To the East (1)
The inn room I'd rented was left empty without even a single night spent there, but that was a drop in the bucket. For taming Beatrice, whose adolescence had hit her hard, it was a price well worth paying. And fortunately, the effect was more than satisfactory. The shock therapy had worked like a charm, drawing out a significant level of rebellion from her toward me. While I couldn't completely erase the inevitable rebellious phase of growing up, I'd succeeded in toning it down to a level I could handle.
"Is the cake tasty?"
"......Mmph."
After wringing out a storm of tears from Beatrice back at the inn and reluctantly carrying out a bit of corporal punishment (?), I took her back to the shopping district and bought her cake at a fancy patisserie. Beatrice forked up strawberries and mangoes—gems atop the white cream—and slipped them into her tiny lips. In response to my question, delivered with a shallow chuckle, she mumbled back with both cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
Honest emotions shining through in that quintessentially Beatrice expression—one I hadn't seen much of lately. The sight was so heartwarming it filled my stomach on its own, leaving me with a bittersweet smile tinged with complex feelings. I'd done something rather harsh to such an adorable daughter, even if it was for the sake of discipline. Of course, given Beatrice's behavior over the past year, it had been an unavoidable choice from my standpoint. Still, I couldn't fully shake the guilt.
With a wry expression, I picked up a cookie from the plate beside her cake and offered it to her.
"Here, have a cookie too."
"Mmph."
She chewed diligently, yet somehow managed to take the cookie from my hand with an open "ahh." Watching her swallow whatever I gave her made me feel like a mother bird feeding her chick. Before I knew it, I kept handing her more.
Word had it there were still five days until her birthday, but I'd felt bad for missing it properly last year. This wasn't exactly making up for it, but that's why I was treating her to cake now, even if belatedly. I could whip up simple pastries myself, of course, but nothing beat a professional's touch.
We kept at the snacks until her belly was nicely rounded. By the time she waved her hands saying she couldn't eat another bite, the sun was beginning to set.
"Shall we head home now, Riche?"
"......Yeah, let's go home."
I held out my hand to Beatrice. She wiped the cream from her lips with a napkin and took it with a bright smile. Like we used to, we strolled through the city streets in step, and I asked her,
"Anything special you want for your birthday next week? Speak freely if there's something."
"Hmm...... A present?"
Beatrice stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then looked up at me sideways with a strange glint in her eyes. With a soft hint of a smile, as if pondering something, she replied,
"......I want to sleep in the same bed with you again after so long. Can we do that?"
"......?"
It wasn't on the list of gifts I'd vaguely prepared for my sixteen-year-old daughter. Aside from that one time we'd shared a bed, she'd never brought it up. I tilted my head in fresh surprise but accepted without much thought.
"That's no big deal. But is that really enough? No other presents?"
"Yeah, it's fine. That's all I need."
"Well, if that's what you want......"
She didn't seem cowed or saying it out of obligation. In other words, sharing a bed with me was enough to satisfy her. We'd only held hands casually in daily life until now, so I hadn't realized it, but maybe Beatrice was the type who craved physical affection. A night as a living body pillow was no trouble at all.
Still, a lingering doubt made me scratch my cheek and glance at her sidelong. She just blinked back with an innocent expression, no hidden motives in sight.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Dad?"
"......Hm, it's nothing."
I brushed off the faint unease with a mental it's probably fine and scattered my thoughts.
*****
After hashing things out with Beatrice, the atmosphere at home shifted in a rather ideal direction. The biggest turning point was her newfound gentleness toward me. She still got snippy now and then, but the venom had largely drained away. Looking back on her past behavior, it was almost cute petulance—something I could indulge.
"Give me that, Dad. I'll do it."
"Oh? You sure?"
Maybe she was finally maturing, as she started taking initiative with household chores. Right now, even—she'd stopped me on my way to the yard with the laundry basket and snatched it right out of my hands. She also handled post-meal dishwashing and general cleaning from time to time. I watched her briskly head to the wash area with appreciative eyes. Wasn't this the makings of a proper eldest daughter? Though, as a former noble lady, she was a bit clumsy at it.
