Some of the servants in the room seemed to hold their breath.
That name—Dedy—wasn't just any name in this household. He was the Virellano family's personal bodyguard, rarely seen, but his presence was the stuff of legend.
David, though keeping a straight face, swallowed reflexively. Aurielle and Sarah, despite knowing Dedy well, still felt a chilling pressure in his presence.
To them, Dedy was someone better left undisturbed.
Sandra had only just calmed down a little before she became shaken again.
She glanced at her husband, anxiety filling her eyes. She wanted to say something—to step in, to stop the punishment.
But she knew… Al had truly gone too far.
Openly displaying his depravity right in front of them, proving that he was still nothing more than a wild child… he deserved to be punished.
Meanwhile, Al was still standing in the exact same spot as before, showing no sign of concern.
His shoulders remained relaxed. One hand brushed the cobwebs out of his hair while the other covered his mouth to hold back a yawn.
There was no fear in his eyes. Only sleepiness… and a bit of mild confusion.
I wonder what kind of punishment this elite family is planning to give me.
Judging from their reactions… the executor this time is probably someone dangerous. Which means… this is going to be a heavy punishment.
He casually walked toward the sofa and sat down, completely ignoring the annoyed stares directed at him.
Sarah and Aurielle wanted to scold him again—
But while adjusting his sitting position, Al raised a finger, signaling for them not to act.
"Enough already. Scolding me and lecturing me over and over won't change anything anymore," he said calmly.
He poured himself some tea from the table before continuing,
"I've already shown all of you that I'm the culprit. My image now fits exactly what you want—evil, womanizer, country bumpkin, feral, and all that. The only thing left now is waiting for the punishment, right?"
He took a small sip of tea.
"…So stop making such a big drama out of it and just wait for the punishment to come."
"You!" Sarah snapped, yet she didn't even know how to respond anymore.
Aurielle merely shook her head, while Edward stared blankly ahead, almost wanting to smack his own forehead.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone like this. Someone who surrendered so easily, agreed to every accusation thrown at him—or rather… someone simply too lazy to deal with the problem at all.
But… strangely enough, Al's words did make sense.
What was the point of wasting more energy when everything was already clear?
Still, from Edward's perspective as someone evaluating Al as a potential heir, seeing him make so little effort was truly… disappointing.
Another point against him. Another reason Al seemed increasingly unfit for that position.
His gaze shifted toward David, who was currently calming Sandra down. Pride, relief, and hope surfaced within Edward's eyes.
His expression almost seemed to say… if only David were the real biological son.
In the end, he, Sarah, and Aurielle also decided to sit down, silently agreeing not to waste any more energy arguing.
"Tch… I still can't understand why you're letting him stay here. Who knows how many more victims there'll be before all of you finally realize it," Sarah grumbled.
"That's enough, Sarah," Aurielle reprimanded. "After everything that's happened, he absolutely cannot leave. It's better for him to stay here with us than be out there using our family name."
"She's right," Edward agreed. "Al is part of this family. He's already been separated from us for far too long. Letting him leave again? Impossible."
He then looked toward Al, wanting to say something, but in the end, he simply sighed instead.
As for Al, he glanced toward the large clock in the corner of the room while sipping his tea.
It was almost seven in the evening.
But something inside him was still stirring violently. Something that had only been slightly disrupted by all this drama… yet still needed to be restrained.
Trying to distract himself from that turbulent feeling, he casually spoke up,
"By the way… there's something I'm a little confused about," he said.
Everyone immediately turned to look at him, curious.
"What is it?" Edward asked.
"You know… all this drama started because I was accused of harassing that maid," Al replied. "You suspected me, then saw it with your own eyes, and in the end, I still got punished."
He rested his chin on one hand.
"But… out there, I've seen so-called elites doing whatever they want like there'll never be any consequences. And in the end, they just walk away freely."
"They do things far worse than me just groping someone. Yet when I do it, I get punished? Why is it that now that I have elite status—even the Virellano name—I'm still not free to do those things?"
The question carried more weight than they expected.
