The doors slammed shut behind Kai with a sharp echo that carried down the hallway.
His footsteps faded quickly.
Silence returned to the estate.
Inside the main room, Leon Asterian didn't move.
For a moment, everything was still.
Then—
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"…Defiant," he murmured.
Not anger.
Not frustration.
Amusement.
The suffocating pressure that had filled the room moments ago eased, settling back into something quieter—but no less dangerous.
The door behind him opened again.
This time, without hesitation.
Cale entered first.
Composed. Sharp. Observant.
Edgar followed just behind him, closing the door softly.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
They didn't need to.
They had felt it.
Leon's aura.
Even from outside the room.
Cale slipped his hands into his pockets, his gaze settling lazily on Leon. "You let him walk out."
Leon turned slightly, glancing at him.
"Yes."
Edgar frowned faintly. "He slammed the door."
Leon's smirk deepened just a fraction.
"I noticed."
Cale let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "You're taking it lightly."
"Should I not?"
Cale tilted his head slightly. "Most would consider that disrespect."
Leon turned fully now, facing them both.
His expression had returned to its usual calm—cold, controlled—but that trace of amusement hadn't completely disappeared.
"…If anyone else had done it," Leon said, "they would already be dead."
The words were delivered casually.
As if stating a simple fact.
Edgar didn't react.
Cale didn't either.
They both knew it was true.
Leon walked past them, slow and unhurried, his presence still dominating the room without effort.
"But Kai is different," Cale said.
Leon stopped.
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
Edgar crossed his arms. "He's getting worse."
Leon glanced at him. "Worse?"
"More reckless," Edgar clarified. "He doesn't think."
Cale let out a quiet hum. "He thinks. He just doesn't care."
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
"…No," he said. "He cares."
Edgar raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
Leon didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the table at the center of the room, resting a hand against its surface.
"…Freedom," he said finally.
The word lingered in the air.
Cale huffed softly. "That's inconvenient."
Leon's smirk returned, faint but unmistakable.
"Yes," he agreed.
Edgar's expression hardened slightly. "You're not going to loosen restrictions."
It wasn't a question.
Leon looked at him.
"Of course not."
Cale leaned back slightly, studying Leon more closely now.
"You tightened them," he observed.
"Yes." Leon replied.
"And you expected him to react like that." Cale stated bluntly.
Leon didn't deny it.
"That wasn't difficult to predict."
Edgar exhaled quietly, running a hand through his hair. "He's twelve."
Leon's gaze shifted toward him.
"And?"
Edgar frowned. "You're treating him like one of us."
Leon's expression didn't change.
"He is one of us."
Edgar shook his head. "Not in the same way."
Silence.
For a brief moment, the air grew heavier again.
Not suffocating.
But noticeable.
Cale watched the exchange with quiet interest, his sharp eyes flicking between them.
"…Edgar," Leon said calmly, "do you believe I am being unreasonable?"
Edgar hesitated.
Just slightly.
"…No," he admitted.
"Then what is your concern?" Leon inquired with a deadly calm.
Edgar looked away for a second before answering.
"…He's going to push back harder."
Leon's smirk returned again—clearer this time.
"I know."
Cale let out a low chuckle. "You sound like you're enjoying this."
Leon didn't respond right away.
But the silence itself was an answer.
Cale's smile sharpened. "You are."
Leon glanced at him.
"…It's interesting."
Edgar stared at him. "Interesting?"
Leon's gaze drifted briefly toward the door—the direction Kai had gone.
"He knows he cannot win," Leon said. "And yet he continues to resist."
A pause.
"That kind of persistence," he added, "is rare."
Cale folded his arms now, thoughtful. "Or stupid."
Leon's eyes flicked back to him.
"Perhaps."
Edgar frowned slightly. "You're not taking this seriously enough."
That made Leon look at him again—properly this time.
The faint amusement in his expression didn't disappear.
But something colder sat beneath it.
"…On the contrary," Leon said quietly, "I am taking it very seriously."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly.
Edgar held his gaze.
"…Then why—"
"Because," Leon cut in smoothly, "there is no threat here."
Silence.
Cale tilted his head. "No threat?"
Leon's voice was calm. Certain.
"Not to me."
The meaning was clear.
If Kai was stubborn—
If he rebelled—
Or if he resisted—
It wouldn't matter.
Leon would always be able to stop him effortlessly, all he needed to do was make one phome call and he could contact all the governments around America.
Edgar's jaw tightened slightly. "He's not an opponent."
"I am aware." Leon replied smoothly
"Then stop treating him like one."
A pause.
For the first time—
Leon didn't respond immediately.
The smirk faded slightly.
Not completely.
But enough.
"…I'm not," he said.
Cale raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
Leon's gaze sharpened just a fraction.
"I am keeping him in line so he doesn't get himself killed," Leon said. "That is different."
Edgar exhaled quietly.
"That's exactly the problem in his eyes." he said quietly.
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Measured.
Then—
Leon turned away from them, his expression unreadable now.
"…He will understand eventually."
Cale's voice came casually from behind him. "Or he won't."
Leon didn't turn back.
"He will."
There was no doubt in his tone.
None at all.
Edgar exchanged a glance with Cale.
Cale gave a slight shrug, as if to say we'll see.
Leon stepped toward the window again, looking out over the vast estate.
Everything was quiet.
Ordered.
Under control.
Exactly as it should be.
"…Keep an eye on him," Leon said.
Edgar nodded. "I already do."
Cale smirked slightly. "I'll have someone assigned as well."
Leon didn't object.
"Make sure he doesn't leave the estate," he added.
Edgar hesitated. "…And if he tries?"
A small pause.
Then—
Leon's voice came, calm and absolute.
"Stop him."
Cale's smile sharpened.
"Understood."
Silence settled once more.
But this time—
It wasn't tense.
It was controlled.
Deliberate.
Like everything else in Leon Asterian's world.
And somewhere down the hall—
A twelve-year-old boy sat alone in his room,
unaware that every move he made
was already being watched. Kai didn't know how unlucky - or lucky, it depends on what perspective you look at it - he was. He would be kept safe at the price of his independence and freedom. But one day, Kai swore to himself that he will break free and travel the world and have real friends.