Fulfilling the Lady's Wish, Very Gentlemanly

What is the purpose of killing?

For an assassin, it is to complete a mission.

For a hitman, it is to earn money.

And for an "artist," it is to create.

Clearly, the Zoldyck Family falls into the second category.

They are, in themselves, the world's long-standing, top-tier family of assassins.

Generation after generation, they have lived almost entirely by this trade.

Killing is just a profession, after all.

And as for making money, a profit is a profit, no matter how it is earned.

Therefore, in essence, nothing moves a hitman more than money.

Especially when that money is earned quite easily.

It was merely a matter of inlaying some gemstones onto the existing foundation.

Silva pondered, his fingers gently rubbing against the whip.

He thought back to the various bizarre assassination missions he had rejected over the years.

The total bounty for those, all told, amounted to at least several billion Jenie.

...What a loss.

He looked up, gazing at his youngest son with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

Why couldn't this brat have been born a few years earlier?!

He pursed his lips, his expression softening, though he remained stern: "As long as you don't... do as you please."

Coleman was somewhat surprised.

It was the first time the old man had given in so quickly!

Tsk tsk, how rare.

He could only marvel at the power of money!

Ignoring his youngest son, Silva tossed the weapon in his hand aside and spoke to the servant.

"Go through the usual routine."

As he spoke, he prepared to walk out, but suddenly turned back, his expression complex for a fleeting moment: "Today... your mother is cooking."

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll have to get there early!"

Coleman smiled, full of delight.

His mother's cooking—he had never tasted it in his previous life!

Silva nodded at this, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Finally, someone else could take the fall for him.

He couldn't be blamed for this; his wife's cooking was truly terrible.

It was far too sweet!

Thinking of dishes where she dumped an entire jar of white sugar into everything, Silva's teeth ached.

He could not understand how Coleman could eat the food without changing his expression.

Perhaps... it was a talent?

Bang.

The iron door of the dungeon slammed shut.

Inside the room, only a servant in a suit and glasses remained with Coleman, who stood idle with a vacant expression.

With his closest kin gone, the expression Coleman had been feigning vanished entirely.

He looked like a doll.

"Lal, begin. Call me when it's finished."

He spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.

Afterward, Coleman ignored the servant, choosing instead to empty his mind and immerse himself in his own world.

"Yes, Young Master."

Lal was long accustomed to this.

Everyone in the Zoldyck Family was, to some degree, abnormal.

Moreover, the young master was only truly authentic in moments like these.

Only then could one see that he and Illumi were true twins.

Equally soulless, equally hollow.

It was just as chilling.

Terrifying, eerie.

Lifeless, yet devoid of any sense of decadence.

It made one's blood run cold.

The whipping continued.

This time, the whip had been dipped in chili water.

The sound of lashes echoed through the air; other than that, there was not a single sound.

If one didn't know better, they would think someone here was practicing their whip-cracking.

After an unknown amount of time, Lal finally stopped.

He took out a pocket watch and checked it.

Not a second more, not a second less—exactly three hours.

The punishment was over.

"Young Master, it is finished."

"Hm? Ah, so fast."

With a meaningless exclamation, Coleman seemed unable to snap back to reality, his gaze still fixed on a corner of the room.

Lal stepped forward and untied the ropes binding him.

"Lal..."

Where is Mother?

"AH!!!!"

A sharp, piercing female scream tore through the night sky of the Zoldyck Family estate.

Frowning slightly and quietly enduring the stinging in his ears, Coleman felt a headache coming on.

Very well, no need to ask.

When would Mother ever change that habit of hers?

Forget it, she probably wouldn't change it for the rest of her life.

"What is it, Young Master?"

"Nothing."

Having learned the answer, there was no need to ask.

He jumped onto the flat ground and stretched his stiff shoulders.

He walked out at a sluggish pace.

Just as he stepped out, he heard his mother's scream again.

"Oh, darling, I'm pregnant!"

Tsk.

Hearing those words, Coleman couldn't help but frown.

The blood-red hue in his eyes churned.

The possessiveness hidden deep in his bones began to clamor.

He licked his lips.

In an instant, thousands of ways to induce an abortion without harming the mother flooded his mind.

No, that won't do.

Mother is my mother, and mine alone.

