“Ha!”

Edward let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

It was amusing to see their tongues grow longer at the sight of the cane.

“Alright. Let’s hear it then. What exactly is your reason?”

“Lucas was committing adultery.”

“…What?”

“On the day of our wedding, no less.”

A small gasp could be heard from behind.

Edward unconsciously turned to look at Elena.

Her fair face had turned deathly pale as she bit her lip.

“…With none other than my younger sister.”

Gasp.

The sound of people drawing in sharp breaths could be heard from all around.

And then the lobby was plunged into an icy silence, as if doused with cold water.

The servants turned to look at Elena with wide eyes. Some wore grave expressions, as if they had expected this.

Edward stared at her with shocked eyes, while Ariana gazed at her calmly.

And at the center of all those stares, Elena was speechless, as if time had stopped.

“Sister, are you crazy?!”

After a moment, Elena finally came to her senses and jumped up.

“You’re saying I committed adultery with the Marquis? With my future brother-in-law? Ha! What, what kind of filthy nonsense is that? Are you determined to ruin my marriage prospects?!”

Elena fumed angrily.

Watching his youngest sister, Edward furrowed his brow.

‘Lucas slept with Elena? …At his own wedding venue?’

To be honest, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

He had seen Elena, that thoughtless girl, attempt to seduce Lucas a few times before.

At first he was shocked, but after seeing that Lucas didn’t outright reject her blatant advances, his mind changed.

Whether it was Ariana or Elena, it didn’t matter.

If he could curry favor with Marquis Fedegrin by offering up either of his sisters, wouldn’t that be enough?

Above all, Ariana.

The always docile and obedient Ariana, who would tremble and prostrate herself whenever her brother so much as raised his voice, had changed so drastically.

‘There must have been a catalyst for sure.’

Having finished his thoughts, Edward strode forward.

Right up to Elena, whose face had gone from deathly pale to bright red with anger.

Slap!

An even more intense sound of impact than before echoed through the lobby.

“Bro…ther?”

Elena clutched her slapped cheek and turned to look at Edward with dazed eyes.

‘Did I… just get hit?’

Neither her father nor her brother had ever raised a hand against her, though they would take up the cane to discipline Ariana.

In fact, it was Ariana who had voluntarily thrown herself in harm’s way to prevent Elena from being hit, but such thoughts didn’t exist at all in Elena’s mind.

“Quiet. When your elder sister harbors suspicions, even if it wasn’t true, you should at least pretend to reflect on whether your conduct was improper!”

Ha, ha.

A bitter laugh escaped Elena’s lips.

Edward slapped Elena’s cheek once more.

Slap!

This time Elena’s head turned in the other direction, and after a moment her eyes blazed with anger.

“Brother, have you gone mad?!”

“How dare you raise your voice to your brother! Apologize to your sister this instant!”

“Brother!”

“Shut up!”

Edward roared as he quickly racked his brain.

If Ariana had really witnessed Lucas and Elena’s adultery, it would be a huge problem.

Her husband’s infidelity with her younger sister would give Ariana more than enough reason to leave the house.

Normally, he would have thrown Ariana out without a penny and made her pay dearly for daring to defy her brother, but…

‘For now, I need to offer up Ariana to appease the Marquis.’

Now he understood Ariana’s impulsive behavior.

Ariana was currently in a state of shock, having lost her senses after discovering her fiancé’s infidelity with her sister.

So he needed to calm her down somehow.

With that thought, Edward turned to Elena with eyes full of displeasure.

“Elena! Get on your knees before your sister this instant!”

‘Ariana has always doted on Elena since childhood, so if I humiliate her like this and make her beg, it should be enough to soften her heart and make her forgive.’

With that calculation in mind.

“What did you say? Brother, have you really gone mad?!”

But the foolish Elena failed to grasp his intentions and talked back vehemently.

Edward twisted his face and ordered.

“Wilhelm! Force Elena to her knees!”

“Aaaargh!”

It was an uproar reminiscent of a cheap comedy.

The servants watched with astonished eyes as their masters, who usually pretended to be noble aristocrats, descended into chaos.

Amidst the commotion, Ariana quietly opened her mouth.

“I’ve seen enough of your warm sibling affection.”

