IBDHD 7

Chapter 7

“(Huh? Whaddya mean? What did I do?)”

“You seem to think I’m some kind of pushover, but don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re a kid. Unless you want to eat this chicken with all the spicy sauce still on it, you’d better stop right there.”

“(Huuuh?)”

All the little brat had done was tilt her head, yet somehow, he found even that adorable.

That’s it. It’s already happened!

‘Damn it.’

Cassian Calypso, you’ve really lost your edge, haven’t you?

There had been a time when he’d fought for three days and nights without eating or sleeping.

And now, here he was, sharing a single meal with a tiny little brat and already developing Stockholm syndrome.

What came next?

Was he going to turn into one of those insufferable old men who constantly rambled, “Back in my day…”?

Overwhelmed by self-loathing, Cassian squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the sorrow rising in his chest.

They said not even an emperor could stop the passage of time, but he still wanted to be a young man in his prime.

So he glared at the little brat who was turning him into a grumpy old man.

Or rather, he tried to glare at her.

The problem was that the little squirt was so tiny that her feet couldn’t even reach the floor from her chair. Her little legs were simply swinging back and forth.

There was hardly anything intimidating enough to glare at.

Pfft.

All his anger fizzled out.

Cassian picked up a towel that had been tossed over the chair beside him.

It hadn’t been washed in ages and smelled rather unpleasant, but he was so accustomed to such things that it barely bothered him.

‘It’s not like she’ll be here much longer anyway.’

He began wiping the grease smeared all over the little girl’s face.

The little squirt immediately let out a pained whine.

“(Uwaaah! That huuurts!)”

“I can’t understand a single word you’re saying, kid.”

“(I wanna speak Imperial too, but the words won’t come out right. To be honest, I can’t understand even half of what you’re saying, Mister.)”

“Yeah, yeah. Must be frustrating for you too. Believe me, I’m just as frustrated. I’d rather be out drinking right now.”

Her soft, downy hair brushed against his little finger.

It was only her face.

Yet through his fingertips, he could feel the fragile bones that hadn’t fully developed, the tiny presence of her body, her soft, squishy cheeks, and the peculiar warmth that only children possessed.

And then…

The scent of a child.

‘Ah.’

Above the towel, his gaze met a pair of golden eyes.

‘…She looks like her.’

He remembered the eyes of the woman who had pierced his heart with a sharp sword.

She, too, had eyelashes as thick and dense as this child’s.

Thump!

His heart pounded.

It felt as though Iris had returned to life.

A strange sensation surged through him like a tidal wave, so overwhelming that the affection he’d felt just moments ago seemed almost like an illusion in comparison.

Cassian had experienced this exact feeling once before.

It was how he’d felt when he first met Iris.

The feeling of being utterly happy even as something incredibly precious was being taken away from deep within him.

No.

It was the feeling of regretting that he couldn’t give even more.

Cassian clenched his teeth.

He tightened his fist and repeated the words to himself.

‘Iris is dead.’

He abruptly turned his gaze away.

His head spun, and his chest churned.

For some reason, he wanted to cry.

‘Iris is dead, damn it.’

Cassian bit down hard on his lips.

Otherwise, he felt as though he might burst into tears and spill out everything he’d kept buried inside.

“(Mister? What’s wrong?)”

The child’s voice shattered his thoughts.

At that moment, he abruptly rose to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

Whoooosh.

After splashing his face with cold water, he thought to himself,

“That little brat is a formidable opponent! Does she seriously think I’m going to lose?”

He was Cassian Calypso.

The hero who had led humanity to victory in the Great War between the Holy and Demonic forces, saving the world from destruction.

And unless that little brat was a monster, he couldn’t exactly cut her down with his sword.

Which meant there was only one solution.

He had to get her out of his sight as quickly as possible.

Cassian had intended to take the child to an orphanage.

Yes.

That had definitely been his plan.

“If you’re done eating, it’s about time we headed out.”

“(Huh? Where are we going?)”

“I’ve been waiting for this day.”

With his certificate confirming his impotence safely tucked away, Cassian cheerfully left the house.

Stockholm syndrome or whatever the hell it was, surely any illness could be prevented if you nipped it in the bud before it developed.

“Hey, squirt. Hurry up.”

“(Misterrr! You’re going too fast! My legs are short, you know!)”

