Al had already grabbed the man by the collar, not caring whether he was in pain or not.
"Why did you target me? Who ordered you?" he pressed, interrogating him.
"Y-young master… I—I didn't…" the bodyguard stammered, not knowing how to respond.
Al shook his body, then slapped him—right across the injured ear.
SLAP!
It wasn't that hard, but the sharp sound still echoed, even muffled by the bodyguard's own hand. A searing sting shot through the man's head.
He felt the urge to retaliate, but when he looked into Al's eyes, for some reason it felt like he was standing before something terrifying.
His body froze, unsure of what to do.
"Don't waste time. We've already been here too long," Al said flatly. "How many more chapters do you need before you answer?"
Edward stood up and walked over as well, followed by Sarah and Aurielle, who clearly wanted a closer look at the chaos.
"You. What's your name? Which young master do you serve?" Edward asked.
The bodyguard nodded stiffly. "My name is Mail. I serve as a bodyguard for Young Master… David."
Edward was visibly shaken by that answer. So were the others. Their gazes instinctively shifted toward David.
David looked calm on the outside, but inside his mouth, his teeth were grinding hard.
Edward pondered the situation. Somehow, everything was pointing toward David—but he didn't want to jump to conclusions.
He turned to David.
"David. Were you the one who ordered him and Bia to frame Al?" Edward asked sternly.
David flinched slightly.
"Dad… how could I—" but his words were cut short.
The bodyguard, Mail, hurriedly interrupted.
"I-I'm sorry, Master Edward. Young Master David doesn't know anything about this," he said in a low voice.
"Hm?" Edward muttered, turning back.
Mail continued, "I… I and Bia, actually…"
He hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to continue.
"W-we just didn't want Young Master David to be sad… to have his position taken, or worse, be driven away. S-so we…"
"... we tried to get rid of Young Master Al early, before any of that could happen."
Even if it wasn't entirely convincing, everyone was still stunned by the revelation. They never expected servants to dare act this far on their own.
SLAP! BRUK!
Without hesitation, Edward slapped Mail, then kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him crashing into the wall.
Even without using magical energy, Edward's combat skills were still top-notch. Taking down a single bodyguard was no difficult feat.
But what weighed heavier than that—
Was the fact that Edward had personally stepped in.
Which meant this had already become a serious matter.
Edward stared coldly at Mail, who was sprawled on the floor. The pressure from his presence alone plunged the room into dead silence.
"How dare you," he said firmly.
He stepped forward slightly.
"A servant acting on her own will," he continued quietly, yet his voice carried crushing weight.
"Slandering the master of the family. Thinking you have more authority than you can possibly bear."
He turned to Harun.
"Take them away. Hand them over to the internal unit. Strip them of their status as employees of this family, and make sure they never work within the elite circle ever again."
Harun nodded without hesitation and immediately signaled the other bodyguards to carry out the order.
Mail froze, unable to believe his fate had ended like this—all for David's sake.
He glanced at Bia, then looked desperately at David, hoping the master he had served would save him.
David fell silent for a moment, thinking as he watched the bodyguards quickly lift Bia and Mail and drag them away.
He clenched his teeth—but in the end, he did nothing.
He let Mail and Bia be dragged out, their screams marking the end of everything.
Edward then turned his gaze toward David.
"David."
His tone wasn't angry—if anything, it was far too calm.
"I don't know whether you were directly involved or not. And I don't mind competition between you all. But…"
His eyes swept over David, Sarah, Aurielle, and Al.
"…do it the right way. Not through filthy methods like this. Because I want to see a worthy winner—not a dirty one."
David, Sarah, and Aurielle immediately nodded.
"Yes, Dad," they replied in unison.
Al was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected something like this to happen in this household.
Is this some kind of competition to become the next patriarch? Al wondered.
For a family as wealthy and powerful as the Virellanos, it made sense for the children to compete. Hmm...
…if it were me, controlling the Virellanos could become a massive path for my people to be accepted by the world.
Or maybe, it could just as easily become the cause of their destruction…
…Not just my people—this family too.
Huff… troublesome.
He then glanced at Sarah.
That said, whoever ends up holding that power someday… I just hope it's not this annoying woman.
Meanwhile, Edward looked at David again.
"Starting today, all staff under your name will be re-audited. I expect you to keep them under control from now on."
