“Your Highness, there’s no need for this anymore. In the future, you shouldn’t either. You’re going to be my brother-in-law now.”

“Elise…….”

“I told you last time. I have no intention of marrying you. And it’s not a rumor. I did spend the night with Karan.”

Chase’s forcibly smiling face cracked. He clenched his lips tightly.

Until now, he had believed it was all a lie. But seeing Elise’s determined expression and unwavering eyes, he realized the truth.

Everything was real.

Elise had been seduced by that barbarian.

Did she kiss him with the same lips that whispered love to him? Did she touch that bastard with the hands that wrote letters to him?

Chase’s jaw tightened as he gripped the table forcefully.

“I’m done talking. Congratulations on your engagement with my sister Iris. You and my sister seem quite well-suited.”

Elise stood up to leave Chase.

“Stop right there!”

Chase, coming to his senses belatedly, stood up abruptly.

The chair, unable to withstand the force, toppled over.

He quickly closed the distance to Elise and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.

“That bastard must have tricked you, right? You just fell for his scheme. You’re doing this because you feel sorry for me, right? Tell me it’s because you’re upset you can’t be engaged to me.”

Elise looked down at her shoulder.

It throbbed because of Chase’s forceful grip, driven by his anger.

She forcibly removed his hand from her shoulder.

“I have no regrets. Not about breaking off the engagement with you, nor about spending the night with Karan. So, stop being pathetic. I’m losing whatever respect I had for you.”

Whether it was just wounded pride or some lingering affection, Elise couldn’t tell.

She no longer wanted to meet Chase privately.

She turned around sharply, hoping he got the message.

Fraser was quick on his feet.

Fearing Langy might change his mind, he had already spread the story throughout social circles.

A fairy-tale love story was created, just as Langy wanted.

Iris and Chase were said to have fallen for each other at first sight, but Elise, enamored with Chase, pursued him, and kind Iris stepped aside.

Then, fickle-hearted Elise caught Karan’s eye, and Iris and Chase reaffirmed their undying love, leading to their engagement – a clear-cut tale of good and evil.

Thanks to this, Elise was now receiving considerable criticism from society and even her household staff.

‘This level of scandal doesn’t bother me.’

When she first decided to break off the engagement with Chase, she had prepared for even worse consequences.

‘I thought I’d be shaved bald or Fraser would chain me up and drag me in front of Chase, but just a few harsh words is not a bad outcome at all.’

Elise was quite content with the current situation. While drinking warm milk brought by a maid, she relaxed leisurely in her pajamas in the evening.

“I can’t stand this injustice!”

But Elise’s peace was short-lived. Regina burst into the room, her face filled with indignation.

Putting down her milk glass, Elise looked up in surprise.

“Why is your face like that?”

“I’m sorry, Miss. I got into a fight. I know I shouldn’t have, thinking of you, but I couldn’t hold back.”

Regina, still teary-eyed and angry, replied. Elise held Regina’s chin to examine her.

Her lip was split, and there were bright red marks on her cheek. It looked like it would turn into a nasty bruise by tomorrow.

“Who hit you?”

“It wasn’t exactly being hit… I fought back…”

Regina mumbled through her torn lip, her pride seemingly hurt by the suggestion she was merely attacked.

“I fought off three of them, Miss.”
Regina raised her fist, her hand bruised from clenching.

“It’s good it wasn’t just a one-sided beating, but it’s still upsetting.”

“Your beautiful face is all bruised. Who did you fight with? Who are these cowards who picked such an unfair fight?”

Elise was genuinely angry.

But Regina’s bubbling fury, like a volcano, suddenly extinguished.

Laughing, she said, “I won, Miss. I shut up those jerks badmouthing you… Ouch!”

Excitedly talking, Regina quickly covered her mouth with her hands, wincing as she touched her injury.

“You fought because of me.”

Elise, puzzled by Regina’s uncharacteristic brawling, now understood.

“Don’t worry about it, Miss. I showed them.”

Regina looked sorrowful.

“Name them.”

Elise, donning a coat over her pajamas with a determined look, listened as Regina named three people.

All were Iris’s maids.

Having heard the names, Elise immediately went to find the house steward.

“What’s the matter, Miss?”

The steward, Suaz, greeted her formally but didn’t hide her annoyance.

Visiting the steward late at night, and in pajamas, was not the behavior expected of a noble lady in her opinion.

“Even if she’s from a humble background…”

Suaz, a fallen noble turned maid, clung to noble decorum even more.

Which is why she found Elise, a half-noble, unsatisfactory.

“If only she were more gentle…”

Suaz’s opinion of Elise was poor.