A small smile appeared on George's lips, as though he understood more than Colton had actually said.
"I can understand that. We'll be leaving soon. If you get bored, tell me. I can take you out right now."
Colton's shoulders relaxed slightly, and a gentle smile settled on his face, carrying a quiet sense of reassurance.
"You're… considerate."
In a dark room beneath the building
Kayden was shivering from the bitter cold. His body was soaked after being repeatedly drenched with freezing water.
He could not understand the purpose of this ridiculous torture, but he remained silent and endured it.
Enzo pointed at him, watching as he sneezed repeatedly.
"He's going to get sick."
He then pulled out a handkerchief and held it over his nose to protect himself from catching a cold.
"How awful!"
Kayden raised his eyes toward him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Are you an idiot? You're a bunch of clowns. You should treat yourselves before talking about anyone else."
"What kind of ridiculous interrogation is this? You've already convinced yourselves of everything without even verifying whether I'm telling the truth or what my intentions are."
Alster chuckled softly and gestured toward Kayden mockingly.
"Are you trying to convince me now?"
Kayden did not respond. He remained silent, his eyes gleaming with silent defiance.
Enzo slowly shook his head and muttered, "He acts like a demon… luring you in only to devour you later."
At that moment, the door flew open violently, revealing Frey, who was holding a sealed document. He raised it before everyone and announced sternly,
"The complaint has been withdrawn."
However, his eyes soon fell upon Kayden's fingers, which were wrapped in bandages. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his face before his brows furrowed. He approached swiftly and seized Kayden's hand so roughly that Kayden squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded, his tone sharp and decisive.
Kayden smiled and shrugged indifferently. "Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me. You don't believe anything anyway."
Frey trembled with rage, fury boiling in his eyes. He turned toward Enzo and Alster, searching their faces for any sign of betrayal. But he trusted them, so there was no reason to suspect either of them.
In a sudden outburst of anger, he raised his fist and punched Kayden with tremendous force. Blood trickled down Kayden's cheek, staining his sharp smile with crimson droplets.
Frey shouted furiously, barely managing to maintain his composure.
"You heretic… damn infidel!"
Kayden did nothing but remain silent, a faint, mocking smile lingering on his lips, as though the pain were merely another means of asserting his defiance.
He cast a sidelong glance at Alster, brief but laden with hidden meaning, before raising his head to face Frey directly.
"That document… it's an official withdrawal of the complaint. Release me now."
Frey refused to change his stance. He stared suspiciously at the document before replying sharply, "The documents have obviously been tampered with."
Kayden laughed mockingly, his words coming out rapidly, as though he were stabbing at Frey's very arguments.
"You need psychiatric treatment. Nobody should have to work with you. Enzo, how do you put up with someone like him? You're wasting your life by his side."
Enzo froze in confusion and pointed at himself in genuine astonishment.
"Me?"
Kayden answered harshly, staring directly at him. "Yes, you, you damn fool. I'm talking about you."
Enzo blinked repeatedly, his expression utterly blank. He could not figure out whether Kayden really meant him or whether this was merely another new mind game.
On the upper floor, Henry remained silent while George spoke. He knew his brother well enough to understand that interfering would accomplish nothing, so he kept quiet.
Suddenly, however, he was overcome by a fit of repeated sneezing. He reached for his face, only to discover that his handkerchief was stained with blood.
He pressed it against his nose, attempting to conceal what had happened, but the bright red droplets were impossible to overlook. He had no idea what had caused it and could offer no explanation, so he chose to hide his face in silence.
Silence did not protect him for long. Colton turned toward him, followed by Sergei, who watched him with scrutinizing eyes.
Sergei was the first to speak, his voice carrying a peculiar certainty.
"So… the twins are connected to that extent?"
George looked bewildered. "What do you mean?"
He quickly turned toward Henry, who was still hiding his face behind the handkerchief.
Sergei smiled coldly.
"The Twin Curse."
He then added, watching the scene as though he had finally uncovered a long-awaited secret.
"I'm glad I got to witness this with my own eyes."
Meanwhile, Kayden slowly followed behind Alster. He had finally been freed from the collar that had restrained him, while Frey had hurried away, followed by Enzo.
