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C1180 Simple Words

Aina walked slowly, her father draped over her back. Despite the weight of the man, with Aina's obscene strength, doing this much wasn't very much trouble at all. In fact, had she wanted to, there were probably a myriad of ways she could carry her father without even touching him.

But, in the end, she still chose this method.

Despite the grief her father had brought her in her lifetime, he was still her father. While he could be considered to be emotionally abusive, Aina could still understand where he came from. At the same time, if she fell into some introspection, what exactly was the alternative?

One of the few guilty pleasures Aina had was reading and watching dramas. When she wasn't studying, training, eating or recovering, she lost herself in worlds that weren't her own. But, in how many of those stories was the trouble the heroine faced the exact opposite of her own?

In a father-daughter dynamic, would Aina even get the chance to do things as she pleased? Wasn't it more likely that her father would try to protect and coddle her, closing her off to the world because she was simply too 'fragile' as a woman?

It sounded quite ironic to say such things now because of how many mental breakdowns Aina had had in recent months. But, after regaining control of her faculties, she could say with 100% certainty that she would choose a father like this 10 out of 10 times over a father who refused to let her chase after her goals and live life.

Had her father made mistakes? Yes. Had his approach been terrible? Yes. Could he have picked a path that would make a lot of this much easier on himself and everyone else? Yes.

However, he was still a man willing to hand over the Brazinger family Heirloom to a little girl, even knowing that it would cripple his own strength. He was still a man willing to leave her on the safety of Earth to slowly grow while he weathered the storm of the world alone to pave a path for her to be here… He was still a man willing to face the army of a Pillar family alone, all while poisoned and handicapped, just so that she wouldn't have to do something she hadn't wanted to do.

He wasn't a perfect father by any stretch. But, what in her life was perfect to begin with? This father of hers was the only family she had left, the one unconditional pillar of support… She wouldn't allow anymore harm to come to him.

Miel's body was too weak to move. Being forced to rest on his daughter's back like this, the rest of his body refusing to listen to his commands, when it should have been him protecting her. He felt a seething rage boil all through him, his flaming red hair and crimson eyes practically jumping about as though they had minds of their own.

He felt a wild mix of emotions he couldn't even properly process. But again and again, shame, humiliation and inadequacy popped up in a perpetual cycle, refusing to allow him to forget.

"I'm… sorry."

Miel's hoarse voice barely came out audibly. His vocal cords had been shredded and he barely managed to squeeze out these words before he hacked up a mouthful of blood and organs.

The poison that Rychard had forced on him wasn't lethal to begin with, but it would still take another day before it was flushed out of his system completely. That compounded by his injuries made him extraordinarily weak. If not for the Viola needing him for whatever reason, he would have long since died in battle.

Aina's steps froze when she heard her father's words. She wasn't quite sure how to react.

This wasn't the first time her father had said such a thing to her. In fact, this was precisely the second time. The first time was when she had just lost her mother and her father was forced to leave soon afterward.

That was maybe the lowest point in Miel's life. His wife died, his daughter was cursed, and he was useless to stop it all. He could barely stop himself from breaking down in front of his little girl.

And now, over decade later, little else had changed. He was still here, still too weak to do anything, still apologizing to his little girl.

His mistakes were always compounded. Every step he took forward, he cost those closest to him even more.

If he had never allowed his love to grow and bloom, that beautiful woman he had loved with all his heart would still be alive. If he hadn't let his emotions dictate his actions the gorgeous little baby girl they had birthed together wouldn't have to live a life of suffering. If he hadn't been too confident in his strength and spent more time refining his mind, he would have never let his daughter come so close to giving up the most precious moment of her life to a man who didn't deserve it.

He tried to teach his daughter to become a better him, a greater version of himself. But, he never realized that he was so broken and damaged himself that whatever he projected to his little girl would be broken and damaged as well.

He truly didn't know how he would face his daughter ever again, but for her to come out unscathed due to nothing more than trash luck… He didn't know how he should feel.

This was the only thing he could do. Apologize… He was useless… It was the only thing he had left to give…

Aina didn't know how to respond. For a very long time, she just stood frozen in place, unmoving and in a daze. Compared to when she had been a toddler hearing those words, it hit much differently now that she was a grown woman.

When she finally did open her mouth to respond, what she said was short and simple. But, it was still enough that Miel could no longer hold back his tears. Everything that he hadn't shed for his wife, for leaving his daughter behind, for her growing without him by her side, for all the failures he had had in this life…

It all poured outward like an endless torrent, a silent stream of tears drenching his daughter's back.

"I love you, dad."

To be continued