He was in a hurry and wanted to move faster, but they were making almost no progress.

Watching the little girl scurry after him on her short legs, desperately trying to match his stride, made him feel strangely sorry for her.

“…Sigh.”

Fine. We’re going to part ways soon anyway.

Cassian scooped the little girl into his arms.

He intended to tuck her under one arm and hurry toward the carriage stand.

But then—

“Hm?”

Are children normally this light?

He had two nephews, so although he wasn’t particularly familiar with children’s ages, he had a fairly good idea of how much they should weigh for their height.

Yet this little squirt was strangely light.

‘She doesn’t feel very sturdy.’

Whenever he picked up his nephews like this, they would thrash around like fish trying to escape a net, their bodies feeling surprisingly solid and heavy.

But this little girl was different.

Her bones were so thin, and her body was so excessively soft and delicate that he felt she might break if he applied even a little force.

“(What’s wrong, Mister?)”

Now that her face was much closer to his, the little girl tilted her head.

‘Is it because she’s a girl?’

Suddenly worried that she might snap like a twig if he squeezed her even slightly, Cassian felt a twinge of regret.

He could have simply slowed down to accommodate her short legs.

Then he wouldn’t have needed to carry her.

And he wouldn’t be experiencing these strange feelings, either.

But now that he’d already picked her up, putting her back down seemed awkward.

So Cassian continued walking, his arms trembling slightly as he struggled to avoid putting too much pressure on her.

Perhaps because it was the weekend, there wasn’t a single carriage in sight.

He decided to head toward another carriage stand in hopes of finding one.

Just then—

“Cassian?”

Someone called his name.

Before he could even identify the owner of that piercing voice, Cassian’s sharp instincts screamed at him to run.

He pretended not to hear and quickened his pace.

“Cassian!”

Didn’t hear that.

I didn’t hear anything.

I can’t hear a thing.

‘I HEAR NOTHING!’

The woman calling his name was a stalker who had been pursuing him relentlessly for the past year.

And she was an especially persistent one.

Back when he still owned his mansion, she would sneak into his home at every opportunity.

In fact, after losing the mansion, he’d actually felt relieved at the thought that she would no longer be able to find him there.

“(Mister, I think that pretty lady is calling you.)”

“Shh. Be quiet.”

He hurried along, desperate to escape the street.

But apparently, not just anyone could become a stalker.

Despite Cassian being over 190 centimeters tall and naturally having a long, fast stride, the woman somehow managed to catch up with him.

She even grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

“Cassian Calypso!”

Shiver.

Goosebumps erupted across his shoulders.

Cassian froze and slowly turned his head.

Creak. Creak.

It was as though the screws in his neck had rusted.

“I knew it was you!”

A radiant smile spread across the woman’s face.

At first glance, she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

But in reality, she was completely insane.

They’d merely enjoyed a casual relationship by mutual agreement, yet she’d chased him around with a knife, threatening to kill him if he ever saw another woman.

She sent him more than twenty letters every single day, to the point that even the mailman had seriously advised him to consider running away.

She had even drugged his drink once and locked him in an underground dungeon.

Of course, escaping had been as easy as drinking soup while lying down.

But that wasn’t the point.

It had been an extremely unpleasant experience.

“Well, well. It’s you again.”

“It’s been so long, hasn’t it? I heard you moved. Where did you move to?”

“What would you do with that information?”

“How can you ask me something like that? Do you have any idea how much trouble I’ve gone through trying to find your house? Didn’t you miss me?”

“Ah, so that’s why you went around introducing yourself to more than a hundred households in the neighborhood where I was rumored to have moved, checking who lived in each one?”

“That’s all because of my love for you! But who’s that child? Your niece?”

The woman’s eyes gleamed brightly.

One glance was enough to tell that she was completely unhinged.

Cassian hesitated for a moment.

There was only so much running away a man could do.

Besides, he was so broke now that he couldn’t afford to move again.

Determined to finally get rid of this woman once and for all, Cassian smiled pleasantly and made an introduction.

“Say hello. She’s my daughter.”

When I lived with Mommy, the person I envied most in the whole world was my cousin Enrique.

Enrique’s daddy would let him ride on his shoulders.

He would even pick Enrique up upside down and toss him onto the sofa!

I was so jealous that I tried riding on Mommy’s back.