"...!"
Aristia was greeted by stunned silence.
"Why do you want to learn them?" Catherine asked when she had finally gotten out of her surprise that her daughter was actually not joking.
Aristia was already prepared as she knew she'd be asked this, so she answered with ease. "For self-defense. Plus, it will not hurt to possess these skills."
"Self-defense? That is what the guards are for— to protect you." Wilson said.
"Yes, but the guards cannot always be with me, can they? Unexpected situations might occur, though I do not wish for that, and then I will be helpless." She said sadly, pouting her lips and alternating her gaze between the two of them.
"You do not want that, do you Mama, Papa?" She blinked her watery eyes at them and reverted back to her usual 'mama' and 'papa'. She drew out her voice in a babyish tone just to convince them.
[It always works. C'mon! Don't fail me now.]
