Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 145

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 2
The Past – Aiden’s Perspective
Aiden gazed intently at his daughter’s face, as though he would never forget it even in death, and spoke to his younger brother.
“…I entrust Tania to your care.”
“Don’t worry, brother. You’ve seen how well I’ve raised my niece these past years.”
That was true.
Greedy as he was, his younger brother was a man of considerable ambition.
Knowing this, Aiden had entrusted Tania to him and visited irregularly over the years to keep watch.
To ensure the child was not being abused, not being treated unfairly.
Of course, it would be a lie to say there was no selfish desire mixed in with his visits to see the child…
He would often observe from the shadows, fearful that Tania might recognize his face.
Fortunately, whether motivated by the money he received or by lingering family affection, his younger brother had raised Tania without neglect.
Having confirmed that his brother was indeed capable of raising Tania well, Aiden had decided to sever contact completely.
He had provided enough money for his brother and his wife to live comfortably even after Tania reached adulthood and became independent.
So the child would never go hungry.
Aiden grasped his brother’s shoulder, conveying deep gratitude and apology.
“I’m sorry for burdening you so heavily. You were the only one I could entrust the child to.”
Part of the reason Aiden had entrusted Tania to his brother was because he was family, but it was also because there was no one else suitable.
In truth, the members of the Golden Silver Mercenary Company, whom he had personally hired one by one, were far more trustworthy than his greedy younger brother.
But no matter how much money he offered, how could he ask them to raise his own child until adulthood?
Moreover, their profession was that of mercenaries, like himself, requiring them to wander from place to place.
They were unsuitable for raising a child.
On the other hand, his brother had three children of his own, giving him abundant childcare experience, and most importantly, it was ideal for keeping Tania hidden.
So he had entrusted the child to his brother’s home.
Through years of observation, he had confirmed that as long as he provided sufficient funds, his brother would neither abuse nor neglect the child.
So now was truly the time to sever all ties.
Should the Tempus Family Head ever search for him, there must be no connection to Tania to be found.
“Brother… so you really won’t come to see Tania anymore…?”
“That’s right. I ask only that you care for her until she reaches adulthood.”
Aiden answered thus, forcing his reluctant feet to move away.
Today would be the last day he would see Tania.
But Aiden did not know.
That handing a large sum of money at once to his greedy younger brother.
That declaring he would never return would become a source of bitter regret.

