The moment Watt spoke, Meddié and Turqis froze. Considering he’d never mentioned a daughter once in the ten years he’d lived in the city, of course they were flabbergasted at her sudden appearance. After all, Watt gave no hints that he himself had only found out yesterday.
“She’s your d-daughter?! What’s she doing showing up here all of a sudden...?”
“About that, Miss Meddié—I’d appreciate it if we could just leave it at that. I’ve got a reason or two myself.”
Meddié started to say something but stopped. “Okay.”
Front-Edge City lay at the furthest edge of the kingdom. Many of the city’s inhabitants had wound up there with a helping hand from their pasts. Not all tales from the past were as riveting and fun as one might hope. That was exactly why refraining from unnecessary questioning was an unspoken understanding in the city.
Sighing, Watt finally launched into the topic at hand.
“But even with her living here, I’ve still got work myself,” he explained. “And of course I can’t just leave her at home all day either.”
“You’ve got a point there...”
There was no need to ask about what housing looked like for a worker—she already knew full well. A bit of tidying up wouldn’t fix the fundamental problem that it wasn’t the sort of place one could just leave a child.
“Sorry, but do you think I could meet with the president? I’ve got a lot to discuss with him about Anna here.”
Lead back into the rear, Watt found Otto sitting at his desk in his office. Otto stared at the girl Watt had brought with him, as if he were trying to size her up.
“Apologies that this is so sudden,” Watt began. “Is there any way you could hire her to work here?”
“Sudden’s not the half of it,” Otto replied. “Rumor has it that you’re Watt’s daughter. Tell me, is that true?”
“It is,” Anna answered. “My name is Anna. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“C’mon, I’m begging you! If she’s working here, she’d be close enough for me to just barely keep an eye on her.”
“Hrmmm. And are you okay with that?”
Otto had been able to surmise that Anna was no mere commoner with only a glance. The way she carried herself was too polished. If she were a commoner carrying herself like that, then she was sure to hail from a merchant family of considerable wealth. Whatever the case, she might very well be reluctant to be employed as an underling—that had been the concern behind his question. And yet...
“Yes, I am,” Anna responded. “I’d like to request the same of you myself. Imposing on my father as I am, it would pain me to do nothing at all.”
“Considering she’s your daughter, Watt,” Otto replied, “that’s quite a good head she has on her shoulders.”
“There’s not a thing I can say back to that.”
“Very well, then. We were looking for help in the office. We’ll have her start off as an intern.”
“Thank you ever so kindly, sir,” Anna said.
A sixteen-year-old made for a wonderful worker in the city. Watching over them as an intern was hardly a tall order, and even if they weren’t suited for the job, there were bound to be some odds and ends for them to do. And so, Otto gave a nod of approval, worrying no further than that.
Then, a few days later, Watt found himself summoned to Otto’s office.
“You know exactly what I want to talk about: your daughter, Anne.”
“Erm... Did she mess something up?”
Considering the environment Anna had lived in, Watt had imagined working might’ve been difficult for her, only for Otto to shake his head.
“Far from it. The girl’s amazing. Reading, writing, and arithmetic! It doesn’t matter what she’s doing—her work’s superb! She’s not the sort of talent to waste on odds and ends.”
“Really? She’s that good?”
“Actually, I even had her get a feel for a Mechsteel, just to try.”
“H-Hold on, just what are you doing when I’m not around?!”
“She managed her way around a Brute on the first shot. She moved like she pilots them all the time. I’m having her do clerical tasks since I said I’d take her in, but it’s enough to make me want to entrust her with more sizable jobs if possible.”
It seemed she’d made her way into his good graces and then some. Even then, Watt himself hadn’t anticipated that Anna would be so capable. He’d only thought to entrust her to Otto’s care because he knew there wasn’t a soul in the city foolish enough to pick a fight with Baron’s Company—and because he could step in to help her if, worst-case scenario, something were to ever go wrong. That was all he’d considered.
“She’s a gem worth polishing, that one,” Otto said.
“While I’m thrilled you think so highly of her, it’s not like she’s going to be staying in this city forever. The best option will always be for her to go back if she can.”
“Ahhh...she’s your daughter through and through,” Otto said with a sigh. “You’ve got more talent than you know what to do with, but you never apply it where it’s needed.”
There was nothing Watt could say back. Otto helped him out with this and that on a daily basis, and Watt had made up his mind that he’d repay him properly someday—in some other way aside from being a Steelrider, that was.
Just as Watt was thinking about that, Otto dropped a bomb on him as if it were nothing.
“And besides, Turqis has been awfully insistent about wanting to look after her.”
“Wha... Otto, please! You’ve gotta keep my daughter safe!”
“I made it clear enough to her in my own way,” Otto replied. “Don’t worry—so long as she’s at the company, she won’t do anything unwise.”
After everything Otto had said, Watt’s only option was to stand down. He quietly decided that he’d accompany Anna to and from work each day.