Three days later.
Ethan was just staring at the ceiling above. At this moment, he didn't have anything particularly important to do. He couldn't leave this room and was dying of boredom. He hadn't had a chance to do anything at all.
Just then, someone knocks on the door—or rather, bangs on it quite forcefully. Ethan says, "Come in!"
Parker enters the room and, in a panicked tone, says, "Master, actually, it's about…"
Ethan gets up from his bed, walks over to a chair, sits down, and says, "Abigail got taken out. Am I right or what?"
Parker, shocked, says, "But how did you know? Unless you…"
Sagar, who's inside Ethan's body, says, "You dimwit, stop running that zero-IQ brain of yours. I'm locked up in this room, so how could I have taken her out? And as for how I knew, I just guessed. In every clichéd story, the mastermind always takes out the witness."
Parker stares at Ethan blankly and says, "Are you okay? I mean, aren't you angry that now you won't be able to find out anything about the person who wanted you dead?"
Ethan says, "Good for them, because sooner or later, my hands will reach their throat. And as for getting angry, do you know what Buddha said?"
Parker, confused, says, "Who's this Buddha? And how would I know what he said?"
Sagar takes a deep breath and says, "Forget it. I'm pretty pissed off. First, I'm stuck in this room, which means I can't do a damn thing. I'm so angry that I… I can't do anything. I just need to get out of this room."
Parker looks at Ethan and says, "And how's that going to happen, Master? Because the guard outside will never let you leave while your punishment is still ongoing. And only either the Marquis or your stepmother can end the punishment. I don't think they'll do that."
Ethan replies nonchalantly, "Who needs permission? You're going to get me out."
At this, Parker's blood runs cold. He realizes something is about to go very wrong.
Ethan continues, "You'll go, grab something heavy, and whack the guard right on the head." After thinking for a moment, Ethan says, "This plan won't work at all, right?"
Parker breathes a sigh of relief and says, "Exactly, Master. I can't take on a guy who can crack a wall with a single punch. Me, a single-rib weakling, against that real-deal hulk? There's no comparison."
Ethan looks at Parker and says, "You're right, but aren't you exaggerating a bit? Sure, the guy might be somewhat tough, but he's still human, isn't he? Trust me, I've seen big-time boxing champions and martial arts experts lose to ordinary people. Parker, have a little faith in yourself. You could take on ten guards like that. You've always underestimated your abilities. You know, sometimes the opponent isn't as strong as we think. I believe in you… maybe."
"It's all in your head that you think you're weaker than you are. But here, it's not the strongest who survives—it's the fittest. So man up, Parker, and muster some courage. Show this ruthless world who the real man is!"
Parker, with hopeful eyes, says, "Really?"
Ethan looks into his eyes and says, "Do you think I'd lie to you?" (As long as you have a gun.) But he keeps this thought to himself.
Parker feels a surge of enthusiasm and says, "Master, I think the plan you mentioned earlier is pretty solid. It's worth a shot."
As he speaks, he picks up a silver box lying nearby and heads out.
Ethan reaches out to stop him, but Parker is already out the door. Watching him go, Ethan narrows his eyes and mutters, "God help him."
Parker quietly opens the door and sees the tall, burly guard standing outside. He raises the silver box in his hand and lands a hard blow directly on the guard's head.
The silver box crashes against the guard's head with a loud clang that echoes around. Parker's eyes are fixed on the guard, who still stands like an unyielding wall.
Parker silently hopes the guard will collapse unconscious in the next second, but alas, that second never comes.
The guard glares at Parker and says, "What are you trying to do?" He takes a step toward him.
Parker slowly backs away. In the next moment, the guard grabs his throat with one hand, squeezing tightly and lifting him about 15 centimeters off the ground.
Parker struggles to breathe, but the man in front of him tightens his grip with each passing second.
Just then, a familiar voice rings out. The door creaks open slightly, and Ethan pokes his head out, saying, "Oi, dung-face! How many times do I have to tell you to cover that face of yours? Because of you, I've stopped stepping out of this room. And yeah, put him down, or else!"
The guard still doesn't release Parker's throat. Seeing this, Ethan reminds him, "Dung-face, tell me, who do you work for?"
The guard says in a calm voice, "The Marquis."
