human
Meckart:  "Will you not speak to her?"
gpt
Meckart:  "—I understand what you’re trying to say, Lord Meckart. But I…" Meckart cut him off sharply.
human
Meckart:  "I don’t believe you do understand, Felix."
gpt
Ferris:  Ferris caught his breath.
human
Meckart:  "Crusch is my only child. She has turned out so well as to be wasted on me. I haven’t been a reliable father by any stretch. But the more pathetic I am, the more admirable she becomes… I do want her to follow her own dreams. I pray she grows up to be exactly who she truly is." Meckart lowered his eyes, affection for his daughter overcoming him. "But I am a duke as well as a father. And she is the daughter of a duke as well as my child. So long as she lives in this house, supported by the people of this domain, she will have certain duties she must perform. And when she is performing them, people will expect dress and decorum befitting her position. Well, Felix? Am I wrong?"
gpt
Ferris:  “…No.”
human
Meckart:  "In fact, I am wrong. I am trying to force my daughter to do something she doesn’t want to do. Doing the right thing can be a mistake, and a mistake can be the right thing to do. Such are the difficulties of this place where I and my daughter must live." As the duke laid out his argument, Ferris began to feel ashamed of himself. He had been so superficial. Until this moment, he had simply assumed Meckart was just an oaf. It had never occurred to him that behind the stubborn exterior was a father deeply concerned about his relationship with his daughter. Ferris found himself choking up as he realized he had been saved from this thoughtlessness by Meckart’s compassion, his willingness to try to talk things out instead of simply imposing his will through his ample authority. "His Highness Fourier will be in attendance at the birthday celebration. I’m sure he’s looking forward to seeing what dress Crusch will wear."
gpt
Ferris:  “…Yes, I suppose he would be.”
human
Meckart:  "Indeed! So not just for my sake, but for His Highness’s—will you please talk to Crusch?" The invocation of the young prince’s name relaxed the tone of the conversation. Perhaps that, too, was Meckart’s considerate touch. Ferris put the cup of tea, cold by now, to his lips while attempting to ignore his own meanness of heart. He recalled a promise he had made, back when he was still young enough to take youth as an excuse. Unconsciously, he touched the white ribbon Crusch had given him that day. "You know, I’ve always thought that promise wasn’t right."
gpt
Meckart:  “…Mm, perhaps not. You and my daughter are both good children."
human
Ferris:  "But I’ve been so happy to do what I promised… It’s made me happier than anything else in my life. And maybe I take her side too much because of that." His hand was still at his ribbon.
gpt
Meckart:  Meckart nodded quietly.