Then she offered her well-wishes to her family members who turned to look at her with wide eyes.

“Seeing how harmonious you two are, it seems the future of House Lopez is bright.”

“…What?”

“Well then, this loach will take her leave now.”

Slam.

The door of House Lopez closed.

The two siblings who had been hurling abuse at each other froze with stunned expressions.

“Damn it, Ariana!”

Edward, who came to his senses a beat late, hurriedly kicked open the door.

Just as he was about to grab the platinum blonde hair visible in front of him.

“Step back.”

A firm gesture pushed Edward away.

A knight in black attire thrust his scabbard at Edward.

“I have orders from His Grace the Duke to prevent any harm to Lady Ariana’s person.”

“Damn it, get out of my way!”

“If you approach any further, I will consider it as going against His Grace’s will.”

The knight said, placing his hand on the scabbard. Edward’s body stiffened.

The Duke’s knights were all famous for their exceptional martial prowess.

Even the anger that had risen to the top of his head could not overcome his instinctive fear.

Though his head felt like it would explode with rage, Edward’s feet would not move any further.

“Ariana! Come back here right now!”

All he could do was shout and rant at the top of his lungs.

“Let’s go, my lady.”

Another knight escorted Ariana to a massive carriage.

The elegant and sleek carriage, as if carved from ebony, bore the image of a giant snake rearing up towards the sky.

It was the coat of arms of House Heigenberg.

“His Grace the Duke is waiting.”

“Welcome, Lady Ariana.”

A man with a dignified appearance greeted me politely.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Oren, the head butler in charge of managing the master’s residence.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Ariana Lopez.”

“His Grace the Duke is waiting for you.”

I followed the butler’s guidance up the stairs.

Gleaming floors, dust-free railings, neatly arranged works of art. It was a space where nothing was out of place.

Even the gazes of the servants directed at me were simply respectful and polite.

Their attitude, devoid of curiosity or any emotion, was textbook perfect.

It was a place that felt inhuman due to its excessive perfection.

The butler guided me to a dark mahogany door. He knocked politely, and a voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

I swallowed my nervousness as I entered.

The first thing I saw were the tall bookshelves.

Bookshelves filled with various sizes and types of books covered the entire left wall.

The large desk in the center of the room was cluttered with maps and various documents.

On the right side of the room, instead of a wall, there was an open terrace. Soft moonlight poured in through the wide windows.

Dante was standing in the middle of that night view. With the moonlight as backlighting behind him.

“…”

I almost didn’t recognize him.

His black hair, naturally falling over his forehead, was slightly damp, and he wore only a thin shirt on his upper body.

It was the first time I’d seen him in such casual attire, and it made him look like a different person.

I slowly approached the terrace.

Dante, who had been staring at my approach, downed his glass of alcohol in one go and then closed the distance in large strides.

As he drew near, the faint scent of shower cologne wafted strongly.

I was so conscious of it that I realized a beat late that Dante’s expression had changed.

“Who did this?”

His large hand grasped my chin and tilted it at an angle.

I could feel his intense gaze fixed on my right cheek.

My cheek stung slightly where Dante’s fingers dug in. It was where Edward had struck me.

“…Is it that noticeable?”

Come to think of it, the butler’s eyes had wavered just once when he greeted me. It was the moment he saw my right cheek.

“You’re asking if it’s noticeable?”

His low voice growled, repeating my words.

Dante’s hand gripping my chin tightened slightly. I stared blankly up at the man who seemed somewhat angry for some reason.

“I.”

He said in a voice tinged with displeasure.

“I don’t tolerate damage to what’s mine. Especially not my woman.”

“…”

My heart suddenly constricted at his low words.

A few seconds later, I understood his anger.

As Dante said, I was publicly his woman.

Me going around with a slapped cheek was directly linked to the Duke’s dignity.

I nodded obediently.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“So, who was it.”

“…Pardon?”

“It wasn’t a woman’s handiwork. Your brother’s side?”

When I looked up blankly, Dante said irritably.

“Answer me.”

“…Yes. It was my brother.”

“I see. Edward Lopez.”

He still looked displeased as he rolled that name on his tongue.

As I watched his mood, I hesitated for a moment before adding.

“I kicked him in the shin.”