The Struggle of His Lifetime

In a haste, Kai grabbed the curtain, tore it off the window, then wrapped it around Aria's daughter.

The maids who called out to him stopped in their tracks, looking right out stupefied. He certainly earned their suspicions right then, but he had no choice, not when they already got near enough to catch a glimpse of the kid. Even if the maids did see her, though, what mattered was that they would not recognize her.

"Daddy?!!!" the girl cried in shock, voice heavily muffled as she squirmed under the cloth. "This isn't how you play hide and- Puh?!!!"

He quickly covered her mouth and picked her up, making sure she was covered all over before turning to face the maids. "Oh, hey! Umm, this is… I just… I found a stray cat!"

"A cat? Oh my, where did it come from?" one of the women blurted out, looking momentarily surprised before turning enlightened. To his relief, they seemed to have not gotten close enough to tell it was actually a child. "If it's a stray, then please let us take care of it-"

"No! Don't touch her! She might scratch you!" he refused instantly, holding the girl tighter in his arms before spinning around, ready to retreat. "But thank you! I can handle it!"

"Our Young Master sure is a gentleman," one said as they watched him scurry away.

Another chimed, "No wonder many ladies are still after him even when he already got married, though I guess they might soon have a chance again."

Their other companion was quiet for a moment. "But wasn't that a bit too big for a cat?" she then pointed out all of the sudden. "Looks more like a toddler to me."

"Was it? I didn't really notice. Maybe you're just imagining it."

"What? You think he's hiding a kid around here somewhere?"

"No, but regardless, I just wish he's not suffocating the poor little creature in that curtain."

With all three of them hoping that the stray cat would make it out alive, they continued on their way and ended the conversation there. Little did they know that their young master was not trying to be a gentleman by any means, nor was he living up to their expectations when it came to handling small fragile creatures.

"You're so in trouble right now, you hear me?" Kai chided, having finally succeeded to retrieve Aria's daughter and hide in the bathroom. "I don't care if you're only five. I won't tolerate any more-"

He trailed off as he unwrapped the cloth and found an unmoving body. Kai froze up all over, immediately thinking the worst. His heart stopped beating for a second while his breath got caught in his throat.

Her eyes were closed, her limbs all limp. She was very still, much too still.

He then realized that he must've held her so tight she couldn't breathe. His strength seemed to leave him, and he fell to his knees. He just continued holding her in his arms as all his senses went numb.

"Y-You're kidding, r-right?" Kai choked out, already trembling.

"No, I'm hungry." And she woke up. "Aria's hungry, Daddyyy."

Right when he was about to faint from the thought of having killed the child of his wife by accident, she began to stir again. He'd just been clowned. All he could do was stare at the girl as she got up and stretched her arms, looking not a bit least bothered.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Ehhh?!" She staggered.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

She blinked. "Do what?"

Kai facepalmed.

He couldn't do this. He just couldn't.

"Daddy, why're you angry?" she asked while tugging at his sleeve timidly. "Is it because Aria said she's hungry?"

"It's because you played dead."

"Aria's dead?!" she exclaimed, looking so genuinely shocked he felt a bit bad for saying it bluntly. "N-Not dead! Just very hungry!"

Her stomach rumbled at that exact same time, as though proving her words to Kai.