The First Adoption (5)
"An adoption?"
"That's right."
The next day, Beatrice and I visited the government office to officially finalize the adoption procedures. The clerk sitting on the other side of the partition glanced at us and immediately said as much.
In this era, how often does a grown adult bring a young girl like her to such a place? It wasn't a common occurrence, but neither was it exceedingly rare. Adopting orphans was a thing that happened.
Beatrice fidgeted restlessly, clutching the hem of my clothes and hiding behind me. Perhaps she had bad memories of officials from her days surviving as an orphan in the back alleys. It felt awkward to ask here, so I simply reached out with a casual hand and stroked her hair.
"!"
Still not used to it, she flinched and shrank back the moment my hand touched her—but she didn't pull away. Probably thanks to last night's agreement that she would become my daughter, after all.
I slowly stroked her deep blue hair while giving a sidelong glance to the documents the clerk had fetched from somewhere.
"Please submit your ID, and sign here. The child's name, yes. And your name as well, sir."
"Understood."
I handed over the wooden identification tag from my pocket, then took the pen and spun it once in my hand. It was an astonishingly simple procedure. Sure, there was an administrative process in name, but compared to my previous life, it was little more than paperwork theater. They didn't even check if the adopting home was a suitable environment for raising the child properly.
All it took was filling out a single form to take in an orphan with nowhere to go. From the state's perspective, it was probably better for kids to end up as someone's adopted child than to die as wandering street rats.
What a messed-up system.
It was one of this era's open secrets that many such "adopted" children were treated like virtual slaves. Of course, from my standpoint, it made bringing Beatrice in as my daughter all the easier, so it wasn't all bad.
Still, I couldn't help the bitter taste in my mouth. Especially after seeing all those other orphans in the back alleys the day I picked her up.
Overreaching.
Unnecessary thoughts. I wasn't some saintly adult, nor did I have the spare capacity to save every last one of those kids. Taking in Beatrice was purely a self-serving act to save the world—and, by extension, ensure my own survival.
I neatly shoved aside the fleeting bitterness and refocused on the present. I filled in the form with my name and Beatrice's.
[Father: Kyle]
[Daughter: Beatrice]
I was a commoner to begin with, so no issue there, but for Beatrice, I couldn't write her full name. I couldn't very well make the daughter of a count's family mine while she still bore their name. Officially, she had been cast out from the Edenberg household. This would handle it without problems. From what I knew, Count Edenberg hadn't searched for her even once in the ten years since.
"All done, sir."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The clerk gave the papers a cursory check and stamped them with a solid thunk. With that, Beatrice was officially my adopted daughter.
During the whole process, she'd hidden behind my back, but now curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked out to glance at the documents. The moment her eyes met the clerk's, though, she flinched and snapped right back into place.
For her sake, I quickly pocketed the new ID and stood.
"Come along now, my daughter."
"......Ugh."
As we stepped out hand in hand, Beatrice trailed after me with a awkward expression, clearly unused to the new form of address.
"Wh-where are we going now?"
"......"
"......sir?"
Our little lady hadn't quite decided how to speak to me yet. I chuckled and replied in a leisurely tone to ease her dilemma.
"If you prefer, you can keep using casual speech. Whatever feels comfortable to you. It's not so strange for a daughter to speak casually to her father."
"......Ah......"
She looked somewhat relieved as she eyed me, then nodded and asked again.
"S-so, where are we going now?"
"......"
Casual speech after all? I didn't mind either way, as I'd said, but it was an unexpected choice. Given how she'd been gauging my reactions from the start, I'd figured she'd stick to polite speech.
I gave her a subtle look for a moment, then smiled quickly lest she get scared again.
"First, a clothing store. You've had a proper bath, but seeing you still wrapped in that sackcloth breaks a father's heart."
"......Clothes?"
"Yes. Any particular style you like? I'm not exactly an expert on women's fashion...... I'll take you to the shop, so if anything catches your eye, don't hesitate to say so."
Beatrice stared blankly at me, her small lips parting and closing repeatedly. She had something to say, but it would take time before she could voice her opinion freely without holding back.
