Jeong Taeui approached Oliver almost simultaneously with Richard and reached out to touch the stone pillar, feeling the sticky blood on his hand.

Richard carefully slipped his hand under Oliver’s back, his face stern. Then he very slowly and cautiously moved his hand to the back of the boy’s head.

“…Oliver.”

He whispered his son’s name in a low voice.

Oliver was unconscious, his face pale and motionless.

Richard called the boy’s name again. The sound of calling “Oliver, Oliver” gradually grew louder.

No one knew how many times he called the boy’s name like that.

Finally, Oliver’s eyebrows twitched and moved. His tightly shut eyelids fluttered. A small groan escaped between his lips.

“Oliver!”

Richard called the boy’s name once more. Jeong Taeui sighed. At the same time, he anxiously rummaged through his pockets. He felt he needed to contact someone—anyone. An ambulance or something. However, after turning all his empty pockets inside out, he realized he didn’t have a phone.

When he suddenly looked up, Ilay was standing a few steps away, looking down at them indifferently, on the phone with someone.

At least someone had been contacted, so—

Jeong Taeui bit his thumb and tried to recall first aid procedures when suddenly, the figure of Christoph came into his view.

Christoph was still standing in place, staring at Oliver. It seemed he wasn’t unconscious or anything. He just stood silently, staring at Oliver with a face even paler than before.

At the same time, a few people ran out from the main building. They ran straight towards them. Perhaps Ilay had contacted the main building of the estate.

“Oh my, what happened?”

An elderly congressman who was staying at the estate approached. Behind him were a few people hurrying along. From the far windows, a few people were leaning out, trying to see what the commotion was about.

Richard made way for the congressman to approach Oliver, then stood beside him and looked down at Oliver with a serious expression.

“…”

Jeong Taeui stepped back to make way for those surrounding Oliver.

Ilay watched them with an uninterested expression. It was understandable. Even if someone died in front of him, it wouldn’t garner his attention. It would be strange if he looked at the boy with a heavy and worried expression, but even in this situation, his indifferent gaze made Jeong Taeui uncomfortable. It was always like that.

Would that indifferent face ever become gloomy with worry or sorrow? Would that man ever feel sadness and regret for someone injured or dying?

No matter how much he thought about it, Jeong Taeui couldn’t imagine that side of him. Jeong Taeui sighed and suddenly his eyes met Christoph. Christoph had been standing still all this time. Jeong Taeui wondered if he would move again.

Christoph seemed like he wanted to step forward but stopped halfway. It was as if he was disoriented and didn’t know what he wanted to do or where he wanted to go. Then Christoph slowly took his eyes off Oliver and raised his hand to brush off the part of his coat that Oliver had grabbed, his face expressionless. He kept brushing the coat even though there was nothing on it.

“…Christoph.”

Jeong Taeui quietly called out to him.

Christoph kept brushing off his coat as if he didn’t hear Jeong Taeui’s call. It was a long while before he finally looked up. After a few minutes, he responded.

“What.”

His unfriendly eyes turned towards Jeong Taeui, his attitude as if nothing had happened. For a moment, Jeong Taeui didn’t know if Christoph actually remembered pushing Oliver away.

“Oliver…”

Jeong Taeui began to speak but then closed his mouth.

Even if Christoph didn’t remember anything, mentioning the boy’s name now would only be to reprimand him. And Jeong Taeui was not the one qualified to do that.

Christoph, who had been silently looking at Jeong Taeui, spoke coldly.

“I warned them. Even the children—’Don’t touch me.’”

“…!”

It wasn’t that Christoph couldn’t remember. No, he remembered very well that he had pushed Oliver away. However, he only looked coldly at the people around him, then turned his eyes back to the unconscious Oliver. The only difference was his face had turned pale to the point of being unrecognizable.

Next to Jeong Taeui, who was silently watching Christoph, Ilay, who had been standing by with an indifferent attitude, calmly spoke with a tone that had a slightly cold edge.

“Just because you said not to touch you doesn’t mean you can justify this.”

“Justify?”

Christoph sneered. His cold eyes settled on his pale face. The icy, cold light in his eyes seemed to pierce Jeong Taeui’s heart.

“Why should I justify? For what?”

Christoph replied shortly. Then he looked dryly at Oliver again.

“For what should I justify?”

Christoph didn’t care about justifying his actions. Not from the start. He didn’t care whether what he did was right or wrong or what others thought.

Jeong Taeui followed Christoph’s gaze to look at Oliver.

The doctor checking on Oliver shook his head and said something to Richard. Judging by the calm doctor’s expression and Richard’s tense face gradually relaxing, it seemed fortunately, nothing was serious.

