Knock. Knock.
Al froze.
"Young Master… it's Harun. Apologies for the disturbance. Master Edward requests your presence in his study," said Harun from outside the door.
Al let out a soft sigh, canceling his outfit selection and deactivating his dimensional storage.
As he walked toward the door, he snapped his fingers and activated Aroma Magic.
"Lavender. To feel… more human," he muttered.
Instantly, his body emitted a soft, soothing fragrance.
---
Minutes later.
Al was already on the fourth floor of the mansion, walking behind Harun, who was leading him toward his father's study.
It was, without a doubt, the most heavily guarded area in the entire house — filled with CCTV cameras, layered security systems, and even emergency countermeasures.
Al quietly observed everything, his brow furrowing slightly.
Something felt off.
He could sense an unusual energy lingering around the area.
The aura of powerful individuals was obvious—most likely elite family bodyguards assigned to watch over this area.
But that wasn't what caught his attention.
There was another presence, something far more unsettling.
And it was coming from above.
He looked up at the ceiling, then casually asked,
"Butler Harun, there's another floor above this one, right? What's it like up there? I mean, is it some kind of storage floor for important stuff, or just a private area for my parents?"
Harun turned around with a faint smile.
"You're quite perceptive, Young Master. But if you're talking about the fifth floor… I'm afraid I can't explain any further. You'll understand someday."
"So, I can't even know what's inside my own house?" Al asked again, half-amused.
"It's not like that, Young Master," Harun replied politely.
"It's not just you. None of the other young masters are allowed to access that area either. Even this floor requires special permission. That's Master Edward's rule. So I can only apologize — I can't tell you more than that."
"Ah, I see. Then I suppose there really is something important up there," Al muttered, receiving only a brief nod from Harun in response.
His crimson eyes faintly glimmered as he stared at the ceiling, activating his magical sight to peek beyond it.
But to his surprise, something blocked his vision.
A magical barrier? And a strong one, huh. These eyes can still detect it, but not enough to see through it, he thought.
Hmph… now that I think about it—those shadowy beings, the family's connection to shamans, bodyguards with magical affinities, and a magical object hidden underground…
He gave a faint nod.
Looks like this family's ties to the supernatural run deeper than I expected.
Interesting. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
Harun noticed that Al had slowed down a little.
"Is there something else, Young Master?" he asked.
Al simply shook his head lightly.
"Nothing. I'm just taking a closer look. You said this floor is usually difficult to access, so while I'm here, I want to observe whatever I can," he explained.
Harun nodded in understanding and didn't press further. With a polite gesture, he guided Al again, subtly urging him to continue toward Edward's study.
Al nodded and followed him, occasionally glancing upward.
That area… the fifth floor. I need to get there. But not anytime soon. First, I need to understand the situation around that place, he thought.
I'm not even sure my power is enough to silently bombard this residence yet. There are too many mysteries in this house that I don't understand… and of course, that person…
His eyes narrowed.
…Uncle Khalil. He's a high-risk variable. If I'm not careful, he could expose me to the WMA.
He lowered his gaze and focused on walking.
Yeah. That's a must. Because what I'm looking for might be there. If it is, and I manage to find it… I could finally cure my people. Even leaving this family behind wouldn't matter anymore.
And so, they continued walking toward their destination.
Meanwhile, inside the study.
Sandra and Edward were already there. They were seated on the long sofa in front of the luxurious desk.
The room was filled with warm brown and black tones, lined with tall bookshelves and neatly organized stacks of documents.
Golden light from the chandelier cast a soft glow across the room—and over the family portraits hanging on the wall.
"Are you sure we shouldn't talk about it?" Sandra asked, referring to Al, who actually didn't need to be barred from joining the family dinner.
Edward shook his head. His expression was firm, though there was still warmth in the way he looked at his wife.
"Let it stay that way for now," he replied. "I only made that decision an hour ago. If I change it now, it'll make my authority look weak."
"Besides…" he continued, "the conflict between him, Sarah, and David is still fresh. A little distance might help them cool their heads."
