Daiki was like a papa bear as he led Akira into the house. He took her to the living room and ordered Maria to bring a fur jacket and a comforter for her. He made sure she was well covered and then asked for a mug of warm milk.

Akira was speechless as she put aside the comforter. The house already had a central heater. If she was bundled up like that, she would probably overheat. And then, it would be awkward to take her to the hospital for getting heat exhaustion in cold weather.

Taiki was silent. He observed the home and the people as he savoured the cup of tea in his hands with his usual cool and calm. He was particularly fascinated by the behaviour of the woman who seemed to be Akira's mother. He had never seen this type of shameless person before.

No, he had.

That young lady who constantly fought with Nicole Jiang, Phoebe Lambert, was also a thick-faced person. Outwardly, she looked like a normal lady with a sharp brain. However, her inflated sense of self-worth made her end up in shameful situations.

Unlike other girls who were rejected by their crush in public, she did not stop her pursuit of Yuan Haoran. Even after he tossed her off a boat, she still showed up before him. It was quite vexing for anyone around to see that kind of strange behaviour.

When he thought of Yuan Haoran, Taiki's eyes became darker and clouded.

The reason he had chosen to follow Kaito to Mountain Ridge was partly that he was tired of his lacklustre life on the island. He thought he could enjoy a normal relationship with Kaito while protecting him from threats.

He wanted the feeling of family. He had not had never enjoyed the pleasure and warmth of family until he met Kaito. Somehow, despite their differences, he felt like his nephew made him remember his brief moments of happiness as a child.

He felt a little more human.

The second reason for leaving the island was his concern about Yuan Haoran. That man known as Demon King had been quiet for a few years. He showed up on Martial Island occasionally to check on his interests and enforce his power.

However, he had not made a major move to disrupt the peace of the island. Since the time he massacred the entire Yuan clan when he was about fourteen years old, he had only killed and maimed a few other people for other reasons.

Since he turned eighteen, he did not spend a long time on the island. He would always leave shortly after handling his business. As long as no one interfered with his interests, he remained neutral, regardless of what the other families did.

His action of taking Kaito from Martial Island was a low-key move, but it was significant. This brazen action was a slap to the face of the Iekami clan and the island. He did not seem to care about the established rules and relationships.

This sudden and unexpected move made Taiki a little cautious.

Even though Yuan Haoran was a cruel man, he was also not simple. He would not interfere in something if it did not give him an advantage. If he was willing to use his subordinates and resources to remove Kaito from Martial Island, there had to be a hidden reason.

The possible hidden plot made Taiki a little apprehensive.

He had tried to find out the reason behind the rescue directly from Kaito. However, his nephew's mouth was completely sealed concerning the matter. He did not explain their connection, and it was impossible to make a guess.

Somehow, Taiki felt like there was a storm brewing in the shadows.

"Mr Iekami, what do you do?" Daiki spoke up, causing Taiki to break his train of thought.

"You can just directly call me by name." Taiki placed the empty cup on the table.

Daiki paused for a moment. This quiet man looked younger than him, but they were technically in the same generation. It was not a problem.

"Alright, Taiki. What do you do? I have not heard much about Kaito's mother or your family." He said.

"My family does not live in Japan, so it is not strange to be unaware of our history. I am a lawyer." Taiki responded.

"What kind of law do you practise?" Daiki continued as a maid served Taiki more tea.

"I have done a little bit of everything. But I specialise in political law." He replied.

"Oh, that is interesting. I have not heard of this practice area. I primarily deal with commercial lawyers." Daiki rubbed his chin. "What does the field entail?"

"Nothing interesting." Taiki savoured his tea. "It encompasses a lot of government-related legal issues like election, voting rights, legislative procedures and constitutional laws. It is quite boring in theory and practice."

"Isn't everything?" Daiki laughed loudly. "What drew you to such a unique field?"

Taiki's eyes became a little unfocussed as he looked back to his life, twenty years ago. He had been so naïve at the time, thinking he could change the world. He studied day and night, hoping that something would change.

"I wanted to build a country with freedom and happiness at the time. I wanted to eliminate the gaps that allow humans to prey on each other." He finally said.

Daiki was amused by the answer, but he did not take the words too seriously.

"Did you manage to do it?" He humoured the younger man.

"No. I realised that changing the world would mean changing the hearts of the people, and that is an impossible task. In an ideal world, people would understand and embrace the spirit of the law. But people only think about the letter of the law and how they can manipulate it to their benefit." Taiki sighed.

The mood in the room declined to a minimum following these depressing words from Uncle Taiki.

"You are a fun guy to bring to parties, aren't you, Uncle Taiki?" Akira said with a chuckle after a long moment.

Daiki also laughed, dispelling the tense atmosphere. "You are an interesting one, Taiki. You are nothing like that b*stard from the Takahashi family. I hope you can get along with the two children. If you have any trouble, you can come to find me."

Taiki nodded in acceptance while Sayaka tried to minimise her presence when the 'b*stard from the Takahashi family' was mentioned. However, Akira was not going to let it go. She had moved on from her issue with her mother, but she would not allow her to take advantage of her father.

"Speaking of which, mother. What are your plans once the divorce is finalised?" She asked with a smile.