To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 96

While the adults were busy worrying about their own problems, Teddy was excited to go to school to meet his friends, but ended up fighting with them.

“She’s not my nanny! She’s really my mom!”

Teddy explained that the red-haired lady who came with him to the entrance ceremony was not a nanny but his mom. However, his classmates didn’t believe him.

“You’re lying! She’s not your mom, she’s your sister.”

“I don’t have a sister. My mom’s name is Scarlett White. She’s not a nanny.”

“Theo, you’re really a liar, huh? My dad said Scarlett White is dead.”

One of the kids pointed his finger at Teddy. Teddy, his eyes wide open trying to hold back tears, shouted back in anger.

“My mom’s not dead!”

“Do you even know what ‘dead’ means? It means you can never meet them again. Teddy White is a liar!”

“You…!”

Teddy, breathing heavily, looked like he was about to cry, then suddenly screamed and charged at his friend.

“Aaaah!”

“Don’t say my mom is dead!”

Without hesitation, Teddy bit the boy’s arm. The fight only ended when the homeroom teacher came.

Teddy’s hair was messy and his clothes were torn from rolling on the ground while fighting. Holding his nanny’s hand, he returned home.

As soon as he got home, Teddy marched angrily into Scott’s room.

Scott had just come back from a business trip selling weapons abroad and was still fast asleep.

Teddy jumped into Scott’s bed and shook him awake.

“Uncle, wake up!”

“…”

“Uncleee.”

Still half-asleep, Scott pulled Teddy into his arms and laid him back down on the bed, covering him up to the head with a blanket. In a sleepy voice, he patted Teddy and whispered.

“Lullaby, lullaby. Sleep, my baby.”

Teddy wriggled out of his arms, grabbed Scott’s cheek, and stretched it out.

“Why do they say Mommy is dead?”

Hearing that, Scott opened his eyes wide. Still letting Teddy pull his cheeks, he asked,

“Who said that? Who said your mom is dead?”

“The kids.”

“The kids?”

“At school, the kids said my mom’s dead and that I’m a liar.”

Scott managed to understand the messy explanation from the child.

“So they teased you, saying how can a dead person be your mom if you say Scarlett is your mom.”

“Yeah. Why do they say Mommy’s dead? She even ate breakfast with me today. Is Mommy a ghost?”

“Those kids are just dumb. Don’t mind them.”

“But they called me a liar?”

“Well… Teddy, did you fight?”

Scott frowned as he looked over Teddy’s messy appearance. Teddy peeked at his uncle’s face and gave a shy smile.

“I won!”

“Good job. That’s my nephew.”

Scott ruffled Teddy’s hair. Teddy glanced up at him and started speaking.

“Uncle, you know everything, right?”

“Of course.”

“And Uncle Cravitz can find anything, right?”

“What is it?”

Teddy fiddled with his hands, avoiding Scott’s kind eyes.

“Uncle… I miss my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Can you find my dad for me?”

Scott hesitated, opening and closing his mouth a few times without answering.

No matter how much love uncles and aunts give, they can’t replace parents. Naturally, Teddy longed for the father he never had.

“You want to find your dad?”

“My dad is in heaven… but if we find the address, we can send a letter, right?”

Scott searched his memory, trying to remember what he had said when young Scarlett had once cried about missing her parents. But back then, they hadn’t been close, and by the time they grew closer, Scarlett was old enough to understand death and bury her feelings herself.

“Uh… Teddy. Heaven is too far. Letters can’t be delivered there. And… heaven is…”

As Scott mumbled an excuse, Teddy slumped his shoulders and started playing with his hands. He didn’t want to hear that he couldn’t meet his dad.

While playing with his hands, Teddy accidentally made a butterfly-shaped light fly into the air.

Unlike the surprised reaction Teddy expected, Scott’s face hardened. He asked in the gentlest voice he could manage.

“Teddy, how did you do that just now?”

“This? I just can.”

“Have you ever done that in front of your mom or anyone else?”

“Yeah! I showed Isaac and Mommy! Mommy said only to do it when we’re alone. Oh!”

Teddy suddenly remembered his promise to only use magic when it was just the two of them.

He quickly covered his mouth and rolled his eyes before giving Scott his brightest smile.

“Uncle, you’ll keep it a secret, right?”

“Of course. But Teddy, from now on, only use magic in front of your mom, okay?”

“Like how I sit down and eat without running around during meals?”

“Exactly. You must not use magic in front of people. Otherwise—”

“Otherwise?”

“Never mind. Anyway, it’s a promise with Uncle, okay?”

“Okay. Got it.”

“Good. Oh, sounds like Isaac’s home. I hear him downstairs. Go on.”

At the mention of Isaac, Teddy jumped up and ran off without even saying goodbye. Watching him, Scott sighed heavily.

He felt awful, like they were forcing a terrible burden onto an innocent child because of adult problems.

Meanwhile, Teddy spotted Isaac coming up the stairs and quickly followed his older cousin.

“Isaac! Isaac! Will you help me feed Coco?”

