These doubts could probably only be answered by Black Earl. But they surely involved secrets of the Noah Clan, so Angel was not in a position to ask...
"What exactly happened? Didn't you say you were about to die? How did you end up merging with Lord Black Earl now?"
While Angel was wondering whether he ought to observe proper etiquette at a time like this, Dox beside him spoke directly. Regardless of the occasion or atmosphere, he poured out every doubt in his heart in one breath.
"And who exactly are you now? Are you... yourself, or Lord Black Earl?"
Dox stared into Wai's eyes.
Wai had originally wanted to keep mocking him a little, or shoot his mouth off as he usually did. But seeing the complicated emotions Dox was trying to suppress in his gaze, he swallowed the words that had risen to his throat.
"Of course I'm still me. I thought I was going to die just now, but didn't you see? My lord pulled me back." Wai shrugged, wearing an expression that said, Who could have guessed things would turn out like this?
Dox said, "You said just now that you would become a puppet? That you would turn out like Ayla? What was that about?"
Wai's gaze darted everywhere. "That? ...It was just a misunderstanding."
Dox had fired off question after question earlier because his emotions had surged to the surface. Now that he had calmed down slightly, he could see that Wai's answers were extremely perfunctory. Wai did not want to mention what had happened before.
Dox fell silent for a moment. "There are no benefits that fall from the sky. Everything has a price. So what price did you pay?"
Rather than continue dwelling on the previous subject, Dox asked the most