Amid laughter, Axel stuffed the last piece of steak into his mouth, then picked up the plate and washed it at the cleaning station. Alfred's Adam's apple bobbed in surprise.
"Uh," he said with a frown. "You shouldn't joke like that, Mr. Axel. This is, after all, the ancestral property of the Wayne Family."
"What? Joke? Me?" Axel set down the plate and turned to Alfred, a teasing smirk on his face.
"Alfred, do you think I'm the joking type? Well, yes, I do enjoy a good joke—an excellent man should have an excellent sense of humor. But as a butler, you need to tell the difference between jokes and real decisions."
His playful tone shifted. Axel's expression turned serious. He placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder and, arm around him, walked out of the kitchen.
"You know, my hearing is exceptional, and my sense of smell is even better. Walking into this house, I immediately found your scent and Bruce Wayne's. Of course, other servants' scents floated by now and then, but faintly."
Alfred stiffened. A moment later, he explained, "Mr. Axel, Bruce is a young man. He has a nightlife typical for someone his age, so—"
"Stop!" Axel interrupted, patting Alfred's shoulder. "No need to explain. My senses are far more reliable than any excuse. When I caught Bruce's scent, I realized something: it's familiar. I've smelled it many times before."
He leaned in, grinning mischievously.
"So, Alfred, your young master Wayne has been living his nightlife around me? Iceberg Lounge is one thing—full of women selling themselves. I doubt he's interested in that kind of company, but maybe he's pushing his aesthetic limits, who knows?
And when I was stuck in Metropolis, why did his scent appear there too? Was he watching the cheerleaders' outdoor performance?
During my chaos in Wayne Tower, was your young master flirting with the receptionist at Wayne Enterprises? Seventy, eighty meters away—two coincidences aren't coincidences, Alfred. He's not chasing girls… he's chasing me!"
Axel laughed, patting Alfred's back again. Alfred stiffened, but Axel continued.
"Wait, don't move, I hear something! Haha, I didn't mishear. My Downton Manor has secret passages and a massive underground cave! If I'm correct, your young master is climbing a rope down there. You haven't modernized this space—what a pity. Let's give him a little surprise and announce my move into Downton Manor, and your defection to my service.
Let's make a bet, Alfred: will he feel he's lost a house and a butler, or a crib and a dad?"
With that, Axel dragged the frozen Alfred toward Bruce Wayne's study.
Meanwhile, Bruce scrambled through the underground cave, climbing the safety rope into the Wayne Family's secret passage. He intended to return unnoticed, cooperate with Alfred, and act as if he had never left.
Two minutes later, Bruce pushed open the heavy door and froze. Axel sat at his desk, cheerfully flipping through books he and his father had read.
Bruce's brow furrowed sharply. Alfred's crestfallen expression did not help. Axel grinned and tossed the large book aside.
"Bold, aren't you? Breaking into my manor!" Axel waved at Alfred. "My excellent butler, what should I do with this intruder?"
Alfred sighed. "We should let him go. He's young, and every young man deserves at least one chance."
Bruce swallowed hard and composed himself. "If I'm not mistaken… this is my home. You—"
"You're mistaken!" Axel jumped lightly over the desk, appearing in front of him. Bruce tensed, every muscle ready, but Axel didn't touch him. He tugged playfully at Bruce's hobo-style outfit.
"Tsk tsk, Alfred, another similarity: Bruce and I don't care about our clothes. My pants came from a corpse, my shirt from a woman when I was a kept man, and I'm barefoot because shoes break—and athlete's foot beats bullets. Bruce? His coat is ancient, pants frayed in that perfect hobo style, and his boots have half-rotted soles. Somehow he climbed from the cave in those shoes?"
Axel reached out to pat Bruce's head, but Bruce, already thinking like the future Dark Knight, dodged swiftly. Axel laughed and withdrew his hand.
"I only wanted to compare heights. You won't even let me, young man. A bit too hot-headed, aren't you?"