Hearing Isolde speak so resolutely, Knox finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
The suffocating pressure weighing on his chest eased slightly.
He straightened his back, confidence returning to his eyes.
After all, Isolde knew Alex far better than he did. She had grown up under Alex's protection, basked in his indulgence for years. If even she dared to speak so defiantly, then it meant only one thing.
Alex would still yield.
The plan had not gone wrong.
Knox lifted his chin and glared at Alex, righteous indignation written all over his face.
"Lord Alex," Knox said loudly, his voice ringing through the hall, "Isolde and I are genuinely in love. If you forcibly separate us for the sake of your family's interests, you will only become a laughingstock to the world!"
His words were sharp, calculated, and laced with moral condemnation.
In his imagination, Alex should hesitate now.
A Saint Lord.
A Supreme expert.
Surely such a person would not openly admit to sacrificing personal feelings for family.
Surely he would at least try to justify himself with lofty words.
Yet, Alex's expression did not change in the slightest.
His eyes were calm. Cold. Almost bored.
"What's wrong with acting in the family's best interests?"
The words were plain.
Direct.
Unadorned.
They struck Knox like a slap.
For a brief moment, both Knox and Isolde froze.
They hadn't expected this.
Not even a little.
Alex… admitted it?
So openly?
Knox's mind went blank.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
As the Saint Lord of the Hale family, shouldn't Alex care about his image? About being seen as just and magnanimous?
Why would he admit it so readily?
Before Knox could recover, he saw Alex step down from the high seat.
One step.
Then another.
His footsteps echoed softly across the stone floor.
Alex was walking toward Isolde.
With every step he took, the pressure in the hall grew heavier.
Isolde's heart tightened.
She watched as Alex approached, his gaze fixed on her, and for the first time in many years, she felt fear creeping into her chest.
Alex stopped in front of her.
He looked down at her kneeling figure.
His face was indifferent.
"Isolde," Alex said calmly, "your current strength exists only because of the resources of the Hale family."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to every corner of the hall.
"It was not me alone who nurtured you. It was because countless members of the Hale family poured their hard-earned resources into you that you stand where you are today."
"You enjoyed the family's wealth without lifting a finger, yet you now accuse me of being selfish and thinking only of family."
Alex's eyes turned cold.
"How dare you?"
The words landed like heavy hammers.
Isolde's face flushed.
Her lips trembled.
Because what Alex said was true.
Painfully true.
Every pill she consumed.
Every technique she cultivated.
Every treasure she used.
All of it came from the Hale family.
She opened her mouth, wanting to refute him, but no words came out.
Around them, the Hale family members listened in silence.
Then their gazes slowly changed.
Looking at Isolde now, there was no longer hesitation or pity—only contempt.
Taking benefits from the family, then blaming the family.
Enjoying everything in silence, yet rebelling the moment contribution was demanded.
How could someone be so shameless?
Under so many disdainful gazes, Isolde's face darkened.
Her chest burned with humiliation and anger.
In the Hale family, she had always been untouchable.
Because of Alex's doting, she could act as she pleased.
Who had ever dared to criticize her like this?
She still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
In her mind, Alex was still the same Alex as before, the one who would always indulge her.
Her pride flared.
"My Lord," Isolde said sharply, suppressing her panic, "since you insist on talking about the resources, then I, Isolde, will repay everything you invested in me!"
She raised her head, eyes stubborn.
"I only ask that you allow me to leave this place!"
A faint sneer tugged at Alex's lips.
"You think you can just leave like that?" he said, his gaze icy.
"What kind of place do you think this is?"
Isolde's heart skipped.
Alex continued, his voice cold and merciless.
"Arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers are a matter of course."
"I am the head of the Hale family. Whoever you marry, what right do you have to object?"
Every word struck like thunder.
"Moreover," Alex's eyes sharpened, "as a daughter of the Hale family, you disregarded propriety and law, engaging in adultery with a stranger."
"And even more shameless..."
"You brought this man to our doorstep and threatened to sever all ties with the family."
"Such blasphemous words."
The hall fell deadly silent.
Alex's tone grew colder still.
"Even if I were to throw you two despicable people into a pig cage right now, the world would only applaud."
Boom.
Isolde's face drained of all color.
Knox's pupils shrank violently.
Fear surged uncontrollably.
This was not a modern world.
This was the Azure Origin Continent.
A cultivation society.
Here, propriety and law still existed.
Parents had the right to arrange marriages.
Descendants had no right to object.
Defiance was considered rebellion against ethics.
And illicit relationships without the consent of elders?
That was disgrace.
If this matter were made public, Isolde's reputation would be utterly ruined.
She would be condemned wherever she went.
Even the Hale family's reputation would be stained by her actions.
Of course, this was a world where strength ruled above all.
Etiquette was not as extreme as ancient Earth's standards.
But its influence was still immense.
Even powerful cultivators could not completely ignore it.
Now, both Isolde and Knox were panicking.
Because in the face of propriety and law, their so-called "true love" was worthless.
Absolutely worthless.
What terrified them even more was this.
Alex had completely abandoned his former indulgence.
He no longer protected Isolde.
He no longer compromised.
He had torn away their last layer of civility and exposed them to the cold judgment of the world.
That meant...
The couple's greatest trump card was gone.