Chapter 160: Parents Always Worry for Their Children
Wilson was a fairly open-minded parent. But because of that, he also knew many hidden stories among nobles.
For example, which princess liked which noble lady, or which talented girl from a scholar’s family.
He had seen many things like this at his age.
But he never expected something like that to happen in his own family. Especially when he noticed that Elise had no interest in “hunting” at all today, he started to feel uneasy.
Well… if you really think about it, it was still a kind of “hunt”, just not for animals.
Wilson felt conflicted about it. Of course, he still wanted his daughter to be happy. After all, Elise had always been quiet and wouldn’t necessarily follow the path they planned for her anyway.
That’s why, when people came to propose marriage before, Wilson would just casually push Anna forward as an excuse. Anna had high standards and usually rejected them, so things would most likely fail.
If it somehow succeeded, then it would just mean getting rid of a troublesome situation.
But with Elise, things were completely different. Wilson truly cared about his daughter, who had been lonely since childhood.
So regarding Peiya, he decided not to interfere too much. Young people should handle their own matters.
Last night, he had even heard Elizabeth talking about Elise, wondering if the two girls had come back to “meet the parents.”
If that was true… then it wasn’t just about gaining a goddaughter anymore.
At that time, Wilson thought Elizabeth was overthinking. He believed his daughter wasn’t like that. But now, it seemed her worry might be real.
If he could, Wilson would light a cigarette right now, but he held himself back.
“So, how are you two? Want to rest for a bit?” he asked.
“I’m not very tired. Elise, are you tired?” Peiya asked.
“I’m fine too.”
Elise wiped her bow. Honestly, she had done the least work among them, most of the effort had come from Peiya, so of course she wasn’t tired.
“Alright, then let’s continue,” Wilson said with a sigh. He decided to just let things happen naturally. At least Miss Peiya seemed reliable, not someone who would play with his daughter’s feelings.
They continued deeper into the forest, but no one really felt like hunting anymore. They caught a few small animals and quickly ended what had become a rather uneasy hunting trip.
When they returned home, Elizabeth had already prepared dinner. Seeing how dirty they all looked, she couldn’t help but say,
“You two, go take a bath right now! Wilson, what did you do, take them into a coal mine? Why are they so dirty?”
“We were hunting, you wouldn’t understand. It’s a kind of primitive fun,” Wilson replied. “But yes, you two are really too dirty. Go wash up.”
“Okay,” the two girls answered at the same time.
Peiya put down her bow and left with Elise.
Elizabeth pulled Wilson aside and whispered, “So? How was it today?”
“Most likely, it’s true,” Wilson replied honestly. As parents, they could clearly see the changes in their own daughter.
“But they’re both girls. Aren’t you worried people will laugh at them?”
“Laugh? What’s there to laugh about? That our family found such a good ‘son-in-law’? Those people only dare to gossip about things like this, when it really matters, they’re all cowards.”
“A son-in-law isn’t a woman.”
“So what? I don’t really care. Do you want to break them apart? I’d advise you not to. Our daughter finally became a bit more cheerful. If you interfere now and she becomes miserable again, that would be worse than this. Besides, our family is strong enough to support her for her whole life. Just put aside those old-fashioned ideas.”
“Oh, so now you’re the open-minded one and I’m the traditional one? Did I even say anything? Don’t judge me like that. You should pay more attention, what if that girl feels wronged? Children from poor families grow up early. She’s very thoughtful. She probably already noticed something but just didn’t say it. Last time I gave her jewelry, she didn’t really want to accept it. Sigh… if she and Elise really end up together, our daughter will definitely keep buying things for her. I’m just worried our daughter’s kindness might be misunderstood.”
Seeing Elizabeth starting to worry again, Wilson said a bit impatiently,
“Look at you, always worrying. You’re going to worry about everything in this world. That girl is willing to go to Blackwater City for our daughter. I think she’s got courage.”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. She doesn’t even know what kind of place Blackwater City is. Even after so many years, I still feel scared thinking about it. To me, Blackwater City is like a demon… the start of a plague. All chaos begins there. It can swallow everything good in this world.”
Elizabeth couldn’t help but shiver.
Wilson, however, stayed calm. “But this is something our daughter will face sooner or later. Having someone with her to uncover the truth of her past, isn’t that a good thing? We can’t hide it from them forever. Blackwater City… is a path she has to walk eventually.”
“…Alright. I’ll go back to the Royal City and write to an old friend. I’ll also ask the church for help. If necessary, I’ll arrange the Seventh Division near Blackwater City. At least that way, our daughter won’t have to face everything alone. The two of them going there by themselves… it’s just too reckless.”
Elizabeth sighed. It suddenly felt like her children had grown up overnight, and she and her husband had grown old.
“Stop worrying,” Wilson said. “Our daughter still needs us. Take care of your health, that’s the most important thing. Didn’t that girl give you a lot of alchemy potions? Are they working?”
“Working? They’re more than effective. Even some of my long-term health problems are gone. But… where did that girl come from? I don’t remember anyone that powerful in the Royal City. Could she be someone’s descendant who ended up living outside?”
“Don’t overthink it,” Wilson said. “Maybe it’s just fate. Look at the bright side, at least we can make sure she won’t be treated badly in the future. That’s enough.”
Elizabeth nodded. She agreed with that.
“Yes… I gave her a lot of jewelry, but that’s about all I could offer. What do you think she actually likes?”
Neither of them really knew much about Peiya’s preferences. Wilson thought for a moment, then said,
“Knowledge. I can feel a scholar’s aura from her. And her ability to lead is very strong, not something you can learn casually. She must have trained in some kind of organization before. Now she’s out and joined our daughter’s group. If they’re together, it’s probably an adventurer’s guild. I’ll contact the guild later and make things easier for her.”
He paused, then added,
“If we can do that much, we’ve already done our best. The rest of the path… they’ll have to walk it themselves.”
Elizabeth nodded again. There wasn’t much more they could do.
Still, she couldn’t stop worrying about her daughter.
Maybe that’s just how parents are.
When their child is alone, they wish she would go out and find someone to spend her life with. But when that day finally comes… they find it hard to let her go.
“…How about we let her stay a few more days? I still want to see her a little longer.”
“No,” Wilson said firmly. “We can’t be that selfish. The future belongs to them. What we can do… is clear the obstacles in their way. Looks like this old mechanic has to come out of retirement.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Build a weapon,” Wilson said with a faint smile. “A weapon suited for a scholar. Just wait, Elizabeth. I’ve found the passion I had when I was young. This time… I won’t make any mistakes.”