✦ ✦ ✦
Two years later.
Aiden led the Golden Silver Mercenary Company while keeping Tania buried deep within his heart.
Since he bore responsibility for far more than just Tania, he could not afford to abandon his duties no matter how much his heart ached.
That day, after completing a commission, Aiden stopped briefly at a Small Village to rest on his way to the Mercenary Company’s headquarters in the Capital.
Though not a large settlement, it was one of the necessary waypoints to reach the Capital, so fortunately there were enough inn rooms for his unit members.
In that moment, something seized Aiden’s attention as if drawn by an invisible thread.
It was neither large in size nor striking in color.
Yet the instant it entered his field of vision, it became all he could see—as vivid as encountering the sole light within absolute darkness.
And recognizing what he was gazing upon took only a heartbeat.
Aiden’s heart plummeted with a sickening thud.
No—it would be more accurate to say it crashed into an abyss.
What entered Aiden’s sight was a small child.
A body so gaunt it was painful to behold. Bruises and wounds marred nearly every inch of skin.
The tragedy lay in this: the child possessed hair the color of pale rose—a shade he had dreamed of countless times—and eyes of amber.
There was no possibility of not knowing.
There was no possibility of being mistaken.
It was my daughter, the one I cherished above all else in this world.
My one and only daughter, whom I loved so deeply that I chose eternal separation so she might live.
So precious that I spent three months deliberating endlessly before finally bestowing a name upon her.
My daughter, Tania.
All the blood in my body turned to ice in an instant. My breath caught so painfully that even inhaling became agony.
…Why?
Tania was supposed to be living safely in my younger brother’s home. How could she possibly be standing before me in such a horrific state?
I had believed she was safe.
I had thought separation from me was the best choice.
The price of that arrogance stood before my eyes now.
The child huddled with her skeletal frame barely concealed beneath a thin, worn blanket.
Despite the exhaustion etched across her face, watching her scan her surroundings with cautious vigilance told me everything about what she had endured.
It felt as though someone had stabbed my heart. The pain was so unbearable I wished I could cough up my very heart along with blood.
Multiple emotions tangled together, tearing through my insides.
Hatred and rage toward my younger brother. Revulsion and regret toward myself.
But the most piercing of all was guilt.
Aiden approached the small child with utmost care.
He knelt on one knee to meet her eyes without frightening her.
“I am Aiden. What is your name…?”
Startled by the stranger’s voice, the child blinked her eyes nervously before answering slowly.
“My name is Tania.”
Though I was certain the child before me was my daughter, hearing her name spoken aloud caused emotions to surge within me.
I had to compose my expression so as not to frighten her.
My body refused to obey me, as though it no longer belonged to myself.
Tania tilted her head curiously, finding it strange that an adult man stood before her with tears streaming down his face.
“Old Gentleman, why are you crying?”
“…Dust got in my eyes.”
“That’s a lie.”
The child, whom I’d initially thought was wary, spoke without hesitation once she realized I meant her no harm.
After a moment of contemplation, as though she’d grasped something, she continued.
“Were you abandoned too, Old Gentleman?”
Her words became a dagger that pierced straight through my ears.
Abandoned.
I had left this child behind and returned to my younger brother’s house.
I had made it so she would be abandoned.
Aiden knelt on both knees, cast aside all dignity, and wept with the raw, anguished cry of a wounded beast.
How long had Tania endured alone?
How many days had she gone hungry?
I lacked the courage to even ask how much she had wept and despaired.
…What if she had been abandoned by Uncle the moment I left?
A terror I had never felt before in my life consumed my entire being.
The unbearable anguish that Father—that wretch—had not known his young daughter was abandoned in a foreign land, starving and alone, was almost too much to bear.
As I wept, crushed beneath the weight of immense guilt.
A small, unremarkable hand wiped away my tears from one cheek.
“I don’t know who made you so sad, Old Gentleman, but that person is really bad.”
Though I had been the one to speak to the child first, I could not bring myself to reach out to her.
Did I have the right to even touch her?
Yet when her hand touched my cheek, I could not refuse that gentle contact.
In that moment, I understood.
Whether I had the right or not, I could never leave this child’s side again.

✦ ✦ ✦
“Father.”
At Tania’s call, Aiden lowered his newspaper and looked up at her.
“I have something I’d like to ask you.”
“Of course. If my daughter has questions, I should answer them.”
“Well, in the previous timeline, you weren’t trying to adopt me, were you? You were even uncomfortable with me calling you Father. So why did you try to adopt me in this timeline?”
*Cough—!*
This wasn’t a topic to broach so casually, so Aiden coughed in surprise.
“Don’t be difficult about this.”
Faced with Tania’s resolute expression, Aiden sighed softly and realized this would be a challenging conversation. He spoke slowly.
“I’m not certain since I didn’t experience or remember that situation, but…”
“But?”
“I suspect it was jealousy.”
Tania’s eyes widened at this unexpected answer.
“Jealousy?”
“Yes. In the previous timeline, you acted as though you couldn’t survive without me, but in this timeline, you carried yourself as though you could leave me at any moment.”
Indeed, Tania had declared to Aiden that she would be entering the Papiope Training Institute and would soon be leaving the house.
“The thought of you leaving me filled me with indescribable anxiety. So I hastily decided to quit the Golden Silver Mercenary Company and live with you instead.”
Tania’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
Good heavens—so relying on him too much had been the problem?
“…Ah, when I was young, I didn’t know any of this and just clung to you desperately. I couldn’t even call you Father.”
Remembering that bittersweet past, Tania pouted petulantly.
As a result, Aiden sweated profusely as he poured out apologies and excuses.
“I’m sorry. Even with ten mouths, I have no excuse. I thought that was the best I could do at the time.”
“No, I’ve already received more than enough apologies. It’s just… thinking about it again makes me angry all over.”
Tania, who had been huffing indignantly, suddenly laughed and threw herself into Aiden’s arms, nestling against him.
“Still, I don’t regret turning back time and meeting you again.”
“Tania…”
Aiden embraced her in return, moved by her words, and spoke with gentle insistence.
“Not Old Gentleman—you should call me Father.”
At his words, sincere yet playfully delivered, Tania burst into the brightest laughter.
“I love you, Father.”
“And I love you more than anything else in this world, Tania.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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