"Lord Ryoma has arrived!"
Riko's harsh expression suddenly softened into a seductive smile as she pressed herself against Ryoma's chest.
"My love. You're here!" Riko's face brightened.
It had been so long since the last time Ryoma had entered her quarters.
So long.
Usually, he was out with one of his new concubines or seeking another companion to warm his bed.
Ryoma casually pushed her off and barely glanced at her. "Get dressed, father wants us all in the ancestral hall."
Riko paused, unable to find her voice. She didn't know what was worse, discovering that Ryoma was only here out of duty or the realization that she had been summoned by the leader of the clan, Lord Ryujiro, Ryoma's father, for a family meeting.
Family meetings usually spell trouble for her.
"O-of course, right away." Riko forced a smile and went to her attendants and instructed them to prepare her finest dress.
At that moment, Ryoma's eyes turned to the maids at the side who were cowering under him, hiding something in their robes.
"What are you doing?" he asked, golden eyes narrowing to slits, "What is that in your hands?"
The maids looked at each other uneasily before glancing at Riko for instructions.
Riko only noticed now that the maids hadn't left yet. She clicked her tongue and gritted her teeth, making a mental note to punish them later.
She then faced Ryoma with her prized smile and said, "Lady Kaori has birthed a baby boy. Unfortunately, she died during childbirth, and her son's skin is dark. I took it upon myself to dispose of the child before bad omens will plague our country."
Honesty seemed the only viable path. Ryoma was bound to uncover the truth eventually, and falsehoods would only exacerbate the situation.
Moreover, this wasn't the initial instance of her dealing with infants, and Ryoma had shown no concern about it before.
In fact, he displayed indifference toward all his children except for the ones deemed exceptional.
All of the three brothers were.
Ryoma's slender brows furrowed at the center of his forehead. He took a few steps toward the child and stared at him with his slit golden eyes.
'Hmm . . . so this is my father in this dream?' Zen thought, based from all the information he had gathered.
He was a handsome man, prettier than most women, and he exuded a carefree, happy-go-lucky vibe commonly associated with those enjoying their wealth and status – a spoiled, irresponsible guy, in short.
"Hmm . . ." Ryoma scrutinized the baby with his eyes that had a mole on the edge. "This baby is so dark, and ugly. Is this thing really my son?"
Is that really how you treat a baby? Zen wanted to tell him.
His skin was so white and glowing that Zen began to doubt if he was truly his father, and those moles were probably fake just to scam the ladies, he added in his mind.
'This dream is getting weirder,' Zen thought to himself. 'I have to wake up.'
Without rhyme or reason, Ryoma's slender fingers reached out toward his blanket, and they suddenly transformed into dragon-like appendages. Long, black nails clawed out at the tips of his fingers, nicking a part of Zen's skin.
Zen didn't know what was more shocking — the fact that he felt the pain from the bleeding area which meant this wasn't a dream or the realization that the man was licking his blood.
Ryoma smacked his lips after savoring the blood and declared with an estrange voice, "He is my son."
Zen was still in shock. The pain was real, the sting was real — EVERYTHING WAS REAL!
'N-no . . . no way . . .' Zen's eyes rolled to the back of his head from shock, and he lost consciousness.
"But he has dark skin," Riko argued. "We should dispose of him like other weak and cursed babies born in the clan."
Zen suddenly woke up. That's right — they were still going to kill him because he had dark skin, because he was reborn in a racist fantasy world!
Wait . . . does that mean he really died?
But how?
What happened?
Zen tried to remember, but nothing came to mind except that they had cheated death from Truck-kun, and they still died anyway.
What about Kyle?
What happened to Kyle?
Zen felt uneasy. If he was reborn here, then Kyle might be here too.
At least that's how the movies and novels always worked.
"Give me the child first," Ryoma said.
Everyone in the room was shocked, but the maids quickly handed Zen over when Ryoma glared at them.
"My love . . . if you touch him, you might get cursed," Riko said.
If he had the power to curse someone, Zen would surely curse her first.
Instead of answering, Ryoma changed the topic. "We shall meet with father first, then decide what to do with this baby after. Do you want to make father wait?"
Riko gasped and bowed. She then quickly went to change without another word.
Great. Zen thought to himself.
His real mother was dead in this world, and his father seemed like the type who would rather go out and drown himself in the red light district than come home to his family and be a father.
Not that he cared.
He was accustomed to parents leaving their child alone at home.
This was nothing new to him.
Though . . . if he were to get reincarnated again, he wished for loving parents this time around.
But it seemed that fate had decided his path from the moment he was born. Solely because of his skin color, he was going to die.
Zen prayed that if he died, at least let it be swift and painless, similar to what happened when he died before.
He didn't know what happened, didn't feel anything, and before he knew it, he was dead and reborn.
That's the kind of death that he wanted.
He prayed to God, if there's any in this world, that if he were to be reincarnated again, may it be into a loving family. Two lifetimes of irresponsible parents were more than enough.
Rather, there was a more important issue right now . . . he was hungry, and was that poop coming out from him?
'I hope that they would feed me before killing me,' Zen thought.
At least he would go with a full, satisfied stomach.