I had a very strange dream...
I dreamed that in the sixth year after Clara's departure, Alice contracted a strange illness, and her condition looked grim.
I was constantly frowning, and Alice grew up slowly under the torment of the illness, until later, I met a female sorceress. The sorceress slowly formed hand seals, muttered some incantations under her breath, and the white patches on Alice's body vanished instantly.
My daughter flashed a sweet smile at me once more, carrying the sweetness and serenity of a young maiden. That smile bore such a striking resemblance to Clara's, striking the softest corner of my heart, so breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn't tear my eyes away.
Before I knew it, my Alice had grown up too, blossoming into a graceful young maiden...
...
"Daddy... Daddy..." A soft echo sounded by my ear. I blinked my groggy eyes open, and what met my gaze were Alice's tender, watery eyes.
"Good morning... my little princess." I gave a lazy stretch, and inadvertently caught sight of another bedding set scattered beside me. Narrowing my eyes at Alice, I said, "Al—ice, did you sneak into my bed again last night?"
Alice averted her gaze, not daring to meet my eyes, and awkwardly whistled at the air. She didn't actually know how to whistle, so she just puffed out her cheeks and blew hard; in her mind, that counted as whistling.
"N—no I didn't, Daddy. It's just that you toss and turn in your sleep... and probably kicked the blanket off..." Alice twisted her fingers together over her stomach, rolling them in circles, her eyes darting around evasively as she spoke.
What a thoroughly unconvincing excuse...
"Little lazy cat, hurry up and get up for breakfast." I walked out of the kitchen wearing a baby-pink apron, and gently shook Alice, who was fast asleep on my bed with her head buried under the covers taking a second nap. Alice let out a groan and sat up reluctantly. Catching sight of the apron tied around my front, her eyes lit up with a "whoa," and she reached out a finger to gently poke the slightly bulging pink bear on my belly. "So Daddy, you're into this kind of vibe~" She deliberately drew out her tone, her eyes squinting slightly into a knowing, mischievous grin that gave me the creeps.
I flicked her on the forehead with my index finger. "Stop teasing me. You and your mother really are getting more alike by the minute."
Alice initially clutched her head and let out a series of whimpers. "Ow, wah! Daddy is bullying Alice! Alice is going to tell Mommy later and make Mommy deal with you!" Hearing me say she was becoming more and more like her mother, the wronged expression vanished from her face entirely, replaced by a cheeky grin. "Well, because Alice is Mommy's daughter, who else could I be like if not Mommy? Alice certainly doesn't want to turn out sloppy like Daddy, looking like a total 'old man'."
That really hurts... I certainly miss the Alice of when she was little. Back then, the little thing was small like a rice dumpling—you were afraid she'd drop if you held her too tight or melt if you put her in your mouth, and she used to be so obedient, treating me entirely as the guiding compass of her life. Look at her now instead; she's getting more glib by the day, turning around and picking faults with her old father. Although she wasn't actually wrong, that smug expression paired with such brutally realistic remarks made Alice seem increasingly like a little brat... Wait, where did I even learn the meaning of the word "brat"?
Meanwhile, deep inside a forest cave due east of the Kassakchel Kingdom, a woman sneezed—"Achoo!"—and muttered, "...How strange, who's talking about me?"
"Alice doesn't like eating natto... Daddy can eat it." Alice muttered, her eyes darting around mischievously before she suddenly used her fork to spear a clump of natto and dropped it onto my plate.
"Al—ice! Being a picky eater earns you a spanking, you know! See if I don't paddle your little bottom into eight pieces later!" I threatened, glaring at Alice's nervous little face. The little girl paused mid-motion, forced a silly smile, pulled her fork back, and said, "Heh... heheh... But no matter how much natto Daddy cooks, Alice can never get enough of it. Daddy is so amazing!" Alice said with extreme "sincerity" while shoveling natto into her mouth.
A "knock, knock, knock" at the door caught my attention. I stood up to answer it, keeping a stealthy eye on Alice as the little rascal slyly shoveled a small portion of natto back onto my plate, flashing a triumphant, silly grin.
"Eat that natto!" I said just as I stepped out of Alice's line of sight. Startled, Alice shivered, let out a dejected response, and glumly scraped the natto from my plate back onto her own, pouting as she ate. I kept an observing eye on her sliding the natto into her mouth, and only then nodded in satisfaction and opened the door.
