A Secretly Capable Child Is Seeking For Her Dad - Chapter 242
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Powerful Child Searches for Dad Episode 242
Moonlight flowed in through the curtains.
Listening to the sound of wind beyond the window, Ardiana carefully stroked Tie’s hair.
“…Is this really all? This is what you wanted to do most?”
Tie lifted her gaze.
The child lying with her head on Ardiana’s lap nodded.
“Yes.”
A room with only one candle lit.
On the ceiling, Tie and her shadow flickered together as one mass.
Ardiana reflected on what had happened earlier.
When Tie had finally calmed her tears, she had asked the child.
What did she want to do most?
How would she like to spend this moment?
But there was only one thing Tie wanted.
‘I want to use Tie’s lap as a pillow, and have you stroke my head like this. Until I fall asleep.’
“…I thought you’d say something else.”
She still couldn’t understand what state of mind had brought her from the Imperial Palace to this place.
What was certain was that it had felt as distant as crossing the entire continent.
‘At first, I didn’t want to come.’
It wasn’t that she wanted to avoid it.
She was just so afraid and scared that she wanted to postpone this moment.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t ready enough.
But Tesetan was stubborn.
‘There won’t be another chance like this, Ardiana. You know that.’
‘…’
‘Time isn’t given forever. It’s easy to miss the present while only looking at the future. I did that in South Korea too. With that complacent thinking, I left Tie alone.’
‘…’
‘Let’s go back to Talochium someday. When that time comes, let’s never be apart for even a moment. Making all those promises to the child that I couldn’t keep… I never came back forever.’
‘…’
‘In the end, that’s why Tie came back here alone. Because I made it that way. Because I left the child to cry alone and hurt alone. You… you at least shouldn’t do that.’
Ardiana couldn’t give any answer.
Because everything Tesetan said was right.
‘Both you and I, let’s use the present more preciously. Not wasting time. Also…’
‘…’
‘I think the child knows.’
But when she heard the words that followed, she even forgot to breathe.
‘…I think she knows. That’s the feeling I get. She’s my daughter, I know Astie.’
At those words, things came to Ardiana’s mind too.
The child’s eyes staring intently at her when she was with Tesetan.
When their gazes met, Tie would hurriedly flee the spot.
‘Uh, um, where did Tie put her kindergarten bag~? I thought it was here but it’s not!’
The child pretended to go to the next room for no reason.
She deliberately didn’t come near her.
Kicking the floor with her toes, hovering around, then running away like she was escaping, then secretly stealing glances at her from somewhere again.
By then, she could tell.
No, she couldn’t not know.
‘…You were afraid.’
Tie was scared.
She seemed afraid that her premonition might be right, or that it might be wrong.
Because Tie was already a child who knew that some expectations are better left as expectations.
“Good…”
Tie murmured while still resting her head on Ardiana.
The child’s voice was now full of drowsiness.
Her tightly clasped hands were small, and her lowered eyelids were white and tender enough to show the blood vessels through them.
Ardiana answered in a voice barely audible.
“Yes, I’ll do it until you fall asleep.”
Then with her other hand, she brought a blanket and carefully covered the child’s body.
From outside the window came the sound of wind, and from the 1st floor came the sound of unit members having conversations.
Tie murmured.
“But you know, Tie also… wants to learn to play music.”
The child let out carefully measured breaths between her words.
“Music?”
“Yes. My kindergarten friends learn piano. They learn violin too…”
“…”
“When they learn that, Mother follows them to school… and buys them tteokbokki when it’s over.”
“…”
“She brags to the teacher that… our baby is the best…”
Ardiana’s hand paused.
Tie was a child who had grown up receiving love that she didn’t know about, in places she didn’t know.
Ardiana carefully withdrew her touch, worried the child might wake up.
Then she gazed for a while at the lowered eyes, small nose, and lips that occasionally mumbled.
“…You grew up too kind.”
Tie hadn’t uttered a single word of resentment to her.
Instead, she tried to reassure her by saying she had been fine.
‘Let’s use the present more preciously.’
Tesetan’s words echoed in her ears again.
Ardiana took a breath and lifted her gaze.
“Music… music, huh.”
Tesetan spoke of the present.
But Ardiana didn’t want to be satisfied with just the present.
If possible, she wanted to envision the future, a happy future at that.
“Is it because it’s my first time?”
Happiness kept making her feel hungry for more.
She quietly thought of the master musicians existing in the Empire, no, throughout the entire continent, one by one.
Someone of the caliber to attend national events would be suitable as Tie’s teacher, right?
“I can always be by her side during lessons.”
When class ends, whether she did well or poorly, I’ll tell her our baby is the best.
After that….
“I’ll be busy having the Head Chef prepare tteokbokki or whatever it was.”
It clearly doesn’t look like food from this place, so I’ll have to ask Tesetan for the recipe.
And in the end, to do all of this….
Just as she was thinking, the door quietly opened.
Seeing who entered, Ardiana smiled faintly.
“You know, you were wrong.”
Tesetan stopped in his tracks.
His gaze turned to Ardiana and Tie sleeping on her lap.
“There will be a future. I’ll make sure there is one. So.”
Ardiana took a short breath.
“I’m planning to tell His Majesty tomorrow that I’ll postpone the expedition. I’m going to stay here.”
Tesetan’s pupils dilated.
“What needs to be done here, only I can do. So you go to the Central Continent. When we find a way to protect the child, there needs to be a safe home to return to.”
She gestured, and Tesetan approached.
Ardiana placed one hand on Tesetan’s cheek and added.
“When you return, everything will have changed.”
“….”
“Promise me.”
Blink, blink.
Tie opened her eyes to a small light twinkling somewhere.
Something was shining brightly in the distance within the darkness.
“…Where is this?”
As she muttered, her voice returned as an echo.
There was nothing here.
She couldn’t feel anything.
All that existed was that golden light twinkling far away.
Swallowing her saliva, Tie had no choice but to start walking toward it.
One step, then two steps.
With each step, the light repeatedly dimmed and then grew stronger.
How much had the distance narrowed?
“Gasp!”
Tie stopped in place after discovering something within the light.
Tie looked at the light with confused eyes, then turned back once to look at the emptiness behind her.
And she called out softly.
“Who’s there?!”
Someone was crouched within the glowing light.
Their face and body weren’t clearly visible, but bare hands and feet protruding outside the light were clearly visible.
“Can, can you hear my voice?”
However, whoever was in the light didn’t answer.
The protruding hands and feet remained motionless.
Tie took deep breaths, huffing and puffing, then began taking steps again little by little.
Finally standing before the light, Tie crouched down quietly.
The child first poked the hand sticking out of the light.
“…It’s a child like Tie?”
Looking closely, the hand wasn’t large.
At most, it looked like the hand of a child Tie’s age.
“Hey, are you okay?”
After poking the motionless fingers several more times, Tie closed her mouth.
Tie soon made up her mind about something and clenched her fist tightly.
“…I won’t be scared. Even if I can’t eat, hmph!”
The child grabbed the hand in the light firmly.
And pulled it out with all her strength.
Contrary to expectation, the child in the light was easily pulled out.
It came out so easily that Tie, who lost her grip, fell backward on her bottom.
“Ow ow ow….”
Groaning, Tie rubbed her bottom and got up from her spot.
Then she saw the being standing before her and opened her mouth in shock.
“You… You!”
The being looked at Tie at the same eye level.
An expressionless face, tightly closed lips.
Even the golden aura spreading around.
Tie exclaimed.
“There are two Ties!”
What came out of the light was surprisingly Astie.
More precisely, some being that looked exactly like Astie.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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