Dylan didn’t respond.
He simply leaned back slightly, his gaze cold as it rested on Karl —like a man observing an insect struggling before death.
Karl swallowed hard.
The air around him seed to grow heavier with every passing second, pressing down on his chest. His palms turned clammy, and a thin layer of sweat ford on his forehead.
He didn’t know how he was supposed to explain himself.
More importantly, he didn’t know whether any explanation would even save him.
But right now, that was the only opportunity he could see.
A drowning man would grasp even a straw.
And that was the straw he had to cling to.
"Do you really think any explanation can help you?" Jasper scoffed from the side.
Karl turned to look at him as if staring at soone who had co to claim his life.
"Even if it can’t help," he said hoarsely, "could you at least not ruin the little possibility it might have? You’re my brother, Jasper. Don’t try to beco my enemy ... please. If you can’t save , I need to save myself."
"You —" Jasper pressed his lips into a thin line.
He wanted nothing more than to kick this fool straight out of the room.
But blood ties weighed heavier than reason.
No matter how much trouble Karl caused, he was still his younger brother.
Why did such an idiot have to be part of his family?
The room fell silent again.
Then —
"Explain."
The single words fell calmly from Dylan’s lips.
Karl froze.
For a mont, he wasn’t even sure he had heard it correctly.
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Dylan in disbelief.
The Old Demon ... was actually giving him a chance?
He had never done that before.
Could it be that ... he wasn’t planning to punish him?
The mont that ridiculous thought crossed Karl’s mind, he imdiately shook it away.
What nonsense!
He had dared to plot against the Old Demon!
Even if Heaven ca down to plead for him, Dylan wouldn’t simply let him off the hook.
Still ... a chance was a chance.
"I—I know I was wrong!" Karl blurted out hurriedly, almost tripping over his own words. "Big Brother, I know I’m at fault. I shouldn’t have plotted against you. But ... but I swear I had good intentions!"
Jasper rolled his eyes the mont he heard that line.
Here it cos again.
Karl continued nervously.
"I never ant any harm. I was only trying to help ... help Eira! She had been longing for a mother for so long. We’ve all seen it."
He turned to Jasper, silently urging him to vouch for his words.
But Jasper ignored him again.
Not because he didn’t want to help —but because, in his eyes, nothing could justify Karl’s foolish plan.
Karl felt his heart sink ...
He knew Jasper was angry at him for what he did, but he had never imagined that his brother would stand by so coldly while he faced punishnt. How could he be so cruel!
Swallowing his anxiety, he turned back to Dylan. Under that unchanging gaze, his throat went dry.
"Trust , I did it for Eira," he insisted quickly. "And I didn’t act recklessly."
He hurried to add,
"I arranged everything beforehand!"
Jasper raised an eyebrow —an expression that made Karl rush to elaborate before his brother could tear apart his words again.
"The drug might not have co from a legitimate source," Karl admitted, "but I checked carefully. It wasn’t dangerous at all. I even prepared dicine to ease the effects afterward. And the suite was arranged in advance so you could rest properly."
"Soone?" Jasper almost laughed —a dry, humorless sound.
"The sa dicine that never even appeared?" he said coldly. "Is that what you call arranging everything, kiddo?"
Karl almost cried.
Just how badly had he angered Jasper for him to dismantle every word he said like this?
His voice trembled as he spoke again.
"Big Brother, I know my arrangents f*cked up at the worst possible mont ... but please believe , I never ant to harm you. I only wanted to help Eira get a mother. That’s all."
When he finished speaking, the room fell silent once again.
Karl held his breath.
Jasper also glanced toward Dylan, waiting for his reaction.
Dylan’s expression didn’t change.
He remained seated calmly on the couch, his cold gaze resting on Karl.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence.
Jasper turned toward the door and saw Felix walking in with Eira in his arms. He was surprised to see her, but his brows furrowed more when he noticed the sadness lingering in the little girl’s eyes.
The two brothers exchanged a silent look, and Felix subtly shook his head, indicating that everything was fine.
Felix’s gaze then dropped to Karl, who was still kneeling on the floor.
He didn’t question anything. Instead, he walked inside and stood beside Jasper.
"Did he apologize?" Felix asked quietly.
Jasper shook his head.
"An apology without understanding of one’s mistake is useless," he replied coldly. "Don’t pity him. He deserves every bit of punishnt he’s about to receive."
Felix pressed his lips into a thin line but said nothing more.
For a long mont, no one spoke.
Then Dylan finally said,
"Your six-month allowance will be cut."
The words fell lightly into the room.
Karl blinked.
Jasper turned and looked at his older brother, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Felix wasn’t any different.
All three brothers were taken aback.
Karl even wondered if he had misheard.
"W-What?"
He looked at his two brothers, and when he saw the sa confusion on their faces, he realized he hadn’t heard it wrong.
He had heard exactly what Dylan said.
But really?
That was it?
Dylan rose to his full height, adjusting his cuffs before picking up his blazer and folding it neatly over his arm.
"You deserve to bear the consequences of plotting against ," he said calmly. "But if you aren’t satisfied, you may still choose to train and serve at the borders. The arrangents haven’t been revoked yet."
Karl imdiately snapped out of his daze and shook his head vigorously.
"N-No ... no! I’m very much satisfied with the punishnt, Brother. I’ve learned my lesson, and I will never dare to repeat this mistake again."
Dylan didn’t respond.
He simply shifted his gaze away from him and looked toward his daughter.
"Co here," he said.
The words were ant for the little girl.
But Eira turned away.
"Dada is bad," she muttered stubbornly, burying her face in Felix’s shoulders. "Eira won’t talk to him."
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