WebNovels

Chapter 10 - Chapter 10 – Life Isn’t Easy for “Cha”

"L–Lord… Th-this… what on earth is this?? Why would something like this…"

"Daddy, what is this??"

Anyway, after surviving the great "carry or not carry" battle peacefully that day (?), two days later, a certain poker-faced father came to visit his young son at his sleeping quarters in the early evening. At that time, Bai Cha had just finished bathing and was about to head to bed like any other little child.

And what's more, this person did not come empty-handed—but instead brought with him a huge tiger-skin rug (?), complete with its head, feet, and even tail intact. It had been thoroughly cleaned, giving off a fragrant, fluffy softness, ready to be spread out for lounging on.

Uh… but honestly, to call it a "tiger skin" wasn't exactly right either. At a glance, its markings resembled those of a white tiger with stripes, or perhaps a Siberian tiger from snowy regions.

Yet the massive head, with its gaping mouth seemingly roaring in a threatening manner, came not with one—but three heads. Each bore a strange set of antler-like horns of different colors. And not to mention the size—when spread open, it looked even larger than the little boy's king-sized bed!

So when it was carried in and spread out in the middle of Bai Cha's light-wood living room, surrounded by soft sofas and piles of cutesy stuffed animals… this thing stood out as frighteningly out of place!

"Ken said you like monsters."The man who had dragged in a rug made from the cub (?) of a rare A-rank "Three-Season Tiger" monster said this to his four-year-old son, all with a straight face.

One could say that if it were any other child, encountering something like this before bedtime would have surely led to endless crying and nightmares.

"Haha…"Ken, the one whose name had just been invoked, gave a hollow laugh, looking very much like he wanted to go bang his head against a wall.

Ever since the day Bai Cha kissed his cheek in front of Ryo, he often felt that his master looked at him with displeasure over various matters.

Thus, the large butler decided to give advice on how to approach the little boy, suggesting his young master should try using the boy's favorite toys (?) as a way in. He repeatedly told him that, as a father, he should buy his son lots of toys, and hinted time and again that Bai Cha adored those plush, fluffy monster dolls.

But in the end… the man somehow went out and hunted a giant, vicious monster cub that bared its fangs like something out of a horror movie—and gifted it to his young child. To be honest, even Ken himself was completely at a loss for words with this man's twisted logic!

"Daddy gave this to me??"But fortunately for Ryo, his son was unlike other children. Instead of bursting into tears, Bai Cha looked up with a smile and asked sweetly.

"Mm."The not-so-capable father nodded seriously and signaled for his men to replace the soft wool rug with this new tiger-skin one.

Before long, the giant rug was spread in the boy's bedtime story corner, surrounded by fluffy pillows and cute stuffed animals. But really—no matter how you looked at it, it did not match the atmosphere at all!

"Hehe, Daddy missed me, right? They say when someone brings you something, it means they missed you. I really, really like it… Thank you, Daddy."Bai Cha hugged his father's leg affectionately, thinking to himself: Well, at least it'll be useful when I gain a skill in the future…

And so, the little boy could only smile and accept this strange father's gift. After all, he truly did prefer the rug over ordinary toys anyway.

"…"Upon hearing that sweet thank-you, the father didn't reply even half a word—only stood there silently as if he had nothing else left to do.

"Daddy."Bai Cha hugged his father's leg for a long while until satisfied, then let go and tilted his head up, calling softly.

"What is it?"

"Daddy, could you bend down a little closer? I have a secwet to tell you. It's a secwet only between Daddy and Cha-cha. But right now Cha-cha isn't soft and cuddly enough, so Daddy doesn't want to hold Cha-cha yet, right? Then… could Daddy pwease bend down so Cha-cha can whisper a wittle bit?"The tiny hand beckoned while he twisted at his pajama sleeve shyly.

"Troublesome."The tall man muttered wearily but still crouched down so his towering height was almost level with the small boy.

