Book 14.5: Chapter 4
Daisy liked her dad; except, she didn’t like the way he was always elusive. In Daisy’s opinion, strict adherence was the law and something the world needed. For instance, a clock must be accurate by the second, and the hands had point at each number precisely. You should only eat enough to be satisfied; no more and no less. She strictly adhered to her daily schedule, doing what had be done at specific times. That was what her mom imparted to her.
When Daisy picked up a sword with her mom, her mom told her that swordplay wasn’t the equivalent of murder. Even an idiot could randomly swing a sword and kill somebody. Swordplay, on the other hand, was graceful and precise technique. It was not randomly swinging your blade but using minimum effort to strike fatal locations. She was to train technique, not slaughter.
What’s a professional swordsman? A professional swordsman is he, who appears to be engaged in combat, while actually being somebody who positions himself so that his opponent can only swing their sword three metres in front of them. That gives the attacker the false impression that the strikes are making contact, when the reality is they’re hitting thin air. The professional swordsman can precisely hit any fatal location of their choice. Hence, she really disliked her father’s elusive nature. If one likes another, should they not always be by their side?
“I have two older sisters and one younger sister, so my father has a total of four daughters. If he likes us, shouldn’t he tell us who he likes most? Dad likes being like this and blurring the lines. In fact, you could argue he likes everyone. Can that be considered love? Love is something magnificent, so why is Dad so unfettered about it? He doesn’t treat me, alone, this way. He treats Mom the same way. Dad always says he likes me. If he likes me, why did he marry Mom and not me? Why won’t Dad marry me?” Daisy would question.
“Mom said that if two people were truly in love, they should get married and be together forever. I like Dad so much. If he also likes me, why can’t we be together? If it’s because of Mom, I just have to train hard then defeat Mom in a duel, and it’ll be settled!” concluded Daisy.
“Dad has never professed his love for me, however. In fact, he has never even told me he likes me. He’ll hug me and caress my head, but he does that with others, too! It’s not love! What I want is for Dad to love me, but it’s not love if he treats everyone the same way! How can the greatness of this romance be proven if he treats me the same way he treats my sisters?” argued Daisy.
What Daisy wanted wasn’t that sort of mindless and empty promise and fondness, but for her dad to propose to her in an extravagant venue as she heard of in stories.
“I just have to defeat my Mom in a duel,” Daisy reasoned.
Daisy never stopped fantasising about that day. Her father was a gentle, kind, yet powerful, man. A man as great as him was worthy of touching her heart. Daisy also firmly believed her father would definitely see her brilliance, so she just needed to wait until her father realised her charm.