Ethan continues, "And I'm his son. You get what that means, don't you? So, I said, put him down, or I'll show you why people call me the Devil."
The guard thinks for a moment, then abruptly releases Parker's throat with a jerk, shoving him to the ground.
Seeing this, Ethan says, "Sweet boy."
Then he looks at Parker, who's gasping for air, and says, "But you, get back in here!"
Ethan sits back in his chair and says, "I don't even know what to say. I've never seen a bigger idiot than you in my life. But you've got some serious guts, Parker."
Hearing this, Parker feels a spark of joy inside.
A faint smile creeps onto his face. Then Ethan continues, "But your face isn't great. On top of that, you're a single-rib weakling. Any father would rather kill his daughter than give her to you. Your breath stinks. You probably don't have much money either, meaning you're flat-out broke. Your brain's off grazing grass somewhere. You reek of bamboo. If I were you, I'd have hanged myself by now. The only good quality you've got is that you obey others really well, but that just means you'll always be someone's dog."
Parker, stunned, turns his face toward the little devil and says, "Master, that doesn't sound like a compliment at all."
Ethan snaps back, "Because it's not, you donkey! Don't pull that kind of stupidity again. If you die, I won't find another useless dog like you. First, I need to get out of this room, and then I need to go out there and mess up some people. And I need to let out all this frustration. So, you'll do exactly as I say to get me out of here."
Parker says, "Yes, absolutely. If you apologize to your younger brother, then…"
Ethan cuts him off, "Did anyone ask you to speak? Keep your mouth shut. My shoe will do the apologizing. Wait, that's actually a much better idea. So, listen up. Like you said, go tell my brother to come meet me here because I want to apologize to him."
Parker, confused, says, "But you just said you wouldn't apologize, so why suddenly…"
Then his eyes meet Ethan's, who's glaring at him. Seeing this, Parker says, "Master, I'm going right now."
Parker opens the door and steps out of the room, where the same guard is still glaring at him. Parker quietly slips away, avoiding eye contact and making no sound. Just then, a maid yells from the hallway, "You filthy jerk, I just mopped here!"
Parker, without paying attention, keeps walking and mutters, "Shut up, you bich!" After taking three steps forward, he realizes what he's done. When he turns back, the maid is glaring at him furiously. Moments later, Parker is walking with his hands on his cheeks, which are now bright red.
Parker mutters to himself, "It seems like Master Ethan's influence has started rubbing off on me over the past three days. If this keeps up, it won't be long before I don't have a single bone left intact."As Ethan was passing through the corridor, a few servants walked by and greeted him, "Good morning, young master."
After he had walked a little further, one servant whispered to another, "Is that the one who took his mother's life the moment he was born?" The second servant hissed back, "Keep it down, you idiot! Do you want to get me killed too? If he hears you!"
Ethan , who had been smiling just moments ago, suddenly lost his smile. He felt a strange pang in his heart. Silently, he walked to the garden and sat down. It was the only place where no one came to bother him.
By now, he was used to people talking behind his back. Lost in his thoughts, Ethandidn't notice that the clouds in the sky had started to rumble, and a light drizzle had begun. A strong wind was violently shaking the rose bushes nearby.
Ethanwas about to head back to the palace when he heard a sound. Turning around, he spotted a small bird in the nearby bushes, its wing injured. It was struggling to fly.
Ethanimmediately ran to it and gently picked it up with both of his small hands. At first, the bird, frightened, tried to free itself, but after a while, it stopped struggling.
Shielding it from the rain, Ethanbrought the little bird to his room and placed it on his bed. He knelt on the floor, resting his head on the bed, and watched the bird.
The bird was chirping loudly and flapping its wings. Then Ethannoticed a little blood seeping from its wings.
Smiling, Ethansaid, "You're so adorable, little bird. Will you be my friend?" The bird didn't respond; it was still trying to fly.
**Two days later**
Ethanwas happily walking through the corridor. He no longer cared about people's opinions. Someone was watching him from a distance.
In the evening, he opened his room's door and said, "Little bird, look, I brought you some rice grains."
He noticed the bird was nowhere in the room. For a moment, he thought it might have flown out the window, but he clearly remembered its wings were badly injured. Flying in that condition would be nearly impossible. With hope, he began searching the entire palace for the bird.
