From that day on, Xina began secretly comparing Dobigny to her father. To her surprise, the moment she tried, she immediately saw many traces of her father in Dobigny.
They had originally been friends. All it took was opening a bottle of wine for her father and Dobigny to talk from nightfall until dawn. Trion possessed a rare friendliness and patience toward fallen nobles like Dobigny—after all, they had both squeezed into a circle they desperately longed to belong to but did not truly belong in. That circle had strict rules, and they both understood perfectly which rules had to be obeyed and which could be trampled on appropriately...
Yet Dobigny was so much more exceptional than her father. His intelligence at the chessboard, his cunning, his intricate schemes... and the particular warmth he showed young people, the tenderness of an elder toward the younger generation—these were virtues Trion had never displayed.
What an ideal father... Xina suddenly began to envy Dobigny's children. She made indirect inquiries into his family and learned that he had only two sons and no daughters.
Xina felt somewhat disappointed. She had thought that, if she made good use of her status, she could always get to know and befriend Dobigny's daughters. Then she could see for herself, perhaps even experience, what it was like to be the daughter of such a noble person.
She thought that if that nonexistent daughter said something startling at the dinner table, Teacher Dobigny surely would not laugh at her. After all, when Xina made a terrible move in chess, Dobigny had never mocked her or looked disappointed. He would smile, with a certain kindness and the composed ease of Now you need my help... then offer advice or rebut her based on his life experience.
These imaginings made