I looked at Cain and, with an annoyed expression, said

  “My brother, as a handsome person, had all the girls he helped in the past help him soothe his troubled heart.”

  "So, with a workaholic father and a mostly useless brother out of the picture, that left just me alone to deal with my own sadness.”

  I continue my story while walking

  “With no one to look after me, I started to wander alone, hiding in unnoticed places and dark corners of the village, and… I noticed something.”

  "What is it?” Cain asked curiously.

  I wave my hand to him, indicating for Cain to get closer and when he is in front of me, I said in a whisper.

  "I could hear it!"

  "Hear what exactly?"

  "I can hear everything in this village, from a mundane conversation between family to a secret that should not have been leaked.”

  “I could hear it all.” Rai said with a huge smile

  Speechless, Cain can only look at Rai dumbfoundedly. He took a moment to think before finally realising what Rai just told him.

  "You mean you know Lucy likes me because you were eavesdropping!"

  "Well, yes!”

  While looking offended, Rai said

  “But calling it eavesdropping sounds a bit harsh, let's just call it ... surprise hearing”

  “Why?” Cain said curiously.

  “Because what I overheard sure surprised me!"

  Half curious, half shocked, Cain asked.

  "What did you overhear?".

  Rai grinned, and with outstretched hand, he said, "Our village head did not have only one son... he actually had a lot of secret children, and when I said a lot, I meant it.

  “A lot? Like two or three?”

  “Try a third.”

  “A third, a third of what?”

  “A third of this Village!”

  “WHAT!!”

  “Yes, that was exactly what I meant. Wasn’t it surprising? Who would have thought that old fart actually managed to sire a third of this village's children? And then it suddenly hit me.”

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  “Did you hit your head?”

  “No, I did not hit my head; I mean I got an enlightenment.”

  “What kind of enlightenment did you get from that messed-up information?”

  “Heh heh, did you want to know, or did you totally want to know?”

  “Never mind I ever asked.”

  Dismissing his dismissal, I continue to speak.

  “When I heard it, the first thing that I thought was, ‘Our village sure is one big family’.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Doesn’t it mean I might actually be one of them?”

  “Did you mean your mother cheated on your father?”

  “I mean, I knew it was basically impossible considering how my mother usually acts.”

  Cain, remembering Ellen's past act, nodded his head and muttered, “Well … that’s true.”

  “But maybe, just maybe, we might actually have a common ancestor, and everyone might have some kind of relation down the family line, and that got me thinking!”

  “What else did you want to say?”

  I close my eyes and say, “As a family, there should be no secret between us.”

  “I don’t think I like where this is going!”

  “As the dutiful son that I am, it is my duty to uncover all the secrets of our family, and that is why I continue to eavesdrop on those villagers until now.”

  “Aha ha ha ha.”

  Elated that I have finally revealed the secret that I have been hiding, I laugh my hearts out.

  Cain looked at the little kid in front of him and found himself pitying Rai's father, Edward. Not only did his wife left him even his son became a twisted kid.

  He started to doubt whether this child-rearing experience was actually worth it; did he actually have to deal with this kid?

  This trial sounds more and more difficult than what he asked for…

  Before Cain can tell Rain his intention to give up, he suddenly remembered Lucy.

  Her smile that shines like a sun and the beautiful red hair that made everything else pale in comparison made him thought

  ‘If I can’t even handle this twisted child, am I even worthy to have the love of the most beautiful woman in the world?’

  So, with a renewed determination. Cain continued trekking the familiar forest path with a heavy step, followed by Rai, who is still laughing at his back.

  ...

  It doesn't take long after my conversation with Cain before we arrive in the deeper part of the wood.

  The unfamiliar scenery giving a rise to my adventurous spirit, I looked left and right, trying to memorise the route that got me to this place.

  "Rai!”

  I looked back only to see Cain with a different aura than before; if at the beginning he had a more leisurely atmosphere, now he had a serious look on his face, his sharp eyes kind of reminding me of my father.

  Cain, with a low voice, said, "Now that we have entered the deep part of the forest, it means that the danger increased and you must listen to all my instructions from now on.”

  I nod to show my agreement.

  "Good! Let us begin your training”

  Cain raised his finger and asked a question.

  “First let me ask you what is the most important thing in hunting!"

  "Hmmm, ... I don’t know, maybe how to hide your presence?" I hesitantly answered.

  “That is not a bad answer, but not the one I was looking for. The correct answer I meant is tracking. Hunter who can't even find his prey isn’t worthy to be called a hunter.”

  Standing ramrod straight, Cain continued his lecture with a stern look.

  “Look around you and tell me, what … do you see?”

  “I observed the tree, the fallen branch, and the shrub around the forest trying to see what Cain wanted me to discover.”

  Tracking is the important point of being a hunter. From what Cain told me, that means he wanted me to find a clue to where the prey might be hiding.

  So, I observed with more concentration and finally found what I was looking for hidden behind a layer of shrub.

  "Rabbit footprint!"

  Cain smiled and gave a compliment. "Good, you have what it takes to be a hunter finding an animal track on your first try.”

  He started to point to different parts of the forest that I didn't notice.

  “Not only a footprint, the trampled grass, a claw mark, or the smell of animal urine can also tell you the location of prey or some animal that you must avoid, so train your senses until it becomes second nature for you to find all the things you need to find your prey.”

  Trying to remember all the things Cain told me, I finally started my lesson as an apprentice hunter.