บท 108: What do you think of my offer?
As my words echoed through the ears of everyone on the table, I heard Jack give the biggest laugh that I heard since the time I had met him.
"HAHAHAHAH! That's it? I thought the alcohol was poisoned or something" He laughed
"Yeah, don't scare us like that. And also, only drink half a cup of that. Alcohol isn't good for kids" my father chimed in.
"DIdn't he say that it was one of strongest liquors?" Paul asked with a raised brow, yet at the same time slightly startled at how loud his father's laugh was, especially in a public place.
"Oh? About that, I thought I just had an extremely high alcohol tolerance, but I think that all toxins I consume are automatically destroyed..." I sighed with disappointment
"Ay, don't worry. I never knew that an Enhanced constitution would be such a double-edged sword, but I can also give you some of my Soul Enchanting liquor my family has" Jack, the Major general chuckled while everyone else's eyes widened in an expression of shock
"DAD! I thought that was for our family only!" Paul, Jack's son, Complained
"Who said she can't be family?" He winked at him before winking at me.
"Uhm, no, but I do have something else to talk to you about." I replied flatly while leaning over the table and slapping the green crystal at the middle of the table.
"That's how it works righ-?" I asked while pointing at the green crystal I just slapped, before being cut off by jack smugly replying "It is okay if you are shy dear. Tell me and I can easily create the engagement. Love is a part of lif-"
"No! Now, if you let me finish, you can actually answer something I care about" I cut him off before continuing "So, I want to join the army, but I need to be at least 16 years old to join the army and I'm going to go to an academy when I'm 14, so what I wanted to ask is if in 2 years time I can join the army since I have nothing else to do"
When I finally finished, I felt my father glaring at me while the Major General became serious all of a sudden, before finally speaking.
"Are you sure? You know, girls your age don't usually go into fighting much, or at least until they are 10 or 12. They usually take etiquette classes. How about you take those firs-"
"Already taken them. They were grueling and horrible and I never want to take another class of that crap ever again." I cut him off once again
"Oh really? Uhm, how about you try some grou-"
"Please just answer my question. I'm going to look 16 by the age of 8 or 10 anyway, so there won't be a problem there. I have the ability, you saw that yourself. I am perfectly capable of fighting on my own and I think the army is a perfect way for me to become stronger, especially because I can learn how to control my Battle intent and aura there." I stubbornly folded my arms while staring at him and ignoring that father's burning glare, until he finally spoke up.
"I don't understand! I know you are strong but why do you want to become stronger? Your just a little girl. You barely turned 6, and yes you might be strong, you might look older than your age and you might act older than your age but you are still my little girl! I can't allow you to ruin your childhood like this! The army is scary! You have to hurt, take and destroy lives! You are not ready for that! And why do you want to become stronger anyway? IS this just a reason for you to run away from us!? If you are unhappy at home just say it!" My father finally snapped, thankfully the silencer was already on.
'You have no idea. I'll ave to keep myself from saying anything too much, but It should be fine if I brag a little, right?' I asked myself before sighing.
"Look, dad. I am 6 years old, yet I am capable of silently casting advanced spells. I have created many of my own spells, I was able to fight off 4 mercenaries on my own and I am able to easily destroy anything under the Wizard and Knight ran-"
"THEN WHY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE!? WHY DO YOU WANT TO BECOME STRONGER THIS BADLY!? I know you're strong! I know all that but you still don't have a single friend! NOT 1! And yet you want to become stronger?!" My father had, had enough
Sighing a little, I finally lowered my voice and calmed my heart rate. Olivia was acting like she couldn't hear anything while Paul and Jack were simply staring with a mixture of shock and awkwardness.
"That is beside the point-"
"Don't you dare change the subject" He said with an extremely intimidating voice while staring directly into my eyes?
'Your father is terrifying' I heard from within my head. It was Olivia using our mind link, but I didn't feel like replying. Instead, I kept having flashes of my last father.
My last father's fault wasn't that he didn't take care of me, or that wasn't the whole thing. The happiness I saw him have with his new family as he left me behind also wasn't it. What truly made me hate him was the mixture of those two, and how much control he had over me. I might not have realized it as a kid, nor as an adult, but since the age of 7, he had always had control of me. I always felt powerless in front of him, as If there were these strings attached to my every limb, making me feel as if I had to do his every command. And, for me, the worst thing was that most of his commands weren't his own. They were usually were from his daughter, wife, or other children.
It was him who sent me to live in the basement for the rest of my life with them. It was him who gave me the bear minimal food to survive. It was him who kept cutting out the electricity and heating, and it was him who had forced me to shower with the same water, every week, over and over again...
"You know what I don't wanna be weak? Because I don't like being controlled. I like my freedom, and yes, I might not have much freedom in the army, but when I leave it I will be a hell of a lot freer than I am right now. Mom trying to force me into an engagement from one side while Elaina and her sh*tty husband that I don't remember the name of support her in every decision. Dad, I don't wanna be engaged to some sh*tty noble."
throughout all of that, the look in my father's eyes did not change an inch, but I didn't care. Honestly, I couldn't care about anyone in this room. I act like I truly cared for them, but in reality, not a single one of their opinions mattered. I could have gone on complaining and ranting, but what would that achieve for me?
We all stayed silent for a few seconds while the only sound I could hear was Olivia scraping her fork and knife on the plate.
"Anyway," I chuckled awkwardly before looking towards Jack who had somehow returned to his serious expression "How about we go back to our topic. What do you think of my offer?"
Sighing and taking a sip of his wine, he finally replied, "I won't be able to allow you into the army until you are at least 10 years old. I know you are mature and look older than you really are, but it is also good to spend time with your family because you never know when you might not get to see them again. Cherish these days a little more Pandora. Okay?"
When I heard those words, I started pondering for a little.
'I used to beg God to give me a better family back then, but now that I have one, I don't fully appreciate it because I'm too caught up with my control maniac-ism bullsh*t... Maybe I'm being a stuck-up a*shole. I should probably apol-'
Suddenly, a familiar feminine voice entered my ears,
-"No connections means no losses. If you get rid of the weakness you can become stronger"-
'... Maybe I'm acting like a child...'
After pondering a little, I finally sighed "Sure! I'll try to make friends and socialize with people my age even though they are all so s- I mean and then I'll train a little. But you know I do have friends, right?"
'Really?' Olivia gasped through our mind link
"Like who? Julian? He doesn't count. Alan and Throid don't count either since they are like your uncles rather than friends." My father scoffed
"What about, Uhm... Ambrose?" I suggested with a fake smile
"Pfft! We both know you don't like Ambrose. You even rejected him on his birthday!" My father scoffed again
"HEY! I did not reject him. He didn't even ask em out or anything. it was super unclear and I couldn't tell he was trying to ask me out anyway. AND! That guy I sparred with on my awakening party! He can be my friend!" I suggested while crossing my legs and my arms while turning my seat towards my father, who happened to be to the left of Olivia, forcing me to speak across her while she committed herself to just eating
"What is his name?" My father inquired with a smug grin
"uhhhh... Margelo?" I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, while I just heard my father facepalm from across the table.
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