After a long, heavy silence, he finally sighed, a profound and wistful expression briefly crossing his features.
"Perhaps you're right," Edgar admitted softly, a subtle hint of loneliness and sincerity filling his voice. "Over the years, serving the Helstorm family, I never allowed myself such sentimental attachments."
"Yet, Orion… Orion somehow became an exception. Every day, I see more clearly that I no longer merely wish to train a disciple or even a successor. He is far more important to me than I had ever anticipated."
Lucan smiled gently, sensing the weight behind Edgar's quiet admission. He closed his eyes again, leaning comfortably back against the tree as the breeze whispered softly around them.
"Well then," Lucan murmured calmly, his voice returning to its usual playful tone, "perhaps you should stop trying to deny it. You look at him as your son more than your successor."