Then he heard the little bird's chirping. Ethanrushed into Aaron's room and saw Aaron holding the bird in his hands.
EthEthan outed, "How dare you steal her?"
Aaron, feigning ignorance, said, "I didn't steal anything."
Furious, Ethancharged at him and said, "Then what's in your hand?" He tried to snatch the bird.
Aaron quickly pulled the bird back, gripping it tightly, but Ethanmanaged to grab Aaron's hands and yelled, "Let her go!"
Aaron pushed Ethanaway with all his strength. In the struggle, he squeezed too hard. The bird was thrashing and chirping, but Aaron paid no attention. As a result, the bird suffocated and died.
The moment Aaron realized this, he immediately let go. The bird's lifeless body fell to the floor.
Ethan 's attention snapped to it. He quickly picked up the bird with both hands. His eyes were wet with tears. He shouted in rage, "What have you done? I won't let you get away with this!"
Just then, a commanding voice came from behind. Turning around, Ethansaw his stepmother, Isabella, standing there. Isabella said sternly, "How dare you speak to your younger brother like that? Don't forget your place!"
Hearing this, Ethanlowered his head in shame. His eyes were teary and filled with anger, but he couldn't do anything. He didn't have the courage to utter a single word.
Aaron ran to his mother, hugged her, and with teary eyes, gestured, "He killed my bird."EthEthan outs, "I didn't do anything like that—it was Aaron!"
At that moment, Isabella yells loudly, "Be quiet!" and slaps Ethanacross the face.
Fuming, she says, "Get out of here!"
**That evening**
Ethan , with a somber face, arrives at the dinner table where Aaron is already seated. He takes his seat and is about to put a bite of food in his mouth when Aaron angrily shouts, "How can you still eat? You took that innocent life!"
Ethanlooks at Aaron, about to say something, when Aaron raises his voice even louder, "First, you killed your own mother, and now you've killed that little bird too! Why don't you just die? Everyone hates you, so why don't you just die?"
Ethan 's heart was breaking under the weight of such harsh words. Unable to take it anymore, he shouts, "Enough!"
**Meanwhile**
Isabella says, "I need to talk to you about something. It's about Ethan ."
Logan, exasperated, says, "What trouble has he caused now?"
Isabella begins, "I think…"
Logan yells, "What have you done, Ethan !"
Isabella sees that Ethanhas thrown an entire glass of juice at Aaron's face.
Logan, enraged, shouts, "You're confined to your room for the next six months!"
Sagar, slowly opening his eyes within Ethan 's body, laughs and says, "What a family! A stepmother who can't see beyond her own son. A younger brother who's an absolute jerk with his antics. And a father who doesn't care one bit about his first son, not even bothering to hear him out."
"Now I understand why I was so angry in the beginning. These are the real owner's emotions, suppressed for years, coming out through me."
Just then, the door creaks open slightly, and Aaron says, "I heard you called for me and want to apologize."
Sagar gives a faint smile and says, "Of course, my brother."
Aaron steps inside and notices a strange, slightly eerie smile on Ethan 's face. Ignoring it, he says, "Whatever you're going to do, make it quick. I don't have time to waste on you. I have swordsmEthan ip practice…"
The next moment, a loud sound echoes in the room. Aaron is in shock. He didn't even have time to see the slap coming from Ethan . After recovering from the shock, Aaron yells, "Have you gone mad?"
Then a soft, calm voice echoes in his ears, "Apologize."
Aaron, startled, says, "What?"
The next moment, another resounding slap lands on his other cheek.
Ethan , smiling faintly, says, "Apologize."
Aaron, pointing a trembling finger at him, says, "You!"
A third slap! A fourth slap! Ethanrepeats, "Apologize."
Aaron, despite himself, has tears streaming from his eyes. Ethangrabs his hair, pulls it, and says, "Until you apologize for your mistake, I'll keep raining slaps on your face."
Seeing another slap coming, Aaron screams, "Please forgive me!"
Ethan , smiling, says, "So, you know what you're apologizing for?"
Aaron, sobbing on his knees, says, "I killed your bird, and because of me, you got punished."
Ethan shakes his head and says, "You shouldn't have brought my mother into this. I hope you'll remember that next time. Everything has a limit, and no one should cross it."