The Author's POV

Even after he heard his daughter speak in a cool, detached way, Octavious' face didn't change. He had long since expected such a reaction.

Everything became clear once the power he wielded was no longer with him.

When Melissa looked at him, he was able to tell just by looking at her expression what kinds of feelings were going through her mind at that very moment.

They were expressions he'd seen many times in his life. He wasn't unfamiliar with them.

"May I come in?"

He asked, looking around and frowning at the sight of the frozen girl in the distance. Why was she like that?

"Why do you have to come in?"

It appeared as though Melissa did not want him to enter, as she blocked his path. Octavious lowered his head and fixed his gaze on her.

She looked the same as 'she' did when 'she' was younger. Perhaps she was even more beautiful.

'Her angry look is also the same…'

A long-forgotten pain began to reappear in his chest, and his expression nearly collapsed. He was able to retain it after a fierce struggle, and after looking around, he returned his gaze to Melissa.

"I need to talk to you."

***

His voice was calm and soft, but the manner in which he spoke made Melissa feel as though she could not refuse, and she moved to the side in reluctance.

"Make it quick."

She had no desire to interact with the man in front of her, but what could she do? Kick him out? The world's strongest human?

'Pft, as if that stubborn bastard would even bother listening to my demands.'

Melissa could only resign herself to the situation and lead him toward her private lab where there was no one. It was in a bit of a mess at the moment, but she didn't care in the least bit. Since he came so abruptly, she had no time to clean it, and even if he had made an appointment, she wouldn't have cared.

He was a stranger that shared the same blood as her in her eyes.

Clank―!

She closed the door behind her and turned to look toward her father. She wanted to get this done quickly.

"Out with it, what is it that you wan―!"

Feeling a rough hand against her cheek, Melissa froze halfway through her sentence. Her eyes soon opened wide as she looked at the man standing opposite her in shock.

"What are you doing!??"

She smacked the hand away and moved several steps back. With her sleeve, she rubbed her cheek and glared at the man.

know that you're my father, but who gave you

exactly

froze after hearing his voice. It wasn't so much the contents of his voice that made her freeze, but the

hear him

up at him, she was even more shocked to see her usually expressionless father staring at her with an expression that

seemed to be

you when she

Melissa had an idea of whom he was referring to, and as she observed him, a

how to react at the

is starting to

her father had

He looked… frail.

her glasses and pinched the middle of

you trying to achieve over here? Do you seriously expect something from me? You don't have to

a nearby stool and bit

was behaving

Emotions made her cringe.

her emotionally immature. She wasn't capable of understanding emotions properly, and anything related to them made

for this reason that she buried herself in her research and avoided people. It wasn't so much that

repulsed her and

scratched the side

I want this

was akin

***

words and similarly sat down on one of the nearby stools. He covered

say to her now that he had finally managed to regain clarity over his own head, however, as he looked at his

recall everything, but the few tid bits that he managed to remember were

daughter for the past few years… the disappointment in her face, the times he saw her cry, and the times she tried

felt his

failed as a

blurted out

stiffened at his words and she looked

was a forced one. Every time he looked at his daughter, he felt himself drowning in even more pain,

he had to

my everything. I was happy back then. In more ways than you could imagine. It

as he thought back at those moments in the

was truly happy back

that I could ever ask for in a partner.

felt something toward the corner of his eyes. He slowly lowered his head to gaze at Melissa who was staring at

His gaze softened.

happy I was when I heard of the news that she was

he decided to marry her, that was singlehandedly the best

thought of starting a family excited me. Every day I would wake up thinking

chest slowly moved up, and the smile that had spread across his

moment I lost her was the moment that I