Coco was the dog they raised at the mansion.

“I’m tired. Go away.”

“Aw. Don’t you want to play with me?”

Isaac, who had been walking past Teddy coldly, stopped, feeling guilty.

Isaac was weak when it came to Teddy. They had grown up almost like real brothers, and Teddy especially adored him.

“Who said I don’t want to play with you? I’m just sleepy.”

“Then I’ll watch you sleep.”

“What… haah. Fine. Come on.”

Teddy lay on Isaac’s bed and started chatting about what happened at school.

Meanwhile, Isaac, who had claimed he was sleepy, was busy shaking out his piggy bank, trying to gather money.

“Hey, Isaac. Are wizards bad?”

“They’re not good or bad. Wizards are just wizards.”

“Then why did Uncle Scott tell me to keep magic a secret?”

Isaac answered half-heartedly. He was one of the few who knew Teddy could use magic.

“How would I know? Uncle Scott always says stuff that’s hard to understand. Hey, Teddy. You have a piggy bank, right? Can I borrow it? I’ll give you candy if you do.”

“No! I’m saving up to buy Mom a Christmas present.”

“I’ll pay you back before then.”

“But last time you borrowed money and didn’t pay it back.”

“Little guy’s memory is too good. Ah, I can’t have fun with just this much money.”

Lying flat on the carpet, Isaac scratched his head.

“Hey, Isaac. Do you remember your dad?”

“My dad? No. He died before I was born. How could I remember?”

“Aw. So you don’t remember either.”

“You miss your dad?”

“Yeah. I really want a dad too.”

Even though he was stressed about money, Isaac couldn’t ignore Teddy, knowing too well how it felt to grow up without a father. So he tried to comfort Teddy with a kind tone.

“Your dad would be really proud of you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re a wizard, after all.”

“Is being a wizard good?”

“Uh… well, more importantly, you take after your dad.”

“My dad was a wizard?”

“I don’t know. But… um… anyway, your dad must have been a wizard. Magic ability is passed down from parents, so if you can use magic, it’s because your dad could too. Since your mom’s normal, it means you take after your dad.”

Isaac tilted his head, wondering if it was right to say such a thing with such confidence. Then he brushed the dust from his hair and stood up.

“Anyway, if Uncle Scott told you to keep your magic a secret, you should listen. I’m going out now. If my mom comes looking for me, tell her you didn’t see me, okay?”

Feeling a little bad for leaving Teddy alone, Isaac ruffled his hair a few times before sneaking out of the mansion.

Left alone, Teddy thought about what Isaac said: “Teddy takes after his dad…”

“I’m sorry for coming so late.”

Noah placed a bouquet of flowers on his mother’s grave. Sitting down in front of the tombstone, he silently brushed the stone clean. His cold eyes were filled with guilt over his mother’s death.

“I had no face to show. I couldn’t come right after arriving in Wifland. Please understand.”

His heart felt heavy. Saying such things to someone already gone—what meaning did it have? But this was the only thing Noah could do for the mother who had died miserably.

“I’ll destroy the ones who did this to you. I’ll destroy that damned Scott White, no matter what.”

And he planned to ruin Susan White by hurting what she loved the most.

“Tonight, I’ll kidnap Isaac Brown and sell him at the slave market. No matter how great the White family is, they won’t be able to reach into some foreign countryside.”

By selling Susan White’s beloved only son and exposing her crimes to the world, he planned to slowly dry her blood with fear, leaving scars worse than physical violence.

Noah sighed deeply, feeling heavy-hearted. Then he noticed the grave was well cared for, even though no one should have visited. There were clear signs that someone had tended it.

He thought it must have been the cemetery caretaker and let it pass.

“I’ll be back soon. Next time, I’ll bring Scott White’s life with me.”

Having finished his business, Noah left the graveyard. At the entrance, he greeted an old man sitting and resting.

“Sir, thank you for taking such good care of the graves.”

“Care? I’m just here to keep grave robbers away, not to tend graves.”

“Then who took care of Julia Ashford’s grave…?”

“Probably family. Who else?”

The old caretaker waved him off, annoyed.

Feeling puzzled, Noah mounted his horse. Just then, he received news that Isaac had just left the mansion for a bar.

The sun was mostly down, so Noah didn’t bother changing his whole face, only his eye color. He pulled his hat down low.

The bar Isaac often visited was in a busy part of town. When Noah arrived, Isaac had already drunk too much and stumbled outside.

“Is this guy really a White? He looks like a beggar.”

“Shut up.”

Isaac, annoyed by his laughing friends, headed into an alley to throw up.

Noah hid in the shadows and followed him. Isaac leaned against a wall, throwing up everything inside.

“Bleeegh.”

Noah approached and patted Isaac’s back. Isaac, thinking it was one of his friends, shouted.

“I swear, I’m never drinking again!”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything…?”

When Isaac looked up, he realized it wasn’t his friend. His face froze.

Noah spoke gloomily.

“Isaac Brown.”

Then he grabbed Isaac firmly by the back of the neck so he couldn’t escape.

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