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Alfred made it clear that he wanted to stay on the farm, which caused Claudion’s face to distort.
“What do you mean?” Claudion asked.
“I mean what I said. I don’t want to return to the family. I want to continue staying here,” Alfred replied.
Claudion thought Alfred was joking and told him to stop, but Alfred insisted that he was serious.
“I’m not joking. I really want to stay here,” Alfred said firmly.
The Verdi family, including Claudion, wore expressions of shock and confusion as Alfred expressed his desire to stay on the farm.
The farm members were also taken aback by the sudden turn of events, wondering if Alfred was serious.
With a smile on my face, I observed the tense atmosphere.
“Alfred, is this just a spontaneous decision?”
“No, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”
“You want to continue wasting time here? I cannot accept such a foolish idea. Stop talking nonsense and prepare to return to the family!”
“I haven’t been wasting time here! I’ve learned so much that I couldn’t have learned if I had stayed with the family.”
Alfred stood his ground, unlike the last meeting with his brother.
Claudion asked with a cold glare, “Have you given up on all your goals?”
“I haven’t given up on my goals. I believe I can achieve them here as well.”
“Nonsense!”
“…….”
“I was against sending you here from the beginning. What could you possibly gain from such a pointless waste of time? I don’t want to discuss it any further…”
“Enough,” Kael interjected as he stepped forward, having listened silently to the conversation.
The tension between Claudion and Alfred dissipated as they both took a step back in surprise.
“You’re both grown men who are being stubborn and putting your own words ahead of each other. It’s shameful,” Kael chided before addressing Alfred.
“Alfred.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Did you make the decision to stay here on your own, or was it because of someone else’s disagreement?”
“No, it’s mine, grandfather.”
“As you’re no longer young, it’s important for you to decide for yourself where you need to be,”
Upon hearing Kael’s remark that appeared to validate Alfred’s decision, Claudion couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped forward.
“Grandfather!”
“Is there anything wrong with what he said?”
“I was ordered by my father to bring my brother here. This has nothing to do with Alfred’s decision.”
“But as I just said, it’s time for Alfred to make his own decisions,”
“I believe that it was a rash decision. As a member of the Verdi family, I cannot tolerate my younger brother acting irresponsibly.”
“Hmm. You’re saying that you think Alfred’s actions are irresponsible.”
“That’s right.”
Kael nodded his head and looked back at Alfred.
“What do you think, Alfred?”
“…?”
“Can you prove to us that your choice was not wrong?”
“That…….”
-Gasp!
Just as Alfred was about to respond, someone wrapped an arm around his shoulder and spoke up on his behalf.
“Of course, he can prove it! There’s nothing he can’t do,”
“Boss Kaneff?”
Kaneff didn’t stop there and turned his attention to Claudion, giving him a challenging look.
“Hey there, Verdi kid. Weren’t you just bad-mouthing this place, claiming it’s a waste of time to stay here? You have no idea how demanding the work here is. You probably can’t even imagine it,” Kaneff taunted.
“……”
“If this guy proves what the old man said, then you’ll be held responsible for your previous words,”
The other members of the farm, who had been listening, joined in and offered their support.
“That’s right! You’ll regret it if you ignore Brother Elaine and us!”
“I didn’t say anything before because I thought it was a family matter, but I truly believe that Elaine’s time here was not wasted,”
“Elaine always worked hard and did his best, and those efforts weren’t for nothing.”
“I haven’t been here long enough to know everything, but I do know Senior Elaine, and I believe he wouldn’t have made the wrong decision.”
Alfred turned towards the farm members and received their supportive gazes, which were accompanied by bright smiles.
Buoyed by their energy, Alfred’s face reflected a newfound resolve.
“Grandfather,” he spoke up.
“Yes, what is it?” Kael replied.
“I’m not the same person I was when I first arrived here. I won’t be as easily swayed as I was back then.”
Kael’s face twisted into a strange smile.
“Interesting. Are you ready to take responsibility for your choices?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Alfred responded firmly.
“Very well. Then you must prove yourself in the Verdi family way,” Kael declared, pointing a finger toward Claudion.
“Everything will be decided based on the confrontation between the two of you, one week from now,” Kael declared.
Kael, Claudion, and the Verdi family members left the farm, and as soon as they did, the other farm members gathered around Alfred. Alfred scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.
“I’m sorry for changing my decision so suddenly. We even had a farewell party yesterday…”
“Don’t worry about it! You made the right choice,”
“Brother Sihyeon is correct. It would have been truly disappointing if you had left,”
“We had a great time at the party yesterday, so let’s just consider it a celebration for your decision to stay!”
“That’s right.”
The farm members offered words of encouragement to make Alfred feel better about his decision.
“Brother Elaine, you won’t leave, right?” Speranza asked excitedly.
