His voice grew increasingly defensive and hollow.
But as he rambled and struggled.
Jasper suddenly froze.
Wait.
What did Jerrick just say?
Assassinate, his own sister?
*His own sister?!*
Jasper felt like he had been struck by lightning; his entire body went numb.
He even forgot to keep his face covered, turning his neck with terrifying stiffness.
His vacant gaze landed on the person standing in front of him, looking down at him with the commanding presence of a queen.
Serena's eyes were slightly upturned, her expression lazy as she watched him with an arched brow.
His brain completely short-circuited with a loud buzz.
He stood frozen, his lips trembling. "Her? My sister? How is that possible?!"
His gaze darted to Jerrick, then to Julian, who was casually adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.
Seeing the fiercely protective stances both brothers had taken around Serena.
His heart started hammering wildly against his ribs.
But he still tried to stubbornly argue his way out of it. "Didn't Mom say our sister grew up suffering in the backcountry? That she was timid, sweet, and overwhelmingly fragile?!"
He pointed a trembling finger at Serena. "She... she's the Demon of the Gray Zone!"
"The living Demon who single-handedly dismantled a terrorist faction!"
"Three years ago, she didn't just steal my bounty, she kicked me into a dumpster! A dumpster! A massive one! I fell in headfirst!!!"
"And just now, she practically nailed me to the wall with half an apple!"
Jasper looked deeply aggrieved, his accusations dripping with absolute despair. "If I hadn't been wearing that mask, this gorgeous face would be ruined!"
Julian paused slightly, looking at Jasper—who was still bruised and battered from being smashed into the wall. "That is because we, her brothers, should be the ones protecting her now."
"Whatever identity she assumed to survive out there has no bearing on the fact that she is our little princess who deserves to be held in the palms of our hands."
Jerrick nodded emphatically beside them. "Julian is exactly right! Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"
Jasper was speechless.
He was so thoroughly shut down, what else could he possibly say?!
"Furthermore..." Julian continued, his tone remaining incredibly serious and polite, "Serena suffered for twenty years outside; her nerves are fragile. When you charged in here with a gun, she must have been terrified."
"In a state of extreme panic, throwing an object in self-defense is sheer instinct. As her brother, you actually have the nerve to blame her?"
Saying that, Julian cast a deeply sympathetic look at Serena.
As if she genuinely were a terrified, delicate little princess.
Jasper was completely at a loss for words.
He was genuinely speechless!

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