I pretended not to notice, turned my head, and silently led her toward the commercial district. Whatever the case, living with me would make her comfortable around me soon enough. Waiting patiently without pushing was the way to go until then.
Ding-a-ling!
Soon, Beatrice and I entered a shop that looked reasonably upscale. Not quite for nobles, but the sort frequented by the children of wealthy merchants—well-off commoners.
No boasting, but I'd worked as a top-tier mercenary alongside Violet, tackling high-difficulty missions. After seven years of grinding to afford bulk Blood Flow Catalyst, a little spending like this was no hardship.
"Bring out everything that would suit this child. I'll pay for it all."
The shopkeeper had frowned at first at Beatrice's sackcloth rags, but upon seeing the gold coin I offered, my attire, and her beauty, she switched attitudes in a flash.
"Oh my, what a lovely daughter you have. In a few years, the boys won't leave her alone."
"Any man who approaches her with impure intentions won't return in one piece."
"Hee-hee, such a fierce father. Anyway, please wait just a moment. I'll have her all dolled up and brought back to you in no time."
Grinning at my response, the shopkeeper placed her hands on Beatrice's shoulders and whisked her toward the back of the store. She'd apparently taken my words to mean, If any scum shows ill intent toward Beatrice, I won't let him off easy.
It was more like she'd rip him apart herself.
Well, some truths were better left unknown. No one bold enough would dare hit on the future Beatrice anyway. Of course, I'd do everything to prevent her awakening as the world-destroying Blood Witch.
That didn't mean stifling her talents entirely. One way or another, she'd overcome the Blood Death Disease and awaken her blood powers.
Anyway.
I sat in a chair at one side of the shop, flipping through a magazine as I waited a short while.
"Thank you for waiting~"
"Oh."
Whoosh!
The changing room curtain parted, and out came Beatrice and the shopkeeper, who had apparently been chattering away inside while she tried on several outfits.
I set down the magazine and looked up.
"......Ugh, uh."
"......"
The first thing that caught my eye was her deep blue hair, now even more lustrous after a proper wash in the mansion's bath the day before. In this fantasy-tinged world unlike my previous life, such vivid azure locks were rare, flowing smoothly from her shoulders down to her waist. Likely styled by the shopkeeper, her layered bangs framed eyes of ruby red that sparkled under the light.
It was a far cry from the girl in a single sackcloth. The new dress was a soft sky blue to match her hair, accented by a ribbon at the collar and frills at the hem. The spare shoes I'd lent her in a pinch were gone, replaced by white strapped heels that clicked against the floor.
To exaggerate a bit, it was like a magical girl transformation. I'd known she was beautiful, but clothes truly were wings. Aside from the lingering childishness, she was a peerless beauty.
Unaccustomed to her own appearance, Beatrice blushed and mumbled.
"I-I don't need clothes this nice......"
"We'll take it."
"......You?!"
It was amusing seeing the girl who'd worn far flashier garb back in the count's household suddenly shy about this. Then again, five years was a long time. Long enough to shatter a noble lady's pride down to an orphan girl's level.
I flicked a pre-prepared gold coin to the shopkeeper, then pulled out my wallet and added another.
More than enough for a commoner's dress. But I had no intention of stopping there.
I nodded toward the shop's interior.
"I'm no fashion expert, but even I can tell there are plenty of nice things here. Bring out everything that suits my daughter."
"......!"
"Two gold coins should cover it? Keep the change as a tip."
The shopkeeper's eyes spun at the gleaming gold.
"Leave it to me, sir! Hee-hee-hee!"
"Ah, ahh......?!"
With a deep bow full of sincerity, she dragged Beatrice back to the changing room. Fashion shows apparently not to her taste, Beatrice looked positively ashen, but...
She emerged repeatedly in dresses, sweaters, cardigans, skirts of every variety, and each time I let out exclamations of admiration. With such a perfect rack, anything looked stunning on her.
I kept the dress-up game going until Beatrice was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, then returned to the mansion with her, my hands weighed down by bulging shopping bags.