Late at night, Fiona, reassured by Vid's promise, knew that her son wouldn't recklessly bring out those dangerous inventions, and she had fallen asleep peacefully.
But Ferdinand still lay awake in the dark, unable to sleep for a long time.
The words from earlier kept echoing in his ears, forming a deep furrow between his brows.
He regretted, thinking: The words were too harsh.
Although he really worried that Vid's uninhibited inventions might bring him great trouble, during the conversation, he could've been more gentle and gradual about it!
Why use such a serious and grave tone, as if not immediately stopping his inventions would cause a world war... What a heavy blow this was to a child!
Ferdinand turned over, causing the blanket to rustle.
He looked at the shadows of the windowpanes cast by the moonlight on the wall, recalling Vid's spirited appearance when discussing inventions, feeling a stabbing pain in his heart, and couldn't help but sigh long.
Fiona seemed disturbed by his movements, muttered a few vague words in her sleep, turned over hugging the blanket, and her hair spread across the pillow.
Ferdinand simply got up. He put on a robe and walked in the dark to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. Then he stood there, staring absentmindedly at the ripples in the water cup.
After dawn... he should talk to Vid again. Not to rudely stop him, but to tell him that to turn the ideal world into reality still requires the sediment of time...
But Vid could totally first turn his ideas into objects, although widespread sale was still far off, keeping them at home for personal appreciation was also good...
Ferdinand sipped from the water glass, and at the moment of putting it down, he glimpsed a vague figure wandering by the flowerbed in the garden, occasionally reaching out to fiddle with the blooming hydrangeas.
The familiar figure made Ferdinand's heart tighten—it was Vid!
Since Dobby left, the Little Demonic Puppet, Coco, who had completely taken over the household chores, was sitting on his shoulder, they frequently turned their heads to exchange a few soft words, and the atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.
Ferdinand sighed lightly.
It seems that last night's conversation made Vid unable to sleep as well, hence he was already wandering in the garden in the early morning.
He thought somewhat heavily, opened the door, and prepared to have a good talk with his son once again.
"Can't sleep, Vid?"
Ferdinand chose this sentence as the opening, trying to speak as gently as possible.
The person by the flowerbed turned around in surprise, and seeing Ferdinand, instinctively stood up straight, and said softly, "Father."
Ferdinand's footsteps halted abruptly.
A chill rapidly shot up his spine, making the hairs on his neck stand on end!
Ferdinand retreated two steps with fright, his voice tautly harsh as he said, "You're not my son! Who are you?!"
Reflexively, his hand reached towards his waist, only to feel the soft velvet and realize he was wearing a robe.
Ferdinand's heart sank—his customary gun at his waist was currently placed with his pants on the stool at the foot of the bed.
He opened his mouth to shout loudly, but his voice got stuck in his throat as if his vocal cords were gripped by a hand.
—This person who looks exactly like Vid, even Coco was deceived, who on earth is he?!
Or rather... what exactly is he?
The person by the flowerbed hadn't expected to be recognized so soon and stared in surprise, not understanding where he'd slipped up.
Seeing Ferdinand's intense reaction, he immediately raised both hands, making a harmless gesture, even intentionally took a few steps back.
"Please calm down, sir. I mean no harm, nor am I an enemy."
He spoke with a voice identical to Vid's:
"I am merely the master's poppet, you can call me Vise."
Ferdinand could hardly believe his ears; he stared fixedly at the other, his voice extremely parched:
"...Poppet?"
"Yes! A poppet, just like Coco!"
Coco swayed its little legs on Vise's shoulder, enviously saying:
"How nice! To look exactly like the master and be able to move around freely!"
Ferdinand's eyes slowly rotated, looking at Coco, then at the expression of the calm, sincere-looking "Vise."
If he hadn't confessed voluntarily... If it weren't for that unfamiliar feeling when he turned to speak...
Ferdinand couldn't believe in any way that the person in front of him... wasn't a real "person"!
He suddenly felt his legs go weak, his fingers clung tightly to the column at the porch, and he slowly sat down on the steps.
Something... more piercing than fear of an unknown enemy... instantly penetrated his entire body, making his heart tremble uncontrollably.
How last night, he solemnly warned Vid... to be careful his inventions wouldn't cause trouble...
But in reality, Vid had already created such a convincingly realistic existence! His alchemy had also surpassed the boundaries of secular knowledge, stepping into some dangerous forbidden zone!
"Though it's the truth... Isn't it hard to believe?" Vise looked at his little companion beside him, "Coco, can you go get the master?"
He prudently didn't approach Ferdinand, nor did he move randomly, to avoid causing the master's father further shock.
Coco nodded: "No problem, Coco will go right away!"
It lightly jumped down from Vise's shoulder, heading towards the house with its short legs, but when passing by Ferdinand, it saw a large hand blocking its path.
"No... Don't call him..."
Ferdinand said weakly, "Let Vid rest, don't disturb him."
Coco hesitated and stopped.
Ferdinand took several deep breaths as if trying to suppress all his shock and worries into his chest.
In the suffocating silence, a long time passed before he finally raised his head slowly, eyes filled with complex emotions.
The one who looked much like his son... the poppet Vise, still stood properly in place, with a trace of concern in his gaze indistinguishable from a real person's.
But for such a long time, even his body hadn't wavered, only in such details did his "non-human" side become vaguely apparent.
Ferdinand's feelings were truly indescribable.
In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Is Vid... planning to leave? Is he going on a long journey?"
Vise blinked, exchanging a glance with Coco who was standing at the bottom of the steps.
Ferdinand smiled wryly, waving his hand, "Alright, no need to say anymore."
He wiped his face and softly instructed the poppets:
"Let's pretend nothing happened tonight, don't let Vid know."
Coco hesitated and nodded.
Ferdinand, dragging heavy steps, returned to the bedroom, lay down, and kept his eyes open until dawn.
Only when he heard footsteps on the stairs did he slowly change clothes and leave the bedroom.
Vid was casually flipping through the morning newspaper by the sofa when he turned his head at the sound. Seeing his father, his expression naturally softened, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted slightly, smiling:
"Good morning, Dad."
Looking at his usual smile, Ferdinand's surging emotions were instantly suppressed, even evoking a sense of regained delight.
He instinctively smiled, his voice still carrying some hoarseness:
"Good morning, Vid."