"You came early," Rana said in surprise when she saw Dayesh, noticing that he was with a child.
Dayesh had not left Lzith behind. He feared that Jauna might take the child with her wherever she would go.
"What's going on?" Rana asked, puzzled.
"Can you accompany me today to look for a house?"
"Oh, so it's today already? No advance notice at all?" Rana sensed that Dayesh was not in the mood for jokes. "I'm kidding. Let me just ask for permission."
"Thank you, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
Rana informed her employer that she would step out for a while to assist Dayesh.
"Let's go," she said. "Why is your child with you? Where is your wife?"
"She can't come right now. She's not feeling well. I brought my child so she wouldn't catch it," Dayesh replied. Rana did not question him further and believed what he said.
They spent four hours going around and visited three houses.
"Did you like any of the houses I showed you?" she asked.
"I will buy the third one we visited. If possible, I want to purchase it today."
"That can be arranged. It only costs four thousand gold. You still have more than enough from what you left with me."
They had not yet left the last house they visited. Rana spoke to the caretaker, informing them that the house would be purchased that day and to notify the owner to prepare the documents for transfer to Dayesh.
"Thank you very much, Rana. I just need to move quickly."
"You're welcome." Rana looked at the child, who had been quiet the entire time. "What is her name?"
"Lzith."
"Hm, that's a beautiful name. When we return to the office, let's eat first. I'm starting to feel hungry."
"Please sign here at the bottom," said the owner of the house Dayesh had bought. He signed and thanked them.
"Tomorrow, I will move the things here," he said to himself.
He asked Rana if he could leave Lzith with her for a while, and she agreed. "This comes with a fee. It's not free."
"Yes. I will take care of it," he replied. He told Lzith that he would leave for a moment. The child asked why she could not come along, and Dayesh simply said that her mother was sick and could not be approached.
Deep down, he knew he was deceiving both Rana and Lzith. He had grown used to lying, driven by the fear of being confronted about his actions and decisions.
He arrived at Jauna's home. As he entered, it was quiet. It felt unfamiliar. He had grown used to being welcomed by Jauna or hearing Lzith call out to him.
Now, everything was gone. It felt like losing someone dear, someone who could never be brought back.
He opened his item box and began placing his belongings inside to move them to the house he had bought.
As he opened it, the owl suddenly emerged.
"You must have forgotten I was inside. I heard everything you talked about. You acted too hastily in your decision."
"You don't understand anything. Stay out of it."
"I know that. That's why I won't interfere. I just noticed that you are deciding too quickly. You are making decisions while angry. I am only concerned that you might regret this in the end."
"What would I regret? I wasn't the one chosen."
"I'm sorry," the owl said softly.
"Dad, where is Mom?" Lzith asked, wondering why Jauna was not there.
"My child…" Dayesh could not think of an excuse. He felt pity for his child. She was still so young and would not understand his explanation. "Let's sleep first. It's already night."
He carried her and put her to bed. In the large house he had bought, it was just the two of them.
"Friend…" he felt the presence of the deer's shadow.
He was startled. With everything on his mind, he had almost forgotten about it.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"I followed you. I did not want to be left alone there," the shadow replied.
Dayesh sighed and apologized.
"Lzith is already asleep. I will sleep as well," he said.
"Friend, if it is possible, I wish to be given a body."
"Friend, you are a shadow, not a soul. I do not know how we can do that. The only thing I can think of is that you may attach yourself to Lzith's shadow if you wish to watch over and protect her."
"Please, make it possible," the shadow pleaded.
"We will talk about that another time. I will ask around."
"Thank you very much."
Morning came, Dayesh and Lzith woke up. Dayesh prepared their meal.
"Dad, where is Mom? Why isn't she here?"
"My child, will you understand me if I explain?"
"Where is Mom, Dad?"
"Your mother… she no longer wants to be with us. She has left us."
Lzith did not respond immediately, trying to understand what her father had said.
"Dad, do you love Mom?"
Tears began to form in Dayesh's eyes. "Yes, my child. I love her very much. But she no longer wants us. Even if I try to bring her back, she will not come with us. So it would be pointless. Can we just love her from afar?"
"It's okay, Dad. Please don't cry. You're not a child."
Dayesh let out a small laugh at his child's response. "There is no age limit to crying, my child. Even if you are very old, you can cry if you want to." He gently stroked his little princess's head. "From now on, it will just be the two of us. I will hire someone to look after you when I am away."
"Yes, Dad. I will not misbehave when you are gone."
Dayesh felt comforted by how deeply understanding his child was. She was just over a year old, yet her understanding seemed far beyond her age.
"I will not go anywhere for now. I will stay here and rest."
He remembered his item box and took something out.
"Here, play with this." He handed her the toys he had bought during his missions. There were times he forgot to give them to her, and they had accumulated.
He called the owl through telepathy and instructed it to keep Lzith company while he slept. The past few days had been too heavy for him, and he thought it best to rest and ease the burden he was carrying.