Perhaps my doubt wounded his heart. His expression darkened as he continued to wipe the knife.

I couldn’t help but say, "Good kids shouldn't play with knives!"

The guy raised an eyebrow, his fingers with distinct joints lightly caressing the blade. He turned and flashed a grin, showing his white teeth, and said, "Then what should I play with?"

After leaving Lysander’s house, I wandered aimlessly through the mall.

Thinking about everything that had just happened, I couldn’t help but sigh:

Kids grow up and you can’t control them.

But a good, responsible mother must learn how to manage her children!

As my thoughts shifted from parenting tips to whether I should scold him for not listening, I heard cheerful cheers ahead.

"Mother! You're here too!"

It was Morwen Blackwood, the third male lead, and one of the only two among the six male leads who ever called me "Mother" with respect.

But the problem was, he loved to stir trouble.

He slid onto his knees in front of me and clung tightly to my leg, saying, "Oh, I didn't expect to run into you today, and I forgot my little whip at home. What a miscalculation! What a mistake!"

This time, I was left speechless.

"I don’t discipline kids in public."

"Ah?" Morwen stood up slowly, still holding my hand, pouting with a regretful look. "But Mother, it’s been so long since you hit me. I miss the feeling of you spanking me."

Passersby overheard our conversation, their mouths agape in shock, their eyes wide as they stared at us.

I: Unbelievable! I can’t believe I’m going to die of embarrassment in this game, my damn pride!

"What spanking? I never did that! Don’t make stuff up! I only ever used a paddle on your palm, and that was because you missed lunch while playing a game."

Morwen grinned mischievously, "I forgot to tell you, Mother, I bought a little whip for you. When we get home, we—ah, ah..."

Blood rushed to my head. I quickly covered his mouth and dragged him away from the crowded area.

Ahhhhh! This is so humiliating!

This brat! Maybe I didn’t punish him enough!

I trudged to the café with Morwen, reflecting deeply on my parenting approach.

The conclusion was—I'm not at fault!

It’s Morwen’s fault for being a twisted character in this dating sim game.

Who designs a male lead like this? He actually has a hidden masochistic side!

In the café, he kept leaning on me, trying to snuggle up. I accidentally slapped him, and he excitedly begged me to slap him again.

When I refused, he bit my arm!

The sound of him sucking on my skin was unnervingly loud in the quiet café.

I had no choice but to give him another slap.

After finally managing to send Morwen off, I was exhausted.

Leaving the café, I wandered on and ended up at the workplace of the fourth male lead, Theron Ashford.

I’d barely stood outside his shop for 30 seconds when he rushed out to pull me inside.

"Seraphina, do you want a tattoo? Where would you like it? I remember you have two cute dimples on your waist. How about I tattoo two flowers there?"

That’s right, Theron was a tattoo artist, always wanting to give me tattoos.

Flowers, fish, birds—every time he suggested something different.

And every time, I refused without hesitation.

Under the effect of his adorable charm, Theron looked at me with round, watery eyes.

My soft heart almost caved in.

"Seraphina, the four silver bangles I made for you are almost ready!"

That reminded me of the time when Theron was persistently measuring my wrists and ankles.

I told him I preferred gold bangles, but he insisted on making silver ones, saying gold was tacky.

I: Tacky? Do I not know what looks tacky? Gold that shines brightly, it lifts my spirits just by looking at it.

But, a kid has to be pampered, so I went along with it.

"The silver bangles are a bit plain, so I added some chain design elements to them! When you come to my place on Thursday, I’ll let you try them on."

Theron was generally well-behaved, except for the countless times he tried to convince me to get him a tattoo.

I ruffled his hair and smiled. "Alright then!"

I looked him over, unable to resist pinching his cute cheeks. "Have you been working too hard? You seem to have lost weight! Tell me, what kind of soup would you like? I'll make it for you on Thursday."

Theron stiffened. "Seraphina, can't I skip the soup this time?"

I sighed inwardly. Ah, he's the only one of my six children who doesn't like the soup I make.

A very picky child, indeed!

But—

"Everyone else drinks it. If you don't, then you're not being a good child!"

After having tea at Theron’s store, I sat in the Maybach Caspian arranged for me and headed home.

On the way, I was filled with worry, sighing repeatedly.

The challenges of raising children were piling up, each issue bigger than the last. What was I going to do?

Caspian Thornfield, the miser, spent his days hinting at me to stay away from anything his father left him.

Lysander Hale, who didn’t care much for hygiene, loved playing with dangerous tools—especially knives, which he insisted on handling while talking to me.

Morwen Blackwood, always up to mischief, constantly sought ways to provoke me.

Theron Ashford, picky with food. Well, compared to the others, that was a minor issue.

Then there were Orin Holloway and Dorian Flint, the two just coming into adulthood—one delicate, the other wild...

As I thought about these two troublesome ones, the scenery outside the car window blurred for a moment.

"Why are the two of you together?" I asked.

Orin, ahead of Dorian, ran toward me with his arms wide open.

"Mother, it's been so long! I want a kiss!"

His chubby little face and soft, fair skin, enhanced by the charm of a child, made me melt.

Yes, I adored Orin. He was the very definition of a mother’s idea of the cutest four-year-old son.

Every time he appeared, I was sure any mother would stop in her tracks and feel an overwhelming urge to shower him with love.

Just as Orin leaned in to press his face against mine, Dorian yanked him back so forcefully that he nearly stumbled to the ground.

"What are you doing? We agreed to meet Seraphina together. Why are you ahead of me?"

Orin wiped at his eyes, the threat of tears just barely held back. "But I can’t live without a kiss from my mother!"

And of course, his golden hair made him look like a soft, fluffy puppy—utterly adorable and easily spoiled.

I frowned. "Dorian, don’t bully your brother."

Dorian rolled his eyes dramatically. "What? Who’s even his brother?"

I comforted Orin softly, before turning my attention to the matter at hand.

"Is there something you two need?"

Dorian blushed, avoiding my gaze. "We came over because we wanted to drink the soup Seraphina makes."

A wave of relief washed over me as I smiled.

I knew it—my secret weapon, the nourishing soup, was bound to win them over.

Still, I couldn’t help but touch Dorian’s muscular arm. "Have you been overdoing it with the supplements?"

He was the biggest of all six children, his muscles so defined that even a tank top couldn’t contain them.

Seeing Dorian and me getting along so well, Orin pressed his face closer to mine. "Mother, you still haven’t kissed me."

He fluttered his lashes and spoke in a soft voice that made it hard for me to resist.

But I remembered Caspian’s warning.

A kiss in private was fine, but if I dared kiss him on his turf, he'd break Orin’s legs.

Just then, like clockwork—

"Seraphina Vale, did you think my words didn’t matter?"

Caspian’s tall figure loomed behind me, enveloping me like a giant monster.