"Yet she'll still chastise me the moment she next sees me." Which could be in the morning, or in two days. Yujin pushes all thoughts of his mother away and leans in with a smile, "But since you've said that, you should too. Be more understanding, I mean." He smirks.
His father mumbles under his breath and shakes his head. Then he points two fingers at him, "Now that I've answered you, how about you answer me."
Yujin sighs and wiggles his fingers around the arms of the chair, "Because I tried to steal an S-ranked item."
Versance nods his head, he already knew, but hearing it from him makes his jaw clench. "Is it because it's a Chaos blessed item?" He asks, his words careful.
Yujin sighs and nods his head. They sit in silence for a moment, his hands now clenched against the table, his eyes staring holes into the metal surface.
"Where is it?" Versance asks with a heavy sigh.
"I don't have it." Yujin answers, giving away no reason for his father not to believe him. Will he, though?
The older man studies him. Both alike in so many ways, in looks and personality, and he sees it well. "You don't know where it is?" He narrows his eyes, but not in a way that suggests he thinks Yujin is lying. "Are you sure?"
"You don't believe me?" While the urge to bring up the thief comes to mind, dread settles into Yujin's gut once more.
That guy definitely did something to make him keep silent. So annoying! If he ever catches him again, he'll make him pay.
"No. I do." Versance nods. He rubs a hand over his clean shaven jaw, his brows furrowing in thought. "How did you even know about it being here?"
Yujin bites his lip and looks away, "I eaves dropped on your phone call with the High Lord."
"One day I won't be here to save you, Yujin." The older man scoffs. "When will you learn?" He pushes off the table to stand and paces. After a minute he turns to him, "I'm going to bring our High Lord in. "
Yujin groans, brows furrowing as guilt eats away at him. Now he feels like trash. He sits up straight and glances at the door when it opens.
A man dressed in a maroon suit and gold accessories steps inside, his shiny leather shoes looking out of place in the cement room. The dark maroon pants look thin and light, but if Yujin were to run his fingers along the fabric, he would be surprised by how soft it is.
One of his hands is in his pants pocket, the other hanging loosely at his side, adorning a number of glistening rings. His waist length black hair is styled back, thick brows narrowed, but Yujin can see the sparkle in the High Lord's brown eyes.
Another crazy old man.
The metal door is loud as it clicks shut.
"You were just like your father at that age." High Lord Bynard chuckles as he comes to stand beside Yujin's father. "Your mother, I imagine, is having a proper fit right now."
"I wouldn't know." Yujin mutters, giving the noble a tight smile. His purple eyes darts to his father's before returning to the High Lord, "She isn't here." He can't help but emphasize.
"Hmm, no she isn't." He agrees. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and waves it at him, "Stop pouting, Yujin. Sit up straight when I'm in the room, speaking to you. Honestly, I don't mind your shit personality when we're on family time, but you've managed to drag me all the way here and interrupt my work."
When Yujin doesn't move, the High Lord swats the back of his head with his ringed hand.
"Oh, shit, okay!" He jumps and straightens his back. He pushes his hair back so he can be properly seen.
"Open your inventory, Yujin." He says, brown eyes staring down at him.
His nostrils flare and he directs his glare at his dad. They can't be serious? "Isn't this an invasion of privacy?"
"Privacy?" Lord Byrnard scoffs, "You lost that right the moment you decided to steal from the museum."
Yujin purses his lips, his eyes flitting from one man to the other.
"If you're worried about your father, he won't be able to see it. Only me. I promise." The High Lord chuckles.
As if that makes it any better.
He hesitates once more before he decides to finally open his inventory. His face flushes red when the Lord pauses. Total invasion of privacy.
So what if Yujin has intimate items in his inventory. It's no one's business but his own. Or it should've been.
Lord Byrnard glances up at him but Yujin avoids his gaze and clears his throat. He can feel the heat in his ears and hopes his dark hair hides them from view.
"You truly do not have it." Lord Byrnard murmurs. He sighs, "Very well then."
Yujin immediately closes his inventory window, peaking a glance at his father. He seems none the wiser of what was in his belongings, and he sighs in relief. He'd rather die of embarrassment from the Lord than a family member seeing his little special guiding device.
"The king will not be happy." Versance murmurs.
Yujin stiffens. The King? The King is the owner of the item? Yikes, maybe he dodged a bullet after all.
Good luck you bastard thief, you have the King of all people coming after you. Yujin snickers but pouts when Versance smacks the back of his head.
He gets that he's being punished but isn't this too much abuse?
"I'm keeping this quiet." The High Lord says, a vein in his neck poking out of his skin. "Do you understand? If this gets to the king, he may very well have your head."
Yujin swallows the lump in his throat, the blood draining from his face, "I- I didn't know it was-"
"No one does, that's the point." The High Lord shakes his head, "Speak of this to no one. As far as everyone else will be concerned, someone stole it. And no one knows who."