David swallowed hard, then nodded.
"…I understand, Dad."
Edward didn't say whether he fully believed him or not.
Then, he turned to Al.
He paused for a moment—then looked back at David.
"Huff… David," he muttered.
"Yes, Dad?" David replied.
"Because this was the doing of your subordinates," Edward said,"you must take responsibility..."
He fell silent briefly, hesitating.
"Apologize to Al."
Several people in the room were shocked.
Including David himself—he hadn't expected his father to tell him to apologize to Al, who was still regarded as an orphaned child.
"Dad…" he murmured softly, hesitating.
But when he met Edward's firm gaze, all he could do was grit his teeth and nod.
"…Alright, Dad."
Hearing that, Sarah felt uncomfortable and stepped forward to protest.
"Dad… how could David be the one to apologize to Al? Besides… this isn't his fault. It was just his subordinates acting without orders."
Edward shot her a sharp look.
"Sarah… are you trying to teach me how to handle things?" he asked firmly.
Sarah froze and instinctively stepped back.
"N-No, Dad. I—I was just…" she stammered.
"That's enough. Don't interfere," Edward said coldly.
"I don't assign servants merely to serve you. They are also subordinates—tools to teach you how to become leaders."
He let out a short breath.
"A subordinate's mistake is the superior's responsibility. This matter will only be settled properly if David apologizes to Al."
"Y-Yes, Dad," Sarah replied helplessly as she retreated.
She glanced at Al, who—through her eyes—looked smug, even though in reality he was just standing there lazily.
Don't get cocky.
Don't expect to live comfortably here, she thought.
Meanwhile, David had already started walking toward Al.
Al looked at him quietly and said nothing.
This kid… he thought.
A brief memory surfaced—just moments before Al had pointed him out.
David, who had actually been holding the message-delivery object, had performed a light exchange spell with Mail, who was standing behind him.
Something in Mail's pocket swapped places with the object, and in the end, the item landed in Mail's hand.
So he really did have bad intentions toward me. I thought he was a good kid who wanted to accept me. All those warm smiles before… fake.
Hmph… as your brother, I'll let it slide this time. I hope this apology serves as a lesson for you.
By the way… that spell was pretty impressive. Spatial magic—at his age… interesting.
As for David, he took a brief breath. Without unnecessary words, he bowed immediately.
The bow wasn't deep—only his neck—but it was refined and elegant.
"Brother… with sincere intent, I apologize for my subordinate's reckless actions," he said, his expression seemingly genuine.
"I will ensure this never happens again. I will keep them under control from now on, and I will offer you compensation afterward."
He then straightened up just as elegantly.
Al shrugged lazily.
"Alright. I hope it doesn't happen again," he said casually. "I'm too lazy to deal with trivial matters like this."
David gave a small smile and nodded, then stepped back.
Edward let out a long breath. Satisfied, he took control once more.
"This matter ends here," he said firmly.
Though he didn't raise his voice, it rang clearly throughout the room.
He looked at everyone present.
"No one is allowed to speak about what happened today outside this room. Consider this a lesson—for all sides."
Then he turned his gaze to Al.
"And… never treat this child as an outsider. He is my son and your master. Toying with him—or harming him—is no different from doing so to me."
Everyone nodded.
Sandra, who had been anxious the whole time, finally relaxed.
There was a strange feeling in her chest.
She shared Edward's belief—that Al was their child and shouldn't be underestimated. But seeing David bow to Al left her oddly irritated.
It felt as if a man she had carefully raised was forced to lower his head to someone shaped by a wild, rough environment—an environment she subconsciously considered inferior.
Still, she remained silent and sighed softly, hoping this would not drag on any longer.
The atmosphere finally eased, though traces of pressure still lingered.
Edward was about to wrap things up when Harun suddenly leaned in and whispered something to him.
Edward's eyes widened slightly. He nodded.
"So he's already here… very well. Let him in. Let's do this now—the sooner, the better."
Harun nodded and immediately opened the massive doors of the room.
Two figures appeared.
A young man in traditional-looking attire walked in calmly—followed by a towering figure who entered next, gleaming and intense.
A chilling presence spread instantly.
Everyone in the room—even Edward—shuddered slightly.
Something terrifying was about to unfold.