“…However, nothing can be certain yet, so a detailed examination is necessary…”

When Jeong Taeui heard the doctor speak, a car came from the garage and stopped a short distance away. Soon, a few men carefully placed Oliver in the car and adjusted the seats to secure him.

Even though the car was spacious, when Oliver lay down in the back seat, only the passenger seat remained. The doctor stepped forward, told Richard not to worry, and got into the car, but Richard shook his head.

The doctor could only click his tongue and said he would ride with the boy as a precaution, so Richard should take another car.

Richard then told the man standing next to him to bring out another car, and the man hurried towards the garage.

A tense silence enveloped the area.

Those watching the situation from afar through the windows and those bustling between the main building and the site created a background of noisy commotion.

And among the crowd gathered around them from a distance, just like in the beginning, only the four of them were left.

Ilay, who had always been indifferent to the world, remained a quiet bystander. Jeong Taeui, though not much different from him, couldn’t hide his worry on his face. Christoph looked at Richard with a calm and indifferent expression. And Richard, who was worried and pacing back and forth, suddenly made eye contact with Christoph, and his face immediately became cold.

Richard, who had seemed focused solely on Oliver and not thinking about anything else, exploded in anger the moment his eyes met Christoph’s.

“You—!!”

Richard lunged forward and it didn’t take him long to reach Christoph, who was only a few steps away.

When he grabbed Christoph by the collar, Christoph’s pale face twitched. Richard’s fingers curled into a fist. But then he relaxed his hand immediately. Christoph instantly stepped aside.

After letting him go, Richard glared at Christoph with blazing eyes. Christoph met his gaze with cold, icy eyes.

Richard’s eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched.

“Don’t touch me.”

Christoph said coldly. At the same time, his fingers began to brush off the part where Richard had grabbed. Seeing these anxious gestures, Richard laughed loudly.

The frustration on Richard’s face disappeared as if the moment he had rushed to grab Christoph’s collar was just a figment of imagination, leaving only his usual calm and quiet expression. Only the sound of laughter was missing.

“You…What are you trying to do to my son?”

Richard asked calmly. Christoph frowned at the harsh, frosty question. However, unlike his cold and indifferent eyes, Christoph responded with a voice that had a hint of mockery.

“What am I trying to do…? I had no intention of doing anything. Your son isn’t even worth thinking about.”

“…Ha…I see.”

Richard mumbled through gritted teeth. His voice was soft, like a threatening animal. It was a sound that made the listener anxious.

“So that was just an accident? Oliver just grabbed you when he accidentally bumped into you and tripped, but was mercilessly kicked away?”

“Of course.”

“The reason you didn’t avoid him and didn’t intend to avoid him but stood there was just waiting for the boy to run into you. All because of your feelings?”

“…I know what you want to say. Think what you want. No matter what you say, I have no obligation to justify anything.”

Christoph looked at Richard coldly for a moment, then replied coldly.

…NO.

Not like this.

That thought flashed through Jeong Taeui’s mind.

When Oliver ran, Christoph wasn’t looking at the boy. Although his gaze was focused on Oliver, that pale look seemed frozen. At least, that was how it appeared to Jeong Taeui.

Christoph didn’t intentionally hurt Oliver.

“The boy will be fine.”

Christoph bluntly retorted. Jeong Taeui watched Christoph intently. This was the person who, though reluctantly, bent down to look at Oliver and patiently answered all of the boy’s questions.

Did Christoph intentionally harm Oliver?…No, that’s not it.

Jeong Taeui frowned.

“Richard, Christoph—”

However, just as Jeong Taeui said his name, Richard’s sharp gaze returned.

It was no longer the gentle and kind look he usually gave Jeong Taeui. It was as if he was looking at a loathsome meddler aiding his hated enemy.

Christoph’s eyes were no different. The cold, displeased gaze shot straight at Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui realized. The relationship between these two was not something others could step into. The surrounding situation was the same. Whether many people sided with Richard or Christoph was almost isolated didn’t matter to them.

Jeong Taeui shrugged and took a step back.

He felt Ilay, who had been standing nearby with folded arms, watching with indifferent eyes without saying a word, now directing a gaze with an invisible smile at him—but Jeong Taeui didn’t turn around.

Richard looked at Jeong Taeui in silence, but it was clear he could feel the hostility in his gaze. Finally, he quickly turned back to look at Christoph.

The atmosphere fell silent again. Richard and Christoph stared at each other in silence. Amidst the fragile, unstable silence like thin, cold ice, the car that came to pick up Richard stopped.

