Contractual Bonds (2)
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"……Hmm."
Waking up early in the morning to find someone else beside me was still an utterly unfamiliar sight. Especially when that someone was a petite girl, maybe middle-school age, who fit perfectly into my arms.
It was bewildering, to say the least. I froze in the half-awake position, eyes barely open, as I pieced together my memories.
Right…… last night, I'd had a brief but intensely serious conversation with Beatrice. She'd called me 'Daddy,' and asked to sleep in the same bed. I couldn't quite grasp her exact feelings, but she looked so fragile, like she might shatter at any moment if I refused. I had no choice.
It was a bit burdensome, but not something I couldn't handle. In the end, I'd spent the night sharing a bed with her.
"Mmngh……."
"……Ah, did I wake you? Sorry about that."
Maybe because I'd shifted a little, Beatrice let out a babbling sound and opened her eyes. Seizing the moment, I managed to extract my left arm, which she'd been clinging to like a lifeline. It had gone numb from serving as her living pillow all night.
Anyway, Beatrice blinked drowsily for a moment before gradually coming to her senses. With me pulling away, she flopped back onto the bed like a ragdoll, then glanced up at me as I propped myself up halfway. Slowly, she sat up as well.
"……Yaaawn."
She stretched languidly in the morning sunlight filtering through the window. With an awkward expression, I adjusted the negligee strap that had slipped down her arm.
Now fully shaking off her sleepiness, Beatrice propped herself on the bed and stared at me intently. Those red eyes of hers definitely held a demonic allure. Especially that blood-like hue.
"Ahem, I'll head down first."
I averted her sticky gaze with a cough and those words. It was one thing when we were forcing sleep, but facing her like this while fully awake felt…… off.
Fortunately, I had the excuse of preparing breakfast. As I moved to get off the bed and head to the bathroom for a quick wash,
my eyes caught the faint tear stains under Beatrice's red eyes, and I couldn't help but freeze.
They were too noticeable to blame on just morning puffiness.
"……Did you cry?"
"Huh?"
I asked with a hint of alarm, and Beatrice, still sitting with her legs folded in a W shape, tilted her head innocently. She rubbed under her eyes with the back of her hand without a care, then let out an "Ah" of realization.
Whether my heart sank or not, she waved it off casually.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"……No……."
Did she not realize that made me worry more? I parted my lips to press further, but
"I'm hungry, Daddy."
"……."
"Let's eat. Breakfast."
Beatrice shot me a sly sidelong glance with a somewhat enigmatic smile, then flopped back onto the bed. Thud. She buried her face in the pillow in the most comfortable position imaginable and waved a hand.
"I'll lie here a bit longer, so call me when it's ready…… I'll come down."
"……."
With her sprawled out like that, I couldn't very well drag her up to check her eyes. I awkwardly retracted my half-extended hand and shut my mouth.
Beatrice paid no mind to my complicated gaze. She just twisted her head slightly, peeking at me with one eye, her look asking:
—Aren't you going?
"……Haa."
It was one of those mornings where I couldn't shake the feeling of being deeply entangled with her. With a helpless sigh, I got out of bed.
The night before, the fundamental nature of our 'contractual relationship'—something we'd both ignored until now—had come to the forefront.
I'd worried that conversation might sour things between Beatrice and me.
"Widen the stance a bit more. Match your shoulders and width."
"Like this?"
"A little narrower than that would be better."
But unexpectedly, our relationship hadn't changed at all from before. Not one bit.
After a simple breakfast, she'd come out to the yard and picked up her training sword, just like always. She'd even asked if I wasn't going to train with her, turning the tables on my hesitation.
It was a far cry from the sad smile she'd worn last night as she probed my true intentions.
It wouldn't have been strange if she'd been disappointed in me for fumbling my answer to her question about how I saw her. And yet, Beatrice was the same as ever.
Apart from those tear stains I'd noticed first thing in the morning, there was no real difference from usual.
'……She doesn't seem to be hiding her emotions.'
It was a baffling situation for me. I'd expected some lingering resentment, no matter what.
Far from being disappointed in my disingenuous self, it even felt like the distance between us had shrunk further.
"Daddy. Daddy? I'm asking, is this right?"
"……Huh? Ah, yeah. That's good. Keep doing it just like that."
Just the way she now called me 'Daddy' so fixedly was proof enough.
The sense of incongruity was impossible to ignore. Crystal clear, even.
Until now, even when she addressed me, Beatrice had always used 'you'—a somewhat stiff pronoun. Calling me 'Daddy' had been rare, maybe once in ten times, or even a hundred.
It was that infrequent, but now it slipped out naturally.
I taught her sword stances, but I couldn't suppress the bewilderment washing over me. The culprit making me so confused looked utterly calm and relaxed.
'Something happened. Something definitely did.'
I watched her closely, sensing that elusive dissonance. She didn't seem to be suppressing her feelings in front of me, but there had been some shift in her heart.
Otherwise, why would her way of addressing me change so blatantly starting today?
The problem was, I had no way to figure out what that change was. Asking directly brought back memories of last night's blunder, sealing my lips.
Helplessly, I swallowed my confusion and fumbled through interacting with her.
Whatever change she'd undergone, it didn't alter what I needed to do. Once I'd decided to be her father, I had to see it through to the end.
'……Yeah, let's not overthink it for now.'
With my thoughts sorted, I could at least deal with Beatrice relatively normally, just like before.
"How is it? Tastes decent? I'm not used to pastries, so the mix might be a bit off."
"Mm…… It's plenty tasty. Be confident, Daddy. If even I—a former countess's daughter—say so, it's really good."
I taught her about swords and mana, baked cookies from old memories, and shared everyday life like a normal father and daughter.
It wasn't particularly difficult, so there wasn't much to watch out for meticulously.
But deep down, those thoughts wouldn't fade.
—You're just taking me as a daughter out of necessity…… So to you, I'm still just a total stranger? Meaningless beyond the goal?
Just as Beatrice had said last night—what did this girl truly mean to me?
And for her emotional stability, what attitude should I truly adopt?
Beyond preventing disaster, if I really wanted to see Beatrice as my daughter—
Was it right to maintain only the position of guardian and father figure? Or did I need to truly become her 'Daddy'?
"……."
I didn't know. I couldn't reach a conclusion easily.
I could fulfill the role of protector from threats and mentor helping her gain the strength to defend herself.
But apparently, I was still clueless about being a true parent.
And so…… another ten days passed.
Ten days. The deadline I'd arranged by mail to visit the Netina Alchemical Workshop in the Imperial Capital.
I started packing to leave the house in Handel for the train station.
"I'll go too. Take me with you."
"……."
Beatrice had packed even earlier than me, a cute little backpack slung over her shoulder, and declared it boldly from in front of my room.
At that perfectly predictable statement, I could only wear a troubled expression.
……I'd had a feeling it'd be like this ever since I mentioned the trip to the capital. Intuitions like this never missed the mark.