Alster suddenly stopped in front of a side room. He entered, retrieved a thick blanket, and draped it over Kayden's shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold. As Enzo said… ah, change your clothes, too."
Kayden accepted the blanket without hesitation. Then, as he began removing his clothes, he glanced at the worn-out replacement garments and looked up at Alster.
"So… you're not going to tell me your name?"
Alster turned halfway toward him and replied in a dry tone, "Who are you that I should tell you my name? I won't."
Kayden muttered as he looked away, "I bet you have a stupid name."
Alster showed no reaction whatsoever.
"That's none of your business."
Kayden suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Maybe I'll return to the church."
Alster stopped halfway through his stride and looked at him in surprise.
"Didn't you say yourself that you would never return?"
Kayden tilted his head slightly.
"Maybe I will… That's none of your business, either."
Alster looked at him coldly.
"Kayden Bryce… you're a heretic."
Once they had finished, they left the room together and approached the exit. Suddenly, Alster spoke faster than before.
"But I really do want to know the truth."
Kayden raised his eyebrows.
"I'll tell you the truth, but not now."
At the exit, Kayden hesitated. Alster gestured toward the door.
"This is the only way out. Go… see your mother."
But Kayden did not move. Instead, he fixed his eyes on Alster's face.
"I think I've seen you before."
Alster answered curtly, gesturing toward his own features.
"There are plenty of people who look like me."
Kayden shook his head firmly.
"No… I know you."
Alster offered a faint smile before asking mockingly, "And who might I be, you infidel?"
Kayden raised a hand and pointed toward his jaw.
"I remember you very well… You said you'd be released from prison after a month in exchange for a ransom, didn't you, Sam? Or perhaps that isn't even your real name."
Alster stared at him without the slightest change in expression. Then he turned around, showing Kayden his back, and silently waved his hand before leaving without a word.
Kayden called after him, his voice carrying a mixture of hope and stubborn determination.
"Aren't you going to teach me?"
No answer came. Only the fading echo of Alster's footsteps remained.
That was when Kayden realized that Sam—the man he had wanted to learn disguise from—had been here all along.
But he had left without teaching him a thing.
Kayden walked out slowly, his mind still occupied with everything that had happened. He continued down the corridor, nearly passing everyone and leaving the church altogether, until he suddenly stopped upon realizing that every eye was fixed on him.
Enzo and Frey stood near the entrance, watching him.
Kayden headed straight toward his mother to reassure her, but Isabelle could not contain her anger. She gestured toward his hands and battered face before turning to Sergei and demanding furiously,
"Is this the justice you keep talking about?"
Sergei answered with forced composure.
"The complaints have been withdrawn, and your son is now innocent. The treatment is very simple… Sit down, Kayden."
Kayden sat down calmly. The moment Sergei extended his hand toward him, the traces of his injuries began to disappear little by little.
Then Sergei asked sarcastically, "Did you suffer at all during your stay here?"
Kayden smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Not at all. I was given food and water… and even a cold bath."
Sergei fell silent, offering no response.
Meanwhile, Kayden turned toward Enzo and Frey and gave them a casual wave. Enzo quickly returned the greeting, but lowered his hand when he felt the intensity of Frey's stare.
Enzo broke the silence, speaking in a steady voice.
"But how were the complaints suddenly withdrawn? Kayden is clearly guilty."
George intervened coldly, gesturing for him to stop before turning to leave the church and follow the others. Enzo, however, refused to back down.
"His research and behavior are erratic… It would be better to keep him here under surveillance."
Everyone left the hall, but Enzo continued following them alongside Frey, repeating his objections. Refusing to let the matter be dismissed according to Frey's instructions, he persisted until Henry finally grew fed up with him and muttered under his breath,
"You damn fool."
Enzo's anger flared. He turned toward the priest and declared,
"I believe the real problem lies with Henry. He should be investigated. The very existence of the twins is a danger."
Henry suddenly stopped in his tracks. His voice came out uncertainly, as though he were trying to defend himself.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Sergei and Enzo exchanged glances, but the former responded coldly.
"You're missing the point."
Enzo raised a finger and pointed toward Henry.
