"...HAAAHAHAHA!!!" Robin slapped his thigh with his right hand while covering his face with his left, his laughter echoing like a thunderclap across the chamber.
"..." In front of his father's hysterical outburst, Theo furrowed his brows in deep puzzlement. "Is there something amusing here that I simply don't understand, Father?"
"Haha… hehe…" Robin's laughter faltered, slowing down until it died with a sudden abruptness. "No," he shook his head weakly, almost trembling, "no, there's nothing funny at all." His voice carried the weight of denial, as if he himself wanted to believe it.
"....." Theo wanted to press further, to demand the reason behind such a strange reaction, but seeing the gloom spreading across Robin's expression, he chose silence instead.
Moments of suffocating stillness stretched between them before Robin finally spoke, his tone heavy:
