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Chapter 8 - Chapter 8 – Life Isn’t Easy for “Cha”

Polles did not escort Bai Cha all the way to the child's quarters, since the little one had insisted firmly, raising both hands to his chest and declaring,

"I can really walk back on my own, Uncle. You don't have to carry me. I'm already very grown up… and I'm also really strong… I know that adults have lots of work to do, so I won't bother you!"

Then he waved his little hand cheerfully and ran off in another direction. The sight was so adorable that even someone who already had a child like his husband couldn't help but smile. After all, soft and fluffy things like this rarely came into his life.

Yet, despite that, in the end the young man still couldn't help secretly tailing the boy from a distance, watching until he saw with his own eyes the little one safely disappear into his quarters. Only then did the young master of the Wakaba family turn away with a stern, serious expression.

Of course, this was because Polles intended to quickly put the household matters in order. After that, he still needed to visit his eldest son at the Hunter Academy and explain about this younger half-brother before the boy returned home for vacation—otherwise he would discover the sudden change in the household by himself.

Though the young man knew his son better than anyone else, he wasn't fully confident that the boy would accept the truth about his father having a hidden child as easily as he himself had.

For Polles, it was simple—he had never had any feelings for Wakaba Ryo from the start. In fact, to be honest, he had felt mostly disdain for the man. So aside from some irritation and a bruised sense of pride at first, there had been little else. After all, he was still the only official daughter-in-law of the Wakaba family.

But those feelings had already faded away. Ever since learning about Bai Cha's life from birth to now, Polles no longer held resentment.

Still, Zen was his husband's biological son. Polles wanted to carefully explain things to him, just as he himself had come to understand. Otherwise, the family relationship might become even worse. After all, no child would feel indifferent upon learning that their father had secretly hidden another child with a strange woman, while they and their mother had been at home all along.

Determined to settle matters at home first, his long strides carried him swiftly back to the main residence. There, he came upon Mao reporting Bai Cha's well-being to Ryo.

The young maid spoke of the boy with a tender smile, so obvious that everyone could see how much she loved and doted on him. From the beginning, she had constantly said how adorable the child was and how close they had already become.

"From the sound of it, that new child of ours seems cheerful and lively. Has he shown no signs of unease, no sadness or loneliness, being in a new home surrounded by unfamiliar people?"

The one who had listened quietly until now finally asked calmly.

He then shifted from leaning against the doorway with crossed arms to striding inside and sitting down on a sofa slightly apart from his husband, looking relaxed, as if his earlier question had been only idle curiosity.

"U-um… depression, sir?"

For some reason, that seemingly casual question made Mao uneasy. She repeated it back in confusion.

"In truth, the young master has shown signs of sadness quite often, sir," Ken, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Sometimes it looks like he wants to say something but hesitates. I've even seen him cry quietly to himself. But when I try to ask, he never tells me. All I can do is comfort him."

Though Bai Cha never tattled, he had shown enough to make it clear he was growing more depressed each day.

Hearing this, Ryo immediately furrowed his brows. He had thought that the comfortable environment he arranged would make the boy happy.

"Ah, so that's how it is. The child isn't so cheerful after all? Then, are the boy Mao saw and the one Ken described truly the same person, Matsuda?" Polles asked, ignoring his husband's reaction. He was certain Mao, as the boy's personal maid, should know best about the child's emotional changes.

"W-well, there are times like that, sir," Mao admitted nervously. "But I think it's because the young master misses his father. He's asked why his father hasn't come to see him…"

She had no idea Polles only asked because he thought she should know. Instead, she feared he might know more and was testing her. Her body trembled slightly, which Polles noted with suspicion.

"Mm. Having a useless father would make anyone sad. But surely that's not the only reason, is it? That child lived outside, where he probably never even saw television. I doubt he understands family warmth at all. Perhaps he even thinks his father is the best in the world—just because he brought him here."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Ryo snapped, unable to stand it any longer. He felt accused of being an inadequate father.

"Heh. Only that there may be other reasons for the child's sadness. Even if his father is a terrible man like you, he doesn't know that. He has no example for comparison." Polles shrugged coolly, his calm words raising tension in the room.

"U-um… I don't think it's anything special, sir," Mao hurriedly interjected. "He's just lonely, as children are. If the young master visits him sometimes, I'm sure it will get better."