"They're connected…"
Henry's face tightened with displeasure before he replied defiantly, "So what?"
Enzo moved in a swift step and firmly seized Henry's arm.
"We need to open an investigation into him. He seems no less dangerous than his brother."
Henry lowered his gaze toward the hand gripping his arm and smiled mockingly.
"Do you realize that hurts? Let go."
What puzzled Enzo was that he was not even squeezing Henry's arm particularly hard, yet an inexplicable weight seemed to restrain it, as though he had fallen into an invisible shackle.
Enzo muttered sharply, "You… you're cursed."
He continued sternly, "At the very least, the two of them must be separated, and he must be investigated."
Henry pretended to be in pain, attempting to break free, but Enzo tightened his grip further and further, escalating the tension.
Enzo then turned toward Sergei, his voice dripping with provocation.
"Father, what do you think?"
Sergei knew that his daughter was being held by Isabelle, and that any reckless move could lead to disaster. He tried to speak and calm the situation, but he could not utter a single word. What had unfolded before his eyes had left him frozen.
Henry, his face burning with anger, stepped backward and gathered his spiritual energy into his fist.
In a single instant, his hand shot forward like lightning, and his sudden punch landed on Enzo's face.
Everyone thought the blow had struck his cheek…
But it had not.
The punch had followed a far more precise trajectory, landing directly in his eye.
Blood gushed out profusely. Enzo raised his hand to wipe his injured eye, then stared at his bloodstained palm.
A twisted smile spread across his face.
"Now… I understand what you meant about the eye!"
He shouted furiously and prepared to lunge at Henry, but Kayden moved swiftly, pulling Henry behind him as a human shield.
At that moment, Frey's voice rang out, filled with shock and accusation.
"What does this mean… you infidel?!"
Kayden spoke as though the matter had nothing to do with him, gesturing toward Enzo.
"You punched me even after seeing the official document. You even tried to frame him, and then you attacked my brother, too!"
Ayrton spoke from the side.
"That was self-defense. If anyone has a problem with it, they can take it to court instead of causing a disturbance here."
In the background, George stood beside Alster, watching the scene with alert eyes. But as the situation grew more heated, both of them approached the gathering with measured steps.
Meanwhile, Sergei knelt beside Enzo, attempting to treat his injury and put an end to the chaos.
"Enzo… go and get proper medical treatment."
Enzo protested, his eyes gleaming with anger far more intense than his pain.
"Father! He took my eye! He intended to do this from the beginning! How can you let him leave as though nothing happened?!"
Sergei exhaled deeply, his voice carrying unmistakable authority.
"All of you crossed the line with Kayden from the very beginning. And you, Enzo, were the first to attempt to frame him. Let this be… your only punishment. Frey, you will handle the matter."
Frey turned in astonishment toward Father Sergei, then toward Isabelle, who stood off to the side.
Rather than showing any shock at what her son had done, Isabelle wore a smile filled with restrained satisfaction.
Frey grew even more flustered before speaking in a serious, pleading tone.
"Sir… We may have mishandled things earlier, but Enzo's eye… it's invaluable. We need to get him treatment."
Sergei raised his head and offered a faint, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I can fix this, too. I know how precious his eyes are."
But his words did little to soothe the pain. Frey turned his gaze toward Kayden, his eyes carrying a barely concealed threat.
"I know very well that you're not innocent… We'll meet again."
He then grabbed Enzo and dragged his heavy, limp body toward the interior of the building, his steps slow and labored.
Isabelle approached Sergei and whispered in a calm voice, "Your daughter will be fine."
Then she turned and walked away with confident strides, leaving behind an oppressive weight that was impossible to ignore.
Sergei gestured sternly. "Alster, escort them outside."
He hurried away, clinging to the faint hope that Isabelle wouldn't hurt his daughter. He wanted to treat Enzo as quickly as possible so he could go to her.
Colton approached quietly when he spotted Alster. He stopped beside Kayden and whispered urgently, "Don't provoke him. He's not a threat at the moment. But listen carefully: don't get any closer to him than you have to."
A wide smile spread across Kayden's face. It was impossible to tell whether he meant to reassure Colton or provoke him.
"I won't. Trust me," he replied, his tone far too light for the severity of the situation.