They all knew such practices existed. Especially among families with power equal to—or only slightly below—the Virellanos.
But could that really be justified?
"Of course it's because we're different," Edward answered firmly.
"Not every wealthy family, elite household, or noble lives that way. Yes, there are arrogant, depraved, cruel people out there… and it seems those are the kinds of elites you learned from."
His gaze softened.
"But there are also families that are different. Like this family. Our ethics and manners are built on positive values. Kindness, respect, humility..."
"...That's why we see what you did as wrong. And I hope you'll learn from people like us instead."
He then glanced toward Aurielle, Sarah, and David.
"And the same goes for all of you. It's obvious now that your brother turned out this way because he learned from the wrong environment," he said.
"From now on, as his siblings, teach him how to live as a proper elite… while also helping him make up for everything he's done."
Aurielle and David nodded obediently, but Sarah merely smirked.
"Teach him? Even a hundred years wouldn't be enough. His heart is already rotten," she said coldly, her voice dripping with disdain.
"He'll never understand what it means to be part of a noble family."
Al listened calmly, exchanging a few casual words here and there to ease the atmosphere. Even though Sarah remained rude, it still helped distract him from the turmoil inside him.
Calm? No.
Not after Sarah's next words made the turbulence inside him grow even stronger.
"I guess the orphanage couldn't even teach him properly. Hmph. What else could we expect from a child raised among lowly people?"
The moment the orphanage was mentioned, all the calmness Al had maintained vanished instantly.
Anger surged within him.
And then—
DINGGG!
Al slowly turned his head and glared at her.
"You'd better take back those words… and keep your mouth from mentioning the orphanage I grew up in."
Sarah immediately felt pressured under that gaze.
For some reason, her usual arrogance suddenly felt meaningless. It was as if… she had awakened something dangerous.
Meanwhile, a strange unease began coiling inside Al's chest. His emotions wavered violently, unstable. A burning heat spreading beneath his skin.
He lowered his head slightly. His eyes widened, glassy and trembling.
Red flashes ignited within his irises, standing out sharply beneath the cold white lights of the room.
The atmosphere suddenly felt heavier.
The silence became suffocating.
However—
"Kill them… Destroy them… Annihilate them…"
Dark whispers surged through Al's mind, invasive and uncontrollable.
No! Al shouted inwardly while clutching his chest.
His entire body stiffened. He raised one hand to his head, pressing hard against his temple as he tried to force himself to focus.
The red glow dimmed slightly, yet faint traces still lingered within his eyes like burning embers in the sterile white room.
"Kill them… Kill them…"
"Arghh… stop… I'm human too…" he muttered desperately, struggling to keep himself under control.
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
Al's behavior this time was clearly strange.
"Al, what's wrong with you?" Sandra asked, her voice filled with worry and confusion.
"What happened to you?" Aurielle also asked as she tried to reach out and touch him.
But Al immediately knocked her hand away and said nothing.
Instead, his other hand gripped the sofa so tightly the leather creaked beneath his fingers.
His entire body remained tense, as though he was desperately suppressing something violent inside himself.
And then—
BZZTT!!
A sudden shock-like sensation coursed through Al's body, instantly pulling his consciousness back.
"Cough… cough…"
Al bent forward while clutching his head, dry coughs escaping his lips repeatedly.
The red glow completely disappeared, leaving behind only a faint trembling warmth inside him.
"Al!" Sandra called out again as she instinctively tried to approach him.
But Al quickly raised one hand toward her—a silent signal telling her to stop.
To not come any closer.
Sandra froze where she stood, forcing herself to stay still.
Al, meanwhile, was struggling to steady himself.
"I… think I'm just a little exhausted. My head suddenly started hurting," he said. "But it's already… getting a little better now."
Slowly, his vision began to clear.
His gaze slowly cleared.
He drew a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Straightening, he looked at his trembling hands.
Argh… I almost lost it!, he thought, closing his eyes for a moment.
He could take their insults to himself, but hearing them mock the orphanage made it impossible to stay calm.
