Moments later, in a mansion in the eastern part of the city, an old man with long white hair and eyes burning with hatred shouted:
— How dare you come back here after failing—and on top of that, be seen by the general?!
"Daddy, that stupid kid messed everything up for us! It's all his fault!" cried the young blonde, tears streaming down his face as he clutched the old man's white garments—calling him "father"—who stood before him. "We were so close to catching her."
The old man glared at the young man with disdain and said:
— You useless idiot! *(kick)* I just gave you an order—"bring the girl"—and what do you do? Not only do you fail *(kick)*, but you also got spotted by the general! *(kick)* Do you really want to stick around and drag me into this mess with you?!
With ever-increasing hatred in his eyes and voice, the old man raised his left hand to deliver a blow that his son surely couldn't withstand. As he looked upon that pathetic son, whose veins carried the same blood as his, he felt simultaneously frustrated and furious with himself.
"Aaaaahhhh!"
"Stop!"
At that, the old man abruptly halted his motion, his hand already hovering near the young man's head. The boy, crying like a child, almost silently pleaded for his father to spare him while clinging to his robes—even after having been struck so violently.
A woman with short black hair and dark eyes, appearing slightly younger than the old man, approached and said:
— If you hurt my son one more time, I'll take him away, and we'll go straight back to my family's home—and if that happens, you'll never see us again.
She spoke, adorned in a beautiful red dress patterned with lovely red flowers.
After hearing her words, the old man gritted his teeth and coldly glared at that pathetic son—whom he saw as nothing more than an obstacle—and said:
— Your stupid son has dug a huge pit for all of us. And you're still trying to protect him?!
All the while withdrawing the hand that had been raised against his son.
Irritated and seized by fury, the woman exclaimed:
— He dug?! Don't you dare come at me with that hypocritical garbage when it was you who planned everything! And now, with your miserably failed scheme, you want to blame my son?!
"How dare you..." the old man stammered.
Pointing a finger directly at the center of his chest and raising her voice even further, the woman retorted:
— I dare! So you better watch how you treat my son, because without my family's help, your little hovel would be nothing more than a pile of termite-infested old logs.
Paralyzed and at a loss for words, the old man inwardly conceded that she was right; he couldn't afford the luxury of losing the marriage that practically held his entire family together.
Realizing that her husband had nothing more to say, the woman slowly crouched down, gently stroking their son's hair, and said:
— Come on, my love, let's go to your room and tend to your wounds. You don't want any scars on your face, do you?
Noticing the stark contrast between the tender care his wife bestowed upon their son and his own clumsy treatment, the old man forced a tight-lipped smile and turned away, walking toward the chair with white details that stood just behind him. In doing so, his son—who had been holding onto his clothes—ended up falling face-first onto the floor.
"Snif! ... Snif!"
"... Snif! Snif!..."
Casting a threatening glance at the old man, yet also smiling with genuine affection and tenderness for her son, the woman said:
— Come on, my son, mommy will help you.
Gently, she wrapped one of her arms around his neck; then, slowly lifting him up, the two of them walked toward the two large doors ahead.
While the old man sat in the chair with his head resting on his left arm, he found himself lost in thought:
'...I don't need to worry about the general; after all, in the state that your family is in, there's no way he can do anything against us.
But that will surely boost the girl's security a great deal. And there's also that man Dong Li mentioned—I don't know who he is, and if he hasn't died, he might be a problem in the future...
But none of that matters, because when I get that girl, no one will be able to show superiority over me. And when that happens, I want to see you turn to your family again to protect that bastard you call your son.'
Meanwhile, at the Radiance Family Mansion
In a firm tone while pointing at Noah, who lay in bed, Sophia's father declared:
— You're not sleeping in the same room as him! This is absurd!
Seated beside Noah on the bed, Sophia replied:
— I said I'd take care of him while he recovers, and I intend to keep my word! Besides... in this condition, he can't do anything to me.
"That's not going to happen! So, you can forget about that idea!"
'I hate to admit it, but I agree,' Noah thought.
Sophia looked up at her father and offered a small smile as she noticed the person who had just appeared by her side. As the newcomer drew near, she seemed on the verge of tears and exclaimed:
— Mommy, Daddy is fighting with me.
A stunning middle-aged woman with white hair and blue eyes—just like Sophia—approached Mr. Radiance, and upon seeing that Sophia was nearly in tears, she spoke in a sweet, gentle voice:
— Oh, my dear, you don't need to worry about your father; do whatever you want, okay?
The woman, dressed in a long blue dress adorned with lovely red floral prints, moved toward Sophia and embraced her. In that brief moment of closeness, she whispered in her daughter's ear:
— You may act this way, but remember: if anything happens, that young man will have to take full responsibility.
"Mama!" Sophia exclaimed, embarrassed, as she pulled away from her mother.
As Sophia and her mother embraced, Noah shivered and thought:
'What is that woman saying? (Shivers) I'd rather not know...'
After Sophia withdrew from her mother, red-faced, Mrs. Radiance let out a small laugh at her daughter's reaction. While laughing, she suddenly brought her right hand to her mouth and began to cough—Noah noticed that blood seemed to have spattered onto her hand.
Worried, Sophia cried out:
— Mommy!
At the same time that Sophia screamed, her father did too:
— Dear!
"Are you alright?" he asked, gently holding his wife's shoulders.
Seeing the concern etched on both her husband's and daughter's faces, the woman quickly brought her hand to her mouth again, wiping away the blood that had appeared there. Then, with a smile, she said:
— I'm fine—it was just a mild cough.
Mrs. Radiance winked at Sophia with her right eye as she smiled and said:
— Let's go to our room, darling; I think I need to rest.
"Of course," replied Mr. Radiance, tenderly holding his wife's left hand as they walked toward the bedroom door.
As they headed for the door, the woman turned her head slightly—without her husband noticing—and whispered:
— Remember what I told you.
After the two left the room, Sophia stood there, lost in thought as she gazed at the blood spattered on the floor where her mother had been.
"..."
'What was that? Is that woman sick...?' Noah wondered as he listened to Sophia's quiet, muffled sobs.
To care for someone, and to have someone care about you—he didn't understand that feeling. He then wondered if feeling sad or troubled upon seeing such a... unique family, from his point of view, was normal.
'Wanting to help them... is that natural...?' Noah was left unsure.