The movement of Lathel rising suddenly halted.
The triumphant smile on Barobe's face froze in place.
"Madam Catrina, do… do you even know what you are saying?"
"I know very well." Catrina replied, her voice filled with killing intent so cold that Barobe began to tremble, sweat breaking out across his forehead.
Catrina continued, still icy: "He is my husband. Even if he is useless and can only lie still, I will still love him, tear out my own heart for him, care for him for the rest of my life. As long as he is happy and smiling, that is enough."
"You…" Barobe gritted his teeth, desperately trying to find a point of attack as he hurriedly said: "He only wants your money, your beauty."
"So what?" Catrina's voice was cutting: "He is a Duke. Is he so desperate that he needs my money? And even if he did, so what? Why would he covet *my* money instead of any other woman's?"
Lathel: "…"
Barobe: "…"
Inside, he cursed wildly: 'What kind of absurd logic is this? Is every woman like this when in love?'
[Hahahaha…] The System suddenly burst out laughing.
'What are you laughing at?'
[Ack! Nothing! Hahaha…]
Catrina stepped toward Lathel, sat beside him, hugged his arm tightly, and spoke with doting affection: "Lathel, do not worry. If anyone dares to speak ill of you, I will sew their mouth shut."
Lathel: "…"
He forced a smile, feeling that Catrina was going a little overboard. But Catrina, sensing he might not believe her, immediately clapped her hands.
Clap! Clap!
The door swung open, and two male stewards entered.
Barobe stiffened, unsure of what she intended. But remembering his own status within the family, he tried to regain composure.
"Catrina, what do you think you are doing? I am the son of the Fourth Elder. You dare cause trouble for me?"
Hearing him speak, Catrina did not smile. Her expression remained as cold as if covered in frost.
"So you still remember you are the son of the Fourth Elder? Working with outsiders to sabotage the family, cutting off our business prospects."
"You… you speak nonsense!" Barobe shouted.
"Then what is that you brought?" Catrina's eyes shifted toward the scroll in his hand.
"This is a cooperation letter from the Vice Dean," Barobe replied, his tone firm, as though he were carrying out a righteous duty. "Catrina, you know very well how prestigious the Vice Dean of the Carol Magic Academy is."
Catrina scoffed: "So what?"
Barobe gritted his teeth and continued: "The Vice Dean admires your talent. When he heard your family business was in trouble, he immediately offered his aid."
"Aid me?" Catrina laughed coldly. "Hahaha… Barobe, do you think I know nothing? You are nothing but his dog."
"You…" Barobe trembled with rage. "Catrina, you must have been brainwashed by that useless man. You do not even believe the Vice Dean?"
"Useless?" Catrina's lips curled. "Then… let me show you what useless truly means."
She turned to the two stewards, her gentle voice now infused with overwhelming murderous intent: "Young Master Barobe suffers from a very serious illness. Restrain him using the strongest wood and the most durable bandages. Fix him into one position."
"From this moment on, I do not want him to move ever again. Not even a little."
"Yes, Madam!" the two stewards answered.
"No!" Barobe shouted. "Catrina, you cannot do this to me. I am the son of the Fourth Elder, I…"
Catrina's brows furrowed. "Barobe, I gave you a chance to repent. Not only did you insult my husband, but you schemed with the Vice Dean to harm me."
"For the sake of the Fourth Elder, I will not kill you. But for the rest of your life, do not even dream of leaving your bed. If you dared call my husband 'useless', then I will make you truly and completely useless."
The stewards began dragging Barobe away. He thrashed wildly, screaming:
"No! Catrina, you cannot do this to me! Catrina, the Vice Dean will never forgive you! Catrina!!!"
He was pulled out, and silence settled over the room once more.
Lathel was actually the most surprised one here. He had been sure Catrina would agree with what Barobe said, then start doubting her own decision, right?
[Pfff! Hahahaha… Master, you are killing me here, hahahaha…]
Hearing the System laughing, Lathel was so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
[You have been reading way too many novels. Catrina truly loves you, she is not going to doubt her decision just because of some stupid nonsense like that.]
After hearing that, Lathel felt a little more at ease inside.
At that moment, Catrina suddenly stroked his face, speaking with a softness that overflowed from her voice: "Lathel, do not be sad. He is just a dog barking at random. I have already punished him."
Lathel: "…"
"Ah! I… I am not sad. But do you not want to at least look at the Vice Principal's proposal?" Lathel asked.
"No need!" Catrina shook her head and said: "It is nothing but a trap."
Now Lathel felt even more confused. Inwardly he asked the System: 'Oy! This was not in the scenario. Is this the result of the world collapsing?'
[Master, this scenario is about the clash between Alex and the Vice Principal. It has nothing to do with you, so you do not need to know.]
Hearing that, Lathel stopped questioning the System. Instead, he frowned and asked Catrina: "How do you know? And besides, were you very close with the Vice Principal?"
When Catrina heard that, she assumed Lathel was jealous, and hurriedly said: "Lathel, listen to my explanation first."
She clung tightly to his arm, afraid that, out of jealousy, he might abandon her on the spot.
"Alright, go ahead." Lathel really was not jealous, because he did not have the right to be. Besides, he still had no idea what was actually going on, so how could he be jealous?
Seeing how calm his expression was, Catrina only grew more nervous inside.
"Lathel, back then I was one of the top students at the magic academy. At that time, a lot of people were chasing after me, but do not worry, I never got close to any of them and always kept my distance."
"Among them was the Vice Principal. But I could not keep too far away from him, because he always used the excuse that he was a Professor and wanted to stay near me to monitor my studies."
"But later, I failed a breakthrough, and on top of that my family forced me to marry someone I did not love, so I quit school."
Lathel nodded lightly when he heard that, then added: "But even now the Vice Principal still remembers you and is looking for ways to help you. Seems like he really does like you."
Catrina sighed, then shook her head: "No, Lathel, he is not like what you think. He is a fox, the kind of man who makes me feel sick just standing near him."
"Unlike you…" She suddenly looked up at him, her hand lazily tracing circles on his chest.
Lathel gave a strained smile: "Uh… there are still servants here, you…"
"Do not worry…" Catrina suddenly smiled mysteriously: "They are all people I trained myself, loyal only to me and to you. No matter what we do, they will stay silent and will not make a sound."
As she spoke, she climbed onto him, sitting down on his lap, both hands cupping his face.
"Lathel, you are nothing like him. To me, you are light, you are my reason to live. I… will not let anyone hurt you."
Lathel shuddered when he saw Catrina's face suddenly turn dark and terrifying, a cold chill running all the way down his spine, his instincts screaming at him to run.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the fear and the trembling that rose from reflex, and asked softly: "So… the Vice Principal… what kind of proposal did he make to you?"
When Catrina heard that, she blinked in surprise and pulled back her killing intent, but her eyes still locked on Lathel as she asked in confusion: "You… you do not like this?"
The two questions had nothing to do with each other.
Lathel only wanted to escape this terrifying atmosphere, while Catrina could not understand what was wrong.
"What do you mean?"
"Um…" Catrina pressed her lips together and said: "I thought men like you all preferred women who take the initiative like this. Was I wrong?"
Lathel: "…"