Chapter 16: The daughter and the past of Colt Edgeworth (part 1)

A child, a kid, a daughter, or a son holds a part of its parents.

A part of Colt, no, Leo was in the Orphanage left to believe she had no family.

As Mina held his hand, he took a step out of the carriage, and Colt felt – scared.

Fear, He was afraid of all this. He and the original were now one. The Original asked him one thing, let his daughter know of the truth.

Colt raised his head and marched up to the Orphanage uphill. The coachman was left to wait by the roadside. This wouldn’t take that long, was what Colt said.

One step, two steps, three steps up…the fear of having a daughter who knows her Father as someone else hurt even Leo. The innate fear, the deep seethed emotion that appeared in his chest was burning hotter than it should as the memories surface a day prior.

He could remember it as clear as day. Every emotion and regret he experienced, all of it was present.

And as Leo felt scared, he also felt determined to right the Original’s wrongs, answer his prayers, and let him be free of the guilt that plagued him for the longest time.

Four steps, five steps, six steps up, Leo’s determination crystallized to courage. He climbed up the hill, not as Leo but as Colt Edgeworth.

Colt was now a man with a child, if he were to fear what’s to come then, he would be unworthy of fulfilling the Original’s wishes, much less facing the one he’s supposed to call daughter.

Seven steps, eight steps, nine steps, stop. Colt stopped on his tracks. He raised his head and uphill; in front of the Orphanage, there were two people.

A child with golden hair, a petite figure with seemingly frail limbs, her shoulders were drooping as she stepped out of the Orphanage. She was downcast, clearly dissatisfied by something.

With her was Hylda, who carried a woven basket used to collect the fruits at the back. Although the basket was half her size, it would later be filled, and she’d drag it back inside.

As the golden-haired lass’ gloom grew heavier, her keen eyes caught sight of a man, a beautiful man with olive skin. Her face suddenly brightened, her expression blossomed with merriment!

A young lass’ energy exploded, her golden hair fluttered with the wind. Her never-tiring energy reserve was directed at Colt.

Colt watched as the golden-haired child took off with light feet. She jumped with perfect accuracy. She held onto Colt’s head, almost sending them tumbling down the hill due to the fearsome villain who killed millions known as gravity.

“Big bro sparkly!”

“Filla! What are you doing!? That’s too dangerous! Ouch, don’t pull my head too much!” Colt complained as he felt his scalps screaming for help.

“You liar! Hylda said you promised to come yesterday. You also didn’t appear when Sister Mary cooked the Moriam Stew, you promised to come! Do you not like Filla anymore?” Filla, the golden-haired lass, had a vice-like grip on Colt’s dark hair.

She was sobbing and crying while pulling Colt’s hair in different directions.

“Filla! You’re going to make big bro Colt go bald. Climb down from there…it might be dirty.”

Hylda came to rescue Colt from this dilemma, but even her attempts to pull Filla off of him left Colt screaming in pain. 

“I don’t know, big bro…you might have to live like this from now on.” Hylda already gave up, which was the natural course of action. 

The only thing unnatural about all this thing was not Filla’s strange attachment to Colt as she did not know his true connection to him, but Mina’s peculiar silence. And when Colt snuck a glance and checked Mina’s reaction, he saw it, a pained smile…she was enduring.

‘Good work, Mina.’ Colt gave her an honest compliment.

Soon enough, Filla calmed down, her tears stopped flowing after some time, and only her sniffles could be heard. But the Vice Grip was still active.

“Are you okay now!?”

“…”

Filla didn’t answer and kept acting like a koala.

“I won’t break my promises anymore, I still like Filla.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, yes really.”

Filla heard his reassuring words. Her Vice Grip loosened and then slowly got down from Colt’s head. She tried holding on his sleeves. But because she was too small, she had to settle with a tiny portion of the hem. 

She still wore a very stubborn look on her face, ‘I won’t let go.’ 

“That’s your fault for breaking your promise, you know.”

Hylda spoke without mincing her words.

“I know.” Colt couldn’t argue.

While Colt answered Hylda, he didn’t notice the conflict between his daughter and his future wife. Both ladies directed fierce glares at one another. Nobody let up. Both kept their focus.

Mina held a smile, and Filla’s childish face had tear stain and snot all over. Mina crouched down, took out a handkerchief from her sleeves, and carefully cleaned her eyes and nose.

“So you are the young Filla my Darling was talking about. How adorable you are.”

When the words Darling was uttered, Filla’s eyes turned sharp. Her vulnerable appearance suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a severe expression – as serious as a child could get at least.

Filla nodded her head towards Mina before hiding behind Colt. When she used what she called the “Sparkly Shield”, Filla asked Colt a matter of true importance.

“Big bro sparkly, why did she call you Darling just now? What is your relationship?”

Colt’s back suddenly straightened as the question didn’t felt like it came from a three-year-old but his mother-in-law.

But still, he answered in a jovial manner.

“He’s this big bro’s fiancée.”

“Huh?”

Filla was shocked down to her core; as her steps staggered, she took a step back and became angry.

“You are a liar! You said you would marry Filla!” Her cheeks puffed as lightning descended on Colt’s mind.

But the worst of it all was Mina having a staredown with Filla, who barely fits the age limit for school.

It was the stare down of rivals, sparks flew.

Colt was worried, and Hylda enjoyed it on the side.

She brought out an apple she kept in her dress and handed it over to Colt.

“Big bro Colt, want some food as we watch? You can’t intervene in a fight between two women anyway.” She said despite the fact that one of these women was nothing but a three-year-old.

“…Yeah, why not.” Colt gave up. He was thinking of something that was truly inappropriate for the situation.

These thoughts were too inappropriate, but its idea circulates at the original being a pedo and another topic that was too disgusting to bring up.