Chapter 48: Cornflower's Lament

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This chapter is brought to you by ハレハレヤ by UniteUp! and KIKUNOYU. 

Edited by: bafflinghaze

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"... In acknowledgment of Doctor Nathaniel Elias Overland's contribution to humanity..."

Margot and Patrick Overland didn't expect to be parents in their late forties to an infant, but it was one of the less surprising things overall if one looked at all the oddities and "twisty twists" that made up their lives.

The entertainment industry had its ups and downs.

Margot was an actress who found herself caught in one too many scandals at the beginning of her career.

Patrick was a down-on-his-luck former mercenary who needed a job and stumbled into a bodyguard agency.

It was a complex feeling, knowing all the good things in their lives resulted from the bad things.

They both retired from all of that, though. The friends they made along the way all made sure they would live peacefully away from all the danger and drama.

The baby they brought home wasn't in their peaceful retirement plan—and to be fairly honest, Margot and Patrick would not recommend making the same choices they made without careful consideration of time, resources, and stability, and just because it worked out for them doesn't mean it would be the same for anyone else.

That was all to say they impulsively adopted their son from the orphanage they were sponsoring.

In their defense, he wasn't being treated very well. The fact that he was the only child suffering mistreatment from the caretakers cemented their decision to adopt him.

The caretakers were replaced the following week and the child was taken in by Margot and Patrick.

Nathaniel Elias Overland—or Neo, as their son would later refer to himself—was a "troubled boy."

And by "troubled boy," it meant the rest of the world seemed to have some type of misconception about their son.

If he wasn't met with outright hostility for his quiet nature and the way he would stare silently without a word, then he was avoided.

"... We present this award..."

Nathan had walls taller than the Eppalachian Mountains, and he was distrustful by nature.

Margot and Patrick didn't mind it.

He was their child. Who did these outsiders think they were, telling them to be careful of their son? Who were they to tell them there was something wrong with their boy, when every single day, they were witnessing him grow into the man they knew he would become?

There was nothing strange or troubling with Nathan, and as he grew older, people envied them for raising such a successful and kind child.

They envied the fact that Margot and Patrick adopted a genius as if they won him at a lottery.

No one seemed to remember the way they treated their boy when he was young, the way they kept their distance and stared at him as if he was some cruel thing looking to hurt them.

But it didn't matter. Not anymore. Nathan proved them wrong, and that was all there was to it—

"... This award does not define who Doctor Overland was. A son, a friend, and most importantly, a great man. He gave us everything, and we will forever be grateful for all that he has done for the world. Let us all have a moment of silence..."

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