At that exact moment, a sudden sound—no, a presence—shifted the atmosphere in the room.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, and the once noisy space instantly fell silent. The air seemed to freeze; even the servants unconsciously held their breath.
The main door opened wide.
A massive man stepped in. Just like the rumors said—over two meters tall, his bald head glinting beneath the chandelier.
His dark brown skin gleamed like forged steel, his muscles bulging beneath the black uniform reserved for the Virellano family's elite guards. His eyes—cold gray—carried no trace of warmth.
He was Dedy.
Dedy wasn't just a guard.
He was a former international bodybuilder and martial artist who once fought in underground arenas across Malaya.
In one-on-one combat, few could last more than three minutes against him.
Each of his steps was slow, heavy, deliberate.
This guy? Al murmured, tilting his head up to meet the man's gaze.
Dedy's eyes swept across the area, calmly assessing everything with an expressionless face.
Only after that did he give a respectful salute toward Edward and Sandra.
"Dedy, awaiting your orders, Master," he said, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Edward hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. But before he could even speak, Al's lazy voice suddenly interrupted.
"No need to drag this out. I'll explain it myself."
And just like that, he casually admitted everything to Dedy, openly explaining that he had indeed done all of it.
Dedy, who had been standing firmly like a statue, looked slightly startled for the first time.
His gaze shifted toward Edward, silently asking for confirmation.
Edward simply nodded before turning his face slightly away.
"Everything he said is true. So… huff... punish him."
Dedy was still somewhat confused. Never in his life had he seen someone this eager to be punished.
But the situation was already clear, the order had been given, and in his opinion… Al's actions truly deserved a lesson.
Slowly, his sharp eyes locked onto Al. A murderous aura began spreading from his body.
However—
"Stop."
Al suddenly raised one hand.
Dedy halted instantly.
Everyone looked confused.
"I don't know what kind of punishment you're planning to give me…" Al said while glancing toward Edward. "But can we negotiate a little first?"
"Hmph? What do you mean?" Edward asked.
"Haha. Looks like he's scared now. Regretting it already? About to beg for mercy?" Sarah mocked.
The others thought the same thing. Seeing Dedy's overwhelming presence, they assumed Al was trying to escape the punishment out of fear.
But that wasn't it at all.
"Since this is my first mistake, and since I still don't really understand how elites are supposed to live… give me a little leniency."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let's make a bet."
"A bet?! Out of nowhere?" Aurielle exclaimed. "How does your mind even jump to something like that? Don't tell me you're a gambler out there too."
Al ignored her and kept his focus on Edward instead.
"What kind of bet?" Edward asked again.
"Simple," Al replied casually. "If this giant can touch even a little bit of my smooth skin within one minute, I'll willingly accept a punishment ten times harsher."
He leaned back slightly before continuing,
"But…"
"…if he fails, then let's forget this whole thing ever happened."
The entire room instantly fell silent.
Then—
"What?!" Sarah was the first to react, looking at Al as if he had gone insane. "Are you crazy? Do you even know who Dedy is?"
"Where the hell is that confidence coming from!? But… I guess this is good. A tenfold punishment? What a fool. Haha… don't you dare take back your words later."
Aurielle frowned deeply. Even David looked stunned by the proposal.
Sandra herself appeared worried, afraid Al was underestimating the terrifying man standing before him.
Dedy narrowed his eyes slightly.
For the first time, he genuinely examined Al instead of merely seeing him as a spoiled young master. The confidence in the young man's voice… didn't sound fake.
Edward also fell into deep thought.
At first, the proposal sounded utterly ridiculous.
Dedy was one of the strongest combatants within the Virellano household. A terrifying monster even among trained elites.
Yet Al was speaking as though avoiding him for one minute was something trivial.
Still… after everything that had happened tonight, Edward realized one thing.
Al was strange.
Very strange.
And perhaps… there was more to him than they initially thought.
Finally, Edward let out a long sigh.
"Fine! One minute," he said. "If Dedy touches you even once, your punishment will be multiplied tenfold."
A faint smile appeared on Al's face.
"Deal"
Dedy himself somehow felt like nothing more than a test subject in this bizarre game played by an elite family.
