Chapter 177

My head hurt. It seems that home education is indeed important. To think that my future son would be such a murderous maniac… Well, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one with a headache over this.

“What kind of person is that?”

“Don’t be too harsh.”

“Is it normal to kill people so casually? In my eyes, that guy is human trash.”

Hmm… I felt a bit guilty since I’m also the type to kill trash without hesitation.

“So, you hate sons like that?”

“I don’t even want to be near him. He’s the kind of kid who ruins your appetite.”

Seems like he’s quite disliked by women. I wonder if he’ll ever be popular with them… Well, that’s not my problem. If he’s really my son, he’ll at least have a good face, and there’s no shortage of people who like bad boys.

But why does he wear that mask? That hideous black mask. Does he have burns on his face or something?

—

After dropping off Lorcha and returning home, the lights were off. It seemed everyone had gone to bed since it was late.

The guest room light was on, so I went to check and found Camelian Peony sleeping with Violet, my future daughter. But didn’t that kid sleep all day? Does she have some kind of sleeping sickness?

“Are you back?”

“Ah, damn, you scared me.”

Ares suddenly appeared, and I blurted out a curse without thinking.

“I apologize if I startled you.”

“No, more importantly, what’s going on? Why are the two of them sleeping together?”

“Well, Lady Camelian came to check on Lady Violet, who had collapsed in the guest room… and then Lady Violet started calling for her mother in her sleep, so Lady Camelian lay down beside her and fell asleep…”

It was both absurd and pitiful. Damian lost his parents at the young age of seven, so his younger sibling must have lost them even earlier. How sad.

“Ah, and Lady Glacia went to her room to have a private conversation with her daughter, Lady Rachel.”

“Hmm…”

Guess I’ll be sleeping alone tonight.

“By the way, what about Aila, Airi’s daughter?”

The other guest rooms were all empty.

“Ah, Lady Airi tried to approach her to touch her, but… she ran away. And now…”

Ares glanced behind him and continued.

“She’s hiding behind my back. I’m worried my tailcoat might tear.”

I tried to peek behind him, and a hand shot out to grab Ares’ hair. He had no choice but to move with me to shield Aila.

Huh, this feels familiar… Was it from that mouse cooking anime? Or that weird adventure one?

“She was fine showing her face during the day, why is she like this now?”

“Well, back then, her brother and other sisters were around, but now she’s alone…”

“What’s that about?”

Airi is lively, and I’m not timid either, so how did she end up so shy?

“Where’s Airi?”

“She got upset and went back to her room.”

“Both of them are such kids.”

Despite her size, Airi is still just a child.

Honestly, it’s disappointing how the eldest acts when he has such young siblings. He should be thinking about leading the family, not getting swayed by power and running around outside.

“Really. This makes me think he’s pathetic too. A grown man with all his limbs intact.”

“What do you mean…?”

“That Damian guy, he’s strong and capable, but he doesn’t think about protecting his cute siblings. Instead, he acts so pitifully and even torments them. He’s just a bad guy.”

“No, it’s not that, just now…”

That’s when it happened.

“Enough with the backtalk.”

It was my damn son… no, my future son, Damian.

“…Didn’t you say you hated this place and ran off?”

“Sigh… I truly hoped I wouldn’t have any business in this mansion, but…”

Damian pulled Aila, who was clinging to Ares’ back, off by the collar. Dangling from his grip, Aila looked like an adorable little girl. Her teary face was even cuter.

“This idiot is definitely going to cause trouble. She’s the type who can’t sleep alone, so leaving her like this will cause problems. It’s not like she’s a monkey or something.”

“O… Oppa…”

“Don’t cry. You’ll get snot on my shoes.”

“I’m sorry for losing the ring…”

Then Damian turned his gaze to me. Ah, right, I had the ring.

I handed the Red Ring back to Aila. Damian seemed displeased that I hadn’t returned it sooner. Well, I just got here, so it’s a bit unfair.

“I’ve told you hundreds of times to take care of our parents’ belongings properly. There won’t be a next time. Got it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Seriously. Think about my position, always having to deal with headaches because of you guys. Thanks to you, I spent the whole day looking for the thieves who stole this…”

Weren’t you at a café earlier? You just said that…

“No, that was a slip of the tongue. I just found it. I returned something you carelessly left behind. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve had to sweat unnecessarily because of your mistakes. Understand?”

“Yes…”

“Good. Then go to your room and sleep. If you cause any more trouble, my patience will run out.”

“Okay, Oppa…”

He seemed cold, but also like someone who’s always cleaning up after others.

After taking Aila to an empty room, he didn’t come out for 20 minutes. It took so long that Ares and I started playing word games.

“…Courage.”

“Joy.”

“I lose.”

“Want to go again? Sasegu.”

“Pearl.”

“Sadness.”

“…You really ruin the game.”

Just as I was basking in the winner’s glory, the door that seemed like it would never open finally did. But as soon as it opened, he quickly turned around to adjust his mask.

“You guys are still here?”

Why does he need to hide so desperately? It’s not like he’s some independence fighter wearing a mask to kill bad guys and Japanese soldiers.

“Did you put gold on your face or something? Even if you have acne, I won’t make fun of you, so show your face…”

“I’ll warn you in advance. If you touch my mask, you’ll lose more than just an arm.”

“Wow, scary.”

Ares suddenly smirked and excused himself, saying he remembered something he had to do.

“By now, the first princess must have been born, right? Is she healthy?”

“Yeah, I heard she’s healthy.”

As soon as Damian heard that, he turned his back. They say a man speaks with his back.

“…If my business is done, I’ll take my leave.”

“Why don’t you stay and sleep? There are plenty of rooms.”

“I’m not the type to sleep well, and I’m not used to beds.”

“Why aren’t you used to beds?”

“Because on the battlefield… Damn it, I’ve let my tongue slip again. I’ve been tricked by your snake-like, sinister tongue.”

I did intend to coax the truth out of him, but I didn’t do anything particularly sinister, so it’s a bit unfair.

“Did you leave home because of the war?”

“I told you, it’s because of the problems caused by that snake. A strange cult following that snake has even emerged. Did you really think the imperial capital would remain peaceful?”

Of course not.

“What did you think would happen to a household without you or your mothers?”

“It wouldn’t be fine.”

“Right, the family’s fortunes declined rapidly. Well, more accurately, they almost did. I stood on the battlefield in your place to prevent total ruin.”

Indeed, what he showed yesterday was the skill of a seasoned warrior. It wasn’t just training; it seemed forged in real battles.

“I only stood on the battlefield for myself. Not for burdens like my siblings. If it weren’t for them…”

Damian hesitated for a moment.

“Because you were a playboy, my life was a mess. You spent money on war widows and refugees, so we had nothing. That’s why I decided to live only for myself. So what my sibling said is true.”

“Alright. But let me ask you one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“When Lorcha… no, when your parents died, what did you think?”

“…I thought they left me with nothing but heavy burdens.”

Damian continued walking away.

“And when you go back, make sure those idiots don’t whine. For them, this is like a vacation.”

“Alright. Oh, and there’s a coat by the door. Take it. It’s cold outside.”

“I don’t need that.”

—

Seems like there are four kids, not three. Wait, including Airi, that makes five.