The Reincarnated Villainous Young Master's Guide to Happiness

Chapter 52: Rising Dawn

This chapter is brought to you by Beautiful Wish by Eri Kitamura. 

Edited by: bafflinghaze

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Neo woke up thirty-four hours after his surgery, incredibly behind on his summer homework—he would realize belatedly—, and feeling fantastic.

Wow.

Was his first conscious thought.

They definitely put me on the good stuff.

Was his second.

Vermillion eyes opened lazily to the sight of light creeping in from the edges of thick window curtains.

He was in a room, but not one he recognized. It smelled oddly like a modern hospital, but with hints of what was distinctly the Odum Manor's scent—a familiar blend of cotton, lily-of-the-valley, and soap.

Neo realized he was still in the manor, but where?

Then he felt it. A warm and large hand overlapping his own.

He heard a light snore beside him.

Turning to his side, Neo saw his sleeping father slumped over right next to him, half sitting on a chair while his head was being supported by one arm. A blanket had fallen off of him and was currently pooling around his waist.

If he was not drugged up to his eyeballs with all sorts of painkillers, he might have felt very awkward toward his father's unusual affections, but he was, as a matter of fact, very drugged up and high.

The inner street rat locked away deep inside his head emerged from its prison with pupils blown wide and eyes unblinking, ready to take full control of all his mental faculties.

His entire focus centered on his father with a predatory gaze. The sight of the man resting so close to him, asleep, defenseless...

Someone had cut his hair. Had taken a pair of scissors and chopped off that proud length of hair.

Who did it?

Who dared to leave him in this state of vulnerability?

Neo stared and stared, watching his father sleep.

If it were not for the street rat piloting his mind, he might have deduced the need for a change in his father's hairstyle, but in this rare instance, the good drugs were working harder than his brain cells, making it rather difficult for him to think rationally.

He stretched out his hand, reaching over to touch his father's face

The man had his eyebrows furrowed together, a sign of restlessness paired with exhaustion, judging by the bruises beneath his eyes. His cheeks were also gaunt and his lips were dry, indicating a lack of food and drink.

... And now, speaking of food and drink, Neo was hungry and thirsty.

He pulled away and climbed out of bed with a surprising amount of strength and energy despite being asleep for...

Well, he didn't know exactly how long, but it had to have been a week at least if he was poisoned with Ricin Flowers.

He stood up and took the blanket from around his father's waist and pulled it over the man's shoulders.

The action caused his father to move a little.

Neo froze and stared down at him, wary that he might have woken him.

Seconds passed, and he finally heard even breathing once more.

Again, Neo found himself staring.

This kind of weak-looking person wouldn't survive a day in the slums. The thought was sad because he was his father.