The Third Prince Of Darkness

Chapter 155: Living the way you want

I leaned down to pick up sweet little Lyra and lifted her up tightly in my arms. Luckily, she didn't protest at all; she just looked at me with a curious expression on her face. Occasionally, she glanced at her mother, as if trying to figure out whether I was a good person. Since Avanne smiled gently, Lyra began to act more comfortably around me, she was starting to think I was a really good person.

"Well, little Lyra, since I'm your father, is there something you would like from me?" I asked the chubby-cheeked girl in my lap.

Lyra's bright blue eyes widened with a smiling expression as she excitedly said, "A chocolate! No... two chocolates..."

"Why two? Are you going to give me one?"

Lyra looked extremely surprised by my question, and then shyly glanced at her mother. "No, chocolate! Mommy loves chocolate... But I'll get you one too... Don't be sad, okay?" she said, placing her tiny hands on my cheeks.

"Pffft hahahaha," Avanne struggled to contain herself and burst into laughter when she saw this scene.

When Avanne noticed our serious expressions, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry, continue. I won't disturb you," while laughing and moved to sit on the couch.

As I turned back to Lyra, I didn't know what to say. To be honest, I could hardly say I got along well with children, even in my previous life. I didn't even like kids, but now, holding my own daughter in my arms, this situation should change. Yet, I still didn't know what children liked or what made them happy. Now that I think about it, it's probably very difficult to be a good father. I would likely have to leave Lyra again soon, and perhaps it would be a problem if she got too attached to me.

Ah... I actually don't care. I'm tired of making decisions in my life thinking about "what if this happens, or that happens?" Maybe I should try living the way I want, not just because it's necessary. And now I really want to show love to this little girl and make her happy. Why should I ruin this situation when every man dreams of having a daughter?

"Do you want to see my toys?' Lyra suddenly asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Toys? Yes, I would like to see them," I said.

"Then if you carry me on your back, I'll show you my toys," she said with her lisping voice.

I smiled and said, "Okay, let's see how this little princess will travel on my back," as I prepared to lift Lyra onto my shoulder. She let out a little squeal as she wrapped her tiny arms tightly around my shoulders and laughed. Her cheerful demeanor stirred a warm feeling inside me. As I carried Lyra on my shoulders, I spun around the room and excitedly asked, "Where are we going, Captain Lyra?"

Lyra pointed with her tiny finger to a small door, "Over there, to my toy room!" she declared proudly.

The door was not separate from Avanne's study, and it was about half the size of a normal door under a wide wall. But it was also cleverly hidden, allowing only a sharp eye to spot it. I walked over and reached the door, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"The door is locked with a special spell, Ethan. Only Lyra and I can open it," Avanne said from the back while brewing coffee.

"Yes, Daddy! Put me down," Lyra said, bouncing on my back. Luckily, I was holding her by her legs, preventing her from falling.

After I set Lyra down, she easily opened the door that I couldn't manage and went inside. "Come in, come in!" she shouted from within.

I knelt down, bending my head to avoid hitting it as I entered. Fortunately, the inside was extremely spacious and airy. It was even bigger than my dorm bathroom at the academy, though not as large as the room of my dorm room. The room was dimly lit, and as I looked at the walls, I noticed they were all painted pink. As Lyra brought her toys towards me from the corner, I immediately spotted a hidden lid on the floor. I probably would never have noticed it if I hadn't had such excellent vision in the dark. When I touched the lid, I couldn't manage to open it again. Lyra ran to me and grabbed my hand.

"No, Daddy! You can only open this if bad guys come!" she said, pulling my hand away from the lid. Experience tales at m v|l--NovelBin.net

"I'm sorry, sorry, my mistake..." I said, withdrawing my hand.

At that moment, I realized that this toy room was not just a toy room; it was a kind of escape room. When Lyra ran back to start showing me her toys, I punched the walls hard with my hand, confirming that this place was indeed an escape room. The walls were made of something quite sturdy, but I couldn't test how durable they were right now. However, it felt good to know that Avanne had at least taken good precautions.

