Chapter 96: Letter
{TL: By Creed}
"Ahm!"
Aisha opens her small mouth wide to eat the hamburger.
Each time she takes a bite, she smiles happily.
"Ahhh... my daughter is so, so cute..."
Sofia was basking in the joy of parenthood, feeling like she was melting with happiness.
It's been a month since we adopted Aisha.
We have been steadily fostering our family bonds.
Aisha has become very attached to us...
And we have grown to love Aisha even more than before.
Sofia, especially, is incredible.
I hate to say it, but she is a complete doting parent.
Every day, she spoils Aisha and has a very happy smile on her face.
But I understand how she feels.
I understand very well.
I understand perfectly.
Because Aisha is adorable.
She's also earnest, always giving her best, serious, and kind...
Yeah, maybe I'm a doting parent too.
We are not related by blood.
Some might say she's not our real daughter.
But Sofia and I don't care about that.
Aisha is our daughter.
That's how we feel.
We were spending our days peacefully and happily like that...
But the times you wish to continue forever never seem to last long.
――――――――――
"Sofia, there's a letter for you."
As usual, after finishing our adventure and returning to the inn, we were eating dinner together as a family. At that moment, Licorice returned holding a letter.
"A letter for me?"
Sofia, having just finished her dessert, received the letter from Licorice.
"…!"
Her expression turned serious as she saw the sender's name.
"What's wrong, Sofia?"
"Mom... you look scared."
"Um, well... sorry. It's from an unexpected person, that's all."
"Unexpected person? Doesn't sound good. What, an ex-boyfriend or something?"
"I've only ever been devoted to Fate, you know?"
"Eek!?"
Licorice made a playful comment, and Sofia smiled sweetly. However, her eyes weren't smiling at all.
"So, who is it from?"
"...It's from my father."
"Sofia's father?"
Then why the bitter face? As I wondered, Sofia began to explain the situation.
"My father is not a bad person, but he can't seem to let go of his child or is overly controlling... He opposes everything I do. When I said I wanted to learn the sword, he was extremely against it."
"Now that you mention it..."
I recall that her father, who seemed like a kind man, would constantly give Sofia advice. Be home before sunset, wash your hands, don’t go too far... and so on.
Sofia, who seems quiet but is actually lively, probably hates being restricted like that.
"He might try to impose something unpleasant again this time."
"Hmm."
I understand Sofia's concern, but that reaction won't do. I whispered softly in her ear.
"...Sofia, I understand how you feel, but calm down."
"...Fate, are you taking my father's side?"
"...No, I'm always on your side, Sofia."
"...Ah."
"...But you can't show such an attitude in front of Aisha."
Aisha has lost her real parents. If Sofia shows she dislikes her father, then what?
"Oh..."
Sofia seemed to understand what I meant, sighing softly. Then, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"Thank you, Fate."
"No problem."
Good. Now she should be able to read the letter calmly.
...or so I thought.
"...What?"
A few minutes after opening the letter, Sofia's expression turned severe again.
It was much worse than before. Clear anger showed on her face, and her hands trembled as she held the letter.
The aura of anger, almost murderous, caused nearby adventurers to faint. Yet she didn't direct that anger at Aisha, which was commendable.
"Um... Sofia?"
I hadn't seen Sofia this angry in a long time.
After Sigurd’s incident... when she went out to talk, she was very angry. This was on par with that.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
"...It's nothing. Really, nothing."
"?"
Barely managing to contain her anger, Sofia patted Aisha’s head. The anger dissipated gradually.
"Hey, what's going on? People around here are fainting."
"Ah... I messed up. The letter's contents were so terrible, I just..."
"The letter is from your father, right? What do you mean by terrible?"
"...Firstly, I want to say that I've always been devoted to Fate, okay? I've never been attracted to any other man, and I've always only thought about Fate, okay!?"
"Uh, yeah? Thanks?"
"Keeping that in mind, listen to this..."
Sofia sighed deeply. Then, with a thoroughly exasperated expression, she said,
"The letter says my father has decided on my fiancé."
TL Note: Now things are getting intresting.
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