My Girlfriend's Dad Lives in Fairyland

Before meeting my girlfriend's parents, she promises me up and down, "Don't worry. My dad is super easygoing. Just a little naive, that's all!" I actually buy it and show up at their door with my arms full of gifts. But the second the door swings open, I freeze in my tracks at the entryway. My future father-in-law, Mike Bennett, is standing there dressed head-to-toe as a prince. My jaw drops, but my girlfriend, Alicia Bennett, just flashes a bright smile. "This is my dad's fetish. Don't mind him." I take a deep breath and hold out the gifts with both hands. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bennett. Here's a little something for—" Before I can even finish speaking, Mike snaps, "Why are you calling me Mr. Bennett? You shall address me as Prince Mike!" Chapter 1 I stood there holding the gift boxes. My fingers were so stiff that they were on the verge of cramping. I awkwardly glanced at my girlfriend, Alicia Bennett. She looked just as embarrassed. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "My dad's a total homebody and has been incredibly sheltered. He's a bit of a crybaby, but please don't be mad. I promise he isn't trying to target you." I forced a smile, though inwardly, I was screaming. A bit of a crybaby? Incredibly sheltered? My future mother-in-law, Hannah Porter, was clearly used to this. She got up from the couch, took her husband Mike Bennett's hands, and patted his back to soothe him. "Don't cry, Prince Mike. It's his first time here. Let's not scare him off." Mike peeked out from her embrace to size me up. The look he gave me was exactly like a kid judging a new tutor. "Just call him Mike," Hannah reminded me. After taking a deep breath, I set the gifts on the table and forced myself to speak. "Hi, Mike. Nice to meet you. These are just a little something for you." That finally brought a smile to his face. Breaking away from Hannah, he shuffled over to the cabinet in his slippers and began tearing into my gifts. "What did you get? Did you get me my black truffle chocolates?" When he opened the bag and saw the limited-edition whiskey, he pouted. "I don't drink stuff this strong." My fake smile was about to crack. Alicia quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Dad, Dante got that special collector's edition just for you. He had someone bring it in from abroad." Mike huffed, shoved the whiskey aside, and slumped back onto the couch. Clutching a throw pillow, he announced, "I'm thirsty." Hannah immediately rushed to fetch some water. She even blew on it and checked the temperature before handing it over. Sitting on the couch, I felt completely out of place. We chatted for about ten minutes, but Mike kept sniffing and eyeing me suspiciously. Alicia and Hannah handed him tissues and fed him snacks with practiced ease. Clearly, they'd done this for years. I gave noncommittal responses while keeping a tight lid on the internal monologue that was about to boil over. Finally, it was time for dinner. To comfort me, Alicia picked up a rib and placed it on my plate. A second later, Mike slammed his cutlery onto the table. "Now that you've gotten a boyfriend, you've forgotten all about me!" His eyes instantly welled up, and his voice cracked. "You used to always give me the first rib!" The table went dead silent for two seconds. Hannah quickly put a rib onto his plate. "Don't cry, Prince Mike. Look, there's plenty left." Mike sobbed even louder. "No! I want the one Alicia gives me! She doesn't love me anymore!" It took ten minutes of Hannah's nonstop coaxing, plus three more ribs from Alicia, before he finally calmed down. He ate while glaring at me. I sat there with my fork suspended in midair. I'd only taken one bite of the rib and couldn't decide whether to swallow or spit it out. Chapter 2 Feeling the secondhand embarrassment, Alicia and Hannah quickly changed the subject to Alicia's and my wedding date. Hannah cleared her throat and said, "Since you two are doing so well, we won't treat you unfairly. As a gesture of security, I'm giving you a 3% stake in the company. Consider it a little gift from me." I quickly declined. "No, Mrs. Bennett. That's too much." But all I could think was that a father-in-law like him would drive me insane. Forget 3%. I wouldn't marry into this family even for 30%. Besides, my family had its own company. A stake that small didn't really mean much to me. Mike, however, had sharp ears. The moment he caught the word "stake", he threw another tantrum. "What are you talking about? You're giving my things to this punk? How dare you deceive the Prince!" He stormed around most of the table and lunged at me. His fist grazed my chin, leaving a burning sting. Alicia immediately threw herself between us. She had officially hit her limit and raised her voice. "Dad, stop it!" The words had barely left her mouth when Mike completely lost it. "You're yelling at me? You're actually yelling at me because of this outsider?" Like a madman, he grabbed the dishes off the table and hurled them our way. A ceramic plate shattered right at my feet, spraying shards