Still, he quickly took his stance.
Al did the same.
And after setting the timer, Edward spoke,
"Begin!"
Without wasting a single second, Dedy shot forward, aiming straight for Al's wrist, intending to end this immediately.
Smooth.
His hand was already less than an inch away from the target. In his eyes, the match was already over within a single second.
But—
The moment his fingers closed in, Al's body vanished.
He was suddenly several meters away at Dedy's side.
Dedy blinked in surprise, but immediately pressed forward again.
He assumed he had simply been careless just now.
This time, he was certain he would catch him.
Yet once again, before he could touch him, Al had already moved elsewhere.
Not far.
But somehow… incredibly irritating.
Two seconds.
Two movements.
Two failures.
Everyone in the room started looking confused.
Why hadn't Dedy caught him yet?
Those unable to follow their speed simply assumed Dedy was playing around, letting Al jump around for fun before ending things at the last second.
Meanwhile, those who could perceive their movements immediately realized something was wrong.
Dedy himself fell silent for a brief moment, frustration creeping into his expression before he lunged again.
Thirty seconds passed.
And Al still hadn't been touched even once.
In fact, Al simply smiled lazily and even started joking around.
"I'm fast, right?" he said casually. "You know why?"
"Ever since I was little, I really loved that anime about a blond kid with a fox sealed inside his stomach."
"And my favorite character was…"
"The Yellow Flash."
A bright grin spread across his face.
"Hehe... that's why I'm fast and impossible to catch."
Dedy's rhythm faltered slightly, annoyed by all the nonsense Al kept spouting.
But at that moment, he finally realized something.
This kid wasn't bluffing.
Even so, Dedy remained calm. He still believed it was only a matter of time before he caught Al.
Fifty seconds passed.
Dedy was starting to grow frustrated.
But there was someone behind feeling even more frustrated than he was.
David.
What the hell is happening? he wondered.
Where did this guy get skills like that? He's… fast! He's actually faster than Dedy!
Arghhh… that giant only has brute force. No speed at all!
David immediately started analyzing the situation.
Is he using magic?
But after observing more carefully, David slowly shook his head.
No… That's not magic. That's pure speed.
This... makes no sense.
If this keeps going… all my plans tonight will fail! Damn it!
Watching closely, he finally noticed Al's movement pattern.
Al was mainly leaping between only three different spots repeatedly.
Both he and Dedy had already realized that, yet for some reason Dedy still couldn't take advantage of it and kept failing to touch him.
Frustration burned inside David. To him, Al had to be punished. He must be punished.
And then, a twisted idea appeared in his mind.
A sinister smile slowly formed on his lips.
Dark energy quietly gathered around his fingertips before shooting silently toward one of Al's possible landing spots.
Fifty-seven seconds.
Al was already feeling completely in control. Too lazy. Too careless. And when his foot landed—
His eyes widened instantly.
Slip!
His footing faltered.
His movement was disrupted for a split second.
And of course, Dedy immediately seized the opportunity.
Shit! What was that?! Al wondered inwardly.
But Dedy's hand had already arrived.
GRAB!
This time, he caught him.
With a powerful yank, Dedy pulled hard.
"Al!" Sandra cried out in panic.
Everyone stared intensely at the scene.
David smiled in satisfaction, convinced victory was finally his.
Dedy himself also felt relieved—
But once again, Al escaped.
The only thing left in Dedy's grasp was… Al's shirt. Failed to touch his skin.
The timer hit zero just as Al landed several meters away.
Half-naked.
Dedy clicked his tongue in disappointment.
But the moment he looked toward Al again, that disappointment instantly disappeared… replaced by something far more horrifying.
And not just him.
Everyone else's attention was suddenly drawn toward something else entirely.
Silence fell across the room.
Shock swept through the hall like a freezing wave.
Even Sarah, who had been ready to mock him again, turned pale.
Several maids gasped in horror, covering their mouths.
Edward and David both stood frozen in disbelief.
What they saw was not the body of a normal seventeen-year-old boy.
It was a body covered in scars.