My underwear or shirts would go mysteriously missing sometimes. But that was hardly a complaint. For someone who'd worried her rebellious phase might drag on forever, this was more than enough.
Is this the true savor of parenting?
Rubbing my nose with a swell of inexplicable pride, I stepped out onto the balcony and into the yard.
Compared to a few days ago, the lawn and flowerbeds had mostly regained their former glory. For a yard half-ruined by my two disaster daughters' sisterly brawl, the recovery was impressively swift. And there, planting grass by hand on the upturned soil as an act of remorse, was a certain someone.
"Ah, leave that corner empty. Since the yard got torn up anyway, I thought we might make a little vegetable patch."
"......"
I directed the girl—who had her distinctive snow-white beast ears drooping and sleeves rolled up, half-heartedly tending the "field" (?).
Might as well make use of the wrecked earth. Why not grow some veggies in a small plot? Approaching leisurely with hands clasped behind my back, I spoke up. She turned to me with a pouty frown and grumbled.
"If you're gonna keep changing orders like that, why don't you do it yourself? I know you handle magic pretty well."
"Can't do that. This is labor with a strong disciplinary purpose."
Of course, I politely refused. Restoring the ruined land with magic was simple enough, but what would be the point? As the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. Just like with Beatrice before, Sina needed some fitting punishment too. As the elder, she'd failed to look after her de facto little sister and instead brawled with her. With the yard in ruins, assigning manual labor was a natural next step. Perfectly intuitive as punishment.
I smirked at Sina, whose expression soured further, and nodded toward her side.
"Besides, you're not working alone. If you've roped in a speechless beast for labor, suck it up."
[Grrr.]
The white tiger caught my gaze and, unlike before, efficiently shifted to the size of a large dog, letting out a light purr. After exchanging greetings with me, it buried its head back in the dirt.
Pabababak!
It was like having a mini bulldozer. Once the tiger tilled the soil, Sina just had to plant the grass on top.
I shrugged at her—as if to say, gonna complain even now?—and she popped a cross-shaped vein on her forehead.
"......You get more insufferable the longer we live together. Was your personality always like this?"
"Who knows. Have I done anything to deserve that? Can't say I have."
Teasing her further as she already looked heated, she crushed the grass seedling in her grip. Forcing a trembling smile, she warned me.
"Watch it. Keep poking at me like that, and one day I might sink my teeth into those obnoxious lips of yours."
"My, that's scary. Got it. I'll be careful from now on."
"Tch, if only you could keep your mouth shut......"
Sina-ology volume 1: When angry, she always quietly thumps the ground with her tail. Same as ever. Her fluffy leopard tail roughly swept the surface. I chuckled silently, plopped down beside her, and grabbed a grass seedling. Her eyebrows twitched.
"......What're you doing?"
"Lending a hand, just a bit. Better than leaving you and the tiger to toil away lonely, right?"
"......Hah, earlier you were all 'discipline this' and acting cold."
"And you hate that?"
When I grinned slyly back, she clamped her mouth shut, then subtly curled her tail in a circle and grumbled.
"Well, I never said I hated it. Help if you want."
I burst out laughing. How honest.
"You're a bit of a tsundere yourself. You sisters do take after each other."
"......Hmph, don't compare me to that dangerous little blood clot Beatrice."
Considering Beatrice's true nature, it was a remark loaded with unintended meaning. I glanced toward the distant wash area and refocused on planting. We worked in companionable silence for about an hour, the tiger's digging as background music, restoring the ravaged yard.
"Ah...... Come to think of it."
"Hm?"
Suddenly struck by something, Sina paused and turned to me.
I met her eyes, and she spoke plainly.
"Thinking of heading out soon. Fine if I leave the house for a bit?"
"Heading out?"
It wasn't a big deal. I blinked, then replied,
"No need for my permission on something like that. Go ahead. Like I said before, feel free to act independently."
Over our year together, Sina had often wandered outside. From what I'd observed, she quite enjoyed sightseeing in human cities. Assuming this was the usual short outing, I was about to grant permission casually.
"Ah, this time it'll be a longer trip. Different from before."
"......?"
Aware of that, she explained why she was seeking approval now.
"I'm thinking of going to the East."
"......"
I stiffened and turned to her.