Chapter 77

Inside the room, Dad was sitting comfortably in a robe. "Master, you changed your clothes?" "Well, ceremonial attire is uncomfortable." "I see." Before going to the restaurant, we all changed our clothes. But in my case, moving around in the restaurant made my clothes a mess, and I hadn't changed yet. "If I had known, I would have changed too." Though it was a bit late, I was a little bothered and patted my clothes, but my body floated up. I didn't need to walk; I could just let my body be carried by the water current and fly to the seat right next to Master. "It's not bad, so you can stay like that." "Really? Thanks, Master. I am kind of cute and pretty, right?" "..." Dad's silence was something I was already used to. After all, I didn't come here to talk about this, so let's get to the point... "That's true." "Huh?" "When I went to the family meeting for the first time in a long time, I realized that you are the prettiest." Somehow, it felt strange to hear this from someone who would never say such things. "I know I'm pretty and cute." "But why do you look like that?" "I didn't think I would ever hear this from you." Then Dad smiled faintly. "Fathers love their daughters, so it's not strange." "..." "Did you come to my room for something?" "Saying it like that makes it sound like I only come when I have something to ask." "It's not entirely wrong." "..." Though I tried to brush it off playfully, it still felt strange. Especially when I thought about the reason I came here. "Master, you're so diligent. I was surprised that you would be this diligent in being a father. It's a promise, right?" "That's part of it. But, I'm not sure." "What do you mean, 'not sure'?" "It means I did it because I wanted to." Dad answered calmly. "Though I only saw you for a short time, you don't do things you dislike, even if someone forces you, right?" "Yeah." "I'm the same. I've never done something I didn't want to do, even once in my life." Who could have forced the head of the family? Even Grandma, who would overlook his arrogance and rudeness because he was too valuable to kill. "Yeah, if I have to express it, I'm a bit happy." "..." "I'm happy. Calypso." A large hand landed on my head. As I felt the hand slowly petting me, the strange feeling inside me grew even more. I don't want you to make me feel this way or to get attached to me. That's the story I came here to tell. "Can't Agenor feel the same happiness?" "If the third one is as strong as you, has the same personality, and the same soul, it might be possible." "What, why do you have to say it so long? And if we're talking about strength, Belus is probably stronger than me." "That one is not possible." Dad, with his legs crossed, leaned his head on his hand and said. "He's too much like me." "Is that so?" I glanced at Dad and said cautiously. "Sometimes similar people get along well, right?" "There are such cases, but the chances of me and that one ending up in mutual hatred are high." It was a pretty sharp observation. After all, Belus seemed to think that Dad was someone he needed to overthrow. The more I observed from the side, the more I felt that Dad, despite pretending not to notice, seemed to be aware of many things. "Hey, didn't Master travel to various places when you were younger?" "I have been to some places, but mostly within the territory of aquatic animals, and I rarely went beyond that." It was his first time attending the Dragon Festival. That's why I thought no one among the land animals in the restaurant recognized him. If he had ever met them, he wouldn't have said such things to Pierre Aquasiadel. "I was surprised when I first entered this city. It's completely different from the whale territory. There are no buildings as tall as ours, and even our mansion isn't this tall." "That's true. By the way, did you like high places?" I nodded and glanced sideways. "Not really. The land animals were all pretty bad." "Now that I think about it, this must have been the first time you experienced their hatred and discrimination." Well, not really. I've heard such things to the point of being sick of them. But I can't openly say that, so officially, this is the first time in this life. "Whose words were the most annoying?" "Huh?" "Usually, the more clear the example, the less there is to say." "No, the black bear was enough. I even took action myself." I pulled on Dad's clothes. It was strange. I should have gotten to the point, but I was circling around, which felt a bit unfamiliar. But it had to end there. 'You're going back, right?' I made my decision and lifted my head. "Master, I think this city is amazing. So... how about going back alone?" "What?" I expected him to either look at me in disbelief or calmly say, 'If that's what you want, I'll do it,' as usual. "Do you mean you want me to live here with you?" "Uh, uh?" I was taken aback by the immediate response and the unexpected nature of it. "I just found out today that you like high places, but I didn't know you liked them this much. Is there something you want to do here?" "Well, that..." "Usually, cities like this need many mermaids with strength. Since the city is large, there's a need for protection between villages, and personal protection or mercenary work wouldn't be bad either." Hold on, where is this going? More importantly, are you, who is as powerful as the head of the whale territory, really going to be just a guard or a mercenary here? I forgot what I was going to say and blinked. "Master, are you saying you want to do these jobs, not telling me to do them?" "I don't think any family or merchant would entrust a three-year-old with guard or mercenary work, no matter how skilled they are." "I appreciate you suddenly being concerned about my age, but that's not the point." I gripped Dad's clothes so hard they wrinkled. "Are you saying you want to live here with me?" "Didn't you say you want to live here?" "No, that's not what I meant..." "If not, surely you're not telling me to leave you here and go back alone?" "..." I couldn't answer. I was speechless, shocked by the explosive aura and killing intent that suddenly erupted. "Just a moment ago, the restaurant was full of people who were ignoring us, and now you're telling me to leave you here? What do you think they'll do?" "Master." It wasn't directed at me, but I couldn't move. '...This is the real power of Dad, who can rival Grandma.' I shivered, not just out of fear. The competitive spirit I felt from Grandma, I didn't feel from Dad. The relief that Dad wouldn't easily give up on me, ...relief? Confusion surged like waves. "You seem to be taking my words too lightly." "..." "You told me to be a father to you." "Master, I..." "But now you're telling me to go somewhere without you? You might have said it lightly, but..." "..." "I repeat, I don't do things I don't want to do. So, I have no intention of going back alone." Looking into his bright blue eyes only made the confusion grow. I held my breath. "From now on, your job is to be protected by me, trained by me, and become the adult you want to be. I won't force you to do anything else, but for all of this to happen, we must be together." "..." I felt a mix of emotions. The problem was that I didn't dislike these feelings. In the end, the promise Dad made won't be kept. I don't plan to become an adult here. 'I will talk to the Duke of Dragons and find a way to go back.' Now, even though you're being nice to me, I don't hate or dislike you; in fact, I'm grateful. But... I miss my world too much. It feels too late to start hoping and expecting now. 'The 60 years I spent in my world were too painful.' The words I wanted to say never came out.