After finishing dinner, they all lingered at the table, the comfortable clinking of silverware replaced by a relaxed silence.
"By the way, Alicia," Jin began, breaking the quiet, a mischievous glint in his eye, "what was all that ruckus earlier?"
Alicia scoffed, her face clouding with annoyance. "That pervert snuck into my room again!"
Woon, who had been trying to blend into the wallpaper, suddenly perked up. "It was a misunderstanding! I just wanted to rest in the guest room, so I came back." His voice was a little too quick, a little too innocent.
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, if that's the case... then why were you, Alicia, in the guest room to begin with?"
Alicia stammered, her mind visibly scrambling for an excuse. "U-um... well..."
Victor, ever the instigator, leaned forward, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, my big sister is a stalker now, huh?"
"NO, I'M NOT!" Alicia practically shrieked, her cheeks flushing.
"Then why were you in the guest room?" Jin pressed, enjoying her discomfort. "You should know that room is where Woon stays whenever he visits."
Victor threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Hooh! Can't say a word! My big sister is a certified stalker!"
Alicia finally threw in the towel, her shoulders slumping. "That room is my drinking room! I store my alcohol there! And that pervert even drank a whole bottle!"
Woon's eyes widened, his voice a barely audible whisper. "Wait... that wine was... yours?"
"Yes!" Alicia snapped, her temper flaring. "Do you even know how much it cost?"
"How much?" Woon's voice was barely a squeak now, fading with each word.
"Five hundred gold!" Alicia declared, relishing the impact.
'What?! That sh*t is expensive!' Woon's internal scream was almost as loud as his sudden reaction. He shot up from his seat, dropping to his knees before Alicia, head bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the ground. "Please forgive this poor one! I have committed a grave sin!"
Alicia's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Good. Now you'll be my slave! Until I forgive you!"
Victor burst out laughing. "So, Alicia, you decided to keep Woon for yourself? How greedy! Hahahahaha!"
"Stand up, Woon, don't bother about it," Jin interjected, waving a dismissive hand. "It's just a drink!"
"Stop!" Alicia practically roared, a fierce glint in her eyes. "He'll be my slave from now on! And he voluntarily knelt down to me!"
"Mom, what do you think about this?" Jin appealed to the matriarch.
The matriarch merely shrugged, a hint of amusement in her gaze. "I don't know, dear. It's up to these two what they'll do."
Victor nudged Woon with his foot, looking down at the still-kneeling boy. "Woon, are you sure you want to be this witch's slave?"
Woon finally looked up, a look of utter defeat on his face. "I have to! Not only did I drink her wine, but also... I saw something I shouldn't have seen!"
Alicia's grin widened to a predatory curve. "Good thing you know your place, my dear slave! Now, my first order as your master: go and clean my room!"
'What?' Woon thought, bewildered. "May I ask where your room is?" he asked, trying to sound polite despite his internal panic.
"The maids will lead you there," Alicia said with an imperious wave of her hand. "So, follow them!"
They all left the dinner room, and the maids dutifully escorted Woon. In front of him stood a large, elegant dark door, imposing and somewhat intimidating. He pushed it open, revealing a spacious room. But instead of the pristine order he expected, the room was a chaotic disaster. Used clothes lay draped over furniture, empty wine bottles littered the floor like fallen soldiers, and general clutter reigned supreme.
'Did she purposely do this?' Woon wondered, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. "Haayys, here it goes!" He sighed, stepping into the room and immediately getting to work, separating clothes from trash with practiced efficiency.
Meanwhile, Alicia was running in a hurry, her mind racing. 'Why did they actually let him clean my REAL room?!' She was practically flying, her heart pounding with a mixture of panic and something akin to a wicked delight.
"I said the other room, not mine!" Alicia muttered to herself, her voice breathless as she finally reached her door. She burst it open, panting, a wild look in her eyes. "HEY! STOP CLEANING AND GET OUT!"
Woon, who was holding a full trash bag, jumped, nearly dropping it. "Wha... what?" he stammered, looking at the now sparkling clean room.
Alicia's frantic gaze swept over the pristine space. "Wait... you already finished?"
"Yeah, it was just like that," Woon replied, gesturing vaguely.
"Where are my clothes?!" Alicia demanded, her eyes narrowing as she frantically searched the room. "Did you hide them?"
"I put them in there," Woon said calmly, pointing to a neatly folded pile in a wicker basket.
Alicia rushed over, rummaging through the basket. Her eyes widened, then narrowed to slits. Her undergarments were nowhere to be found. "You fucking pervert! Where are my other clothes?!" she shrieked, a palpable wave of killing intent radiating from her.
"If you're talking about those things," Woon said, a hint of innocent amusement in his tone, pointing to another, smaller basket beside the first, "they're in there."
Alicia practically lunged at the second basket, tearing through its contents. Her eyes snapped back to Woon, still suspicious, still radiating an aura of barely contained fury. "Hey, pervert! Victor's calling you! Go to the training hall; he must be waiting there!" she snapped, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Yes, ma'am!" Woon said, bowing slightly.
He left the room, practically sprinting towards the training hall, his katana clutched firmly in his hand. 'Fuck, I thought I was gonna die there!' Woon cried internally, sweat beading on his forehead as he ran.
Woon finally arrived in the training hall, finding Victor waiting for him, a wooden sword in his hand.
"Yo, why'd you call me?" Woon asked, slightly out of breath.
"Training," Victor replied simply.
"Training? What do you mean?" Woon asked, confused.
"I mean, I'll teach you properly this time," Victor clarified.
"Okay..." Woon said, still a little bewildered.
Woon sat down on the floor, ready to listen.
"Woon, you know when Ron and I said you were untalented?" Victor began.
"Yes, and it was harsh!" Woon grumbled.
"It's actually not quite," Victor countered. "You're untalented by our family's standards, but among common people, you could be called above average."
"Wow, still harsh!" Woon mumbled.
"But we're not here to talk about that," Victor pressed on. "We're here to talk about the way you handle your katana."
Woon listened intently.
"You primarily use thrusts more than slashes in your attack combinations," Victor explained. "And you need to change that."
"Katana specialty isn't stabbing, it's slashing," Victor continued. "While it can be used for stabbing, you still need to focus on slashing strikes."
"But I managed to create a technique that's strong. What's wrong with it?" Woon asked, genuinely curious.
"It's not practical in a real battle. They won't let you concentrate first before attacking," Victor stated plainly. "Instead, we'll focus on slashing attacks. But the first step to that is to master the basics!"
"I already mastered the basics! Why am I going to train basics again?" Woon protested.
"Because you don't have the core to perform advanced techniques," Victor said, his expression serious. "So you have to master the basics to the point of extreme."
"Okay, but I'm still wearing this weight strap with me all the time. It's considered training, though!" Woon pointed out.
"Yeah, of course, but training with a sword is different than lifting weights," Victor conceded. "So let's get going!"