The atmosphere inside the grand main hall of the Valecrest Manor had become unbearably tense long before everyone had fully gathered, as hundreds of maids, attendants, butlers, servants, and guards now stood arranged in orderly rows beneath the enormous chandeliers illuminating the white and navy-blue interiors of the hall.

No one dared stand improperly, no one dared raise their head unnecessarily, and yet despite the discipline maintained outwardly, fear still spread uncontrollably through the gathered crowd like an invisible wave pressing down upon everyone present.

Soft murmurs continuously rose and fell between the servants standing closest to one another, their voices hushed and trembling as though afraid someone might overhear even the smallest word.

"W-what is happening...?"

"Why were we suddenly summoned here...?"

"Did something happen again...?"

"I heard young master Damon personally ordered everyone to gather..."

"T-then does that mean..."

A maid swallowed nervously before lowering her voice even further.

"...is young master returning to his old self again...?"

Several attendants visibly paled after hearing that.

"No... no... things were finally becoming calmer..."

"I-I heard someone might even be executed if they failed to appear..."

"Please don’t say things like that..."

Even the guards standing near the edges of the hall carried unusually tense expressions, their hands unconsciously stiffening around their weapons while none dared speak openly.

Among the gathered servants stood Sahira as well, her hands clenched lightly before herself while visible anxiety lingered across her face. Even the head butler remained among the rows instead of standing separately, his posture rigid while his mind clearly remained occupied by the implications behind Damon’s sudden actions.

At the very front of the hall—

Damon sat calmly upon one of the large chairs positioned before everyone else, his posture relaxed in complete contrast to the suffocating atmosphere surrounding the room. One leg rested crossed over the other while his golden eyes observed the gathered servants silently beneath the soft glow of the chandeliers.

And seated quietly upon his lap—

Was Cecelia.

The little girl remained unusually still amidst the oppressive atmosphere, her small hands lightly gripping Damon’s clothes while her unfocused eyes wandered vaguely around the massive hall filled with unfamiliar emotions pressing down from every direction.

Damon slowly raised a hand and gently patted her white hair once more.

Nearby, Saffron stood off to the side watching the scene with a tense and confused expression, his small brows tightly furrowed as though he still could not fully believe what he was seeing with his own eyes.

His terrifying older brother—

Allowing Cecelia to sit comfortably on his lap like that...

The image itself felt almost unreal to him.

Meanwhile, Damon looked down slightly toward Cecelia before speaking quietly enough that only those closest could hear him.

"I will have to trouble you again, dear sister."

Cecelia slowly turned her head slightly at his voice, her unfocused eyes moving vaguely through the hall as though sensing the countless emotions gathered within the room. Then after a brief hesitation, she gave a small nod, though whether it came from fear, trust, or merely the desire to help Damon, even she herself likely did not know.

Then—

Damon’s expression changed.

The faint gentleness disappeared completely, replaced by a cold smile that immediately caused the atmosphere within the hall to tighten even further.

"Silence."

The single word echoed sharply throughout the enormous chamber.

Instantly—

Every murmur vanished.

The servants visibly flinched at once, several lowering their heads even further in panic, while even Saffron stiffened from the sudden pressure carried within Damon’s voice. Beside him, Cecelia herself lightly trembled despite sitting against him.

Damon’s cold gaze slowly swept across the gathered crowd.

And just as he was about to speak again—

Another voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall.

A colder authoritative voice.

Dominant enough to suppress the atmosphere Damon himself had created.

"What is going on here, Damon?"

The atmosphere inside the grand hall stiffened even further the moment Duke Valecrest began descending the massive staircase behind Damon, his steady footsteps echoing heavily through the silent chamber while the pressure accompanying his mere presence spread naturally across the room like an invisible weight pressing against everyone gathered there.

The servants immediately lowered their heads deeper.

Several visibly paled.

And almost simultaneously—

Multiple quiet breaths of relief escaped throughout the hall.

For many of them, the arrival of the Duke felt less frightening than being left alone beneath Damon’s cold scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Damon himself barely reacted.

He remained seated calmly upon the chair, one arm resting lightly around Cecelia while his fingers continued patting her soft white hair absentmindedly.

...This actually feels nice.

The strange thought passed through his mind briefly as he felt Cecelia unconsciously relaxing slightly against him despite the suffocating atmosphere surrounding the hall.

Then—

Duke Valecrest stopped before him.

His fierce golden eyes rested directly upon Damon once more as he repeated the question calmly, though the authority within his voice alone was enough to tighten everyone’s breathing.

"What is going on here, Damon?"

