Chapter 78

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Chapter 78: He Is a Very Good Father, Leo

The morning light spread across the distant horizon, and the sound of the owl signaled the end of the night. In the heart of the forest, a man and a woman sat side by side, whispering to each other.

Behind a bush several meters away from them, two beautiful faces peeked out.

It was Skuld and her Mucous Avatar.

Both of them perked up their ears, listening to Leo and Kalian’s conversation.

But the distance was too far, and the voices were broken and unclear.

"I wonder, is this really a good idea?" the avatar raised an eyebrow.

"What’s wrong with that! That bad woman is trying to charm our master, and I can’t even listen?" Skuld looked at her other self with a blank expression, "Why are you still turning your elbow outward?"

"I am definitely on your side." The other self shrugged, "But… I think our master is doing this for our future happiness."

"?" Confusion appeared in Skuld’s eyes, "I mean, don’t you feel sad? Our master has been charmed by that bad woman!"

"Sad? Not at all. I think it doesn’t matter if our master has a few women, as long as he loves us the most~" The other self also looked at her main self, puzzled.

"Haha, I think your other self’s head is broken." Skuld tilted her chin, "I think I should just split again."

"That’s fine, do as you wish." The other self nodded after thinking, "After all, I am you, and you are me. You can do whatever you want."

"…Forget it." Skuld stared blankly for a moment and sighed, "Hey, do you think I really am too jealous? Will our master dislike me?"

"Not really… But your jealousy is indeed quite strong, I think you should change it."

"Haha, I’ll just split again."

"You don’t want people to talk, do you?"

……

Under the big tree, several dozen meters away.

The Mechanical Bird Nono circled in the sky, wanting to not disturb the two but also unwilling to leave out of curiosity.

Kalian hugged her knees, curled up, leaning against the tree trunk without saying a word.

Leo sat beside her, watching the ants move the bodies of the bugs, easing the dull boredom.

It had been almost an hour since Miss Kalian called him over, but she still hadn’t said a word.

This made Leo feel unsure of what to do.

He also knew that at this moment, Kalian was at her most vulnerable time in life, with her father passed away, her brother missing, and herself trapped; if he wanted to gain her favor, this was the best opportunity.

But he had never been in love in his past life and had no idea how to comfort a girl at this moment.

He couldn’t treat her like Miss Skuld, could he? Pulling her over for a lecture?

Besides, he didn’t know anything about Miss Kalian’s family, nor did he understand her relationship with the duke. He didn’t even know why a princess from North Land was allowed to go learn at the Mechanical Church.

Speaking up at this time…

Would have a bad effect, right?

Just when he was lost in his thoughts, the female mechanic’s voice finally rang out:

"Mr. Leo."

Thank goodness, you finally spoke… Leo felt a surge of relief and smiled inwardly, "I am here, Miss Kalian."

"Mr. Leo." Kalian raised her hand, aligning her palm with the distant rising sun, "I really still can’t believe… my father has passed away."

"…" Leo wisely chose to remain silent.

"Father… in my heart, he has always been an open-minded and gentle dad. When I was very young… he told me not to live only by the rules of the Tersk family just because I belonged to it."

"He told me I could have my own life, my own dreams, and do what I wanted."

"I… I thought it was just a joke, a casual promise, until I told him… I wanted to go to the Mechanical Sect. I wanted to study truth. I wanted to study ancient dragons. I wanted…"

"I will never forget that day." Kalian’s voice began to break, "When I said those words, everyone present, whether they were duchesses or my brother, looked at me as if I were a monster, as if to say… how did the Tersk family give birth to such a strange child?"

"But Father chose to respect my decision."

"Without hesitation, without persuasion, without doubt, only… a brief moment of reluctance, and then,"

"He took the risk of being cursed, contacted the grand bishop of the Mechanical Church, sent me there to study, and even gave me his personal dagger… even at parting, he did not speak of Tersk’s glory, nor did he say anything to try to make me change my mind…"

"He simply told me to wear more clothes, take care of myself, and if anyone bullied me, to come back. Dad would ride with his iron cavalry and turn those bullies into a pile of scrap metal, ha…"

As Kalian spoke, she laughed out loud, but the hand that kept wiping her eyes revealed her deep sadness.

Leo listened quietly to Kalian’s story.

The female mechanic’s tale was vivid and filled with regret and sorrow, making him see the gentle duke as well.

It was hard to believe that such a decisive and victorious duke could secretly be a gentle father.

Respecting children’s choices and not imposing one’s will on them is a rare quality, even in Leo’s original world.

Most parents want to influence their children’s lives, guiding them to live in their own way—to become a teacher,

To choose a good profession for employment, to have a decent and stable job, to marry a suitable wife, or to marry a man who has a house and a car…

But no parent asks their child… if they truly want this kind of life.

This is an inevitable result of the development of patriarchy; as long as class values exist, parents’ desire for control over their children can never completely disappear.

So, a person like the Duke of Tersk is truly rare.

What is most precious is that he lives in such a world and rules the noblest family in North Land.

It really is… such a pity.

"He is the best father in the world, but… but why… why doesn’t he wait for his beloved daughter?" Kalian buried her head in her knees, her body shaking, "Mr. Leo…"

In the next moment, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears:

"I clearly have already come back! I clearly have already come back!"

"Why can’t he wait for me?"

That once exquisite, lively, and noble face was now drowned in tears.

Her swollen lower eyelids mixed with the moist tears made me feel pity.

Two hands wrapped around knees were clenched together, their nails almost digging into the flesh, as if only the pain in her body could ease the sorrow in her heart.