“Yes, for now, I won’t be leaving the farm on my own,” Alfred confirmed.
“Yay!”
Speranza let out a cheer and hugged Alfred, overflowing with joy. Alfred couldn’t help but laugh as he returned her embrace.
As everyone basked in the joyous atmosphere, a somber voice interrupted, “Hey, hey. I don’t think it’s time to celebrate just yet,” Kaneff interjected.
“Why’s that, Boss? Don’t you want Alfred to stay?”
“It’s not that. There’s still a crucial matter that needs to be resolved,”
Kaneff’s words cast a gloom over the previously festive atmosphere.
As he said, there was still a major hurdle that Alfred had to clear if he wanted to stay on the farm.
The looming confrontation between Alfred and Claudion, scheduled to take place in a week’s time.
“Elaine, do you understand the gravity of the situation?” Kaneff asked solemnly.
“……”
“Your opponent is the eldest son and heir of the Verdi family. He’s poised to take over the family business, and from what I’ve seen of his demeanor, he’s a formidable opponent,”
As soon as Kaneff finished speaking, Andras chimed in, “I can confirm what Mr. Kaneff said. Although I haven’t witnessed his skills firsthand, rumor has it that he’s one of the most talented individuals in the Verdi family’s history.”
“Did you see the intensity in his eyes? He’s not planning on taking it easy on you,”
The once jovial atmosphere turned somber and tense as the reality of the upcoming confrontation sank in.
There was a lot at stake for Alfred. If he failed to deal with Claudion properly, he could be forced to leave the farm and return to the Verdi family.
I could see the worry etched on the faces of those who had previously been celebrating with Alfred. Despite this, Alfred remained optimistic and tried to lift everyone’s spirits with his bright tone and expression
“Don’t worry too much. This was my decision, and I intend to take responsibility for it until the very end. Facing my brother in this confrontation will undoubtedly be a challenging task, but I refuse to remain helpless.”
‘Elaine, when did you become so mature?’
In just a short span of time, Alfred had undergone a significant transformation.
Andras, Lia, and I, who had known him for a while, looked at him with a sense of pride and admiration
“I will take responsibility until the end. I’m serious?”
Kaneff suddenly interrupted, his face close to Alfred’s. “Are you really willing to take responsibility until the end? Are you lying?” he asked skeptically.
Alfred was caught off-guard by Kaneff’s sudden change in tone, and he hesitated for a moment before responding. “No, I really meant it from the bottom of my heart,” he replied with conviction.
“So you’re going to be responsible for the honor of our farm until the end?” Kaneff asked, his tone challenging.
“…..Yes?”
“Didn’t you hear what your brother said earlier?” he asked, his tone accusatory. “Everything you do here is a waste of time. I can’t stand to hear him disrespect this farm, do you?”
“Uh. Um… well… that’s right.”
Alfred couldn’t quite understand where the conversation was going, but he felt a sense of unease creeping up on him.
Despite this, he found himself nodding in agreement as if under a spell.
As he did, Kaneff’s expression twisted into a sinister grin. “I mean, I can’t stand it when I see people boasting about how good they are,” he said, his tone menacing. “I can’t sleep at night if I don’t straighten their proud noses properly.”
‘Came out! Boss’s unique twisted personality!’
As Kaneff’s evil smile grew wider, the people who had already suffered from him for a long time began to tremble with anxiety.
“Although a week may seem tight, I have confidence that you can deliver at least one solid blow to that proud nose of his. I am already eager to see him flustered by the end of the week. Kuk-kuk!”
-Gasp!
“Bos..s Kaneff?”
Kaneff gripped Alfred by the nape of his neck and hoisted him up, causing him to dangle in the air like a kitten held by its mother’s mouth.
“Now is the time for special training. Let’s do it right for a week.”
“Wait a minute!”
“Hehe, don’t worry. You said you would take responsibility until the end, didn’t you? That won’t change for a week.”
“Aww! Senior Sihyeon! Senior Andras! Speranza!”
Alfred struggled frantically, belatedly realizing the gravity of the situation, but he couldn’t break free from Kaneff’s grip.
We could only watch in silence as the two walked away, feeling a mix of worry and curiosity.
– Woosh!
“Huh! Terzan?”
Terzan emerged from the shadows and muttered while looking in the direction where Kaneff and Alfred had disappeared.
“It’s a huge deal…”
“What do you mean?”
“Even for me, the leader’s one-week special training is tough to endure.”
“Is it really that hard?”
“Ugh, it’s challenging, but there will be some positive outcomes,” Andras added.
If only he could survive it.”
Terzan’s last words did not sound like a joke at all. I looked in the direction where the two had disappeared with a worried expression.
‘Elaine, please be alive for a week.’