CHAPTER 33
“Looking for that necklace, Princess?”
His voice was flat, emotionless.
When I turned, Adix Lubrigo was standing at the top of the staircase, his arms crossed, looking down at me.
I held the necklace tightly in my palm and calmly responded.
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
“It belongs to someone I care about.”
He descended slowly, one step at a time.
Each click of his boots on the stone stairs echoed like a warning.
As he approached, I met his eyes and asked,
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“….”
“That the boy is your son.”
His eyes narrowed.
I pressed on.
“You recognized the necklace right away, didn’t you? That’s why you got so upset when Jayster said he lost it.”
“….”
“You ran away.”
A flash of something crossed his face.
Guilt?
Fear?
He quickly looked away, expression hardening.
“I didn’t run.”
“Then what would you call it?”
He didn’t answer.
I took a step forward and lifted the necklace in my palm.
“This was the only thing his mother left him. And you threw it away.”
“I didn’t throw it away.”
Adix’s voice was sharp now.
“I was going to return it. Eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
He turned away, as if to end the conversation.
But I stepped in front of him.
“No, Tower Master. I do understand.”
I met his gaze, refusing to back down.
“I understand what it means to lose family. To feel powerless. To be afraid.”
Adix flinched.
“And I know what it means to run away from someone who needs you.”
“….”
“Jayster isn’t just some lost child, Adix. He’s your child.”
He inhaled sharply.
“And he thinks you hate him.”
That clearly hit him.
His shoulders stiffened. He looked down at his feet.
For a long time, neither of us said anything.
Finally, he murmured,
“I wasn’t ready.”
“You think he was?”
“….”
“I’m not saying you have to be a perfect father. Or even a good one right away.”
I held out the necklace to him.
“But don’t be a stranger.”
He stared at it, then at me.
His hand hovered in the air, trembling slightly, before pulling back.
“…Give it to him.”
“You sure?”
He nodded.
“But tell him it wasn’t me who found it.”
“Why?”
“…Because I’m still a coward.”
I let out a small sigh.
“You are.”
He smirked bitterly.
“But,” I added, “even cowards can change.”
I left him with those words and headed back upstairs.
Jayster was waiting on the couch, clutching a pillow tightly.
When I stepped inside, he looked up with wide eyes.
“You’re back…!”
I knelt in front of him and gently placed the necklace in his hands.
“…!”
He stared at it, stunned.
“My necklace…!”
“Found it near the archives.”
He trembled as he clutched it to his chest.
“Thank you. Thank you so much, Lilian…”
“It’s where someone left it for safekeeping.”
“…Huh?”
“Maybe they wanted to make sure it didn’t get lost again.”
He blinked up at me, then down at the necklace.
“…Do you think they were someone I knew?”
“Maybe,” I said gently. “Maybe they were watching out for you more than you realized.”