She hoped to use this to draw closer to Ryo, seeing that Polles was irritating him.

"I don't think so, maid. Instead, go fetch everyone who tends to the boy's quarters—and have others move their belongings outside Wakaba territory. Throw them out."

Polles smiled coldly as he gave the order.

"Wh-what do you mean, sir?!" Mao panicked.

Her heart twisted between fear that Polles knew too much and faint delight that Ryo might grow dissatisfied with him.

"What's going on, Pol? Speak plainly." Ryo's voice was icy, though he showed no anger. He knew Polles well enough.

"Something strange is happening. Those weaklings the Wakaba raised so carefully dared to bully the master's son. Do you not find that laughable? Today I heard many things—'illegitimate child,' 'low-born,' 'a child his father doesn't love.' They even whispered that if he proved useless, his lousy father would cast him out. And of course, the boy heard it too. I saw him crying quietly, hugging himself."

Polles fabricated it convincingly, his face calm as ever.

"Th-this…" Mao's face turned pale. She hadn't thought her people would act so recklessly.

"Ungrateful dogs!!!" Ken exploded in anger. He had grown deeply fond of Bai Cha, so his rage flared red.

Even Ryo frowned darkly. He would never allow anyone to bully his son.

"Ha. Ken is right—good dogs can be kept, but treacherous wolves must not. This isn't the feudal age anymore. If servants resent their masters, just dismiss them. I wonder how long those F-rankers will survive outside." Polles's dangerous eyes narrowed.

He knew the dangers surrounding Wakaba—and that once those weak servants left, they wouldn't last long.

"B-but won't they be killed out there, sir?" Mao asked, feigning concern.

"Maid… if you truly loved that child, you'd be furious—like Ken. Your pity for the wrong people makes you look insincere. And since when does a maid have the right to speak while I'm talking?" Polles's frigid tone froze her in place.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I just didn't want anyone to die… I'm afraid the young master might blame himself." She trembled.

"Follow the order," Ryo commanded coldly, uninterested in her excuses.

"If no one tells the boy, how would he ever know?" Ken added sharply, glaring at her with suspicion.

"I-I'll go at once, sir." Mao hurried off, deciding to secretly arrange her family to shelter those people—ensuring they would never have a chance to speak again.

"That child isn't like Zen. He never rejected his parents' care. So act like a father, for once. Having a wicked mother is bad enough—don't let him have a worthless father too."

Polles ended bluntly and left without a care, leaving Ryo and Ken to think over his words. Especially about the mention of the "wicked mother." It meant Polles already knew everything about Bai Cha, though Ryo had never told him.

.

.

.

"Aaah!!! How could this happen!? That's way too much… Who in their right mind would dare call this an easy mission, huh?? This is obviously Mission Impossible! I can't even speak clearly yet, and you expect me to stand between them and help them fall in love—how am I supposed to do that!?"

Yet, little Bai Cha had no idea that on his father and stepmother's side, the situation was already flaring up so intensely.

Because right now, his small head felt like it was about to explode. As soon as he separated from Polles, the crushing truth returned to hit him—the fact that the other man was one of his mission targets. The realization left him weak at the knees until he collapsed flat onto the floor, utterly exhausted and despairing.

"Just making those two stay together until they're old without killing each other first is already hard enough… And you want them to fall in love!? How is that even possible!?"

The little boy pounded his doll over and over again to vent the frustration that was boiling inside him.

Yes—that was it! Polles di Zenmor, the one who held the role of the final boss villain in the novel, was actually one of the mission targets he had to make fall in love with his very own father.

The two of them were husband and wife, so at first glance this mission looked easy. The problem was… in reality, their feelings toward each other were just one step away from being outright enemies. One might even say that if either of them collapsed on the street near death, the other would only show enough "mercy" to call an ambulance before walking away—without even staying to watch. And in their hearts, they would probably even feel secretly pleased at the other's suffering.

After all, the two of them had never even been meant to be engaged in the first place. They were simply two people shoved together by the tangled schemes between their families.

"Sigh… honestly, the two of them never even had any good times together in the first place!"

The truth was, the Wakaba family and the di Zenmor family already had an engagement arranged beforehand. Wakaba was the family of the Hunter Association's founder—the equivalent of a government authority in this world. Meanwhile, the di Zenmor family was one of the twelve most powerful guilds worldwide. These guilds might officially serve under the Association, but in reality, they were practically private organizations.

