Family Man System: Taking Care Of My Family Makes Me OP

Chapter 18: Her past(2)

Sitting beside each other with cups of freshly brewed tea in their hands, Jean shared a story she had only ever told one other person before.

"My father has two brothers, one older and one younger. Despite growing up under the same roof, the three brothers always had a sense of rivalry between them. However, apparently, that rivalry never truly existed for my father."

She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "I heard from my mother that my father has always been better than his brothers at everything. Whether it was academics or combat, he reigned supreme. He even defeated his elder brother when he was only seven."

Kai nodded. He knew about the three brothers, as well as the rumors surrounding the internal conflict that had gradually driven them apart.

Of the three, Kai had heard the most about Xavier Scarlette, the man who ran the Fire Claw Guild, the highest-ranked guild in the nation, a formidable organization that was home to several S-rank warriors.

Xavier himself was a renowned S-rank hunter who had earned the title of Flame Warden.

"Naturally, my father inherited the family throne after my grandfather passed away. None of his brothers dared to question the decision." She sighed before adding, "Xavier Scarlette had already become an unquestionable force by the age of twenty-five."

Kai nodded silently and took another sip of the delicious milk tea.

Jean paused for a moment before continuing. "He always remained indifferent to his brothers’ shenanigans. However, the truth is that Father was never ignorant of how badly they wished to defeat him. While he pretended not to care, he actually did. And that is why, more than anyone else, he trained himself relentlessly and continued improving until he reached where he stands today."

"Oh, that’s surprising."

Kai had always thought the old man was genuinely above petty emotions like envy and rivalry. As it turned out, he had merely been pretending to be indifferent, like some sore loser who had convinced himself he was too good to care.

Yeah, Kai hated him.

Jean sighed. "However, his reputation and unyielding pride were wounded when I was born into the family." Her shoulders lowered slightly as she continued. "I always tried to be the best at everything I did. I was hailed as a prodigy, someone who would surely inherit the Patriarch’s Death Flames."

"However, all my father ever got from me was disappointment." Her shoulders slumped as she said the words, the weight behind them evident even though she had spoken them so plainly.

Kai, however, saw things differently.

"I mean, none of this has ever been within anyone’s control, has it? So what is the point of being disappointed in you for something you could never control? In fact, I think you could become a far better and more successful person without any powers than someone like me, perhaps, who has only awakened an F-rank skill."

Jean faintly smiled at his words. "Don’t belittle yourself like that."

Kai nudged her gently with his shoulder. "Start with yourself."

Jean understood what he meant and slowly nodded. She had already moved beyond the stage where her failure could devastate her.

Once, the weight of her father’s disappointment and her own inability to live up to the expectations placed upon her had been enough to make her question herself. But she had long since accepted that there were things she could neither change nor control.

After a brief pause, she continued. "Well, after he became disappointed in me and what I could offer to the family, he decided to get rid of me. Nearly two and a half years ago, he had me engaged."

"..." Kai froze.

What? He had not seen that coming at all. His eyes widened as he struggled to process what she had just said.

"So... like..."

Jean nodded. "Yes. The reason they are searching for me, and the reason my father did not want me to have the child, was because I was already engaged at the time."

Kai was taken aback. Nothing could justify what that man was forcing his daughter to do, but the situation was undoubtedly more complicated than he had initially assumed.

"Back then... during our reunion, I only went there because I wanted to get away from all the noise surrounding my marriage. I wanted to escape that... bastard." Her voice hardened toward the end, the frustration she felt toward the man she had been paired with impossible to hide.

Then her eyes turned round, and she turned toward Kai.

"That’s where... I saw you. And whatever happened between us gave me the perfect excuse later to have that marriage annulled."

Her voice dropped, and she hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"I... used you, Kai. At that time, I just wanted to forget about the world for a while. And later, I used what happened between us to escape that marriage."

Kai fell silent as he finally understood why she had been so reluctant to tell him about her past.

First, the person she had been trying to escape was one of the most influential figures in the nation. Whoever he discovered his daughter with would undoubtedly face severe consequences.

Second, once Xavier discovered that the person Jean had presumably conspired with was Kai, his situation would become considerably more dangerous.

And third... well, Jean had not actually been drunk that night. She had deliberately chosen to sleep with him, fully aware of the consequences that could follow.

"...."

Yeah. This morning tea was really something.