Inside his room, Al was reading a book.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed past the window. Just for a moment—but it didn't look human.
Al quickly leapt toward the window and activated his magical radar.
No suspicious aura was detected. No abnormal events. It was as if the creature had simply passed by his room.
Just as Al was about to open the window and go out to investigate—
Knock. Knock. Knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
Al opened it to see Nayala standing there.
She appeared with makeup on and a charming smile.
"Nayala?" Al said, eyeing her warily.
"Al, I... I feel bad for being cold and blaming you the other night. Can I... talk to you for a moment?"
Al frowned.
"No," he said while glancing around, making sure nothing was off.
Nayala tried to push the door open and stepped inside.
"Just for a moment…"
Al tried to shut the door, but Nayala forced her way in and suddenly jumped at him. Al dodged her lunge, and because the room wasn't very big, she crashed into the wall.
She winced in pain and looked like she was about to fall. Out of instinct, Al caught her before she could hit the ground. But... that was exactly what she was waiting for.
She pretended to lose her balance and fall.
With a quick motion, she plucked a few strands of Al's hair and hid them up her sleeve. Then—
"You...! You touched me?!"
Nayala shouted while pushing Al away, then ran out of the room crying.
Al stood frozen.
"What... was that? I think I've been set up again. Same boring pattern. Any second now, a servant comes knocking, I get summoned to the family room, and... punished. Sigh."
He waited for hours... but no one came.
No summoning. No drama. No punishment that night.
"Huh... That's odd."
His thoughts drifted back to the creature he saw earlier.
It was the same as the one I saw in the alley, he thought.
---
In David's room.
David and Nayala were cuddling. Nayala handed him a small tissue bundle.
"Here are a few strands of his hair… is that enough?"
David grinned.
"More than enough. Thank you, baby. You were amazing tonight."
Nayala hugged him tightly, hoping she'd helped protect David from the threat Al posed.
"Don't make me get near that guy again, okay? I really can't take it," Nayala said with a pout.
David only smiled.
---
Saturday, late morning, in front of the Virellano estate.
A black car pulled up to the grand, heavily guarded gate. From behind the tinted glass, Rudi peeked at the opening gate.
His eyes widened when he saw a familiar figure that looked like an astral being to him walking out of the estate.
"That... Al?"
Al, wearing a black hoodie and school pants, walked casually through the gate with earphones in. A schoolbag hung from his back. He was heading to school for afternoon classes.
Rudi frowned.
"Wait... why is Al coming out of that house?"
Just then, David arrived and greeted Rudi with a calm smile.
Rudi (sarcastically):
"David, I just saw that orphan kid. Why is he here? Did you call him over? Or don't tell me... Al's working here as a servant?"
David gave a faint smile.
"Come in first. I'll explain everything inside. There's a lot you need to know."
They walked in together. The house was in the middle of being decorated—staff bustled around hanging elegant ornaments and new curtains. The place was lively, like it was preparing for an important event.
In a corner, Nayala was laughing softly with Lysha. Rudi turned and stared at the two beautiful girls.
"Who... are they? They're gorgeous."
But before Rudi could step forward, David stopped him with a hand on the shoulder.
"Rudi. Don't go near them."
"Why not?"
"That one—Nayala—is my soon-to-be fiancée," David said, pointing. "And the other one, Lysha, is my sixth sister. Don't you know her? Anyway, just stay away from them. Trust me—my life's a lot easier when you keep your distance from those two."
Rudi swallowed his disappointment and gave a small nod.
"Ah... Lysha. Got it. What a shame…"
---
In David's room.
David sat in a sleek office chair, facing Rudi, who was seated across from him. Then, David dropped a bombshell.
"Al... that kid really is from an orphanage. But in truth, he's the biological son of the Virellano family."
Rudi jolted.
"WHAT?!"
"And I... am the one who was switched at birth. He returned to this house two months ago," David added.
Rudi tried to process everything.
"So you...?"
David leaned in and lowered his voice:
"That's right. I'm not their real son. But this family still can't accept him. It's been two months, and they haven't announced his status publicly. They only gave him a tiny room near the garden to stay in. Their treatment is clear, isn't it?"
Rudi nodded, now understanding.
"So they still prefer you. But what are you planning to do with him? Do you want him gone, or just let him be?"
David took a small wooden box from his desk drawer.
He opened it, revealing a few black strands of hair.
"This is Al's hair. More than enough for the ritual. Keep it safe. It wasn't easy getting something that disgusting. Help me get rid of him."
Rudi grinned, relieved to finally have what he needed.
"Oh right, use it tomorrow night. Not tonight," David added.
"Tomorrow night?"
David nodded.
"Tomorrow night is the engagement annulment between Al and Nayala. Her family will be there. It's the perfect setup... not only will Al be humiliated, but he'll also suffer horribly from the curse"
Rudi chuckled darkly.
"You really are a genius, David... this is even crueler than I imagined."
They both laughed with satisfaction.
Al's hair was placed in a small wooden box—an innocent-looking object holding a malicious secret, evidence of just how vile their plan truly was.
---
The next day, Sunday.
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains. Al slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes. He sat at the edge of the bed and looked at the clock.
"Sunday. I have plans with Indra today. Time to enjoy his mom's cake."
But before he could move, his phone buzzed. A message from Indra appeared:
"Sorry, Al. Today's research is canceled. Family emergency. And the cake failed too. Hehe."
Al stared at the screen blankly.
"Nooooo!! My cake... and cold soda… Whyyyy?!"
He immediately called someone.
On the screen: Sebastian
"Have you investigated it yet?"
Elsewhere, Sebastian—Al's subordinate, working undercover as a teacher at HIHS—was wiping off sweat after an intense training session. His athletic body was marked with old scars. Sweat dripped onto the wooden floor of his private gym.
He picked up the phone and replied briefly,
"It's done, Master."
Sebastian gave a full report. Not only about Daraka's curse, but also suspicious movements by a secretive organization. Hearing it, Al simply smirked.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Al ended the call and walked to the door.
Harun appeared, standing tall as usual.
"Young Master, Master Edward has requested your presence in the sitting room."
"What's going on today?" Al replied lazily. "Isn't this the breakfast summons?"
"You'll find out when you get there."
"Alright…"
As Al opened the door and stepped outside, sunlight shone through the windows—along with the reflection of Dedy's bald head as he mopped the floor.
"Oh, I thought you stopped monitoring me, Dedy. Haven't seen you these past few days."
Dedy didn't reply. He simply stood and saluted respectfully.
---