Chapter 169 - 167

Chapter 169: Chapter 167

"The royals wanted him so badly that they decided he needed to be tied to the royal family somehow. So they sent every unmarried lady with royal blood to him, hoping he’d eventually fall in love with at least one of them."

I imagined a parade of noble ladies showing up at my father’s doorstep.

"Hello, we’re here to seduce you."

Honestly, I could already see why he’d have problems.

"Your mother was included."

"Nya?"

Translation: What?

My head snapped towards Gavin so quickly that I nearly gave myself whiplash.

"She was also one of the noble ladies sent to him," Gavin continued. "Except your mother genuinely liked your father. And because she liked him so much, she personally made sure every other woman who came after him left crying."

’Well.... that was surprising.’

"Did Mom succeed?" Gawain asked.

"Yes, but she didn’t give Hephan to the royals. She never even told them that she had married him."

He shook his head and let out a long sigh. "...That was probably the real reason why she married me."

The air suddenly turned heavy as Gawain and I slowly turned toward each other; neither of us knew what to say.

I pointed at him. "You say something."

Gawain immediately pointed back at me. "Why me?!"

I widened my eyes at him. "Because he’s your father...?"

Gawain’s eyes widened in return. "He’s your father too!"

"I literally just met him!"

’Technically, he was my father too now, but that was beside the point.’

We continued silently bickering, with nothing but our eyes, trying to force the other to confront the emotional situation right in front of us.

Gawain pointed at me again. "You started it."

I glared at him. "You’re older."

"By what logic does that make me the emotional support sibling?!"

"You know him the long— you know what? Never mind."

I hissed at him before hopping down from my seat and marching over to Gavin.

He looked down just as I climbed onto the couch beside him and poked his cheek with one tiny paw.

"Nya."

Translation: Focus.

I quickly typed on my OmniSync.

[You still haven’t answered my question.]

Gavin’s expression immediately turned serious.

"Since Callista’s parents believed she had failed to chain Hephan to her side and gain the favor of the King and Queen, they dragged her back."

My paw stopped moving.

"And then they forced her to marry into the Tajiri family."

My ears drooped as I typed another question.

[Why didn’t Mom fight back?]

Gavin was quiet for a moment.

"She did."

I lifted my head.

"Callista made a deal with them."

He sighed as he gently rubbed the top of my head.

"She agreed to the marriage under one condition."

I stared at him.

"She got to keep the baby."

My eyes widened.

"And that baby was you, chubby one."

...

My head was starting to hurt.

There are still thousands of questions running in my head, but I felt strangely relieved.

At least my biological father hadn’t tried to kill me.

That was a surprisingly low standard, but after everything I’d learned today, I was willing to take what I could get.

I slowly typed again.

[Where are they now?]

Gavin’s hand stopped.

"They’re gone."

[What do you mean, gone?]

"Gone."

He resumed rubbing my head.

"As in... gone gone."

[THEY’RE DEAD?!]

Gavin winced.

"Yes, if that’s what you wanted to hear. They’re dead."

[HOW?!]

"That will be a story for another time."

He suddenly sighed like the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders.

"I’m still grieving, you see."

I stared at him.

’You just told me they were dead, like you were informing me that dinner was canceled.’

Before I could type another question, Gavin effortlessly picked me up.

"Nya nyang nya-a?!"

Translation: Where are we going now?!

"To my office," he patted my head again. "There’s something I want to show you."

He smiled faintly.

"I’ll introduce you to your mother."

I looked upwards at his face.

[I thought you just said she was dead?]

"She is."

"..."

I looked back at Gawain, and with one paw, I made a circular motion beside my head before pointing directly at Gavin.

’Has he gone insane?’

Gawain didn’t even look surprised.

"Just bear with it for a while."

He walked to the door, opened it, and revealed three people who were supposed to be gone, immediately straightening up.

Colt and Remington stood there as if they had absolutely not been eavesdropping while Kayden was standing behind them, coughing violently.

Gawain narrowed his eyes. "What are you three still doing here?"

"Well, we don’t know the way to our guest rooms, so we waited here to ask you again," Colt replied calmly.

Remington immediately nodded. "Yes, that’s right! We were afraid we would get lost—"

"Bullshit," Gawain cut him off as he pointed accusingly at them. "You two have been running around this estate, breaking furniture, smashing windows, and causing property damage since we were eight years old."

"That was a long time ago," Remington muttered.

"You practically have your own rooms here," Gawain glared at him.

Colt opened his mouth, but Gawain immediately continued.

"You know exactly where everything is. The kitchen, the armory, the emergency exits, and unfortunately, every weak point in this mansion’s security system."

Colt looked away while Remington suddenly became fascinated by the ceiling.

"And I know for a fact you even know where Father’s wine cellar is."

Remington gasped. "That was confidential information!"

Colt quickly elbowed him. "Shut it."

Gawain then shifted his gaze toward Kayden. "Oh, I forgot you were also here for a moment."

Kayden raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

Gawain looked him up and down. "You genuinely don’t know where your room is."

Kayden went silent.

’So the terrible sense of direction wasn’t an act.’

Kayden cleared his throat. "I know where it is."

"Really?" Gawain asked.

"Yes."

"Then where is it?"

Kayden confidently pointed down the hallway. "That way."

Colt covered his mouth and whispered to Kayden. "Boss, that’s where the kitchen is."

Silence.

Kayden cleared his throat and pointed in the opposite direction. "That way."

"That’s the reception room."

Kayden’s face remained completely expressionless.

Gawain suddenly turned around and walked away. "Idiots, take your boss to his room."

Meanwhile, Gavin continued carrying me away as I watched the scene over his shoulder.

He noticed where my attention was and chuckled. "Just ignore those idiots."

I turned to look at him.

"They’re always like that when they’re together," he continued. "And now that you’re here, it just gets even livelier."

I stared over his shoulder again.

The twins had somehow gotten involved despite having absolutely no reason to.

Kayden looked one insult away from transforming into a giant sea monster.

Gawain looked perfectly prepared to be the one giving him that final push.

’This is livelier?’

I typed on my OmniSync and held it up for Gavin to read.

[This is what you call lively?]

CRASH!

BANG!

BOOM!

A series of violent noises suddenly echoed from behind us.

Gavin didn’t even bother looking back. "They’re just having fun."

"Nya. Nyang nya nya."

Translation: I see a group of idiots who are about to destroy your house.

BANG!

Another loud crash echoed through the hallway.