Sandra could only sigh and nod in reluctant agreement. In the end, a small sacrifice for the greater good was probably the better choice.
Light conversation between husband and wife soon filled the room.
Moments later, Al and Harun arrived.
The black wooden door opened with a soft creak. Al stepped in slowly, while Harun stayed behind and quietly closed the door.
Al walked in confidently, this time surrounded by a faint, pleasant fragrance. Not sharp, but soothing — a scent he deliberately crafted to seem more 'presentable.'
Though apparently, he had underestimated the keen senses of this family.
This time, it was Edward.
Just as he opened his mouth—
"Hmm... What's that smell?!"
Edward leaned back slightly, clearly caught off guard by the scent coming from Al.
"That smell… lavender? Did you use lavender perfume?" he asked coldly.
Al instinctively stopped mid-step. He felt a little confused—why did Edward suddenly look so displeased?
Don't tell me Father is the one with lavender trauma this time?
"Yeah," Al replied calmly. "Since my image seems pretty ruined and people think I smell like a sewer, I just wanted something a bit fresher. So..."
But Edward cut him off.
"Al!" Edward snapped. "It's… ugh. I suppose this is my fault for not teaching you the basic things about this house yet. Forgive me. But…"
He paused for a moment, considering how much he should explain.
"But?" Al asked.
"Hmph. You already know... our family has connections with shamans. Because of that… there are certain things we have to pay attention to in order to keep the energy in this household stable," Edward explained.
Hearing that much was enough for Al to connect the dots.
"Ah… do you mean some kind of ritual again?" he asked curiously.
Edward shook his head.
"More like taboos. And lavender is one of the things that's strongly forbidden for this family."
Edward went on to explain that the shaman had warned them lavender could easily attract negative energies and malicious entities.
On top of that, most of the main residents in the house were women—people said to possess a colder aura that such entities tended to favor.
So avoiding lavender wasn't just some trivial superstition. It was considered necessary—not just for maintaining energy balance, but also for the safety of the family.
Edward even took the time to explain various other taboos—things that should and shouldn't be done within the household.
Meanwhile, Al could only stare in disbelief.
Right now, the image in front of him—Edward, the elegant and cold elite businessman—looked more like a black magic fanatic.
Still, Al didn't dismiss the information entirely. Some parts of it were actually accurate… though others were clearly misguided.
In the end, he simply nodded along with everything Edward said.
"Understood, Father," he replied casually.
At least this wasn't another trauma-related issue that could spiral into something dramatic. Even if he didn't personally care about the taboo, agreeing with his parents for now was the safest solution.
Besides, he fully intended to investigate this whole shaman matter later. He still remembered clearly—the shaman trusted by this family was highly manipulative and likely had some darker plan in motion.
Edward and Sandra nodded, exchanging a glance before looking back at Al.
"That's what you need to know. I hope you'll follow it," Edward muttered. "But for now, could you—"
Sandra quickly stepped in.
She had a feeling Edward was about to ask Al to deal with the smell immediately—maybe even change his clothes.
And then she suddenly remembered the wounds on Al's body. A small pang of guilt tightened her chest.
"Let it be for now, Edward. He can deal with it after we finish discussing this."
Edward looked momentarily flustered at being interrupted, but he quickly understood his wife's intention.
"Alright, honey," he responded.
Sandra nodded and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Al dismissed the topic and decided to focus on the real reason his parents had called him here.
"Uh… ahem… anyway. Father, Mother. Why did you call me here? Does this have something to do with Sister Aurielle?" he asked.
He deliberately changed his expression, putting on a look of shocked fear.
"Don't tell me… you're planning to punish me."
Sandra and Edward exchanged a brief glance before Edward finally spoke, waving his hand lightly.
"No. That's not it. This isn't entirely related to Aurielle. We just… need to talk about something important," he said.
"Something important?" Al wondered.
Both of his parents nodded.
"It's about… an arranged marriage," Sandra said.
Al stared at them blankly, clearly shocked by the statement.
"What?! Arranged marriage?"