"Good morning, Arthur. Sleep well last night?" Gibbs greeted me with a smile.
"Good morning, Gibbs. What brings you here?"
"Oh, you really are a VIP who forgets things easily. Didn't we agree yesterday that I'm going to map out 'Alice's' knightly career? I was so worked up about it I couldn't even sleep last night, and I rushed over bright and early."
"Did we..." I murmured, a flash of memory suddenly crossing my mind as yesterday's scene resurfaced. I smiled and said, "Well, thanks a lot then. Who knew you cared so much about Alice? She's got herself a great uncle. By the way, have you eaten yet? Care to join us for a bite?"
"No, no, I've already eaten. You guys go ahead, don't mind me." Gibbs squeezed into the room and greeted Alice, who was eating breakfast at the table. "Morning, Alice. It's only been a day, how do you manage to get prettier each time? And Arthur, seriously, your daughter is this gorgeous, and then we look at your sloppy self. Tsk tsk tsk, if I were you, I'd have dug a hole in the ground and hid ages ago."
Alice was chewing her natto listlessly, but hearing Gibbs say that, she puffed out her cheeks and joined in on the complaining. "Exactly! Daddy doesn't know how to be tender at all, and every day he goes around yelling about spanking Alice. Wahhhhhhh! Uncle Gibbs, save me!" I playfully rolled up my sleeves and glared fiercely at Alice. The little girl hurriedly shrieked, ducked behind Gibbs, and made a face at me.
"Hahahahaha, you two really are an amusing pair." Gibbs chuckled, gently stroking Alice's head as if she were his own daughter. Watching Alice's thoroughly pampered expression, a strange, sour feeling twisted in my chest—it felt as though I were afraid my daughter was about to be charmed away by Gibbs. I waved my hand and gestured for Alice to come over. Baring her teeth like a ruffled little canary, Alice snapped, "No way! Daddy's just trying to trick Alice so he can paddle my bottom! Uncle Gibbs, I don't want Daddy anymore, I want Uncle Gibbs!"
Out of the mouths of babes...
I reined in my emotions, the corners of my mouth curling into a smile that looked worse than crying as I beckoned to her. "Al—ice—watch out, because Daddy really means it this time. Uncle Gibbs can protect you for a moment, but he can't protect you for a lifetime. Let's see what you do once your uncle leaves!"
Alice's movements visibly froze as she pulled a troubled face. Believing my cunning plot had succeeded, I smiled, thinking that ginger really does get hotter the older it gets. Who would have thought the little rascal would suddenly raise her head, blink her big, watery eyes at Gibbs, and say, "Uncle Gibbs, Alice won't have a home anymore after today—can I come live at Uncle Gibbs's house?"
This little brat...
Gibbs chuckled and stroked Alice's forehead. "Of course you can, my little princess Alice. I must admit I'm quite surprised you don't mind an old bachelor like me. You can stay as long as you like. We'll just ditch Arthur." As he spoke, he shot me a sideways glance.
Was I actually jealous? My nose stung, my chest felt tight and stuffy, and I could only look away, refusing to watch them any longer.
"You know, Alice, you have the greatest father in the entire world," Gibbs murmured softly to Alice.
"Mm—Alice knows. Daddy is always trying to scare Alice and treats me like a little kid. That's why Alice has to rebel against him! But Alice knows..." Alice lifted her small chin, gazing up at Gibbs with a satisfied smile, "Daddy is the person who loves Alice the most in the entire world!" With that, Alice quietly flashed a "shh" gesture at Gibbs, sneaked behind my back, and looped her arms around my waist with a loud "Wah!"
"Little brat! See how I get you!" The sourness in my heart seemed instantly soothed by Alice's silvery laughter as I grabbed her and ruffled her hair fiercely.
Gibbs stood there in a daze, watching the bickering father and daughter, an imperceptible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Geez... Arthur... you really did father a good daughter. I'm so envious..." The soft murmur drifted away on the wind, and neither father nor daughter heard it.
"Such a troublesome pair of father and daughter—" Gibbs chuckled, crossing his arms and quietly watching the two of them tussle. Time seemed to freeze right there, leaving behind only the most beautiful corner of this world...