against my pant legs. Hannah stepped in to restrain him, but with a sharp clink, a glass struck her right on the temple. Blood started trickling down the side of her face, sending a jolt of panic through me. "This is all your fault! It's your fault for bringing this man home! None of you love me anymore. My life is so miserable!" Mike gasped for air through his frantic sobbing until suddenly, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward. It took ages to finally calm him down and get his breathing normally again. Hannah let out a heavy sigh. "Dante, I'm so sorry you had to see that." I shook my head quickly. "It's fine, Mrs. Bennett. I-I should probably head out. I'm sorry for the trouble today." Alicia grabbed my wrist. "Don't go. It's pitch black out, and your place is so far away. Just stay the night." I looked out the window. It was indeed dark, and getting a cab in this neighborhood was practically impossible. After hesitating for a moment, I nodded. Once Hannah helped the exhausted, sleeping Mike back to his bedroom, Alicia and I sat in the living room. The aftermath of dinner was still all over the place. The silence stretched on for a long time before Alicia finally spoke. "My dad has been like this for as long as I can remember," she said, looking down and rubbing her fingers together. "Ever since I was three, I had to learn how to manage his emotions and make sure he wouldn't cry, get angry, or feel left out…" I frowned. "Since you were three?" "Yeah." Alicia looked up at me, completely casual about it. "Isn't that normal? A child is supposed to take care of her father." The more I listened, the more twisted it felt. Normal? What kind of family would force a toddler to manage an adult man's emotions? This was emotional manipulation and a complete reversal of roles. The adults were treating their child like an emotional crutch. Seeing the look on Alicia's face, as if this were perfectly normal, I suddenly felt a wave of pity. She had been brainwashed with this mindset from infancy. She had no idea what a healthy father-daughter relationship actually looked like. "Listen to me," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "This kind of relationship is toxic. Your dad is supposed to take care of you, not the other way around. "In a normal, healthy family, the parent looks after the child, and the child shows appreciation. Not this." Alicia froze. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. We stayed up talking for hours. She told me all about his tantrums, how she had to soothe him, every crying fit, and every time she gave in. Chapter 3 Alicia insisted that Mike hadn't always been like this. He only started changing after Hannah's business took off, though she didn't know exactly why. I told her it wasn't normal, but she just muttered that they had survived this way for years. I shot back that the fact they had survived like this for years was exactly what made it so terrifying. The yellowish living room lights were dim. Neither of us noticed the master bedroom door on the second floor had cracked open. The next day, I woke up at dawn, having barely slept all night. After a quick wash, I packed my bag and planned to say a quick goodbye to Alicia before leaving. Every second spent in this house felt suffocating. Feeling sorry for Alicia was one thing, but there was no way I was going to gamble with the rest of my life. Yet, the moment I opened my door, a white figure collapsed right toward me, hitting the floor by my feet and wailing at the top of his lungs. "He pushed me! This horrible man pushed me!" I stood there, completely dumbfounded. "It hurts so bad!" Mike thrashed on the floor, pounding the hardwood tiles in agony. "He pushed me on purpose! I don't want to live anymore!" The commotion was so loud that Alicia and Hannah came rushing out of their respective rooms. Seeing that his audience had arrived, Mike amped up the theatrics. "I don't want him in this family! He's evil! He spent all of last night trying to drive a wedge between Alicia and me. I heard everything!" He hiccuped through his tears. "I'm still just a baby! I won't allow my daughter to have a boyfriend so soon. I want my daughter to stay with me forever!" For once, Hannah didn't immediately start coddling him. She just stood there, frowning. Lately, her company had been plagued with constant issues, and she was already exhausted. She rubbed her temples and let out a heavy sigh. "You—" "Mrs. Bennett," I interrupted, stepping forward. "You don't need to say anything." I looked down at Mike, who was still sprawled on the floor wiping away fake tears. "Mr. Bennett, you've got it all wrong. It's true that I love Alicia. But anyone who meets a father-in-law like you would walk away without a second thought." Alicia looked visibly hurt, and her head dropped instantly. The crying paused for a split second. "I assume your house has security cameras?" I pointed to the corner of the hallway ceiling. "Since you claim I pushed you, let's pull up the footage. Otherwise, if Prince Mike gets a bruise, I certainly won't be able to afford the medical