"Hehe, thank you Daddy for bringing me something. At first Cha-cha was afwaid Daddy didn't like me. But now Cha-cha isn't afwaid anymore, 'cause no matter what, Cha-cha likes Daddy the most!"The boy giggled before throwing his small arms around his stiff father's neck, whispering (not-so-whispering) right by his ear—where everyone could hear—causing his ear to flush visibly red.

"Heh."

"Oh! Actually Cha-cha doesn't just like Daddy… Cha-cha loves Daddy! Mwah! Cha-cha loves Daddy~"The boy kissed his father's cheek before pulling back and grinning with crescent eyes.

"…"As for Wakaba Ryo—he froze completely, unable to speak.

"Oh…"

"Look at that…"Meanwhile, the others in the room couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Their usually hopeless master hadn't been rejected or driven out by his child crying, as they had first imagined. In fact, the relationship between father and son seemed to improve instantly.

"Grit!"Of course, at the same time, someone else was gnashing their teeth with envy, questioning endlessly in their heart: Why couldn't that child have been mine? Why couldn't I have given birth to such an adorable child for the man I love?

But such thoughts were nothing more than foolish, meaningless delusions.

"Wow! Daddy, look! The tiger's biting Cha-cha's hand! Ouch, ouch, Cha-cha's hurt!"The little boy, having stolen a cheek kiss from his poker-faced father, quickly spun away to play on the new rug before the man could recover and smack him senseless.

"Nonsense."The father, just regaining his senses, rolled his eyes.

After all, the sight of his son sticking his hand into the roaring tiger's mouth and claiming to be bitten looked nothing but silly.

"Hehe, Cha-cha's not messy, Daddy! Cha-cha's clean—white shirt, white cheeks, even Cha-cha's tummy is white! Cha-cha's a good boy, not naughty, not messy. Cha-cha also has lots of fwiends, and whenever Cha-cha gets something nice, Cha-cha always thinks of Daddy first! Oh, but Cha-cha also thinks of Mister Butler and Sister Mao too. If Cha-cha gets something good, Cha-cha will share with them too!"The little one rolled happily on the new rug with a big smile, speaking childishly yet earnestly.

"Thank you so much, young master, for thinking of me like this."Ken nearly raised a hand to wipe away imaginary tears. In his heart, he asked heaven for the millionth time why such a sweet boy wasn't his own son—but instead belonged to that cold, unloving man!

"I also—"

"Ahh!! And there's Uncle Angel too! Cha-cha loves Uncle Angel as well, lots and lots!"Before Mao could even finish, Bai Cha cut her off with innocent-sounding words that hit her like a strike from above.

"Uncle Angel??"Ryo stepped over to sit on a round sofa near the boy, raising an eyebrow in question, curious to know who this so-called Uncle Angel was.

"Yes, Daddy! Cha-cha met Uncle Angel in the garden over there. We bumped into each other, boom! Then Cha-cha fell to the ground like this, and Uncle was shocked and worried, and carried me up. Hehe, Uncle is really kind, warm when hugging, and when Cha-cha cried, Uncle even patted my bottom to comfort me!"The little boy, full of schemes, climbed into his father's lap, telling the story with exaggerated gestures to make it vivid.

"I see."

"Uncle is tall, really tall, but also pwetty! He has loooong hair…"The boy gestured to show how long.

"Could it be…?"Others in the room exchanged glances. The description sounded suspiciously like someone they all remembered.

"Uncle has shiny black hair, eyes like water—blue, but not bright like the sky, more like water. Uncle's skin is so white, and his voice is soft. Cha-cha really likes Uncle Angel!"Bai Cha continued enthusiastically.

"Hm…"Meanwhile, the poker-faced father found himself unintentionally picturing Polless in his mind, recalling that his spouse really was both beautiful and handsome. As for the pale skin and soft voice… perhaps he had never noticed clearly enough.

"Hehe."The boy smiled inwardly, pleased. Even if it wouldn't change much, at least it planted the image of Polless firmly in his father's mind, and perhaps spurred Mao—who was clenching her fists behind them—into acting more recklessly. A perfect plan: two birds with one stone.

