me, and to achieve that, you'd make me your daughter."
"...Beatrice, that's—"
As she went on, I began to understand what she meant.
How could I not? Seeing that sorrowful expression illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window.
It was a circumstance we'd both been aware of but never voiced during our time together.
Our father-daughter bond was contractual from the outset.
I'd adopted her for a purpose.
Beatrice gave a bitter smile, her face hard to read, and added, "It's fine. I'm not saying this to blame you. I chose to become your daughter to survive, after all. We're even."
"..."
"Your goal in taking me in... whatever it is, it's probably related to this illness of mine, right...?"
She placed a hand lightly over her chest, her expression rueful.
The Blood Death Disease. The root reason I'd wanted her as my daughter.
I darkened my face and asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"..."
She might not know my exact purpose, but she could guess at it roughly.
I'd known her origins from our first meeting and seen through her illness. And now I'd fluently explained the Black Lotus Society targeting her and their aims.
She could easily surmise that my reason for adopting her tied to that disease.
"Hearing all that made me suddenly wonder... what am I to you?"
Just like that.
I swallowed a groan, furrowing my brow. Beatrice looked at me with eyes flickering with complex emotions, asking carefully,
"You only made me your daughter out of necessity... so to you, I'm just a stranger? Meaningless beyond your goal?"
"..."
In a way, this was the topic we'd both avoided—the red pill from The Matrix.
Acknowledging my ulterior motive would have made this life impossible.
Waking up to train in sword and mana together, sharing three meals a day, occasionally strolling amiably.
But at its core, it was a contract. One we'd both agreed to.
Reminding myself of that filled me with a sudden suffocating tightness in my chest.
Beatrice, watching me intently, let out a bitter scoff and clouded her gaze.
"You can't answer."
"..."
I didn't know what exactly, but it was clear she felt unwelcome.
This isn't it.
...My true purpose was to prevent Beatrice from awakening as the Blood Witch in that doomed future. That's why I'd adopted her.
To keep her under my roof, watch over her, protect her when needed.
But was that all, as she implied? Did that "ulterior motive" explain our entire relationship?
Had I really adopted her solely to avert the disaster?
If preventing the Blood Witch catastrophe was my only drive, there were far simpler ways.
"..."
My gaze drifted coldly to the sheathed sword at my waist.
And I reminded myself inwardly.
Don't forget.
There had been a simple, clean, foolproof path—one with no loose ends.
Yet I'd gone to the trouble of preparing medicine as bait to adopt her.
...Don't forget.
To hold onto that resolve, I steadied my breathing. Inhale, exhale.
Ignoring the throbbing headache, I looked away from the sheath—
"...Daddy."
"..."
She called me.
Beatrice called me that—a title I thought I'd never hear again.
I jerked my head up, and she smiled faintly, sadly, continuing,
"Just for tonight, let me call you that. Even if you only see me as a means to your end... it's okay."
"...Beatrice."
"Pity, sympathy—whatever it is, I don't care. Just... be my 'Daddy' for tonight."
Whether I looked flustered or not, Beatrice pressed on plainly, setting her pillow aside and murmuring as she touched the bed lightly.
"...Let's sleep together, Daddy. Okay?"
"..."
"Please..."
Already burdened with guilt over our fabricated bond, how could I refuse such a pitiful, precarious plea?
I let out a quiet sigh.
*****
"...Is this position really okay? Not uncomfortable?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"It seems like it would be..."
"I said it's fine."
After Kyle quickly washed up in the adjoining bathroom and came out, Beatrice created an atmosphere impossible to refuse, urging him into bed.
Yielding to her persistent requests, he awkwardly slipped under the covers.
Beatrice wedged her small body almost entirely into his broad embrace.
She wriggled beneath the blankets, molding herself half into his arms.
Kyle, flustered by the unprecedented closeness, didn't know where to put his arms.
Beatrice guided them herself, making him wrap them gently around her.
"...Hoo."
The thick, masculine scent she'd never felt before dominated her senses.
Blinking with a hazy gaze, she burrowed deeper into it.
Kyle stiffened awkwardly at her actions, but she ignored his reaction, focusing only on pressing closer.
Feeling his thick hand cup the back of her head—
She stretched her arms around his firm back, hugging tightly.
Ignoring how his shoulders twitched at every point of contact.
"..."
Beatrice buried her flushing face in his broad chest to hide it.
...She wasn't a complete child, and at fifteen, being this close to a man embarrassed her.
But it was bearable. Just suppress the shame a little.
...Pity or sympathy...
Her mindset was exactly as she'd told him.
Compassion for an abandoned girl, pity for a terminally ill patient—whatever it was, if it was affection toward her, she'd accept it.
She'd long known he had some purpose in adopting her.
She'd put off demanding a clear answer for now. It didn't seem like something whining would reveal.
The point was, it wasn't worth getting hurt over anymore.
Focus elsewhere.
He had a purpose, yes—a contractual bond. But Kyle was affectionate.
She couldn't dismiss those glimpses of kindness as fake.
Doesn't matter. Purpose or contract...
Just reframe it.
Even with a goal, even bound by agreement—if the emotions peeking through were real, possibilities abounded.
Instead of grieving his dutiful demeanor...
Wouldn't drawing out that goodwill be more constructive?
If he wanted to remain just a 'father,' she'd make him her 'Daddy.'
With that sticky, obsessive desire, Beatrice burrowed into his embrace.
"Beatrice...?"
"..."
Naturally, his body tensed further, his voice thick with bewilderment.
But Beatrice focused silently on hugging him.
You can't escape.
Abandoned by family at ten, now on the cusp of adolescence.
The deprivations of those five lonely years lingered deep in her heart.
So she wouldn't let go.
She had no intention of releasing Kyle.
He was the man she'd finally found—the one who might become her family.
Whatever he wanted from her, even if that purpose was fulfilled...
She wouldn't let him slip away.
...I won't let you go.
Extremely, if worst came to worst...
Even if they ended up something other than father and daughter.
Beatrice didn't care.
There was only one thing that mattered.
That she and he were bound as family.
Yes, eternally.
Shaaa—
Buried in Kyle's arms, Beatrice's eyes began to emit a sinister blood-red glow.