Chapter 204: An Encounter with a Little Girl with Unique Eyes
“Ouch!”
Leon, holding Fiona, was startled by the collision and looked down at the little girl who had bumped into him. His brows furrowed slightly, but there was no trace of anger on his face.
Lowering his posture and extending his right hand towards her, Leon asked in a calm and gentle tone, “Are you okay?”
Upon hearing Leon’s voice, the little girl, who was rubbing her sore buttocks and knees, startled and looked up, causing Leon to be instantly surprised.
“You…” Leon’s eyes widened in astonishment, unable to hide his surprise.
The little girl, who seemed to be around five or six years old, was extraordinarily beautiful and adorable, despite her dull and shabby appearance with black lines on her face.
She had long black hair, but it looked dry and matted, clearly neglected.
Her small body appeared very skinny and malnourished, as if she hadn’t eaten in days, making her look pitiful.
However, what surprised Leon wasn’t her condition but her eyes—they were uniquely different colors!
Her right eye was a striking gold, while her left eye was a beautiful purple, creating a stunning contrast.
This phenomenon, known as heterochromia, is extremely rare in this world. There were no records of such a condition, and this was the first time Leon had encountered it, leaving him naturally astonished.
“I-I’m alright… Don’t mind me.” The little girl’s voice reached Leon’s ears, snapping him out of his reverie.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Leon inquired again, noticing her injured knee.
“I-I’m fine… Thank you,” the little girl replied nervously, avoiding Leon’s gaze as if she were afraid.
Leon raised his eyebrows, about to ask once more, but the little girl suddenly forced herself up, wincing in pain, and left without another word.
As he watched her leave, Leon felt a sense of unease, but after a moment, he simply shook his head.
Although the rarity of her differently colored eyes intrigued him, he wouldn’t force someone to satisfy his curiosity.
With a gentle smile, Leon turned to Fiona, only to be surprised by her fixed gaze in the direction the little girl had gone, sparking his own curiosity.
“Fiona? What’s wrong? Why do you look so serious?” Leon asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
At his question, Fiona blinked her innocent round eyes and gazed at Leon with puzzlement.
“Daddy, why does that older sister have different eye colors between her right and left eyes?” Fiona asked, her face tinged with curiosity and an adorable expression.
Leon chuckled at Fiona’s question and responded briefly: “The difference in eye color between the two eyes of that little girl is called ‘heterochromia’. It’s a rare condition where a person is born with eyes of different colors, like that little girl. Such cases are very rare, and this is the first time I’ve encountered them.”
He wasn’t sure if cases of heterochromia in this fantasy world bore any resemblance to those in his previous world, where it was typically caused by a genetic disorder.
However, in this world of magic and fantasy, it seemed improbable that such conditions were as straightforward as genetic disorders.
Fiona’s mouth formed a big “O” as if she had grasped the meaning of Leon’s words, and she continued in a doubtful tone, “Then why does she have a golden eye that looks so much like yours and mine, Daddy?”
Upon hearing this question, Leon’s smile instantly stiffened, his lips twitching slightly as he asked, “Looks like ours?”
Fiona nodded innocently as she explained, “Even though her left eye is purple, her golden right eye looks very similar to yours and mine.”
Fiona’s observation caused Leon to widen his eyes in surprise. Until then, he had only noticed the girl’s heterochromia, but now Fiona’s comment prompted him to ponder the resemblance further.
“This…” Leon stammered, at a loss for how to respond to Fiona’s statement.
Throughout his life in this world, he had never encountered anyone else with the same rare gold-colored eyes as his own, except for his three little daughters, who had inherited their eye color from him.
Now, unexpectedly, there was a little girl with a right eye similar to his own golden eyes, which naturally left him feeling shocked!
“Is she my lost daughter?”
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Leon quickly dismissed it.
He was certain he had never been involved with another woman or had a one-night stand like the one with Liliana four years ago, which reaffirmed his dismissal of the idea.
However, the presence of a golden eye in the little girl’s right eye intrigued him deeply, prompting him to delve inward in search of an answer.
Unfortunately, after contemplating for a while, he couldn’t find an answer, so he reluctantly gave up.
Looking at Fiona, who continued to stare at him with curiosity, Leon shook his head and replied, “It’s probably just a coincidence that the little girl has a golden color in her right eye similar to ours.”
“Coincidence?” Fiona blinks and tilts her head slightly, wearing an adorable expression.
“Yes, coincidence,” Leon replied confidently, continuing, “In this world, there are people with gold-colored eyes like ours, and that little girl is probably one of them. Well, do you understand?”
“Ohh! So that’s how it is! Okay, I understand, daddy!” Fiona replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement, which made Leon chuckle at her adorable enthusiasm.
“Alright, let’s go buy you some candy,” Leon said, pinching her soft, chubby cheeks.
Upon hearing the word “candy,” Fiona became even more excited. She raised her right hand and exclaimed, “Hehehe! Let’s go!”
…
Meanwhile…
“Hah~ Hah~ Hah~”
In a narrow alley lined with heaps of trash and dirt on both sides, a little girl with a pitiful appearance ran breathlessly, as if struggling to catch her breath.
A wide, open wound on her knee bled profusely, causing her face to contort in pain with every step.
After running for what seemed like ages, she finally stopped, her sweat-soaked clothes clinging to her frail frame.
With limping steps, she made her way to a corner of the alley, where she sat down, her face twisted in a grimace as she gritted her teeth against the pain.
After the pain subsided, she leaned her back against the alley wall, her small face appearing relieved but pale.
“Hah~ Did I finally manage to escape?” the little girl asked, looking back with a worried expression.
Upon realizing it was quiet and no one was around, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a pouch and was astonished to find it filled with tons of gold coins!
“So many!” She was dumbfounded, rubbing her eyelids as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“With this many gold coins, I will definitely never go hungry again!” She cheered excitedly. However, her expression quickly turned worried and anxious. “But is this alright? I’ve stolen someone’s gold coins. He must have been very anxious when he found his pouch missing, right?”
If Leon were here and saw this little girl, he would definitely be very surprised. She was indeed the same little girl with the different eye color he had encountered earlier, and the pouch she held in her hand belonged to him!
The little girl appeared nervous and anxious, clearly uncertain and hesitant, indicating that this was her first time stealing from someone.
Just as she was on the verge of confusion and anxiety, suddenly, a man’s voice from ahead startled her.
“Oh? It seems we have an unexpected catch today.”
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