“Our baby, our beautiful baby. Crescent, who shines like the crescent moon. I love you, my darling...”
Smooch.
My mother’s lips gently brushed against the tip of my nose.
Wrapped snugly in a soft swaddle, I was nestled in her arms, breathing softly in my sleep. Watching , her whole body seed to tremble with affection, as if she couldn’t contain how much she adored .
“Ah! Even your little nose looks like a cherry! It’s like I’ve been given the most priceless treasure chest in the world,” she murmured in awe, hugging even tighter.
Still, it didn’t seem enough for her. She began kissing my head, my forehead, and the bridge of my nose in a flurry of affection.
“Crescent, you’re the most precious treasure in the world. No matter how much I look at you, I still want to see you more. Even the ti spent sleeping feels like a waste—I just want to keep looking at you and loving you, my baby.”
Smooch.
Once more, she pressed her lips to the top of my head, then smiled softly as she gazed down at my face.
“You’re so beautiful. So incredibly beautiful that it’s driving crazy. Every morning when I wake up and see you beside , I’m overwheld with happiness...”
How could she have loved so much…?
And yet, why isn’t she by my side now?
She left her family, her house, everything, all because of .
And not long after, she’d leave both and my father too.
But why?
Surely my father didn’t abandon her, did he?
I watched the dreamlike mont between mother and child play out for a while.
Though I could have watched for much longer, my surroundings suddenly shifted.
Cyrillote must have sent to another mont in ti.
This ti, it was sunset, with a pink hue bathing my parents’ house.
Inside, my father was trying to calm down on his own.
I was wailing, my tiny face scrunched up in displeasure.
“Waaaah, waaah!”
“Shhh, there, there. Hush now, my little one. Are you missing your mother? She’ll be back soon—she’s the only one who can feed you, after all.”
“Waaaah, waaaah!”
My cries didn’t stop.
Anxiously, Lloyd glanced out the window. Outside, the sunset painted the sky in beautiful colors.
“Cresent, your mother’s late. Why isn’t she back yet? It’s been over an hour.”
For a brief mont, worry crossed his face, but he quickly laughed it off, trying to reassure himself.
“Don’t worry, though. Your mother would never leave you hungry. She’ll be back any mont now. Haha.”
Gently bouncing in his arms, he kept trying to soothe .
“Cresent, do you know sothing? This is a secret, but your father loves you even more than your mother does. Haha.”
“Waaah—waaah!”
“…I’m sorry.”
Bounce, bounce.
Flustered by his failed joke, he apologized and kept bouncing in his arms, his smile returning as he softly patted my back.
He kept murmuring to , his soothing voice gradually calming my cries.
“Your eyes look just like your mother’s, your nose is like mine, and your lips… those are from your mom again. You’re so beautiful, my darling. No matter how much I look at you, I can’t get enough.”
How long is he going to keep doing this…?
Ti passed, and he didn’t set down, his gaze never leaving my face.
anwhile, Cyrillote lingered quietly, watching everything unfold. What is he doing, lurking like he’s part of the family? If my father noticed him, he’d probably kill him on the spot.
Even the Demon King would find this unbearable.
Just then, the room darkened as the deep shadows of night began to fall.
Father suddenly froze.
“When did it get so late?” he muttered, startled.
Holding securely, he moved to the window. Outside, the forest was shrouded in darkness, the shapes of the trees barely discernible.
“…She should’ve been back by now. Much later than I expected. Strange.”
Wrapping tightly in a bundle, he headed outside.
He must have been planning to go look for her.
Relying on the dim light of a single candle, he walked the night path, speaking to as if to reassure himself.
“It’s strange, Cresent. Your mother went out to buy you new clothes today. It was a special occasion—the tailor only cos once a week, and she was so excited. Is that why she’s taking so long? But still, she’d never miss your feeding ti…”
His voice was steady, but it was clear his worry was growing.
Trying to hide his unease, he kept talking, as if trying to soothe both and himself.
“Maybe she got caught up at the market. People keep giving her and things to eat whenever they see us. Haha, they’re always so generous.”
“Uuuh.”
Hearing his laugh, I stirred slightly in his arms, but my tiny face scrunched up once more. I was hungry.
Now visibly more anxious, he raised his voice and called out into the night.
“Diana! Diana, are you on your way? Can you hear ?”
“….”
There was no response.
Why hadn’t my mother returned yet?
Could she have disappeared...?
The thought unsettled . Even though I knew this was just a glimpse of the past, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“Diana! Diana!”
Before long, my father was calling out her na as he searched the area.
Every now and then, he’d check on , cradling warmly in his arms to reassure . Cyrillote trailed behind him, keeping a cautious distance, observing without interference.
Eventually, my father reached the entrance of the market, where he finally encountered soone. Grabbing hold of the passerby, he asked urgently, “Have you seen my wife by any chance? She was supposed to be ho a while ago, but there’s no sign of her.”
“Oh my, aren’t you the handso newlywed couple? Your lovely bride... No, I’m afraid I haven’t seen her today. Has the baby’s mother gone missing?”
“What? Oh, no, no, I don’t think so. She’s probably just running late, but I don’t know where she could be.”
“Hmm, that’s strange. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Bowing repeatedly, my father quickly moved on to continue his search. He asked every person he t, even knocking on doors of houses with lit windows, but no one had seen her.
At one point, I started crying loudly, unable to endure my hunger any longer.
“Waaaah! Waaaah!”
“This won’t do. I’ll have to find soone to nurse you for now. She told to co anyti if we needed help.”
Muttering to himself, my father tried to comfort as he hurried toward another destination, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He arrived at a modest ho, where a young woman kindly fed .
“Thank you. I’ll never forget your kindness. Truly, thank you.”
I eagerly nursed, finally satisfying my hunger.
Only then did my father seem to relax, his tense shoulders easing. But the woman who had helped us asked with a worried expression, “Where’s Diana? She’s never missed feeding her baby before. It’s so strange.”
“I think so too. No one seems to have seen her. She said she was going to the market, but it doesn’t seem like she ever made it there.”
“Oh dear...”
Her voice trailed off, her face clouded with unease. She seed hesitant to voice the worst-case scenario, but the thought was clearly on her mind.
It wasn’t much different for my father.
“I’m sorry, but could I ask one more favor?”
“Of course. Tell .”
“I think I’ll have to go look for Diana. She might already be back ho, but I want to make sure. Would you mind watching the baby for a little while? I’ll return as quickly as I can.”
“Of course. Go ahead. I’m sure everything will be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Bowing deeply again, my father entrusted to the woman and hurried out of the house, heading straight back to their ho.
“Diana!”
Bang!
Throwing the door open, he searched every corner of the house.
“Diana! Are you here?!”
The house was silent. Not even the faintest sound of movent.
The surrounding area was the sa—utterly still.
A deep sigh escaped my father.
“Diana... Where could you be?”
Confusion clouded his expression.
I glanced at Cyrillote, wondering if he’d noticed sothing. The demon was still trailing my father like a shadow.
At this point, it was more surprising that my father hadn’t sensed Cyrillote’s presence. But then again, considering he was one of the highest-ranking demons, concealing his presence must be second nature.
Hey, how about you help find my mom too?
As if hearing my silent complaint, Cyrillote turned his attention elsewhere.
But instead of searching for her, he ca toward . Standing outside the window, he gave his usual eerie smile.
“...Little one. Your father seems very busy. But don’t worry—I won’t leave you alone, my little princess.”
...I swear, I’m going to throttle this bastard one day.
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