"Heh-heh-heh. What luck, to find my future wife in a place like this."
Facing Lieselotte, Gideon raised his wineglass with an oily grin.
That grin carried the domineering air of a man who already considered her his property.
Three nobles stood behind him like attendants, following his every move.
Their eyes were cold, as though pressing down on everyone with unspoken force.
Lieselotte looked at Gideon, and for an instant her expression clouded.
"He is Lady Liliana's uncle, and a viscount in his own right. Whatever happens, please endure it. You must not let your feelings get the better of you."
Celine murmured the explanation in a low voice, too quiet for those around them to hear.
Her voice was laced with unmistakable disgust at the arrival of trouble.
Yuri sighed inwardly.
I hope this doesn't turn into something ugly...
Gideon's gaze roamed over Lieselotte from head to toe, lingering over her as though appraising prey, and he swallowed hard.
"Heh. In a dress that provocative, I can only assume you're trying to tempt me.
"So you've finally decided to marry after all."
A vulgar smile tugged at Gideon's mouth as he stroked his beard and nodded to himself in satisfaction.
"I was under the impression my father had already declined Lord Heidenrose's proposal."
Keeping her composure, Lieselotte met his eyes head-on.
"Heh-heh-heh. Don't be so stiff as to call me Lord Heidenrose. You should call me your lord husband."
"Viscount, I believe we have refused that proposal many times already."
Celine cut in, her voice sharp.
"Hah! Be quiet, old woman.
"You're no longer one of the royal family—nothing more than the lady of a vassal house under the Margrave of Ishurias.
"So hold your tongue and hand Lieselotte over."
Gideon flung those words at Celine with undisguised contempt.
At that, Yuri's fist clenched at once and he started to rise from his seat.
But Celine reached out and gently stopped him.
"...Not now."
She whispered in a low, quiet voice and shook her head.
"His rank is higher. Please endure it."
Celine's words were rational, but there was a bitter note beneath them.
She knew the harsh realities of noble society.
If he let his feelings rule him and lashed out here, it would deal him a fatal blow as a noble.
Sensing the cool steadiness in Celine's gaze, Yuri took a deep breath.
As though swallowing his anger down, he silently drained the wine before him.
And then, the next instant—
"Heh-heh-heh. So you're the hapless noble blessed with a merchant's Gift. A second-hand old woman suits you just fine."
The moment Gideon's filthy words rang out, Yuri's fist clenched hard.
Crack!
The empty glass shattered in his hand.
Silence fell over the room in an instant.
"Lord Yuri...!"
Lieselotte's eyes flew wide in shock, and her gaze dropped at once to his hand.
Shards of broken glass lay scattered across the table, and his hand was still trembling.
"My lord husband, please calm yourself."
Celine tried to remain composed, but anxiety had crept into her voice.
Her eyes were fixed firmly on Yuri's face, yet she could not quite hide the worry in them.
Breathing hard, Yuri kept his blood-streaked fist clenched.
Celine reached out softly, but before she could touch him, Ophelia—who had been seated nearby—took his hand.
"My lord, please let me see your hand..."
The faint trickle of blood touched her white fingers.
Her eyes widened for the briefest instant in surprise, but she quickly regained herself and gently opened his hand.
"You'll be all right. I'll remove them at once..."
Speaking softly to reassure him, she carefully pinched the glass splinters between her fingertips and removed them one by one.
Ophelia's face was grave, all her attention fixed on the task, her breath held.
"I'm sorry... all of you..."
Yuri let the apology slip out in a small voice.
When he lifted his gaze, the three women were looking at him with gentle expressions.
Celine gave him a quiet nod, and Ophelia, too, smiled in relief.
Lieselotte was watching him as well, her expression calm again.
Watching that, Gideon frowned, clearly displeased, and turned his gaze toward Ophelia as she so earnestly tended Yuri's hand.
"And another thing..."
With that cold smile still on his face, he went on, his voice dripping disdain.
"House Claudius has sunk terribly low. It was once known as a noble house of distinction... Pathetic."
At that, his mouth twisted into a sneer.
Ophelia's hand trembled ever so slightly.
She tried to let Gideon's insult roll off her, but the muscle beneath her eye twitched faintly, betraying how hard she was fighting to keep her feelings under control.
Even as she trembled, Ophelia's cool, slender fingers tightened around Yuri's hand.
It was as though, like someone clutching at a straw, she was relying on him desperately without even realizing it.
Ophelia...
Yuri called her name in his heart and gently enclosed her hand with his other one.
The chill of her fingertips reached his chest like pain.
It felt as though her loneliness and anxiety were quietly flowing into him.
Ophelia looked up in surprise, her eyes widening.
There was a flash of shock in them—and behind it, a vulnerability she could not fully hide.
The woman who had been trading barbs with Celine only moments ago now looked fragile enough to shatter.
The force with which she gripped Yuri's hand spoke of how fiercely she had been battling loneliness inside herself.
Gideon saw it, grinned, and raised his voice.
"Bwahahaha! As expected of the 'fallen princess' and the 'hapless noble'—the two of you suit each other perfectly!
"Why, it looks like two pitiful creatures clinging together and licking each other's wounds."
In that instant, a dry crack rang through the great hall.
"Bwuh—"
Gideon's eyes flew wide, and his hand flew to his cheek.
Lieselotte's slap had landed cleanly across his face.
Unable to hide his shock, he staggered backward.
Lieselotte looked down at him with icy eyes and spat the words at him as though he were less than human.
"Silence, you pig. Who gave you leave to speak?"
Her voice rang through the great hall, cold and sharp.
For an instant Gideon was frozen in shock, one hand still pressed to his cheek.
Then, in the next moment, his expression twisted with rage, and his face flushed crimson.
He let out a harsh breath, clenched his fist, and advanced on Lieselotte.
"You dare...! My wife dares defy me!"
Gideon's eyes blazed with a near-mad fury.
To him, Lieselotte was already his property.
He was possessed by the conviction that her future was already entirely under his control.
"A wife exists for her husband! A pretty face is all she needs.
"She obeys me. She serves me.
"And so long as she spreads her legs for me when I want her, that is enough!"
Gideon's roar echoed through the great hall, and the air in the room turned icy at those monstrous words.
The nobles standing behind him called out in alarm, trying to calm him down, but nothing reached his ears.
"You're my ornament! All you need to be is a vessel to bear my children!"
Still burning with rage, Gideon reached out toward Lieselotte.