The house was unusually quiet today.
I sat comfortably in my chair, facing my laptop as I worked on editing today's chapter. A half-finished cup of coffee rested beside me, and the afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow across my desk. Everything was peaceful, which was rather unusual for a household like ours.
Earlier this morning, Erza had informed me that she needed to return to the Kingdom of Atlantis to attend to some important matters. Apparently, something required her personal attention, and she wouldn't be returning until evening.
Probably some royal business. Being a queen certainly came with its responsibilities.
That left me alone with Elena for the day. Normally, I wouldn't mind since taking care of my adorable daughter was hardly a burden. Besides, she seemed perfectly content entertaining herself, which gave me a rare opportunity to finish my work without interruptions.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Unfortunately, instead of concentrating on the chapter displayed on my laptop, my thoughts kept drifting toward something that had happened yesterday.
Halloween.
Honestly, what an unforgettable evening! Elena had enjoyed herself tremendously, running around in her little witch costume and collecting enough candy to last several days. Even Erza, who initially considered the celebration rather ridiculous, had ended up enjoying herself.
But there was something else I couldn't stop thinking about.
That moment when Erza and I had nearly kissed.
Well, technically, that had happened while we were preparing our Halloween costumes, but the memory was still fresh in my mind. We'd been standing so close together, her beautiful violet eyes looking directly into mine, and for once, she hadn't pushed me away.
And just when our lips were about to meet, our adorable little daughter had interrupted us.
I leaned back in my chair and sighed.
"Seriously... the timing couldn't have been worse."
Come to think of it, when was the last time I'd properly kissed my wife without something interrupting us? Between looking after Elena, handling our daily responsibilities, and dealing with all the ridiculous situations that somehow found their way into our lives, finding a peaceful moment together had become surprisingly difficult.
"Hmm... Maybe I should kiss her when she comes back tonight."
The thought made me smile.
I rested my chin against my hand, imagining Erza returning home after finishing her royal duties. Perhaps I'd greet her at the door, pull her gently into my arms, and give her a kiss before she had the chance to complain.
I wondered what expression she'd make.
Would she turn red and call me a shameless mortal? Or would she quietly accept it, just like she'd almost done yesterday?
"Hehehe... I wonder..."
I could already picture her beautiful face, those violet eyes widening in surprise as I leaned closer. Maybe she'd grab my shirt, perhaps even close her eyes, and—
"Papa."
"WHOA!"
I nearly jumped out of my chair.
My wonderful imagination shattered into a thousand pieces as a familiar little voice brought me crashing back to reality. I turned around, one hand pressed against my chest, and found Elena standing beside my chair.
Good heavens!
I stared at my daughter before releasing a long sigh.
"This child of mine... She really never lets me finish anything."
Honestly, I was beginning to understand why some married couples complained about having no time for romance. It wasn't necessarily because they stopped loving each other. Sometimes, their children simply possessed an extraordinary talent for appearing at the worst possible moment.
I shook my head and smiled at her.
"All right, sweetheart. What happened? Does my little princess need something?"
But the moment I looked at her properly, my smile disappeared.
Elena was holding her left cheek with one hand, and her usually cheerful expression had been replaced by a miserable little frown. Her cheek looked slightly swollen, and tears were gathering in the corners of her beautiful red eyes.
"Papa..."
Her voice trembled.
"Elena tooth hurting..."
I immediately straightened in my chair.
"What?! Your tooth hurts?"
She nodded, pressing her palm more firmly against her cheek.
"Mm... Papa, it hurts..."
"Oh, sweetheart. Come here, let Papa see."
I quickly lifted her onto my lap and gently examined her face. Her left cheek was noticeably swollen, and when I asked her to open her mouth, I spotted something troubling near one of her back teeth.
There was a darkened area that looked suspiciously like a cavity. Worse, the tooth appeared slightly loose.
I frowned.
"A cavity? But how...?"
Elena whimpered as I carefully withdrew my hand, and I immediately stopped examining her mouth. Whatever was happening, I certainly didn't want to make the pain worse.
Still, how had this happened so suddenly?
I was trying to think of an explanation when something caught my attention.
There was a small brown stain near the corner of Elena's mouth.
And another on her fingers.
I slowly lowered my gaze toward her hands.
Wait a minute.
Chocolate?
Then I remembered yesterday's Halloween celebration.
The candy.
The enormous amount of candy.
And the little pumpkin bucket that Elena had proudly carried home.
I looked at my daughter.
"Elena..."
She blinked innocently.
"Yes, Papa?"
"Sweetheart, did you eat all the chocolate you collected yesterday?"
Elena immediately looked away.
"Hmm... No, Papa."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Elena."
"No, Papa! Elena didn't!"
She quickly moved both hands behind her back, apparently forgetting that I'd already seen the chocolate stains.
Oh, dear.
My little princess was lying.
I sighed and held out my hand.
"Elena, show Papa your hands."
She hesitated.
"Papa..."
"Come on, sweetheart. Both hands."
Slowly, very slowly, she brought her hands forward.
And there it was.
Chocolate.
On her fingers, beneath her nails, and even smeared across one of her palms.
I stared at the evidence before looking back at my daughter.
She gave me the most innocent smile imaginable.
"Hehe..."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Good heavens. This child!
"Elena! Didn't Papa tell you not to eat too much chocolate?"
Her smile vanished.
"Papa..."
"You were supposed to save some for later! Why did you eat so much? Look at your poor tooth now!"
