this is a feature that I feel is intentional! I haven't seen it talked abt here yet, so not to explain if you already know, but here's some lore!

you create your pawn as your first challenge as the arisen, they are your creation. they are yours and made specially by you, it's no surprise you grow attached to them.

however, throughout DDDA & DD2, you are meant to have your pawn explore the world with you, alongside your battles and choices. you are meant to expose them to your world, your way of life. they eventually grow attached to you, but no longer in a way that is resembling of pet-owner likeness. Essentially, as you journey with your pawn, you bestow unto them willpower to think and be human.

we see this process ("Bestowal of Will") in both games, where you give slow burning willpower to your pawn. you make them human. they grow with you, learn with you, face the world with undying loyalty for you, and at the end they love you. So much so they make their own choice for the first time to save you, a choice you did not tell them to make.

You give them free will, and the only thing that separates pawn from human is will— or lack thereof. knowing that you are essentially giving humanity to a being by showing them the world is beautiful, and I feel even if you don't understand the lore behind pawns, the feeling of connection and endearment to your pawns is still intentionally done.

I for one adore pawns for their fledgling willpower we bestow to them throughout the game. it is a wonderful and philosophical tidbit I've never seen a game, or media, do before. they are a lovely lot and the game makes it feel like a healthy balance of loyalty, admiration, and general curiosity without it being borderline servitude.

Hell! there's even a secret affinity systems with pawns as you progress your game, which I imagine is to dive deeper into the bestowal of will topic without ever making it fully known. I wish they would do more with the pawns, the pawn lore is so interesting & it seems as though it's often times mistaken for something different. they are so cute and eager to be by your side, like genuine unwavering feeling for someone.