Brutal scars. Endless scars.
Old wounds. Fresh gashes. Long blade marks. Burn traces. Bruises layered upon bruises.
His skin looked like a living map of torment.
"A-Al… your… your body…" Sandra's voice broke as she rushed toward him.
"…w-what happened to you?" she whispered weakly, her face completely drained of color.
She looked as though she might collapse at any moment, yet her motherly instincts forced her to stay standing.
Her knees nearly buckled as her breathing turned uneven.
She had never seen suffering carved so deeply into someone's flesh before.
Al didn't pay much attention to the situation around him.
He silently glanced across the room for a moment, his thoughts still occupied by the strange incident from earlier.
Then his eyes shifted toward David. By now, he was already certain who the culprit was.
A flash of irritation briefly appeared in his eyes.
"Tch… I think you really need to be taught a lesson," he muttered.
After that, he casually walked toward Dedy, snatched his shirt back from the man's hand, and calmly put it on again.
David instinctively took half a step back, startled that Al was suddenly targeting him.
Does he know? he wondered inwardly. But there was no clear proof of anything.
Al ignored him afterward, putting his shirt back on before finally looking up again.
"Don't think too much about these scars. They're just the result of the life I lived out there," he said nonchalantly.
"Anyway… looks like I won the bet. So that means… I'm free now, right?"
And just like that, he walked back toward the sofa and resumed drinking his tea as though nothing had happened.
Everyone could only stare at him blankly, unsure how they were supposed to react anymore.
What they had just seen was horrifying enough to leave them deeply shaken.
Yet Al himself acted completely indifferent about it.
All eyes slowly turned toward Edward.
Edward's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He simply couldn't understand it.
For someone like him, even a minor injury already felt frightening—let alone wounds this numerous… and this deep.
Yet his own son was acting as though it were nothing.
His gaze slowly shifted toward Sarah—the one who had been demanding punishment this entire time.
But Sarah immediately avoided his eyes. For once, she was completely speechless.
Even she understood that after seeing those scars… continuing to provoke Al would only make her look terrible.
Sandra, seeing her husband remain silent, finally stepped forward again, her body still trembling slightly.
"Dear… let's end this already."
Edward let out a long breath before finally nodding.
He then turned toward Dedy.
"Dedy, I know how much you despise cases like this. But a bet is still a bet. You lost, so the punishment is canceled. Return to your post."
Dedy hesitated briefly before eventually nodding.
"Understood, Master," he replied, his voice noticeably lower than before.
Then he turned around and left the room.
Meanwhile, David clenched his jaw tightly, frustration burning inside him.
Damn it! Out of all this chaos… every single one of my plans completely failed! Shit!
Edward then turned toward Al.
"Al… are you okay?" he asked carefully.
Al stared at him for a moment—longer than before.
"…Huff… if you want to talk about these scars, then it's better not to," he said quietly. "It's a long story, and I don't like long stories."
"And more than that… every scar here carries painful memories for me. If you force me to talk about them, it'll be very uncomfortable."
The room fell silent once again after hearing those words.
They understood now.
Those wounds were not merely scars on flesh.
They carried painful memories behind them—possibly traumatic ones.
Sandra desperately wanted to hug her son.
Even Aurielle, driven by her instincts as the eldest sister, unconsciously stepped closer as well.
But both of them ultimately hesitated.
They were afraid of hurting Al's body.
Fortunately, the punishment had been canceled.
If it had actually gone through, they would have only added more wounds onto a body that already looked nearly destroyed.
And that would have become a regret too heavy for them to bear.
As for everything that happened tonight… they would have to carefully reconsider how to handle it moving forward.
Edward himself finally let out a long sigh.
He glanced toward the back of the room, where Harun was already signaling that dinner was ready.
"Huff… anyway. It's dinner time."
Then he looked back at Al.
"Al, join us for dinner. We still need to discuss a few things afterward," he said.
Al merely gave a faint nod.
"All right," he replied.
Finally, something more useful than all this drama, he thought inwardly.
And with that, everyone slowly headed toward the dining table.
---