Big Brother is, too.

They belong only to me.

Cold, filled with killing intent.

Yet, the next moment, it was halted.

"Coleman!"

Illumi frowned, looking at his younger brother.

He reached out, cupping his shoulders and kneading them gently, attempting to soothe his emotions.

Illumi could understand.

Because just a moment ago, he had almost lost control himself.

Sharing Father and Mother with others—one was already enough.

Especially when, this time, someone was going to share his younger brother with him?!

Unforgivable!

Illumi, who had long ago studied various books and the family precepts, knew this.

This was not permitted.

Killing family members or anything of the sort.

Furthermore, the rule of the Zoldyck Family was that the head of the household must be someone with white hair and blue eyes.

Just like their father.

Clearly, neither he, with his black hair and black eyes, nor Coleman, with his white hair and red eyes, were suitable candidates.

Therefore, the Zoldyck Family needed a newborn child.

Illumi stood still, waiting for his younger brother to digest these emotions.

Only when he noticed Coleman's shoulders beginning to relax did he loosen his grip, shifting his hand to stroke Coleman's white hair instead.

He rubbed it over and over, as if petting a cat.

"Mmm... but I'm still so unhappy..."

Of course, Coleman understood the logic behind it.

But logic was logic, and being unhappy was still being unhappy.

"Well, you could also think of it as your 'new toy' arriving soon."

Illumi thought for a moment before speaking again: "A free toy that won't break."

Isn't that nice?

Besides, children of the Zoldyck Family were sturdy from a young age.

You can play with them however you like.

With his head bowed, Coleman didn't know what to think.

Suddenly, he lunged into Illumi's arms again.

He nuzzled against him.

Ah, I got to hug big brother again today.

Happy~

He muttered under his breath: "Alright then, but big brother isn't allowed to give away the part that belongs to me!"

Big brother's love should mostly be for me, you know.

After all, I was here first!

I'm already being so good.

Being able to share big brother with you all.

So, don't ask for too much.

Coleman, who believed he had already made the ultimate concession, felt that today was another day of being incredibly magnanimous.

"Of course, we are one; our relationship will always be different from everyone else's."

It wasn't just Coleman; Illumi felt the same way deep down.

Younger brothers should love their big brother.

I have already shared Coleman with you all.

So, don't be ungrateful!

Possessiveness burned in his eyes, yet he didn't let his brother in his arms see a single trace of it.

In the distance, their mother, Kikyo, watched the two of them with great satisfaction.

As expected, the two of them were truly twins.

They were worthy of being her children.

This damned yet charming possessiveness.

It was exactly like hers.

Her electronic eyes flickered incessantly, and the corners of her mouth curled up.

If it weren't for the fact that she had just discovered she was pregnant, she would have loved to scoop her two adorable children into her arms.

"Illumi, Coleman, it's time to eat!"

Calling out loudly, Kikyo stood where she was and waved.

"Coming!"

The two replied and trotted over.

"Coleman, Mom is cooking today."

"That's right, Father said he's very much looking forward to it."

"...If I can't finish it..."

"I'll help you, don't worry."

Hearing Coleman's promise, Illumi breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he disliked sweets.

But the sickeningly sweet meals his mother made were truly beyond his tolerance.

For a level of sweetness that could make a closet sweet-tooth recoil, one could only imagine how monstrous it was!

Thinking of the horrific cuisine awaiting him, a wave of dread washed over Illumi.

As he thought this, he glanced at Coleman beside him.

He had no idea how this guy managed to eat it.

"Also, Mom bought a bunch of little dresses."

"Are we having a little sister?"

Didn't they just find out she was pregnant?

"I don't know, but the sizes are exactly the same as ours."

At this, Coleman understood.

Mother was going to start making them cross-dress again.

"Ahem, I've accepted a mission, leaving tonight."

Illumi whispered.

So, this cross-dressing mission is all yours.

"Hm? Does Illumi not like dresses?"

"Hm? Does Coleman like dresses?"

The back-to-back inquiries, coupled with the fact that their voices were nearly identical, sounded like an echo.

They both stopped in their tracks, looking at each other.

In the end, it was Coleman who conceded.

He spread his hands and spoke sheepishly.

"I just think that fulfilling a lady's wish is very gentlemanly."