Damon finally lifted his gaze toward him before answering in an almost nonchalant manner.

"Just cleaning up your house for you... father."

The words had barely settled when a low chuckle escaped the Duke.

And in the next instant—

A terrifying invisible aura spread outward throughout the entire hall.

The chandeliers trembled faintly.

The servants felt their bodies stiffen instinctively beneath the overwhelming pressure radiating naturally from the Dragon Sword Duke as his gaze remained fixed upon Damon.

"Since when," he asked slowly, "did it become your place to clean my house?"

The pressure within the room intensified.

Yet Damon did not lower his gaze.

Instead, he directly looked back into the Duke’s eyes.

...If I lose the initiative here...

His thoughts sharpened completely.

Then I will keep losing again and again until I become nothing more than a pawn inside someone else’s game.

A cold clarity settled within him.

And this time...

"But the matter concerns me directly, father," Damon replied calmly. "How could I burden you with it while you are already occupied with the breach situation?"

I refuse to allow that.

The Duke’s brows furrowed slightly.

"What does that mean?"

Damon’s expression did not change.

"Why not simply observe for now, father?"

A few servants visibly inhaled sharply after hearing Damon continue replying so directly toward the Duke without hesitation.

But Damon continued calmly regardless.

"And if you believe I am doing something excessive or improper..." he said evenly, "then you may punish me personally afterward."

Silence followed.

Heavy and oppressive.

Duke Valecrest narrowed his eyes while observing Damon for several long moments, the two identical pairs of golden eyes locked against each other without either side retreating.

Then finally—

The Duke turned away.

Without another word, he began walking back toward the staircase.

And this time—

Even Damon himself looked faintly surprised.

...I didn’t think he would leave that easily.

After Duke Valecrest left the hall, the suffocating pressure lingering within the atmosphere gradually weakened, though the tension itself did not disappear completely.

No one among the gathered servants dared relax fully after witnessing the direct exchange between father and son moments earlier, especially after seeing Damon stand his ground beneath the Duke’s overwhelming presence without backing down even once.

Meanwhile, Damon slowly shifted his gaze across the hall once more.

Then his eyes paused briefly on Saffron.

The little boy still stood off to the side, looking toward Damon and Cecelia with an increasingly strange expression, his young face filled with confusion, disbelief, and something almost resembling irritation as he watched his terrifying older brother calmly patting Cecelia’s head while allowing her to sit comfortably upon his lap.

Damon looked at him for a moment before casually gesturing toward himself, silently inviting Saffron to sit on the other side as well.

Saffron instantly stiffened.

Then with a small "Hmph," he immediately turned his head away stubbornly, pretending not to have seen the gesture at all.

A faint chuckle escaped Damon at the childish reaction before he finally shifted his attention back toward the gathered servants.

His gaze landed upon the head butler.

"I assume everyone has gathered?"

The head butler straightened immediately and nodded with complete confidence.

"Yes, young master. Everyone with access to the manor is present."

Damon slowly leaned back into the chair before speaking calmly toward the massive hall.

"I truly did not wish to disturb all of you like this," he said evenly, his voice echoing throughout the silent chamber. "But unfortunately, the situation itself leaves me with little choice."

Several maids and attendants visibly flinched at those words, their nervousness growing even further.

Damon observed every small reaction quietly before continuing.

"An important piece of information from the Valecrest archives has been lost."

The moment those words fell—

Murmurs immediately spread through the hall.

"The archives...?"

"How is that possible...?"

"T-that place is heavily secured..."

"Did someone really steal something from there...?"

Fear visibly spread among the servants almost instantly, because everyone present understood exactly how serious such a matter was within a ducal household.

Damon allowed the murmuring to continue for a few moments before raising a hand lightly.

Silence immediately returned.

"So," Damon continued calmly, "I will require all of your cooperation. You will simply step forward one by one when called and answer several questions so your names may be cleared properly."

Then he slowly looked across the entire gathering.

"It’s simple enough, right?"

Only a few uncertain voices answered weakly.

"...Y-yes..."

Damon’s expression remained unchanged.

Then suddenly—

His voice rose sharply, carrying authority powerful enough to shake the atmosphere itself.

"IT IS SIMPLE, RIGHT?"

The entire hall visibly trembled beneath the sudden pressure.

"YES, YOUNG MASTER!"

Hundreds of voices echoed together immediately this time, loud and hurried enough that even some servants startled themselves while answering.

Only then did Damon nod in satisfaction.

"Good."

Then his gaze shifted calmly toward the head butler once more.

"Why don’t you demonstrate how it is done... Head Butler?"