Elena lowered her head, her little lips trembling as tears began gathering in her eyes again. She sniffled, still holding her aching cheek, and looked up at me with the most pitiful expression I'd ever seen.
"B-But Papa..."
I folded my arms.
"But what, sweetheart?"
She sniffed again.
"It's not Elena fault..."
I blinked.
"...What?"
Elena looked at her chocolate-covered fingers before raising her tearful eyes toward me.
"Chocolate was so tasty, Papa..."
I stared at her.
For several seconds, I genuinely didn't know what to say.
Then I slowly rubbed my forehead.
"Good heavens, Elena... How am I supposed to argue with that?"
Elena sniffled, rubbing her teary eyes with her free hand while the other remained pressed against her swollen cheek. I stared at her for a moment, wondering whether I should continue scolding her, but seeing her miserable expression made me reconsider.
After all, she was already suffering enough.
I sighed and gently stroked her white hair.
"All right, sweetheart. Tell Papa something. Does it hurt a lot?"
Elena nodded immediately.
"Yes, Papa... Very painful."
"How painful?"
She thought about it for a moment, her little eyebrows drawing together as she searched for the right words.
"Elena feel like... like someone hitting nail inside Elena mouth!"
I froze.
Good heavens!
What kind of description was that?!
I stared at my daughter, genuinely impressed and horrified at the same time. Of all the ways she could have described a toothache, she'd somehow chosen the one that made me imagine someone hammering a nail into her poor little tooth.
Damn. This child really knows how to make something sound terrifying.
Then again, what else should I have expected?
She was my daughter, after all.
An author's daughter.
Apparently, she'd inherited my talent for dramatic descriptions, although I sincerely hoped she wouldn't start using them every time she got a stomachache.
I shook my head and gently held her chin.
"All right, Elena. Open your mouth one more time. Papa wants to check something."
She hesitated, looking at me nervously.
"Papa... hurt?"
"No, sweetheart. I'll be gentle. If it hurts, tell me immediately, okay?"
Elena nodded and slowly opened her mouth.
"Aaaaah..."
I leaned closer, carefully examining the troublesome tooth. There was a dark spot on its surface, and the gum around it looked irritated. When I gently checked whether the tooth moved, I was surprised to discover that it was already quite loose.
Huh?
Wait a minute.
I looked again, making sure I wasn't imagining things.
The tooth really was loose!
Now, I'm no dentist, but it certainly looked as though the little troublemaker was preparing to fall out. Whether that was because it was a baby tooth or something else, I couldn't say. Still, my mind had already begun working on a solution.
"I see..."
I leaned back and rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
Elena closed her mouth and looked at me with worried eyes.
"Papa?"
"Hmm?"
"Elena tooth bad?"
"Well, sweetheart, it looks like Papa has a little job to do."
I gently placed her back on the floor and stood up, rolling up my sleeves with the confidence of a man who had just discovered his next great mission.
Elena watched me curiously.
"Papa... you help Elena?"
I turned toward her and placed a hand against my chest.
"Of course! Your papa is a man who can do anything!"
Her red eyes widened.
"Really?!"
"Absolutely!"
I gave her my most reassuring smile.
"Leave everything to Papa!"
Elena's worried expression brightened a little, and she nodded with complete faith in me.
"Okay! Elena trust Papa!"
Those words filled me with determination.
Now, some of you might be wondering why I was suddenly acting so confident despite having absolutely no dental qualifications.
Well, you see, I had a secret weapon.
Or rather, a secret technique passed down through my childhood.
Sister Mary's method.
Ah, Sister Mary.
Back when I was little, whenever one of my baby teeth became loose, she always seemed to know exactly what to do. I could still remember sitting nervously in front of her while she reassured me that everything would be fine.
And now, after all these years, it seemed the time had finally come for me to carry on that legacy.
Hehehe... Sister Mary, your teachings shall not be forgotten.
With that thought, I marched toward my cupboard.
Elena followed behind me, clutching her cheek as she watched her father with growing curiosity.
"Papa? What doing?"
"Preparing, sweetheart."
"Preparing?"
"That's right! Every important mission requires proper preparation."
I opened the cupboard and pulled out a drawer containing several old belongings. After searching through a few notebooks and other things I'd kept over the years, I finally found what I was looking for.
A book.
Not just any book, mind you.
This was one of my old notebooks, filled with all sorts of things I'd written down and collected since childhood. Somewhere among those pages was a reminder of how Sister Mary used to deal with loose baby teeth.
I held it up triumphantly.
"Found it!"
Elena tilted her head.
"Book?"
"Not just a book, sweetheart. This is Papa's secret weapon!"
I placed the notebook on my desk and began flipping through its pages, searching for the information I remembered. Of course, I wasn't about to start pulling at a painful tooth without knowing what was wrong with it. But surely Sister Mary's old advice would help me figure out what to do next.
Elena stood beside me, watching with complete seriousness.
"Papa... Elena tooth going bye-bye?"
I paused before looking down at her.
"Hahaha! Maybe, sweetheart. But first, Papa needs to make sure everything is safe."
She nodded solemnly, as though we were preparing for an important battle.
"Okay! Elena brave!"
I smiled and rolled up my sleeves once more.
"That's my girl!"
Then I turned back toward the notebook, my determination burning brighter than ever.
All right, Sister Mary. Let's see how much of your wisdom I still remember.
And thus began the most dangerous mission of my afternoon.
Operation: Dragon Tooth Removal!
To be continued...