bills." Mike's expression instantly shifted. "You…" His lips trembled. Hannah glanced up at the camera, then fell completely silent. She didn't say a single word, but her silence spoke volumes. Heartbroken, Alicia looked from Mike's face to mine. Her lips parted, and she lunged forward to grab my arm. "Let me explain. My dad is just—" "Don't bother." I shook her hand off and kept walking downstairs without looking back. "Let's just call it quits." Behind me, I heard Hannah snap at Mike for the very first time. "Enough!" Then came Mike's piercing screech, "You're actually yelling at me because of that man? You're all ganging up on me!" I hurried down the steps outside the house, my dress shoes clicking sharply against the stairs. My phone was buzzing relentlessly with texts from Alicia. "I'm so sorry… I never expected this to happen… Please give me a chance to explain…" I ignored every single one. I hailed a cab back home and collapsed onto my couch. Then, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from an unknown number. "What kind of spell did you put on my daughter? She actually argued with me because of you! I will never let you set foot into this family. Just you wait!" Chapter 4 Reading the text left me feeling completely drained. I tossed my phone onto the coffee table and collapsed backward into the couch. How could a man be this deeply unhinged? He was well into his 40s, yet he had spent the last two decades roleplaying as a spoiled prince. Thinking back to Hannah's enabling behavior, I realized that she was largely to blame for this monster. Alicia bombarded my phone with messages all night, but I didn't reply to a single one. Her last text came in at 3:00 am. "I finally see how messed up my family is, but I can't just leave my dad right now. Please give me some time." I read that message five times before locking my screen. The next morning at 8:00 am, a frantic pounding on my door jarred me awake. "Open up, thief! Open the door now!" Mike's voice pierced through the security door. It was so loud that it probably set off every sound-activated light in the building. Rubbing my eyes, I dragged myself out of bed and peered through the peephole. Mike stood there with his chin tilted up, looking furious and completely determined. After taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and opened it. The moment he saw me, he hurled a stack of documents right at my face. "You stole company documents! Those are confidential files my wife trusted me to keep safe! You're a corporate spy!" Papers scattered all over the floor, a few sharp edges narrowly missing my eyes. I looked down at the mess. Confidential files? They were just a few ordinary copies of meeting minutes, without even an official company seal on them. "Are you quite finished?" My voice was deadpan. "I'm not!" he shrieked, stomping his feet. "You're a thief, and I'm calling the cops to lock you up!" "Go ahead." I spoke those two words softly, but it was enough to make him choke on his next breath. Right in front of him, I pulled out my phone and dialed the police. "Hello, I'd like to report someone falsely accusing me of corporate espionage. Please send an officer over to handle this—" Mike lunged forward to grab my phone, but I took a step back, causing him to sprawl across the entryway. That was exactly when Hannah and Alicia arrived. Both of them were in formal suits, clearly having rushed straight from the office. Their expressions were equally grim. As Hannah took in the papers littered everywhere and her husband sobbing on the floor, the veins at her temples throbbed violently. "What are you making a scene over now?" she bellowed for the first time. Mike scrambled up from the floor and threw himself toward her. "He stole from us! Look, honey! He threw our confidential files all over the floor!" Alicia stormed forward, scooped up the papers, and flipped through them. Her face turned an ashen shade of fury. "Dad, these are just the minutes from last week's routine meeting. They aren't even classified!" "If I say they're confidential, they're confidential!" "Shut up!" It was the first time Alicia had ever yelled at him. "He's our business partner! Why would he even want this stuff? Our entire project is signed with his family's company! How can he steal from his own business? "And you claim he stole them, but aren't you the one who brought these papers out of the house?" Mike shrank back from her shout. His lips trembled as tears streamed down his face. I walked over from the doorway, bent down to gather the remaining papers one by one, and stacked them neatly. Then, I said casually, "If anyone's guilty of stealing company files here, it's you." Mike snapped his head up, glaring at me with pure venom. He lunged to strike me again, but Hannah firmly caught him by the wrist. Her face had shifted from furious red to deathly pale. As she looked at the man who had cried his way through the last 20 years, her voice sounded as hoarse as sandpaper scraping across a table as she said, "If you push this any further, we're getting a divorce. And Alicia will cut ties with you for good."