Chapter 152: Father & Daughter

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"I wanted to protect everything. But I failed, and that's the sin I bear. So, this time I can't fail to protect them."

- Meliodas, (Nanatsu no Taizai)

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<(Bruce Wayne POV)> 

Upon learning of Alfred's return from Europe, I was eager to speak with him. Although I had consented to his daughter, Julia Pennyworth, serving as my new official bodyguard, I still didn't like the idea of her following me around everywhere all the time. I initially assumed she would just be my bodyguard in title only, but according to Cortana, Julia was to take her protective role quite seriously if she were to remain in America, even if it was merely for the sake of appearances. So, after Cortana told me that he had gone towards the mansion's workout room, I went straight there to clear things up. "Hey Alfred, Cortana told me that you are working out here. I needed to talk with you about something important... Oh shit, I am so sorry, I should have knocked." I almost panicked in surprise after noticing that rather than Alfred doing old man yoga exercises in the room as I had expected, it was instead a young blonde girl working out in tight yoga clothes.

[{(Image in discord)}]

"Bruce Wayne, you are finally up! And please, you don't have to be sorry for entering your own workout studio. As a matter of fact, I am the one who should be sorry for using this place without permission. Forgive me for that. Honestly, I wanted to join my post as your bodyguard the moment I came here but Alfred told me that you were sleeping in your room and wouldn't be waking up any time soon. He showed me to my room and left to prepare some food for me, but I wasn't feeling tired enough to sleep. So, I then decided why not survey the mansion to see if it needed any extra safety measures. But then I came across this mini gym/yoga room and thought, why not use my free time to work out a little bit?" Julia Pennyworth, Alfred's only daughter spoke up in a mildly anxious voice, probably nervous that her actions might have resulted in her getting fired on the very first day of her job. 

"Oh, I see. So, Alfred told you that I was... sleeping? Very well then, you can continue working out. I'll leave you to your devices. I needed to talk to Alfred anyway. By the way, enjoy your stay here and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask Alfred for it." I quickly tried to leave since I had no idea just how much she knew about her relationship with Alfred and the Queen of England or about my secret hobby at night. After all, how much Alfred wanted his daughter to know about his life wasn't my decision. I had already caused Alfred a lot of trouble by revealing my secret identity to Lezlie and I didn't want to do it again.

'By the way, I think I have been taking the aspect of keeping my secret identity a secret as almost a joke. I have been revealing my secret life to too many people. Maybe I should take this more seriously since having my secret flushed into the public would be somewhat inconvenient for my regular life, especially if it happens this early.' I thought to myself.

"Oh no, I can't possibly ignore my duty as your bodyguard. I have researched a lot about you before coming here, Mr. Wayne. I know you are a really busy man. Times Magazine says that you work harder than any other CEO in the corporate world with most of your time spent deciding on how to change the world for the better. In fact, now that I think about it, you must be going to one of your company meetings right now. I insist that I have to come with you too to make sure that you are well-protected. After all, that's what I am here for." Julia responded with a determined and slightly excited voice, making her dedication to follow through with her job very apparent.

"... Yeah, of course, I am going to visit one of my companies right now to work towards changing the world and helping humanity." I couldn't help but instantly reply. "As a matter of fact, a late-night meeting yesterday was the actual reason why I couldn't wake up early today. Otherwise, I would have already started working by now." I lied with a straight face, not wanting to reveal to her that I spent most of my days cooped up in my bat cave, trying to make cool stuff rather than 'help change the world for the betterment of human civilization'. 

"Okay then, I'll get ready and meet you at the front door in two minutes. Please wait for me, Mr. Wayne." She requested before rushing out of the indoor gym in a hurry. "Hi, Alfred." Despite her hurry, she still didn't forget to politely greet the butler on her way out who was patiently standing by the door with a small smile on his face.

"You heard everything, didn't you?" Bruce asked him once Julia was out of earshot.

"Every single word, young master. Believe me, I could not have been happier when I heard that you were going to get out of your little cave and visit one of your companies instead. You really need the fresh air, Master Bruce. As I have told you a million times before, spending your entire youth in your basement isn't the best way for you to live your life." Alfred answered in his wise old man voice before adding "However, while I take immense pride in the transformation within you, driven by your pride and your denial of the truth to Julia—that you simply don't work that hard in your office or attend continuous meetings like other businessmen— I should still remind that, at the end of the day, she is my own biological daughter. Don't let your mind harbor any impure thoughts that even remotely suggest you can "woo" her. She is not that type of girl. You will be disappointed if you pursue her romantically." Alfred patted my back with a "kind" smile on his face. 

"What are you talking about, Alfred? Of course, I am not going to go after your daughter. She is your daughter for god's sake. What do you even think of me as, a horny beast whose only motive in life is to flirt with girls? Even I have limits. Also, what do you mean she is not that type of girl? Any woman who falls in love with me has the best taste in men ever, period. Your words are deeply insulting to Selina, Nyssa, and Talia, you know? Just because they agreed to be part of my... harem, doesn't mean that they don't have standards." I criticized him, appearing visibly distraught at his blatant accusation.

"Hmm? I am sorry if you misunderstood me, Master Bruce, but I didn't mean to say that you are not fit for my daughter. What I meant was that she will simply never be interested in you because she is only attracted to girls and is what you would call a lesbian. So, unless you have a surprise down there that I don't know about, you simply aren't someone she will ever consider dating." Alfred revealed with a straight face.

"... Wait, so you warned me because you were more concerned about me getting hurt by your daughter's rejection because of her sexual preferences rather than your daughter getting her heart broken by me? Wow, talk about winning the award for being the best bro of the year." I joked aloud. However, his words still made it clear just how biased Alfred was towards me in his judgment. In some parts of his mind, I ranked the same position as his daughter in his list of priorities if not even higher than her, which was honestly quite flattering to hear.

"I don't know what you are talking about, young master. But I advise that you should get dressed in proper clothes before Julia gets down. Even though in my experience, two minutes is equivalent to two hours when it comes to women getting ready, we should still keep in mind that Julia was a soldier in the army and had served in the MI6. She probably won't take more than ten minutes to get ready. You don't want to be late and keep her waiting now, do you?" The butler warned, gesturing to the wristwatch on his hand.

"Sure. Just one last question? How much have you told her about my... mission in Gotham as well as the fact that you and the Queen of England are her biological parents?" I asked to get our story straight and to make sure that there would be no misunderstanding later on. But just a look at his face told me that he hadn't even tried breaking the news to her.

Alfred looked like he wanted to avoid the topic like a sore thumb. For a few seconds, he remained silent organizing his thoughts, probably even making a plan in his mind on how to reveal everything to his daughter in the best manner possible but before he could open his mouth, a sudden gasp of shock grabbed both of our attention, making us turn towards the door where Julia was now standing dressed in a black trench coat, a pair of black cargo pants and a pair of tactical boots. 

"YOU ARE MY ABSENTEE FATHER?" She exclaimed with a mixture of shock and disbelief. 

'I think I should really stop letting my guard down whenever I am at home.' I thought to myself with a weak smile.

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