“…Alright. I guess it was an accident.”

Finally, Richard spoke.

His voice was quiet, somewhat different from usual.

There was no hint of anger or resentment on his face. Only his usual calm and reliable expression remained. With a calm face that seemed friendly at first glance, he spoke as if giving advice to a close friend he was worried about.

“You are inherently like this, and this incident was not your fault. But even if an accident happened, there was no change in your expression. Yes, that cruel sentiment hasn’t changed at all. That cruel personality hasn’t changed from ten years ago to now, not one bit.”

Richard quietly spoke, becoming colder. He was completely cold and calm, as if this would be the last time he showed anger outwardly. No, he even smiled a little.

“You said my son wasn’t worth dealing with—Wonderful. They say I have a great personality, but I think you surpass me a hundred times. You said you had no intention of doing anything to my son, but I have resentment for your entire family.”

At that moment, Christoph’s usually cold face tensed.

Richard had now fully returned to normal.

The warm smile on his friendly face, the soft wrinkles around his eyes appeared even softer. In contrast, Christoph’s face was gradually freezing.

“Why did you come back? You didn’t plan to return to Tarten, did you? Isn’t that right? Didn’t you go to T&R because you had no intention of coming back here?”

“… The inheritance… is a significant event that only happens once in decades…”

“Ha. So you came back because your family had an important event? That means no one informed you, right?”

Christoph’s face turned pale. He stared at Richard without blinking, his whole mouth stiff.

“How is your aunt? Ah, well, we’ll see each other soon on the big day anyway. How many years has it been? It seems like over ten years. Sometimes someone sends letters, but I’ve never opened them, so I’m not sure if they were from her.”

“……Thank you for your concern. My mother is well.”

“… Yes. That’s good.”

Richard smiled kindly and nodded, saying “That’s good” again. Seeing them, the smile on Jeong Taeui’s face faded away.

It seemed like something had just flashed through his mind. Warning bells rang in his head about Christoph, whose face was getting paler. He looked at Richard with a lifeless, expressionless face.

“But… How do you know if your aunt is well? She must have aged a lot by now. Besides, she’s had chronic illnesses since she was young, so her health isn’t great… Could she be in pain somewhere now?”

Richard’s smile faded for a moment as he looked at Christoph, frowning and shaking his head in concern.

“You will see her soon, so there’s no need to worry.”

Christoph quietly said. Only his lips moved mechanically like a lifeless machine, as if he were talking to himself. His face was so pale it seemed like it would disappear if touched.

Jeong Taeui frowned.

Christoph was licking his lips.

At first, he thought Christoph was shivering despite the weather not being cold. But after looking closely, he realized Christoph was whispering something. He wasn’t talking to anyone, just to himself.

Not just his lips.

Christoph’s whole body began to tremble.

With a pale face, he looked directly at Richard standing in front of him—not exactly at him, but in his direction, though his eyes seemed to see nothing. His shoulders started to shiver as if consumed by the cold.

Richard smiled as if he didn’t notice this odd behavior. His smile was warm and sweet. Then he leaned down and whispered in Christoph’s ear.

“I hope I can see her in good health this time… Because I haven’t chosen which animal carcass to decorate her grave with yet.”

“…!!”

Hearing that quiet whisper, Jeong Taeui unconsciously clenched his fists, his face stiff.

Christoph finally moved.

He didn’t even realize when he started moving. Suddenly, Richard took a punch from Christoph.

That harsh sound didn’t end with one punch; it continued with two, three, four, and even more.

“Christoph!”

Jeong Taeui shouted.

Christoph, expressionless and with eyes lost in an infinite void without focus, kept throwing punches as if the person in front of him was just a rag doll.

“So noisy.”

Jeong Taeui could understand the airy voice from those lips because he had heard it many times.

Those words weren’t for Richard or anyone else. Christoph kept aiming at dangerous spots, attacking without regard for whether the person might die if hit in the right place.

“Chris! Stop!”

However, before Jeong Taeui could stop him…

A strong thud resounded. Unlike Christoph’s continuous punches, Richard struck Christoph hard in the side.

Christoph froze for a moment without even a groan. He bent slightly, touched his side, and stared at his feet for a moment.

“What’s wrong? Are you angry because I want to decorate my mother’s grave with an animal’s body? Didn’t you once bury a stray dog under Olivia’s grave?”

Richard rubbed his fist as he spoke. Calm and indifferent, he smiled faintly at Christoph. Then he abruptly stopped smiling and clicked his tongue.

