Chapter 213: The Little Girl’s Past and Fiona’s Sudden Request
“By the way, little girl, shouldn’t you be able to tell me your name by now?”
Leon picked up a piece of stir-fried beef with his fork and fed it to Fiona, his gaze shifting curiously to the little girl sitting across from him.
“Hap! Nyam~ Nyam~” Fiona ate the beef in one bite, her round eyes narrowing into crescent moons with delight.
Upon hearing Leon’s question, the little girl froze, her fork pausing in mid-air as her cute yet thin face turned pale.
“Um… that’s… my name,” she stammered nervously, her lips trembling.
Observing her nervousness, Leon raised an eyebrow, his face clearly showing his bewilderment.
He had asked her this question before, and her reaction was the same—nervous, almost frightened—which had puzzled him then.
Now, after asking her again and seeing the same reaction, Leon couldn’t help but feel even more perplexed.
“Is she still so wary of me that she doesn’t want to tell me her name?”
As this thought crossed his mind, Leon took a small breath and nodded slightly, as if he understood. He couldn’t think of a more logical explanation for the nervousness on her face.
With a small sigh, Leon picked up a piece of stir-fried beef with his fork and ate it. In a gentle tone, he said, “If you don’t want to tell me your name because you’re still wary of me, that’s fine. I understand your position and situation.”
Although this little girl remained wary of him despite his kindness, Leon harbored no anger or resentment towards her whatsoever.
He understood well that for a young girl like her, who had grown up in such a harsh environment, being wary of others was quite natural.
Upon hearing Leon’s words, the little girl’s nervous expression froze instantly, her eyes widening in surprise.
“No! That’s not what I meant, sir!” The little girl stood up abruptly and exclaimed loudly, startling Leon, Fiona, and all the demons dining in the tavern.
Instantly, all eyes turned towards her, quieting the atmosphere in the tavern.
Sensing the many gazes fixed upon her, she widened her eyes, and her face flushed visibly.
“Ahem! Well, please, have a seat, little girl,” Leon interjected quickly, breaking the awkward silence with a slight cough.
With her face still flushed, the little girl quickly sat back into her seat and lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassed face from Leon.
Leon let out a small sigh, chuckling slightly, and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that the demons in the tavern hadn’t taken their gaze off her.
“Hey, doesn’t this little girl look peculiar? Look at her different-colored eyes.”
“You’re right. She looks quite unique and strange with those two eye colors.”
“Wait! I think I’ve seen this little girl before. Isn’t she the strange one who often scavenges through the trash on the outskirts of the city?”
“Yeah, that’s her! I’ve also seen her around before!”
“Damn! How did this raggedy little girl get into this tavern? Did she sneak in?”
The demons whispered among themselves in not-so-quiet voices, prompting Leon to immediately frown.
Glancing at the little girl, Leon noticed her face had turned red, and her small body was trembling slightly. This sight caused Leon’s golden eyes to instantly grow cold as he surveyed the demons around him.
“Aren’t you all shameless to gossip like that? Don’t you have anything better to do?” Leon’s voice turned cold and indifferent, infused with a killing intent that sent a chill through the demons in the tavern, as if they were being scrutinized by the god of death.
“Ahem! I forgot I have urgent business to attend to.”
“Yes, me too.”
“Right, I have something important to do as well… Ahem!”
The demons quickly dispersed, returning to their own affairs, though the look of fear remained clear on their faces.
Leon retracted the killing intent he had released, shaking his head as he looked at the little girl, who still appeared terrified.
“Well, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. They’re no longer paying attention to you,” Leon said in a soothing tone.
Upon hearing this, the little girl was slightly stunned. Timidly, she glanced around, realizing the truth in his words, and sighed in relief.
Staring at Leon with gratitude, the little girl pursed her lips and whispered guiltily, “Sorry to trouble you, and thank you, sir.”
She had troubled this man more than once, which made her feel very guilty towards him.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. Let’s eat,” Leon said softly, a gentle smile on his lips.
The little girl pursed her lips, staring at the food in front of her without moving to eat.
Seeing this, Leon asked hesitantly, “Why are you silent? Is something bothering you?”
The little girl shook her head, lowering her gaze. “No, sir. It’s not that. I just feel guilty for not explaining the truth clearly to you.”
She paused for a moment before finally continuing, biting her lower lip. “Actually, the reason I hesitated to tell you my name wasn’t because I was wary of you, but because I don’t have a name.”
Upon hearing this, Leon, who was drinking, immediately choked and coughed.
“Ahem!” He quickly wiped his mouth with a tissue, looking at the little girl in astonishment. “You don’t have a name? How is that possible?”
He had assumed her reluctance to share her name was due to wariness, but her answer was entirely unexpected.
“I’m not joking, sir. I really don’t have a name,” the little girl replied in a sullen tone. “When I was born, I already had these eye colors that made my parents fear me. Then…”
She proceeded to tell Leon everything about her past and how she ended up in her current situation.
After five minutes, she finished her story with a sad expression on her face. “So, that’s the story. I’m really not lying to you—I don’t have a name.”
Leon let out a small sigh after hearing her story, looking at her with a sympathetic gaze.
As he had originally suspected, this little girl had indeed suffered due to her heterochromia. However, her story allowed him to understand her more deeply.
Not only had she been discriminated against by the demons in her environment, but even her own parents had abandoned her, causing her to scavenge through garbage for the past two years to survive.
Leon couldn’t imagine such a horrible thing happening to a little girl like her. However, considering that this was a fantasy world where lives could be easily lost, it seemed that such incidents were not uncommon.
“Hiks! Hiks!”
Just as Leon was about to speak, he suddenly heard soft crying beside him. Turning his head, he realized it was Fiona.
“Daddy, this big sister’s story is really sad,” Fiona said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, a little snot coming from her nose.
Leon was initially surprised to see Fiona suddenly crying, but his surprise eventually turned into a small smile. Gently taking a tissue, he wiped the snot from her little nose and replied, “Yeah, I know.”
Seeing Fiona show sympathy at such a young age made Leon, as a father, very happy. He didn’t want his daughters, including Iris and Charlotte, to grow up with indifferent hearts.
Fiona pursed her lips, looking at the little girl, before turning back to Leon.
“Daddy, can we take this big sister to the palace?”
Upon hearing Fiona’s words, Leon was suddenly stunned and looked at her with astonishment.
“What do you mean, Fiona? Did I hear you correctly?” Leon inquired, needing to confirm he hadn’t misheard.
Fiona shook her head quickly, tears still streaming down her cheeks as she said, “In the palace, we have many unused rooms. If we bring the big sister there, wouldn’t that be okay?”
“This…” Leon was once again stunned, rendered speechless by Fiona’s suggestion.
He never expected Fiona, at such a young age, to come up with such an idea, which surprised him immensely.
In truth, the idea had crossed his mind before, but he had hesitated to make a decision. Bringing the little girl to the palace would mean adopting her and taking full responsibility for her life.
Personally, he had no issue with this; he had grown fond of the little girl, particularly admiring her wisdom despite her youth.
The main dilemma, however, was how Liliana would react to the adoption. As his partner and the mother of his three daughters, her input was crucial for making this decision.
Furthermore, the inner palace itself held special significance as the residence of the Demon Emperors of each generation and their families, causing Leon to feel that he had no right to bring others to live there.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Leon gazed at Fiona’s sad yet hopeful expression and let out a small sigh.
Just as Leon was about to speak, suddenly a woman’s voice calling out to him echoed in his mind.
“Master!”
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