Al arrived at the front gate of his house just as the sky had surrendered its light.
His mind had been so consumed by the killing intent that he'd completely forgotten about his appearance.
His shirt was dull and worn, his pants had a small tear at the knee from his earlier movements, and his right shoe was wet from some random puddle in the alley. Luckily, it didn't smell—it was only a minor splash.
At the same time, a black SUV rolled into the driveway. Through the slowly lowering window, Sarah stared at Al—walking with a tired look and a hazy mind.
A small smirk curled on her lips—the victorious smile of a sister who'd just found new ammo against her long-time enemy... her own younger brother.
"Perfect," she whispered, stepping out of the car like a celebrity finishing a shoot for a family drama series.
---
Meanwhile, Al strode quickly into his room, his mind occupied by a complicated thought.
My killing intent spiraled out of control just because I failed, even if only slightly, to suppress the turmoil of this curse.
For six years, I never once unleashed it. I only killed—without the slightest trace of killing intent.
Six years trying to live as an ordinary human… Maybe… I've been too arrogant with my self-control, underestimating just how terrifying the darker side of myself truly is.
He sank onto the edge of his bed, still wearing the dirty clothes he hadn't had a chance to change. His gaze was vacant, and his thoughts drifted far away.
An hour passed.
Little by little, Al managed to suppress the raging energy and murderous aura inside him.
His condition was still far from safe, however. If he lost control again or pushed himself too far, things could easily spiral out of hand.
Just then, a soft knock came from the door.
"Come in," Al said without looking up, assuming it was a servant bringing dinner.
The door opened, and the usual male servant entered with a tray of food. By now, he already knew better than to barge in and always knocked gently before entering.
Every step he took was careful and measured, afraid that one wrong move might turn him into the next victim.
After all, he still vividly remembered what had happened to that unfortunate gate guard earlier that morning.
Despite his nervousness, he carried out the additional task he had been given.
"Young Master Al, my apologies... but I was also instructed to deliver a message."
"Speak."
Al's response was short and indifferent.
"After dinner, Master Edward and Madam Sandra request your presence in the family room. Immediately."
A slight frown appeared on Al's face.
"Hmph. They want to see me? For what, I wonder?"
The servant quickly shook his head.
"My apologies, Young Master. I don't know the reason. They only said that it's very important."
Al thought about it for a moment, but nothing came to mind.
Considering that his condition had only just stabilized, he felt somewhat reluctant to go. Still, refusing wasn't really an option.
Whatever this was about, he only hoped it wouldn't turn into some unnecessary family drama that might stir up his emotions again.
Another hour passed.
After finishing dinner, Al changed into a fresh set of clothes and made sure there was nothing out of place.
His eyes still looked somewhat lifeless, and his hair... well, it was still a mess. But that was simply his style. There was no need to look overly neat.
With that, he headed out.
Soon, he arrived at the final corridor leading to the family living room.
This area served as the usual station for the family's personal bodyguards, where they stood watch over their respective masters.
Hil and Mira were present, along with Sarah's guards. David's usual bodyguard wasn't there this time, having been replaced by someone else.
Even Dedy was around, though he stood much farther away than the others. No one knew why he was there this time.
Al was already familiar with this place. Despite this being only his third night in the mansion, he still received plenty of strange looks whenever he passed through.
He didn't care.
What occupied his mind was something entirely different.
Hopefully, whoever the family eventually assigned as his personal bodyguard wouldn't be troublesome. Or perhaps he should just find one himself?
Hmph... Michaelis and Sebastian would definitely volunteer if I asked.
But no. No. No. I hate being watched.
Better to have no personal bodyguard at all.
Al continued walking.
One step. Two... he suddenly stopped.
Several strands of energy were probing toward him, attempting to assess him more deeply. The bodyguards.
They were still curious. Curious about how Al possessed such capable combat skills. Curious whether he was hiding something.
Al slowly turned his head toward them. There was no mistake. Every single one of them had been doing it.
Unfortunately, his obvious gesture was completely ignored. The probing continued as if nothing had happened. It irritated him.
"Do you know what I hate the most besides having my sleep disturbed?"
His voice sounded casual, yet strangely heavy. Calm. But carrying an invisible pressure that settled over the corridor.
The bodyguards raised their heads and looked at him. Their probing stopped, though traces of their energy still lingered in the air.
Al closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. Then he opened them again.
"I hate... being stared at."
The moment those words left his mouth, something heavy crept through the air. A suffocating pressure. The aura of a predator standing at the top of the food chain.
It descended upon every servant and bodyguard present.
Even Dedy, the strongest among them, felt it. The pressure lasted only an instant before vanishing completely. Yet a faint chill remained. His jaw tightened slightly, though his expression stayed composed.
Silence filled the corridor.