"Daddy, look! This is my friend, Miss Luna," Lyra said, showing me a cloth doll.

For now, I ignored everything else, since I wanted to focus on Lyra and turned to her. I looked at the cloth doll in Lyra's hands and smiled, saying, "Hello, Miss Luna. Since you're Lyra's friend, you're my friend too." Lyra giggled at my words and approached me with her doll.

"Daddy, do you want to hug Miss Luna?" she asked. Nodding seriously, I extended my hands. Lyra carefully placed the doll into my arms and added, "But be gentle, okay? Sometimes Miss Luna's tummy hurts."

As I held the doll, I nodded. "Of course, I'll be gentle. By the way, what's Miss Luna's favorite game?" I asked to encourage Lyra's imagination.

Lyra thought for a moment and said, "I think Miss Luna loves tea parties the most." Unable to resist the sparkle in her eyes, I smiled at her. Immediately joining in on the game, I asked, "Then let's have a tea party. What do you think?"

Lyra nodded excitedly and ran to a corner of the room. As she carried a small tea set, she carefully placed it on the floor and said, "Daddy, you sit too. Miss Luna should come too."

For a while, we had an imaginary tea party, serving tiny cookies and having fun conversations. Every time Lyra took a sip, she adorably exclaimed, "Mmm, so delicious!" Seeing her so happy over something so small warmed my heart.

Occasionally, I noticed Avanne peeking silently through the door. There was a sparkle in her eyes, as if she were trying to memorize this moment. Spending time like this with Lyra made me feel that life was truly precious, and I already felt a deep bond forming with her. I did nothing but play with my newly met daughter the way she wanted for the next few hours. Unfortunately, after a while, Lyra became quite tired, and Avanne took her to bed. She also called me, suggesting that I come to read her a story in bed. I gladly accepted this offer and read stories with Avanne until Lyra fell asleep.

••••

"Did she fall asleep?" I asked in a low voice.

Avanne nodded in the affirmative and got out of bed. This room was also Avanne's bedroom, and Lyra's bed was right next to hers. "Follow me. Let's go to a more comfortable place," she said in a low voice. As she clasped her fingers, I noticed she was tense, but I didn't say anything and followed her out of the room. After leaving the room, I glanced at Avanne. It wouldn't be right to say she hadn't changed at all, but it wasn't in a bad way. It seemed like motherhood had made her more beautiful, or at least her aura had changed.

She still retained her curvy body and nothing was missing from her beautiful face. I unintentionally looked at her hips and pulled my gaze away, scolding myself. No matter what, I shouldn't be weak enough to be so easily swayed.

"You've thought out the escape room quite well. By the way, are the walls made of iron or something?" I asked as I walked behind Avanne.

"No. It's made of Lubal, the hardest and most durable material I could find," Avanne said, surprising me.

Lubal ore is an extremely rare and valuable metal. Another reason it's so expensive is its ability to absorb magic. That's why it's very costly. Just a few kilos of Lubal bore would probably cost a fortune. So she must have mixed Lubal ore with iron to build that room. On the other hand, if the walls of the room were made entirely of pure Lubal ore, Avanne must have spent a large portion of her wealth.

Finally, when we arrived in a comfortable living room, Avanne brewed tea for us. Since she didn't want the servants to see me, she had to do it herself, but she didn't seem to mind; rather, she appeared happy to be preparing tea for me. After preparing the tea, she sat across from me on a comfortable couch.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But first, there's something I want to ask above all else. Why didn't you read my letters?" she asked. "D-don't get me wrong! I'm not blaming you; it's just... you know. I thought you'd read them," Avanne added with a worried expression.

"I didn't read the letters because I didn't want a woman who left me to take up too much space in my life," I said quite frankly... Perhaps a bit too frankly.

"... Oh, I understand. You're right," Avanne said as her eyes began to mist over. "... A-are you angry with me?" she asked, her voice now trembling.

"Yes. But I understand why you did it," I said, taking a sip of my tea. "And I don't blame you for anything," I added.