Chapter 84

Chapter 84

"...Nai Nai, I have two older brothers. They're twins. The eldest followed our father into politics, and the second is currently a jewelry designer. Later... I'll introduce you to them." Kaisisen's eyes dimmed as he paused.

Back on the numbered star, he had lost his memories and couldn't recall his past, but now that he had returned, he introduced his family to Nevi without reservation.

After deliberately avoiding the topic for two days, bringing up his father and older brothers again left Kaisisen in a somber mood.

Regarding his father's actions, he was shocked yet somehow unsurprised. He felt little grief, only overwhelming exhaustion and disappointment—perhaps he had grown numb. From childhood to now, his father's nearly obsessive need for control had caused him endless pain and suffocation.

What truly puzzled and troubled him were his eldest and second brothers.

In truth, after he left home that day, both brothers had sent many concerned messages, but he hadn't replied to any of them.

His second brother's subtle hints and the guilt-ridden yet unsurprised expression on his eldest brother's face during the argument with their father all suggested they hadn't just learned about this recently.

Kaisisen didn't even dare to dwell on it—how much had his eldest and second brothers actually known?

Had they known a bit earlier than him, or... had they been aware from the very beginning?

Kaisisen felt a chill run through him, his heart turning icy.

The brothers had always been exceptionally close. Being the youngest, he had always been doted on and indulged by his eldest and second brothers.

An eldest brother is like a father figure—it was no exaggeration to say that most of the little warmth Kaisisen had known as a child came from his brothers.

Under their father's oppressive thumb, the three brothers often banded together for warmth and mutual support.

Compared to their emotionally warped father, his warm-hearted brothers were more like true parents to him. Kaisisen had a secret buried deep in his heart, never shared with anyone: for a time during his childhood, he had genuinely seen his brothers as his parents.

He loved and admired them so deeply.

But why?

If they had known from the start, why did they silently allow their father's actions?

Even if they couldn't stop it, they could have warned him, told him somehow.

If they had told him sooner, if he had regained his memories earlier, could he have reunited with his Male Master sooner? Would he have missed the hatching and growing up of their children...

Kaisisen's lashes trembled, a shadow of gloom passing over his eyes.

Even though he logically knew this wasn't his brothers' fault—their father's dominance and stubbornness meant that even with good intentions, they couldn't have stopped it—and moreover, it was thanks to his second brother's subtle hint that he had become wary in the first place...

Still, Kaisisen couldn't help but feel resentful, even if it was misplaced.

"Aesop, you have a twin brother! So the twins' genes must run in your family!" Nevi exclaimed in surprise, then paused hesitantly. "Aesop, is one of your brothers a black-haired male with emerald eyes?"

Kaisisen was taken aback. "Yes, Male Master. My second brother is a black-haired male with emerald eyes. Nai, how... how do you know?"

His tone was filled with disbelief.

Nevi held nothing back and recounted the 'child-snatcher' incident from the babies' full-moon banquet.

As he spoke, Nevi retrieved the two expensive, beautiful green diamonds from the children's play area in the living room, saying a bit sheepishly, "Aesop, I didn't know your situation back then. I thought you were still recovering from injuries and couldn't go out, or that your family was in trouble. These two green diamonds... I assumed they were a full-moon gift you'd sent through a relative."

The moment the two green diamonds caught his eye, Kaisisen froze, intense emotions surging in his gaze, almost tangible.

Even Nevi, standing nearby, could tell something was wrong.

Nevi asked worriedly, "Aesop, are you alright?"

Kaisisen looked at his Male Master, shut his eyes, and barely managed to rein in his emotions. In a low voice, he said, "Male Master, these green diamonds were indeed designed by my second brother. The one you saw on the surveillance footage should have been my second brother."

O'Casey always kept several pieces of his jewelry privately, beyond what was publicly released. Whenever a new collection was launched, O'Casey would send a set to his eldest brother and to Kaisisen.

And these green diamonds were all too familiar to him. He had an identical one in the display cabinet in his room at the old estate.

The full-moon banquet—it had happened that early.

His second brother had already known by then, had tracked down Nevi and the children, and had even gone to see them alone.

"Aesop, you and your second brother..." Nevi began hesitantly, his tone careful.

Clearly, Kaisisen's intense reaction had led Nevi to think Aesop didn't get along with his second brother.

Setting aside the appalling behavior of Aesop's father, Kaisisen hadn't said much when mentioning his two brothers earlier, and his mood had been strange.

Kaisisen couldn't help but embrace his Male Master, breathing in Nai's familiar scent, the tall male instinctively relaxing his tense frame.

"Nai, I'm very close with my eldest and second brothers. Growing up, whenever our father scolded me, it was always my brothers who comforted me and made me laugh... But my second brother already knew about you and the kids back then, yet he never told me..." Kaisisen paused, his muffled voice laced with confusion and pain. "They're my closest family. They clearly knew all along—why, why didn't they tell me sooner, instead of just standing by and watching..."