No one spoke. No one understood what had just happened. They had clearly felt the pressure. Yet they hadn't sensed any energy coming from Al.
If it wasn't him... then who?
Meanwhile, Al simply turned around and resumed walking toward the living room. Leaving them behind with nothing but confusion.
Soon, Al entered the living room, and the unmistakable atmosphere of an interrogation immediately hit him.
Edward was already seated. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp. A faint trace of discomfort lingered in his gaze.
His feelings were complicated.
There was guilt because his son had been looked down on by the guards.
There was disappointment because Al had almost gotten into a fight with David, and had injured two guards just this morning.
And there was awe.
Al apparently possessed combat skills that could only be described as exceptional.
Although both guards claimed they hadn't dared to fight back, the fact remained that they were highly trained professionals.
Yet Al had taken them down and inflicted serious injuries with only one or two simple moves.
It was obvious that Al possessed far greater skill than anyone had expected.
It was just...
As a father, seeing his son possess such ability should have been a source of pride.
But as a member of the modern elite, what value did pure combat talent really have? Aside from becoming an athlete... or someone else's hired muscle?
To the elite, such things were no more than hobbies or side pursuits, not something that could place them at the very top.
And now, on top of that, he had received troubling news about Al's so-called combat talent—that instead of properly attending school, Al had been getting into fights out there.
He could only shake his head helplessly, gathering his thoughts and strength for what was about to come.
His eyes flicked toward a door—the one directly across from the entrance Al had used earlier. Just a brief glance, before finally speaking.
"Did you get into a fight outside?" Edward asked without any preamble. "And I heard you injured another guard too?"
Sandra shifted slightly, attempting to interject.
"Honey… you don't need to—" she started, referring to the guard incident.
She felt there was no need to discuss it, since it was already clear—the guard deserved to be punished.
"It doesn't matter, Honey. We still need to discuss it." Edward cut her off calmly.
Sandra could only retreat and nod.
Al was genuinely surprised.
The guard incident wasn't shocking. But the fight outside? How did they find out?
He silently assessed the situation for a moment before deciding how to answer
Right now, inside the room were his father and mother, Sarah, Aurielle, and David.
None of them should know anything about the fight earlier, let alone the surge of dark energy.
Thinking back, Al was certain—he hadn't sensed any suspicious presence this afternoon. No one with the capability to spy on him.
…Or had someone slipped past his detection?
Could there have been a hidden observer… someone who witnessed everything and spread the shocking incident across Makazhar City's hidden forces?
Carrying that information straight into the hands of the city's elite… including the Virellano family.
And exposing his identity in the process?
No. No… that's impossible. Al shut the thought down immediately.
From what he'd seen, even the martial artists who arrived later to investigate the scene had no clue what had truly happened.
And those five thugs? Their souls were already shattered. There was no way they could reveal anything.
Still…
A trace of unease lingered.
A quiet, gnawing worry—that his father might somehow discover who he really was.
Seeing Al standing there in silence with his head lowered, Sarah wasted no time stepping forward and taking center stage.
"See? He's staying quiet because he feels guilty. I was right, wasn't I?" she said excitedly.
"I saw his clothes earlier—they were filthy. And he looked like he'd just gotten beaten up. There's even a bruise on his cheek."
She took another step forward.
"After injuring two guards, almost hitting David. And now? Getting into brawls outside instead of going to school? Woah... he's really wild."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"What will happen to this family if we accept someone like him? How many servants will end up becoming victims?"
A hint of discomfort appeared on her face.
"And maybe... if he already dared to raise his hand against David, then someday it could be me, our sisters, our brothers, or even Mom and Dad..."
She shook her head once again and left the sentence unfinished. There was no need to say the rest. Everyone already understood what she meant.
Her words made the tension in the room grow heavier.
Al slowly lifted his head, his gaze drifting toward her with lazy indifference—and then it clicked.
So it was Sarah. She had reported him based on nothing but assumptions.
Though... this time, she was actually right. He had gotten into a fight... or perhaps "teaching them a lesson" would be a more accurate description.
Still, what was the point of reporting something like this? Did everything really have to be turned into an issue?
Even so, the situation brought him a quiet sense of relief.
At the very least, it was clear now—this wasn't about someone discovering his hidden identity. This was simply Sarah taking advantage of any flaw she could find to go after him.
Al briefly glanced at David, who was sitting quietly on the other side of the room.
He was checking whether the young man was involved in this little scheme... or if this was entirely Sarah's doing.
But from the very beginning, there had been no interaction between David and Sarah.
David was simply putting on a brave face for Sandra, who was trying to comfort him after learning that he and Al had nearly gotten into a fight.
Maybe tonight... it was just Sarah.
David, for his part, noticed the glance.
He was perceptive enough to realize that Al was trying to gauge his involvement.
Unfortunately, regardless of the situation, David had no intention of making a move anytime soon.
