"I refuse to wear that," Yuki protested, staring at the puffy pink skirts of the dress the duke was trying to wrangle her into. The employees running the boutique seemed unsure how to proceed, standing awkwardly to the side as they watched the two of them battle it out over what clothes she was going to try on.
"Come on now," the duke bit out, his smile strained as he tried to keep up a caring front. "Why don't you just try it on? Maybe you'll end up liking it."
"I am not a fan of the color pink," Yuki huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Aren't all little girls supposed to like the color pink?" Engel muttered, more to himself than to her. He was holding the dress in front of him like a weapon, slowly trying to back Yuki into a corner to trap her. She was posed up in a defensive stance, looking ready to make a break for it if he got any closer to her.
"It's Teo's favorite color," Yuki said, like it explained anything.
"So…?"
"I refuse to associate myself with anything that's his taste."
"Well, then," Engel broke off with a scoff, rubbing the back of his neck as he tossed the dress onto the floor, seeing in the corner of his eye one of the employees weeping silently. It did seem like an expensive gown, but he had more than enough money to cover the cost. "What color do you even like?"
"I like blue," she decided, nodding to herself.
"Great, blue," Engel said, scanning the displays until he found a dress that seemed about her size in a deep shade of blue. He took it off the mannequin it was on with little care, throwing it at her, hitting her square in the face. She stared at him flatly as it slowly fell to the floor, bunching up at her feet. "Go on," he waved at her, "try it on."
"I don't care for this shade of blue."
"What do you mean you don't–," he began, exasperated, cutting himself off when he realized that he was starting to raise his voice. "What's wrong with this shade of blue?" He managed, his smile making the employee closest to him whimper.
"I don't like it."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't."
He stared at her.
She stared back at him.
"How about red," he proposed, backing down like a coward.
"My valet likes the color red," she said with some thought, tilting her head in consideration. "We should get the dress for him. As a show of my appreciation."
"But I'm the one buying it."
"But I'm the one who will give it to him."
"Will you just pick a dress?"
"I'll look," Yuki supposed with a shrug. Engel watched her wander off, briefly considering abandoning his plan and just leaving her here. He would be free if he just left right now, took his horse and went back home. Before he could get any deeper in his thoughts, one of the employees came up to him nervously, clearing her throat to get his attention, her hands clasped politely in front of her.
"Hm?" He wondered, glancing her way. She shrunk back at how intense his gaze was, but stood her ground, nervously wringing her hands together.
"Do you need help picking out a dress for your daughter?" She wondered.
"Hear that?" Yuki shouted at him from across the store. "She already thinks I'm your daughter. I'm a natural actress," she said smugly. "There's no need for practice."
Engel turned on his heel, heading for the door.
The only thing that kept him from leaving was a woman coming in with her daughter, blocking his path as they slowly took in what designs the store had to offer. He was not above pushing them out of his way when he heard a voice call out to him, turning around to see Yuki wearing a hat that was too big for her.
"I like this," she said to him, looking pleased. She used one hand to hold up it, using her other one to pantomime swinging a sword in front of her, giving a grin.
"We came here to get you a dress," Engel pointed out, his voice flat.
"But I don't want a dress."
"It doesn't even fit you," Engel tried to reason with her.
"I'll grow into it."
"By the end of the week?"
"I'm due for a growth spurt," she figured with a nod.
"Put the hat back."
"But I like it," she protested.
"Put the hat back."
"What happened to there's now nothing I can't have?"
"Put the hat back."
"I even picked out one that matches you."
"I don't care. Put it back."
"Talk about no fun," Yuki huffed, stalking off. Engel just leaned against a wall as he watched her march back to where she got the hat with little pouty stomps, crossing his arms over his chest, between exasperated and amused. He glanced over to the mother and daughter to try and catch a glimpse of what a normal family acted like.
"What do you think of this one?" The mother asked her daughter, gesturing towards a yellow sundress on display. Her daughter peeked shyly out from behind her mother's skirts, looking up at the dress then up at her mother, clearly not liking it but still offering her a small nod, her brown hair bobbing with the movement.
Watching Yuki overdramatically browse dresses, he could say at the very least that she wasn't shy about sharing her opinion or how she felt, actually appreciating her bluntness. He'd spent his entire life with people either afraid of him, sucking up to him, or tip-toeing nervously around him, very rarely were they so blunt with him.
He hid a smile with his hand, smothering it down, wondering what even brought it on. He passed it off as just finding her amusing, nothing more.
Engel was content just leaning against the wall until he almost choked, catching sight of Yuki attempting an escape by leaping out a window. He was quick to make his way over to her, catching her by the back of her collar and pulling her back to his side, holding her up with his arm. She hung limply from his grasp, pretending to be dead. By the goddess, was she the most dramatic child he'd ever met.
At the stare the woman was giving him, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"She's going through a phase," he tried to explain away, the woman simply offering a stiff nod of acceptance after seeing the crest on the collar of his cloak and ushering her daughter towards the other end of the store.
He stared down at Yuki doing her best attempt to try and become a liquid.
Without being able to help it, he burst out laughing, sounding a little crazed. He was sure that this little outing was doing wonders for his already poor reputation, but he didn't care what they thought of him anyway. He realized right then that they didn't need practice for acting like a real father and daughter. She could act however she wanted whenever he invited the De l'Étoile's over because it wouldn't matter.
He would have no trouble pretending to be her father.