Listening to his male's outpouring, Nevi felt as if his heart was breaking.

Clearly, the indifference of Kaisisen's brothers in this matter had truly hurt him.

Nevi didn't know Kaisisen's brothers well, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed with them—though for different reasons than Aesop. Rather than their hiding the truth, what bothered him more was why they hadn't stopped Kaisisen from being forced into the memory hypnosis surgery.

Nevi had already secretly looked it up: the surgery wasn't without risks and side effects. Yet after Aesop remembered him at the 'Blessing Festival' that day, he'd been tricked by his most trusted family into undergoing three reinforcement hypnosis sessions a week.

Just thinking about the severe trauma and irreversible side effects in the medical files sent a chill down Nevi's spine, as if he'd plunged into an ice cave.

He couldn't bear to imagine what would have happened if Aesop had actually been harmed without him knowing.

Every time he thought about it, Nevi was consumed with regret. If only he'd insisted on asking more questions that day, if only he'd stayed closer to Aesop—would everything have been different? Would Aesop have been spared so much suffering?

Nevi had grown up in an orphanage, never knowing family warmth, but as a father himself now, when he put himself in his own children's shoes, he simply couldn't fathom how anyone could be so heartless and cruel to their own kids.

With a heavy heart, Nevi held Kaisisen tightly, as if embracing a treasure he'd almost lost. He gently stroked Kaisisen's back, comforting him until his emotions slowly settled.

Though he resented the indifference of Kaisisen's brothers in this matter, Nevi recalled the fondness the black-haired male had shown the children in the surveillance footage, and the eldest brother who, according to the police bug, had rescued the kids in time.

Nevi ultimately set aside his bias and said objectively, "Aesop, you're really close. What motive would they have for doing this? Maybe your brothers had their reasons, or maybe they tried but were stopped... Rather than speculating, it's better to just ask them directly. Instead of letting this grudge silently take root in your heart, find a good time to confront them face to face. They are, after all, your blood family."

Nevi could see how deeply Kaisisen cared for his brothers. He didn't want this to become a thorn, forever stuck in Aesop's heart, festering into a scar.

Kaisisen looked up, gazing at Nevi with a hint of confusion, stunned for a long moment until his eyes cleared.

"Nai, you're right. I'll find the right time to ask them directly."

Just not now—his anger hadn't cooled yet, and he had no desire to deal with his brothers for the time being.

Seeing that Kaisisen had truly come to terms with it, Nevi finally sighed in relief, his eyes curving into a gentle smile.

At that moment, looking at the two green diamonds still in his hand, he felt complicated. He hesitated and asked, "These two green diamonds, and the pouch of jewelry your second brother sent... should we send them back?"

Now that the emotions and meaning attached to these diamonds were completely different from what he'd imagined, seeing them again stirred a faint awkwardness and shame in Nevi.

Kaisisen glanced at the pouch full of colorful, sparkling jewelry in the kids' play area and let out a cold snort.

Those jewels were of a quality no less than the green diamonds; they were treasures his second brother had collected.

In the old mansion, his second brother wouldn't even let the servant bugs touch them—all the intricate maintenance routines for these jewels were personally handled by O'Casey on a regular basis.

Yet now, the diamonds and jewels that O'Casey cherished and carefully preserved were being casually tossed around and left lying about as toys for the cubs.

"My Male Master, since he sent them of his own accord, there's no need to return them. As the cubs' second uncle, sending only this much is rather stingy." The petty Kaisisen said without holding back.

Seeing the tall female's stony, sulky expression, Nevi was suddenly reminded of Chubby Meimei puffing out his cheeks in anger, and he couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

In Nevi's love-blind eyes, Kaisisen looked stunning even with a cold, angry face.

Nevi felt a stir in his heart, and the moment his female looked over, he leaned in, wrapped his arms around the female's slim waist, and kissed Kaisisen square on the lips, catching him off guard.

The male's sudden advance startled Kaisisen for a brief moment, but he quickly returned the embrace, pulling his sweet-smelling, soft Male Master closer, instinctively deepening the kiss.

In just a short span of two days, the once awkward, blushing female had gotten a lot smoother and more confident.

Just as the atmosphere began to heat up again, a soft, drowsy voice interrupted them.

"Papa, Mama, you're sneaking kisses behind the cub's back! Mei Mei wants one too, Mei Mei wants one!"

That drowsy, babyish voice hit them like a death sentence, sending the tightly embracing pair scrambling apart in a flustered panic.

Not far from them, with disheveled hair, barefoot, rubbing his eyes, and a red mark on his chubby, fair cheek from sleep, the little third-wheel, Little Meimei, had appeared unnoticed, staring at his dads with a hurt, sulky pout.

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Author's note: Sorry, sorry, here's one chapter first—it's not a hefty one. I've been in a rough state lately, and I'm really not great at writing sweet, heartwarming scenes. I'll try to speed things up and get back to the main plotline. I'm truly sorry to all the readers who've been following along—thank you. I'll do my best to adjust and get back to daily updates soon.