Chapter 8

Lunch and a Father's Wrath
"Pushed ye too hard with all them fripperies, didn't I? This old bear begs pardon.”

Even after we got home, Dad still looked a bit down.
If he were a rabbit or a dog, his ears would be drooping and his tail would be hanging low, but since he’s a bear, I couldn't quite tell… though his ears were twitching in a pitiful kind of way.

"No, it’s okay. I had so much fun that I didn’t realize I was getting tired, so I’m sorry for worrying you. I should apologize to Mrs. Lilium too."

I had originally been living with just my mother, and now that I think about it, all the moving around we did was probably because we were running from someone.
We’d been living like fugitives, always hiding and trying not to draw attention.
That’s probably also why my magic training was all stuff we could do inside the house.
I wonder who mother was running from.

"Reckon ye can manage some vittles?"

When Dad leaned over and asked me with a worried look, I said, “I’m starving,” and he happily headed off to the kitchen.
I stayed in my booster seat, thinking back on life with my mother.

In my early memories, my mother had the same pink-gold hair I have now.
But the last time I remembered seeing her, her hair had turned brown.
And when I practiced magic, my hair was brown too.
Think.

(This hair color is unusual and stands out. That’s why I’m changing it. Until you find someone you can truly trust or can protect yourself, don’t take it off, okay?)

(Okay, we’ll match, Mama!)

Right.
Back then, she gave me an ear cuff.
I used to wear it on my ear, but it’s not there now.
Maybe I dropped it at the garbage dump or lost it in the river.
Since I noticed my hair had turned pink while I was washing it, it probably fell off at the dump.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

“Yeees! Let’s dig in!’”

Warm soup, tender chicken, and lots of veggies.
Dad’s really good at cooking. The portions are a bit wild, though.

"Say, I couldn't help but notice you were lookin' a mite troubled earlier. Somethin' weighin' heavy on your mind, ain't it?"

Even though he had his back turned while cooking, he still noticed something was off about me.
I decided to talk to him about how my hair color was different from everyone else’s.
The beastkin I’d met in the village had all kinds of hair—white, gray, blue, brown, black—but no one had pink.
Well, I guess it’s rare to see pink animals in general.

"Aye, that there pink's rarer'n hen's teeth. Right pretty, but might draw the wrong sorta attention—slavers an' such."

Elves often had gold, silver, or green hair.
Dwarves were usually brown, black, or red.
Beastkin tended to have hair colors based on their species, and people of the same species often had similar hair.
Among humans, though, even parents and children could have completely different hair colors—it was the most colorful race.

My spoon froze.
That bald-fat-ugly lord might as well have been a slaver.

“When I was with Mom, she said my hair color stood out too much, so she used some kind of ear cuff to change it.

"Well, I'll be. A magic doodad that changes hair color? That's a peculiar thing to come by. And it was a cuff, you say? Vio, can you put your finger on where you used to call home?"

I tried to recall in response to Dad’s question.
I think the butler in the carriage said…

“I think it was the Asuhimos territory and a village called Rossa. I’m pretty sure we lived in a place called Asuhimos, and I was abandoned in Rossa Village.”

It must be a village in the neighboring territory—that was the impression I got.

"… Abandoned, ya say? What in tarnation do you mean by that?"

Uh-oh.
Seeing the shocked expression on Dad’s face, I realized I’d let something slip, but I couldn’t take it back now.
I prefaced it by saying my memories were fuzzy and then told him everything that had happened.

That Mom traveled around selling medicine,
That we couldn’t stay long in one place because people noticed my hair color,
That she started changing our hair color so we could stay a bit longer, and even then, we moved every six months or so,
That the lord of Asuhimos took interest in Mom’s skills as an apothecary and gave us a house,
But then that same lord became obsessed with Mom’s beauty and started showing up at our home constantly,
That Mom was attacked by some thugs and died,
That I was taken to the lord’s house afterward, but his daughter pushed me down the stairs and I hit my head,
And that, assuming I was dead, they dumped me at the garbage heap.

“When I woke up, I was in the dump, and it stank so bad I went to wash off in the river.
And then I guess I got swept away somehow. If you hadn’t found me, I probably would’ve drowned.”

Halfway through the story, Dad rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.
I couldn’t see his expression, but it wasn’t a story you could laugh at.
I tried to keep my tone as light as I could, but I’m not sure how well that worked.

I mean, taking in a kid with this kind of baggage must be a real burden.
I’d gotten a bit too comfortable here, but considering someone might be out there searching for my hair color, I realized just how dangerous this was.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Alke. My hair color might be dangerous, and if that lord finds out I’m alive, he might come after me. Thinking about it now, maybe I shouldn’t stay here too long. A kid like me is probably just trouble.”

"Idjit! Listen here, tadpole. Ain't no two-bit lord nor slaver gonna lay one filthy claw on my daughter. This old bear may be a retired Silver-Advanced, but I'll chew through steel afore lettin' them varmints near ye!"

He really let me have it.
So Silver Advanced must be some kind of rank.
Not the typical F-to-SSS system, huh.
But seriously, to accept a weird kid like me… just how big-hearted is this guy?

“Thank you, Mr. Alke.”

When I thanked him, he looked kind of sad.
Ah!

“Thank you, Dad.”

That was the right answer.
He pulled me into a tight hug.