CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER : 50 : DADDY

Warmth.

That was the first thing Aiden noticed when he finally opened his eyes. No dungeon ceiling, no damp stone walls, no smell of blood or moss. Just soft blankets, the weight of them pressing him down, sunlight sliding in through tall palace windows, and the faint crackle of a hearth nearby.

Safe.

He blinked a couple of times, his vision blurry, and slowly things came into focus: the carved ceiling beams, the silk curtains, the faint smell of herbs.

Then something heavy shifted against his chest.

"Mmnn... Master...?"

Luna’s voice was soft, groggy. She was curled right against him, arms wrapped tight around his waist like she had no intention of letting him go even if the palace caught fire. Her black hair was a tangled mess, her tail half-tucked under the blanket. She blinked up at him with puffy, red-rimmed eyes—then went wide, and suddenly she was pushing up, hands framing his face.

"Master! You’re awake!"

Her voice cracked halfway through.

Aiden gave a faint smile. "Hey. Careful."

Her bottom lip trembled, but she pressed her forehead against his chest instead of crying again. "Don’t you dare ever sleep that long again. Do you know... do you even know it’s been two days? Two whole days!"

Two days, huh?

The last thing he remembered—the boss fight. That black-scaled monster, its kick slamming him into the wall, pain tearing through his ribs. And then light. Heat. Fluffynugget’s ridiculous charge. Lysandra’s barrier. A kiss, a flare of something new, everything collapsing into chaos. Then darkness.

He shifted his head, careful not to move too much.

Lysandra was there. Sitting straight in a high-backed chair right beside the bed. Regal as ever, even with the shadows under her eyes. She hadn’t left, he could tell. Her posture was too stiff for someone who’d slept in a real bed.

And on her lap—

Leona.

The little dragon-girl was curled on Lysandra’s legs, fast asleep, tiny wings tucked in, small tail curled across her arm. Her scaled temples caught the sunlight faintly. She looked peaceful, utterly unaware of the storm everyone had been through.

Lysandra’s eyes met his. Relief hit her face like a tide that finally found shore—only a flutter of breath, only a loosening at the corners of her mouth, but it was there.

"Two days," she said quietly, as if answering the question he hadn’t asked. "You collapsed the moment she changed. We were returned to the surface in a flash and then... nothing. You wouldn’t wake."

Aiden smiled weakly. "Miss me, Ly?"

Her lips twitched, but she didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.

A small figure stood at the foot of the bed, gripping the blanket. Ivy. Her hair was a wild mess tied up in what used to be a ribbon, her little green face pale from exhaustion. She peered up at him with wide eyes that tried—and failed—not to water.

"Onii-chan," she whispered, then louder, almost accusing, "Onii-chan, you looked dead."

"Did I?" Aiden scratched at the back of his neck. "Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you."

"You shouldn’t," Ivy informed him, like it was a rule he’d broken. "We got to one hundred monsters. Then you fell. Not fair."

"Technically ninety-nine," Luna sniffed into his shirt. "One was petified."

"That’s... not how fair works," Aiden said

"That doesn’t count!" Ivy shot back immediately.

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

Aiden groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Seriously? First thing I wake up to is the monster math argument? Alright, fine, let’s call it ninety-nine-point-five and move on."

Both of them went quiet, but only because they were glaring at each other instead of him.

Something tiny scrambled up onto the bed, claws clicking on the frame. Fluffynugget. The little puffball hopped straight onto Aiden’s stomach, sat his fluffy butt down, and stared right at him with big, watery eyes.

"Miii!"

"Yeah, I know, buddy," Aiden said, reaching out to pat him. "Hell of a hit you landed in there. Saved my ass."

Fluffynugget puffed up his chest like he’d just been knighted.

"Mm. Good," Lysandra said softly, stroking Leona’s hair. "We were beginning to wonder if you’d ever open your eyes."

"Well," Aiden smirked faintly. "Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t cause a little drama now and then, right?"

Luna shot up just to smack his shoulder lightly. "That’s not funny!"

"Okay, okay, sorry." He chuckled, then looked back at Lysandra.

And then—

Leona stirred.

She squirmed in Lysandra’s lap, tiny wings twitching, tail flicking once against her arm. Her little red eyes blinked open slowly, heavy with sleep. She looked at Lysandra first. Then her gaze drifted toward the bed.

Her eyes locked on Aiden.

Aiden froze. Something in his chest flipped over.

Leona frowned a little, like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Then she wriggled in Lysandra’s arms, reaching out both hands toward the bed.

"Easy," Lysandra murmured, but she stood, carrying her over. She lowered the girl to the mattress.

Leona crawled closer on tiny hands and knees until she reached Aiden’s shoulder. She grabbed the blanket in her little fists, peered down at him, and opened her mouth.

"...Da..."

The sound was small, uncertain.