So, the two sides often clashed over resources and interests. Their relationship was always on the verge of collapse, since they were constantly competing.

To prevent internal conflict that would only give their enemy, the Thugs, an advantage, Wakaba chose di Zenmor—the family with whom they had the best relations—to discuss an engagement. That way, the "government" and the "private sector" would stay in balance.

However, the one first arranged as the fiancée wasn't Polles di Zenmor, who had awakened only as an E-rank and had been shunned by his clan ever since childhood. No—it was his beautiful younger sister, who had awakened as an A-rank and held the status of a "princess" within their family.

"Too bad the girl didn't want Daddy back then… That's why my stepmom ended up being the unlucky one."

But the sad truth was, Ryo had strange habits—like always wearing a terrifying demon mask whenever he met outsiders.

That was because he had inherited the most concentrated power of the God of Slaughter in Wakaba history, giving him the highest potential to reach EX-rank… but also the highest risk of losing his mind. The mask, a special item he had possessed since his awakening, suppressed the bloodlust raging inside him and kept him from falling into madness.

As a result, no one in the di Zenmor family had ever seen his true face. On top of that, Ryo was always busy working in the Hunter Police Department and had little time to care about personal matters. Their engagement was superficial at best.

The woman became a famous Hunter socialite, while the man was forced to devour the souls of criminals to keep his bloodlust under control—a grim trade-off for the immense power gifted by the God of Slaughter. Thus, the two fiancés hardly ever saw each other.

That went on until one day, the woman happened to see his mask fall off during battle—at the very moment he was devouring the souls of a group of Thugs.

"I mean… if it were me, I'd probably be a little scared too."

Indeed, Ryo's appearance while devouring souls was not pleasant to see. Red markings spread across his body, like cursed brands or eerie living veins that writhed under his skin. Though they were in fact divine marks—blessings of the ancient god that Wakaba inherited—they looked terrifying.

Worse still, behind him appeared the image of a massive, snake-like demon, which coiled around his victims and drained them until their bodies withered into nothing but skin and bone.

So the woman, who was the precious princess of di Zenmor, simply couldn't bring herself to marry him. From that day on, she despised him completely.

"Hmph! Still, she shouldn't have betrayed her own brother, right? That auntie really was a bad person."

But since she refused to marry, her family had to find a replacement.

So they arranged a meeting with Ryo, set up elaborate tricks, and forced the so-called "final boss villain" and the novel's "hero" into each other's arms. They even gathered witnesses to see the "immoral act" and drugged Polles to ensure he would conceive—so the Wakaba family would have no way to back out.

Thus, Ryo, who knew nothing at the time, ended up saying many cruel things to Polles, believing the other had schemed with his family to trap him. Their relationship became severely strained from the very beginning.

"No wonder my stepmom doesn't like them. Hmph! They're all just awful people."

And to make things even worse—after Polles and Ryo married against their will, that very younger sister later caught sight of Ryo's true face. By then, she also saw Wakaba growing in power and fame. Regret gnawed at her, and she felt she had thrown away something valuable.

So she tricked her own brother into an S-rank dungeon with his unborn child, intending to kill them both. But instead, that incident triggered Polles's awakening as an S-rank Hunter under special conditions, making him a renowned solo hunter recognized worldwide.

Thus, Polles's relationship with the di Zenmor family became worse than terrible. Meanwhile, his relationship with his husband wasn't much better.

They constantly misunderstood each other. Their personalities clashed, as both disliked speaking their true thoughts. Over time, they became little more than housemates who disliked each other—though they still had a son together. As for other complicated matters… well, Bai Cha didn't really understand them.

"And now they expect the illegitimate child to help his stepmom fall in love with his own dad!? Who thought of this idea, huh!!!"

The only thing Bai Cha knew for certain was… his future path looked darker and darker.

So, the little one could only rant nonstop at the will of the world's spirit, grumbling through the night as countless thoughts swirled in his head.

He never even noticed that Mao, unusually busy, hadn't come to watch over him that night. And he certainly didn't notice that his useless father had actually come by, poked his chubby cheek gently, muttered "your cheeks are getting fatter," and left again without another word.

..............................................

Bai Cha:If you're brave enough, come see me when I'm awake, old man! // hands on hips, challenging his dad

Chapter 8 END.

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