After all, the guard stationed at the gate had been far too foolish. During the interrogation, he had actually mentioned David's name.
Even if all the man had said was that he couldn't bear to see David's position being taken away, it didn't change the fact that any interaction between David and Al would now be closely scrutinized.
For now, simply observing Al was more than enough. Besides, something interesting was going to happen soon.
David turned his gaze toward the same door Edward had glanced at earlier. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Back to Al—
He let out a small sigh and shook his head before responding.
"There's no need to make such a big deal out of it. No matter how you look at it, they deserved to be hit. Just tell me what you want to do about it."
"By the way... do I really have a bruise on my cheek?"
He raised a hand and touched his cheek curiously, but couldn't feel anything.
The others glanced at his cheek as well. There didn't seem to be any bruise there.
Sarah stiffened slightly.
Whether she had remembered it wrong or something else had happened, she could clearly see there was nothing there now. Still, that wasn't the main issue to her.
"Well, maybe it's gone by now. That was two hours ago. But... are you saying David deserved to be hit?"
Al glanced at David. The others unconsciously followed his gaze.
"Right?" Al asked.
David had no intention of getting involved. Unfortunately, it seemed he had no choice.
Thinking back to what had happened that morning, a trace of irritation surfaced inside him. He clenched his teeth briefly before answering with a calm expression.
"Technically, I was also at fault. It's understandable that Brother got angry."
He began humbly before smoothly shifting into a counterargument.
"Besides, he was enjoying his sleep, and I entered his room without permission because I thought I should wake him up gently. Well... things just ended up the way they did."
He then looked at Al and lowered his head slightly.
"If Brother is still holding a grudge because of that, I'd like to apologize once again. I also hope Brother won't be so quick to resort to violence in the future."
Just as David had hoped, sympathy immediately rose in the hearts of the others.
As for Edward and Sandra, they couldn't tell whether this was another one of David's calculated moves... or something that genuinely came from the bottom of his heart.
Either way, they didn't dwell on it. In their eyes, David had made mistakes, but Al had gone too far.
Aurielle, who didn't know the full story, instinctively moved closer to David and tried to comfort him, much like Sandra had been doing.
Meanwhile, Sarah's irritation only grew.
"See? David was only trying to wake you up politely. Besides, why were you even still sleeping that late in the morning—"
"You really are... honestly..."
And just like that, she launched into another lengthy defense of David while criticizing Al at every opportunity.
Al simply listened in silence, looking utterly uninterested.
Eventually, Edward cut her off.
"That's enough, Sarah. We're not discussing that right now."
He then turned his gaze toward Al.
"Al, fighting in the streets, injuring a servant, and even nearly hitting your own brother..."
"I've told you many times before. Violence, reckless behavior, and those kinds of actions are wrong. Yet you continue to do them. I'm a little disappointed in you."
Edward paused for a moment.
"Have you ever stopped to think about it? Have you ever tried to change? Every time something happens, violence first, it's this... then that..."
And so, another long lecture followed.
Al looked at him. A few times, he wanted to cut in, but there was never a good opening. As a result, the lecture just kept going.
"...and that's why violence should never be your first solution to every problem."
Finally... It's over. Al inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he responded.
"Father, I understand. In short, you want me to improve my problem-solving skills. I understand."
"As for David and the two guards, if you're still not satisfied and want to blame me for that... then I'm sorry."
"If that's still not enough and you want to give me additional punishment, just say it. Compensation, maybe? Or something else? Call Dedy? Is that why Dedy's waiting outside?"
He then glanced at Sarah.
"Anyway... as for the rest, this woman accused me of getting into a fight outside without any proof. And somehow, all of you seem to believe it."
"To keep things simple, since I've already been lectured anyway, let's just say she's right."
He lowered his head slightly.
"I'll change and try to choose a better path."
"So... what's next? ...I don't think you gathered everyone here just to talk about my violent tendencies. There's something else, isn't there?"
Edward froze for a moment.
His eyes briefly drifted toward the door again. For some reason, it still didn't feel like the right time. Even after that long lecture.
Looks like it's not ready yet, he wondered.
Yeah... Something like this requires proper preparation.
So he decided to stall a bit longer.
"You're quite perceptive, Al. Yes, I didn't call you here to punish you or anything like that."
"Your violence... I know it's simply because that's the only way you've ever known to deal with people who wrong you."
"And you're right that there's something else I want to discuss."
He paused.
"But before that... are you really saying you didn't get into a fight outside?"
"Yeah, son," Sandra added softly. "We don't really know what you're like outside this house. And we'd like to. I hope you'll tell us the truth."
All eyes turned toward Al.
Al could tell that Edward seemed to be waiting for something from behind that door. He had sensed something unusual coming from there for quite a while now as well.
So he decided to play along.
