Beatrice was the one who continued the tragic tale as Anna seemed too emotionally distraught. “After our mother’s demise, our father tried his best to step up to the plate, but he was depressed beyond saving. On one night he also decided to try the same drug that killed our mother. He didn’t perish but instead became a serious addict.
He couldn’t work, tend to the house, or even speak coherently most of the time. We stepped up to the plate and tended to the farm despite being only 13 at the time.
However, these drugs are exceptionally expensive for us humble farmers, and whatever money we made he spent it on them. Soon, we became indebted, then we sold our farm and became serfs, however, even that wasn’t enough of a wake-up call for our father.
He took another loan out to sustain his addiction, and when the collectors- the Wraithclaws- came knocking, he sold us for another batch that would only last him a few weeks at most. I bet he is already through half of it by now.” Hate was evident in the teen’s gaze. It seems that Beatrice is the more hardy one, despite it being Anna who often takes the initiative.
I can’t help but grip my palm to form a fist out of pure anger and disgust. What a horrible man. He completely failed in his duty of protecting his children. Two teenage daughters, solely depending on him, and he first makes them work in his stead, doing backbreaking labor and then has the galls to not only spend their income on drugs but sell them for drugs?
Despicable.
I want to torture and kill him.
I’m not one to care about how others lead their lives, and I didn’t bat an eye even when I initially learned that they’d been sold by their father. However, I got to know them better and experienced their sweet, tender, and dedicated personalities, and all of a sudden the father’s actions have become something I can no longer overlook.
It’s personal now.
Yes, I’m a complete hypocrite who only cares for a very few lives, but those lives are something I cherish greatly. The young twins, while not as important as my three girls, are quickly warming my cold heart up. Maybe this is what it feels like to be a father. I want to see them smile and laugh, not cry and despair.
“Do you want me to deal with him?” I grunt with a sinister tone that all but articulates what ‘deal’ means. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“No!” Anna yelled instantly, her features contorting to one of great pain. “I can’t lose him as well! If only we could find a cure for the addiction…”
If only life were so simple. Well, maybe? “Aurora?”
She whispered into my ears her answers so the twins couldn’t hear. “I’ve never made a narcotic or cure before, it’s not my specialty. Also, based on their description it seems to be a hardcore drug. Even if you shove high-tier potions down his throat, his body will heal, but his mind won’t. There’s no cure for the brain’s cravings.”
As I thought. Anna’s wishes simply won’t become a reality. I glance at Beatrice, who is staring into my eyes intently while protectively hugging her sobbing sister.
Oh?
Would you look at that? The innocent maid wishes harm to be done to her father. Her eyes say it all, she hates him with all her heart.
That can be arranged. I give her a very meaningful nod, and she replicates my motion with no hesitation.
And just like that, his fate had been sealed.
Ronan and Isolde retired to their room soon after, now fully aware of our expectations for them, and began drafting up the initial plans. The planning phase of my home is something I don’t want to rush, so I expect them to take a few weeks minimum if not months. I have time to acquire the slave labor force until then.
Now, it’s time to begin earnestly training for the Consortium’s trial. We have about a month to do so. However, before that, I knew that I simply wouldn’t be able to focus on what was important if I didn’t deal with the rot in my head, namely the disgrace of a father.
In the next hour, while I waited for night to fully descend, I learned how to care for my saber from my samurai. Ayame taught me how to use the whetstone and oil effectively. The weapon showed no signs of wear thus far, but according to her, the wielder must prevent the signs themselves from even becoming a reality, not make them disappear once they formed.
As there was a bit more time to waste, I grabbed Blossom’s alluring hips and placed her in my lap. “So, my gorgeous dog-girl, care tell master where you left earlier today? I must admit, I’m rather curious.”
After nestling into my body, she looks up at me with her beautiful, big eyes that are full of love for me.
“Blossom visited a craftswoman she saw a few days ago! She looked very skilled.”
Well, that’s not an answer now, is it? “… and?”
“… And she commissioned something.” … Why is she being so elusive? Something’s strange. She never hides anything from me.
“What did you commission? Or is it a secret?”
Her ears droop down apprehensively. “Blossom is worried that Master will be angry with her…”
Now I’m more curious than ever. “I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“As long as you adhered to my rules.”
“Blossom didn’t allow another man to touch her!”
“Then?”
“She…” Blossom wiggled herself out of my arms and went to her bag, only to lift two items out. Both were black.
“The first thing she did was ask her to help create this. Blossom can attach it to her hair.” She grabbed onto a long, thin object and connected it to the end of her ponytail. It didn’t take long for me to figure out what the object was; my discarded hair that she cut a few days ago.
She made some strange detachable extension that she could attach to the end of her blonde ponytail. Her natural blonde hair drops down to the middle of her back, but with my hair added to it, it now reaches the back of her knees.