Reborn as the Duke's Daughter

06 Dad and Daughter Time

"I've heard that the staff are running their mouths again," Dad suddenly comments casually.

My ears perk up at that.

I was busy drawing something on a small desk just in front of my dad's desk in his office. I was already in the zone but what he said caught my attention.

I'm currently spending my time with him according to the schedule he and my brothers have decided on.

We were about to head out and I'll ride on his warhorse with him but we didn't make it.

That's because Alyosha insisted that Dad had to finish his work before allowing me to interact with him. Thanks to that, he has no choice but to work.

And watching my dad work while pouting and stuck on his office desk, I feel a little bad for him.

It's the reason why I asked Alyosha if he can bring me a small desk. I want to at least draw or do something while Dad is also working. This way, we can at least be with each other.

Somehow, I feel something shift inside of me. Like it's telling me that my affection rate with Alyosha has increased a little and my Dad...well, it increased a lot.

I don't know why I receive a feeling like that. It's like there's a notification setting inside of me, but I'll just chalk it up to experience.

I am not only someone who's been playing games almost my whole life(in my previous life, that is), but also that this current life of mine IS based on a game.

So maybe that's the reason?

Well, anyway, I don't think I need to 'feel' that my affection meter with my dad had increased a lot.

That's because Dad looked so touched and was close to crying when he heard me ask Alyosha to bring me a desk so I can work with him.

I honestly want to be with Dad then. That and I don't like sitting outside his office and doing nothing. It's not as if this place and time have cellphones where I can safely and happily pass the time sitting in a chair for hours.

Anyway, about this schedule that my dad and brothers had created for me.

Apparently, ever since they realized that I wasn't joking about spending time with them, they all fought for my company. It was then Dad put his foot down and suggested making a schedule.

Each one of them will divide the time of the day to spend it with me.

For example, there will be a week where I'll spend one day with the three of them individually.

Like by morning, I will spend it with Brother Wolfsbane, by noon, it will be with Brother Nerium, and by dinner, I will be sitting beside Dad.

Of course, if one or two of them becomes busy for the whole day and can't spend it at those given times, then they would decide that I spend one whole day with one of them instead. Then I'll spend the next day with one of the two, and the third day, I'll spend it with the last one who hadn't spent time with me yet.

Every day in a week, it has to be scheduled equally among the three of them(if I want to avoid a war from happening in the house, then yes, it's necessary).

However, whenever Sundays roll by, I asked that it's a free day for me to spend it with whoever or whatever I want. My dad and brothers easily agreed, to my relief.

I look up from my drawing and saw that Dad is still working on writing his papers. Frowning, I glance in Alyosha's direction and see him shake his head gently with a small smile on his face.

So...was Dad really talking to me?

"How are you feeling, cupcake?" Dad asks again, this time looking up at his papers to focus on me.

Oh, yeah, so he WAS asking me. Oh boy, how can I do this one?

I heard those maids weren't only reassigned to one of the worst tasks in the estate, but they were also admonished by Brother Wolfsbane.

'Admonished' is a mild word to describe what Wolfsbane did to those maids, though.

Uhm, so...well, Caroline was there when he was 'admonishing' them. And she told me what happened back then.

Technically, he DID reprimand them mildly but I doubt the maids interpreted it that way because Brother was sharpening his Hellfire sword while chiding the maids.

I can tell, just from what Caroline is telling me, that Wolfsbane has effectively traumatized those two. I won't be surprised if they suddenly quit working, I'll have to ask Dad to give them big severance pays for their services.

Uhm...but from the looks of him, it seems that he also doesn't seem to care about those two maids at all. And I guess that's because they were talking smack about me.

It seems I'm just going to have to tell Alyosha about my plans if and when someone quits or gets fired because of my family.

"I-I'm okay, Daddy. Really. I never minded any of the talks I hear from the staff in the estate anyway. I was...too busy being absorbed in my own world to notice, anyway," I mutter under my breath, trying to focus on my drawing--which isn't even good.

I still feel bad for being such a hikikomori before I regained my memories from my past life. I've been wishing and longing for a family back then and when I finally had them in this new life, I treated them like trash.

It doesn't matter if there was a reason why I was being dismissive not only to my family but to everyone around me. I still shouldn't have done that.

Because I turn my attention on the paper in front of me while idly moving the crayon, I didn't see the flash of sadness and hurt on Dad's face.

I hear someone sigh and then the scrape of a chair.

Out of curiosity, I look up and my eyes widen when I see my Dad is crouching in front of me already.

Since when did he move from behind his desk towards me so suddenly?

"Daddy?" I ask him tentatively.

My hesitant question must have been the last straw that broke the proverbial camel's back on Dad's fragile emotions regarding my upbringing. Because after I ask him, he suddenly scoops me from my own little desk and hugs me tightly.

"Oh, Rafflesia, my little girl," he murmurs with so much love and longing that it makes my heart aches.

Against my better judgment, I feel my eyes misty over.

I'm grateful and terrified at the same time. Grateful because I finally felt this feeling called familial love.

On the other hand, I also feel terrified because I don't want to mess up again. And if I mess things up again, I might lose everything that I'm growing to love and care about.

"Rafflesia," Dad whispers over the top of my hair. "I'm your father and I love you. You and your brothers. However, don't tell your brothers this but...I love you more."

He pulls away from me a little so that he can stare into my eyes. The same purple bejeweled eyes that I have are also boring into mine.

"So, always bear in mind, Rafflesia," he smoothes my hair back, curling a lock of it behind my ear. "Because I am your father, I am part of your family and that means that you are more than welcome to bother me and your brothers. So whether you are having trouble with anything--anything at all--we're here for you."

I shove my face against my dad's shoulder and start sobbing. I didn't even know that I was crying.

"E-even though I was so mean to you and my brothers?" hiccup.

To my surprise, Dad chuckles and I feel him smooth my hair. "Even then. And even if you will hate us someday, we're still going to be there for you. Whether you like it or not."

My heart bursts with so much love and affection for the family that I have here in this life.

If I thought I was unfortunate and miserable in my past life, I think the universe is trying to make up to me in this second life.

Thank you, Daddy...

"Thank you," I manage to whimper.