“You’re really a pathetic bastard. Born with the ability to get anything you want without difficulty and without fear, except for this small abnormality…”

Richard sighed, tapping his temple with his index finger, looking at Christoph with pity. The soft smile didn’t leave his face.

Jeong Taeui took a deep breath.

Damn. This guy’s a lunatic too.

Jeong Taeui instinctively clenched his other hand, feeling the white knuckles against his tight fist.

Though Jeong Taeui couldn’t understand every word exchanged, he sensed the cruelty in all the words spoken, whether for the listener or the speaker.

Even as an onlooker, witnessing from start to finish, Jeong Taeui didn’t know what to do now. The only thing he knew was that he had no right to intervene between them.

Tsk. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and glanced at Ilay.

He had been watching them intently all along. He stood there with folded arms, as if waiting for the end of a boring movie.

Ilay tilted his head slightly to the side and soon noticed Jeong Taeui’s gaze. He briefly met his eyes. However, facing that cold gaze, Jeong Taeui immediately remembered that he was now Riegrow.

Damn. Yeah, no one’s on my side in this world.

Jeong Taeui frowned. Seeing this, Ilay’s cold gaze hardened even more.

At that moment, Richard, who had been mockingly tapping his head, slowly shook his head in regret and said.

“That’s why your mother got fed up and abandoned you.”

Then came Richard’s clicking tongue.

And.

Christoph, who had been bowing as if frozen, clutching his side, finally moved.

But his target wasn’t Richard. Instead, he walked purposefully toward the security guard who had been watching them.

Christoph moved straight without blinking, his face expressionless as if soulless.

Seeing the waxy pale figure approaching, the guard instinctively wanted to step back, his hair standing on end. However, before he could retreat, Christoph reached out.

The moment Christoph pulled his hand back, Jeong Taeui’s face immediately changed.

What hung from the guard’s belt and was now in Christoph’s hand was a metal baton.

“Chris! Don’t!”

Jeong Taeui shouted, but his voice didn’t reach Christoph.

Christoph moved toward Richard, soulless, as if controlled by someone. It was a weapon that could kill. No. In Christoph’s hands, it would be a weapon to kill. In someone else’s hands, it might not matter, but in the hands of someone experienced, it could kill a person with one blow. Even if not aimed at the head, it could easily break bones anywhere.

Richard’s smile momentarily disappeared as he saw Christoph approaching without any expression. But that was it; he still stood there without retreating or avoiding.

“What’s wrong with this house…?”

Jeong Taeui cursed through gritted teeth.

He had never liked this place from the start. No matter how well it presented itself outwardly, it meant nothing when internally it was always divided and fighting. Moreover, look at the situation now; it wasn’t just healthy competition but also fights ready to take lives at any moment. Crazy Tarten.

Jeong Taeui had unknowingly stepped into such a place. Realizing this, he also realized: ‘Thinking back, I’ve gone mad too. Everyone’s lost their minds; it’s truly bizarre.’

But while thinking that, Jeong Taeui found himself standing between the two of them.

Yes, since the church.

Back then, he had tried to stop Christoph from beating someone, and then he was the one beaten unconscious.

… Jeong Taeui didn’t think he would just end up unconscious facing that metal baton this time.

As Jeong Taeui stepped between them, Christoph had advanced several steps.

Seeing Jeong Taeui suddenly appear in his path, Christoph seemed to hesitate for a moment but then spoke emotionlessly, like a machine.

“Move aside.”

“Chri…”

However, before Jeong Taeui could fully call his name, Christoph swung down.

The baton swooshed past his head. A gust of wind followed, cold and sharp.

“…!!!!!!!”

Jeong Taeui quickly dodged to the side. Though he had anticipated it, the speed was terrifying. He thought he could avoid it since he knew beforehand, but the cold metal still brushed his arm, making a strange sound as it cut through the air.

At the same time, there seemed to be frantic footsteps approaching from behind, but Jeong Taeui had no time to pay attention.

When Jeong Taeui reflexively dodged, Christoph no longer noticed him and continued toward Richard. Jeong Taeui didn’t have time to think. He immediately grabbed Christoph’s elbow. The moment he caught it, he knew it would be a disaster.

Christoph’s face now looked like a ghost. He mercilessly shook off Jeong Taeui’s hand, his elbow hitting his face hard.

“Ugh…Ouch…!”

The pain was blinding, his face felt split in two. Jeong Taeui was dizzy for a moment. Christoph didn’t care and continued his long strides toward Richard.

Jeong Taeui had no time to think. He ran while holding his throbbing cheek. When Jeong Taeui caught up to Christoph again, the distance between him and Richard was only a few steps.