.

.

.

That night, after chatting briefly, Young Master Wakaba took his followers and returned to his own residence. Meanwhile, Mao made sure to linger behind, asking Bai Cha more questions to confirm whether he truly had met Polless already. Not only that—she also discovered that the relationship between the two wasn't as bad as she had first assumed or wished it to be.

And so, throughout that night, the maid attempted to brainwash and "re-educate" the little one with all sorts of poisonous words, such as…

"That must have been the Madam, young master. She's the legal wife of your father, the one I told you about before. That means she'll definitely try to get close to you, trick you into loving her, and then hurt you!"

"The Madam doesn't like you at all, young master. Not one bit! So you must be careful and avoid getting near her. Next time you see her, it's best if you run away as far as you can."

"You must never, ever speak with the Madam, do you understand? Especially about the things I've taught you. Because she'll surely twist your words and use them against you. Uh… I mean, she'll frame you and make your father hate you, young master."

And even…

"Even if the Madam hasn't hurt you yet, she definitely will in the future! Trust me, young master, no matter what—don't get close to that woman. Don't speak nicely to her either. Please trust me… because in this whole household, I'm the one who loves you the most."

"Please believe me, young master… Don't ever trust the Madam, don't love her, don't like her. Stay as far away from her as you can, because she will never treat you sincerely. You only have me… only me, who truly loves you. I love you as if you were my own child—more than anyone else in the world."

All these words that the woman kept spewing—if Bai Cha were really just an ordinary child, he would have undoubtedly believed her every word without question.

After all, since he first arrived at the Wakaba household, the one who had outwardly shown the most care, attention, and love to Bai Cha was indeed Mao.

Of course, her affection was nothing more than a façade, her heart filled with hidden schemes and ulterior motives. If not for the fact that the child's true soul was an adult who already knew her true nature from the very beginning, it would have been nearly impossible not to be deceived by her manipulations.

In the end, the young woman grew to resent Polless more and more, and at the same time, she became increasingly dissatisfied with Bai Cha himself—because the boy wasn't acting as obediently as she wanted him to.

Even though Ryo had begun visiting Bai Cha once (?), and though he didn't personally come as often afterward, he still sent others regularly to deliver parts of giant monsters—especially the terrifying heads of many of them—that had been carefully cleaned and preserved, as gifts for his young son.

The problem was, as a maid from the Matsuda household, Mao had always believed that since she was the one caring for this illegitimate child, she should naturally benefit more than anyone else whenever the relationship between father and son improved.

But in truth, she never received any benefit at all.

And so, day by day, her resentment grew stronger. Despite relying on this boy for her position, she still couldn't elevate herself beyond the status of a mere maid. The longer it went on, the more bitter her feelings became!

"Ah… Uncle Angel!?" Finally, about a week later, Bai Cha had the chance to meet Polless again—who had just returned from visiting his eldest son at Hunter Academy. And once again, they happened to meet in the very same garden.

The little boy, who had been sitting by himself and playing idly with the koi fish, immediately leapt up when he saw the figure reflected in the water's surface. With a wide smile, he rushed over to greet him.

"Well now, little one. Haven't seen you in several days—I thought you'd forgotten all about me already."The man's large hand patted the small head gently with affection. He couldn't understand why his poker-faced son—the one who had once said, "Oh… if you didn't bring in a mistress and a child, then it doesn't matter. After all, it's not like I'll ever get a younger sibling from my parents anyway"—was never half as sweet and adorable as this little boy before him.

"Cha-cha missed Uncle sooo much!"The small hands reached forward as if to hug the man's leg, the same way he did with his father. But before he could, Polless stretched out his arms and lifted the boy into his embrace—holding that rounder little body close against his chest.

"Such a sweet talker," the household's Madam teased warmly, carrying the boy over to a large wooden swing in another corner of the garden.

