บท 383: Chapter 250: Campfire on a Snowy Night (Five)_2
"What's even scarier is, this is just the beginning. He left Falcone Manor, the driver had offered to drop him, but he declined, wanted to walk all the way from Falcone Manor to Gotham University, in the dark night of Gotham..."
"Thank God, he made it safely to Gotham University, however, he had left his dorm key, so he had to climb into the room through the window. That caused the upstairs students alarm, they fired two shots, but missed him..."
"The next day, he complained about the hardness of his bed and the poor quality of his dorm environment. So, he decided to approach a classmate tostay with for a while..."Alberto said, holding his face in his hands.
"The classmate he went to was none other than Bruce Wayne."
"He remarked that he'd never been to the famous Wayne Manor and added that he and Bruce were on good terms. He was certain Bruce would let him stay for a couple of days..."
Shiller coughed a couple of times, covering his mouth, Alberto glanced at him, Shiller paused for a good while before returning to normal, then he looked at Alberto and said: "I swear, I wasn't laughing."
In a truly helpless tone, Alberto said: "Then, indeed, Bruce actually agreed. That very night, they went to Wayne Manor."
"Then in the middle of the night, did you ever see a strange figure standing by your bed?"
Alberto's hand slightly twitched, as if no words could describe his feelings.
"He chatted with Bruce about his newly-written musical until late night, following by an impromptu performance, which brought Alfred the butler to them. Alfred really liked him and instantly asked him to extend his stay..."
Barely concealing his annoyance, Alberto stated: "Then, he got confused, wondered why I haven't shown up these days..."
At this point, Shiller couldn't help himself. Alberto calmly watched him laugh, seemingly expecting such a response.
Taking a deep breath, Shiller suppressed his impulse to laugh, then turned to Alberto and said: "I admit, Evan's behavior was a bit... But that's not the only reason why you have been avoiding, is it?"
Alberto leaned back in the chair, his golden hair shrouding half of his face.
"You're feeling jealous, aren't you?"
Alberto fell silent. Shiller put his pen back into the pen holder and said, "You know, I met someone with a case quite similar to yours, he was a prince of a country..."
"His older brother was the heir to the royal family – reckless, impulsive, and thoughtless. Yet no matter what ilk of trouble the elder prince caused, their father was always there to clean up after him."
Alberto cast his eyes down and said, "People always show extra tolerance towards fools."
"You are more relaxed about it."
"Your analogy is inaccurate because we aren't brothers, we are the same person. Even personality-wise, his memories might contain an elder brother, but I don't think I have a younger brother..."
"However, you should be clear that if it were not for Evans, the Godfather, Falcone, would not spare your life. If he could kill you once, he could kill you a second time."
The golden strands of hair obscured Alberto's eyes completely. Peeping through the gaps, he gazed at Shiller and said, "I'm well aware that he has never considered me as his son. His son has always been Evans."
"So you must be quite perplexed right now. Everyone has left you, everyone chose him over you, including the Godfather, even Batman, and myself. They all chose Evans..."
"Then Evans chose you."
"When he realized you were extremely fearful of the Godfather, and that Falcone abhorred you, he took the gallant decision to stand by you."
Alberto's lips were tightly pressed, his cheeks even turned slightly blue from the strain. Shiller went on with his deductions: "So, right now, you must be quite conflicted. You're unable to reach a conclusion, thus choosing to dodge."
"On the other hand, you could try to see things from a different perspective..." As Shiller said, he retrieved a new case file and started to write, "You should have noticed, Godfather's every attempt to nurture Evans has failed. He's simply not cut out for the line."
"He is a bad person, unburdened by the moral implications of murder, unbothered by mob clashes or other crimes. Unfortunately, he's not bad or ruthless enough."
"He is a good person, with excellent academic records and a wide social circle. He maintains a passion for arts. However, he's not at all righteous and lacks a sense of duty. He's too easily swayed."
"A person with his character can select any profession. Unfortunately, he could never be the Godfather."
"Godfather probably realized this quite long ago. He has attempted several fixes, all in vain."
"The Godfather once said, he resembles his wife."
"Possibly. However, the current issue is that the Godfather really only has one son. Even if he could opt to pass down his mantle elsewhere instead of his own blood, even if he screened each member of the Twelve Families, there would be no more suitable heir. The rest are all too stupid, and wicked."
"That's exactly why I'm still alive." Pain was evident in Alberto's voice.
"I'm alive, not because I am his son, but because I am a fitting heir."
"Or else, as you said, if he could kill me once, he could kill me a second time..."
"Have you ever tried to talk things out with the Godfather?"
"Talk things out?" Alberto cracked a stiff smile. "How do I talk to him? I can't even stand straight when I face him..."
"If you were his enemy, you would understand how frightening he is when you confront him."
"You consider yourself his enemy, but how are you so certain that he sees you as his enemy?"
"If I were not his enemy, why would he attempt to kill me?"
"Even if you were his enemy, he already killed you once."
"The only certainty I can offer is that many believe the Godfather is tolerant. This is not an act, this is his nature. This is what sets him apart from other mob leaders, this is where his charisma lies."
"You claim you're similar to Godfather. Why not try to put yourself in his shoes? If a person you've killed once returns from the dead, would you keep treating him as your rival and enemy, watching him unblinkingly?"
"Just as you said, if he could kill you once, he could kill you twice. But that's the crux of the problem."
"If you've lost to him once, you'll lose again and again. Through your continued, repeated failures, you have proven you are no threat to him. So, it would be possible for him to spare you, wouldn't it?"
Alberto remained silent, looking like a statue. Shiller saw a shadow of Loki in him – both were jealous of their brothers, both dreaded their fathers, both had unrequited love.
From Shiller's perspective, this was a fascinating situation. Despite belonging to two different cosmos, with no apparent connection, their souls turned out to be strikingly similar.
For Shiller, going through two identical cases consecutively was like solving a math problem in school. After coming up with one solution, diving into the second solution brought not only no trouble but even joy.
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