"About that, I... hmph..." he muttered, hesitating as he weighed whether to tell the truth or simply lie.
"You don't need to hesitate, Al. Just be honest," Sandra cut in gently. "Besides, it won't change anything at this point. Telling the truth is still better than hiding it."
After a brief moment of thought, Al finally spoke.
"Hmph... Yeah, I guess I should be honest."
"And yes. Just like here, I've gotten into quite a few fights outside too. Including this afternoon. I was involved in one."
"See?! I told you he got into a fight!" Sarah immediately cut in, looking far too pleased to be proven right.
"Ah... so you really did fight?" Sandra said, disappointment evident in her voice.
Even Edward's expression stiffened slightly.
But Al simply shook his head.
"I think that's still pretty normal."
"Normal?" Aurielle frowned.
Al nodded.
"Yeah. As you already know, the outside world isn't exactly kind. Especially for an orphan with no backing like me. It's easy to get dragged into trouble."
"For some reason, there are plenty of idiots out there who enjoy causing problems. Some come from lower or middle-class backgrounds—maybe that's just how they were raised."
His gaze swept across the entire family.
"And some come from elite class. The kind who look down on people like me and treat us like trash... or insects they can do whatever they want with."
"Al... don't lump us together with every other elite family," Sandra reminded him.
Even so, she couldn't completely deny his words. After all, some members of this very household had treated him exactly that way.
"But what do you mean by elite class? Have you been dealing with elites outside too? Since when were you involved with people like that?"
Al nodded.
"Simple. There are a lot of elite students at my school. That's why I keep getting involved with them."
"And because I'm an orphan, some of them don't like the fact that I exist. So they decide to make me their target. Including what happened this afternoon."
His voice remained calm as he continued.
"They looked down on me. Tried to bully me—both verbally and physically. Luckily, none of them ever succeeded."
"And this afternoon was just another one of their little games. They tried to corner me in a hallway after school, but..."
He paused briefly.
"...Let's just say things didn't end well for them. I walked away perfectly fine."
Hearing that, Sandra and Edward felt a surge of worry and sympathy. Even if they still had doubts, their parental instincts took over.
Sarah looked satisfied that her guess had been right.
At the same time, however, she seemed oddly disappointed that Al had come out of the incident completely unharmed.
Aurielle, on the other hand, reacted differently. A trace of pain flickered in her eyes.
"Is that really true, Al? That's awful. Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"I'll look into it. There's no way I'm going to let my little brother get bullied—especially not in this city."
Then she paused.
"But... what exactly do you mean by rich kids? Are you studying alongside elite students? Or are they the ones coming to your school?"
The question immediately drew everyone's attention. Realization slowly appeared on their faces.
Al simply gave a small nod.
"No need to look into it. Whether it's investigating or following up afterward, I'd rather handle it myself. You don't need to get involved."
"Besides, I'm pretty sure you're still hesitant about making our relationship public anyway. So it's fine."
His refusal was straightforward. He simply didn't want anyone monitoring his movements.
Aurielle naturally felt uneasy, but she nodded on the surface. Deep down, however, she had already decided to investigate the matter herself.
After all, revealing Al's status within the Virellano family was still a sensitive issue.
Whether he could properly carry the family name—or misuse it recklessly—was something they still needed to evaluate.
Openly backing him outside the family wasn't a decision that could be made lightly.
Meanwhile, Al continued.
"And as for why I'm studying with elites? Hmph..."
He let out a quiet breath.
"...Because I attend an elite school."
Silence instantly filled the room. Confusion spread across everyone's faces.
"You... attend an elite school?" Sandra asked in disbelief.
Al nodded.
"You're lying," Sarah said immediately.
Al simply shrugged.
"Believe whatever you want."
Despite his casual attitude, his answer sounded surprisingly convincing.
There were only five schools that catered to the elite society in Eastern Indorosia. Three were located in Makazhar City, while the remaining two were in other cities.
If Al was telling the truth, then he could only be attending either HIHS, the Elite Religious Academy, or Makazhar Elite School (MES)—the school David attended.
The religious academy was unlikely. Al had never shown any particular connection to any faith.
MES? Everyone instinctively glanced at David. David simply shook his head. It was obvious Al didn't study there.
Which left only one possibility. Hazandeen International High School (HIHS). The number one school in Eastern Indorosia.
The very thought sounded even more absurd.
Edward narrowed his eyes.
"Really? Then which school do you attend?"
Al almost scoffed. For some reason, the situation felt incredibly ironic.
"Which school?" he repeated. "It's kind of strange that none of you know even now."
"Though I guess it makes sense. My records at the orphanage are restricted. But now I can finally tell you."
Al looked at each family member in turn, as if making sure they were ready to hear the answer.
Then he casually spoke a name that sounded like it had no business coming out of his mouth.
"I go to... HIHS."
The entire room fell silent.