Everyone in the room went dead still.

Leona tried again. "Da...dy."

Luna gasped softly. Ivy’s jaw dropped. Even Fluffynugget squeaked.

Aiden blinked, stunned. For a second he wasn’t sure he’d heard it right.

Then Leona said it again. Clearer. Stronger.

"Daddy."

Something hot stung at the corner of his eyes before he could stop it. He let out a shaky laugh and lifted a hand, cupping her tiny cheek. "Hey there, kiddo."

Leona’s little face broke into a sunny grin. She crawled the last inch and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, tiny claws pricking at the blanket as she settled in. "Daddy," she whispered again, softer this time, like she was casting a spell.

Luna covered her mouth with both hands, eyes watering all over again. Ivy scrambled closer, plopping down right beside Leona like a jealous sibling.

"I stayed up all night, Onii-chan," Ivy announced, puffing proudly. "Even when I was sleeping, I was guarding."

Aiden chuckled and patted her messy hair. "Good job, squirt. Best guard in the world."

"Miiiii," Fluffynugget chirped, determined not to be left out. He pressed his fluffy head against Aiden’s chin like me too, me too.

Aiden sighed, completely buried under wives, kids, and fluff. "Alright, fine. Guess I’m not moving for the next hundred years."

"Good," Luna sniffed, clinging tighter. "You’re not allowed to."

Lysandra finally sat back down, one hand resting gently on Leona’s back as if she couldn’t quite believe the scene herself. Her lips curved the faintest bit, the tiniest smile.

"Daddy," Leona repeated, her voice soft, sure.

Leona nestled herself deeper into Aiden’s side, her little fingers curling into the fabric of his blanket like she was afraid he might vanish if she let go. Her small horns pressed gently against his collarbone, and her wings fluttered once, clumsy but determined, before settling again.

Aiden exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt her warmth. That single word she had spoken—Daddy—echoed in his mind, soft but heavier than any blade.

Luna shifted beside him, wiping her cheeks quickly as if she didn’t want him to see. But her tail betrayed her, swishing against the mattress in tiny, restless arcs. "Master," she whispered, her voice trembling. "She... she really said it."

Aiden chuckled, though his throat was tight. "Yeah. Guess I’m promoted."

"Promoted?" Ivy tilted her head, frowning. "Promoted to what?"

"Daddy duty," Aiden said with mock seriousness, reaching out to ruffle her tangled hair. "And that means double bedtime stories, monster-counting patrols, and..." He flicked her forehead lightly. "No more sulking when we lose count."

Ivy squeaked indignantly, rubbing her forehead.

Aiden smirked. "Daddy rules."

Leona looked up at him again, wide-eyed, as if to confirm that word really belonged to him. Then, satisfied, she snuggled against his chest, murmuring the word one more time—quieter, but more certain.

Lysandra watched, unmoving for a long moment. The firelight traced over her sharp goblin features, her crimson eyes unreadable. Yet the faintest tremor touched her lips, and her fingers brushed absently at the hem of her gown. It wasn’t her child—Leona had come to them under other circumstances—but for that instant, Lysandra let the illusion of family settle around them like a fragile glass dome.

"Sir Aiden," she finally said, her voice soft and formal, but carrying something warmer beneath it, "it seems she has chosen."

Aiden blinked, looking at her. "Chosen?"

"In her heart," Lysandra said simply. "You are hers. That is not a thing easily undone."

Leona cooed, clutching his blanket tighter as if to prove the point.

Aiden swallowed, staring down at the tiny dragonkin girl who now claimed him with a single word. For a second, the haze of memory tugged at the corners of his mind—the dream, which he couldn’t reber properly, the flashes of his life before Nunovo, which he could remember. A small apartment. A desk with papers scattered across it. The humming of a computer fan. His own weary reflection in glass. The ache of having been alone.

Now, looking at Luna’s stubborn teary eyes, Ivy’s pouty cheeks, Lysandra’s faint smile, Fluffynugget’s determined fluff, and Leona’s tiny fingers curled against him... the ache softened.

Maybe this was enough. Maybe it was better than enough.

"Daddy," Leona whispered again, softer this time, like she wanted to make sure the word stayed real.

Aiden kissed the top of her head, his voice quiet but steady. "Yeah, kiddo. I’m right here."

Luna’s tail thumped once against the bed, her eyes glistening. Ivy huffed like she was trying to look annoyed but ended up scooting closer anyway, pressing her small goblin shoulder against his arm.

"Miii!" Fluffynugget squealed loudly, bouncing in place as if demanding the same recognition.

"Alright, alright." Aiden chuckled, scratching behind the puffball’s ears. "You too, Nugget. You too."

Then–

A knock on the door.

"Sir... Can I enter?" Throk Grimclaw stood, asking with a smile.

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END OF Chapter : 50 : DADDY!

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