"Giggle~ But it's true, Cha-cha really missed Uncle! Before this, Cha-cha even told Daddy that if Cha-cha ever got something good, Cha-cha would save it for Uncle too. Because Cha-cha loves Uncle, just like Cha-cha loves Daddy, Uncle Ken, and Sister Mao too. Ah—Sister Mao!?"The moment he mentioned the maid's name, Bai Cha exaggeratedly slapped a hand over his mouth as if he had let something slip, fidgeting uneasily in Polless's arms. Still, he clung tightly to his neck, looking torn between wanting to cuddle close yet feeling afraid to.

"Why did you suddenly panic the moment you mentioned that maid?" Polless brushed aside the boy's soft bangs while asking casually.

"It's, it's… umm… C-can Cha-cha ask Uncle something? Just a wittle question."The boy pretended to hesitate, then finally took a deep breath and blurted it out.

"What is it?"

"D-does Uncle hate Cha-cha? Hate me…?"The small mouth nibbled at his own finger in worry, while his round eyes filled with sadness.

"How could I ever hate you? Didn't I already tell you before—you're far too adorable. Nobody could hate such a cute child."Polless frowned slightly, puzzled. He knew this child wouldn't ask such a strange question without reason.

"But… but Cha-cha is the child of Daddy's mistress. And Uncle… Uncle is Daddy's real wife, right? Uuuh… Cha-cha knows that nobody likes the child of a mistress. Just like those other people who disappeared—they didn't like Cha-cha either. S-so… Uncle must hate Cha-cha most of all, right? But Cha-cha likes Uncle… Cha-cha doesn't want to believe Uncle hates me too. What should Cha-cha do?"The boy asked through fake tears.

(How fortunate that today Mao had gone off on an errand related to his father's new gift. Otherwise, she would never have allowed him the chance to "complain" like this!)

"Who told you that I'm the legal wife? And who said I'd hate you the most, hmm?"The tall man asked sternly, clearly displeased.

"Th-that's… ngh! Cha-cha can't say! It's a secwet! Cha-cha remembers—you said I must never tell anyone!"Bai Cha shook his head frantically, raising a finger to his lips in a serious "shh" gesture.

But since he had already overacted in shock earlier, and had clearly reacted the moment Mao's name was mentioned, it wasn't hard at all for someone clever like Polless to guess exactly who had planted such ideas in the boy's mind.

"Then can you at least tell me what that person said to you?"Polless softened his tone, adopting a trustworthy expression.

"If… if Cha-cha tells, then it won't be a secwet anymore, right? Then Cha-cha would be a bad boy who breaks promises, wouldn't I?"The little face scrunched up as if in a moral dilemma.

"It's fine. As long as you don't say who it was, it'll still be a secret. Because I won't know who told you anyway, right?"The stepmother-by-necessity coaxed with gentle logic.

"…O-okay then."And at last, the sly little boy unleashed every poisonous word that the snake-like maid had been feeding him—crying as he repeated it all.

Hearing it made Polless both furious and seething with anger. Yet in the end, he chose to comfort the boy in every way possible—reassuring him over and over that there was no hatred in his heart toward him.

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

After spending a long time soothing him, Polless finally had to part ways when the time was right. Before leaving, he promised that he would definitely come visit again soon.

And as if that weren't enough, he also gave Bai Cha a beautiful crystal orb, inside of which shimmered the illusion of an undersea dungeon filled with merfolk—like a miniature ocean sealed within.

That day, the little boy got everything he wanted: he lodged his "complaint," he received the warm embrace of the beautiful stepmother, he managed to sneak several cheek kisses, and even ended up with a precious gift he adored.

So naturally, the mischievous child couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear—even though it had cost him quite a few fake tears.

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Bonus Scene

Bai Cha: Uncle is pale and smells nice, and his voice is soft~ //whispers into Daddy's earRyo: Oh… //secretly wonders where he can find someone pale with a soft voicePolless: Get lost! //kicks the useless husband away

P.S. This ship is sinking so hard, I'm about to give up, lololololololol

Chapter 10 END.

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