‘Have I changed because of love?’

It was indeed comforting that Magnus told her he loved her every time.

In fact, isn’t it so?

‘I love you’ was such an embarrassing phrase that people usually didn’t say it easily.

But Magnus seemed to not care about that and whispered it whenever and wherever Serena looked anxious.

Recalling this, Serena nodded slightly and opened her mouth.

“That’s right, it’s partly thanks to you. If it weren’t for you… I wouldn’t have even thought about coming here.”

Serena said, looking at the vast banquet hall.

She was used to coming to places like this, but she didn’t enjoy it. Just as a smile was about to appear on Serena’s lips…

“So what? It’s not like all the things she’s done until now will disappear.”

As someone spoke as if throwing cold water, the banquet hall became quiet in a different sense.

Because they spoke in a loud voice as though they wanted to be heard, both Serena and Magnus immediately shifted their gaze towards the source of the sound.

A skinny male noble was raising his voice pointedly with his eyes sharply raised.

His protruding pointed nose and sharp eyes showed a somewhat irritable face.

Dark circles were heavily stretched under his eyes as if he was exhausted.

“Am I wrong?”

He spoke quite boldly.

“Does the Duchess’s crimes disappear just because she’s doing something now? We all know that she ruined every banquet, fired servants when she was bored, and cut their wrists or even the tendons in their ankles when she was upset, don’t we? Is that all? I’ve also heard rumors… that she tried to poison Her Highness the Crown Princess and His Grace’s younger sibling…”

There were sounds of people gasping in horror from here and there.

While other things could be overlooked, saying something with an uncertain source, especially something that could implicate murder, was tantamount to picking a fight with the Duke.

“…Poisoning?”

“Viscount Lavie! Be careful with your words, about such unconfirmed matters…”

One of the nobles who had been listening quietly turned pale and tried to stop Viscount Lavie, the skinny noble.

Viscount Lavie raised his voice, his eyes rolling wildly, slightly maddened.

“Ha! How do you know if I’m lying or not? This is information from a reliable source.”

There was no hesitation in his voice. As if he truly believed it.

“…A reliable source, you say.”

Even those who had shown bewildered reactions because the other party was so confident now had doubtful expressions.

Viscount Lavie grinned, showing his teeth.

“A servant who used to work at the Duke’s mansion came to our family, and that child told me so. That’s why the divorce proceedings were initiated and why His Highness the Crown Prince hates the Duchess so much.”

“But recently, it seems the Duchess has been on good terms with…”

Other nobles cautiously protested in small voices to Viscount Lavie’s words.

They couldn’t understand why he was making such a big deal in a situation where both the Duke and Duchess were present.

Moreover, the Duke and Duchess were watching.

Those who knew the Duke’s personality quietly retreated.

“Good terms? Who knows what kind of witch’s trick she might have used! She says she’s treating His Majesty the Emperor, and who knows, His Majesty might…”

“You’d better stop there.”

Magnus, who had been quietly listening as if observing for a while, interrupted as he put down his champagne glass.

At the same time, the nobles’ gazes fell on Magnus.

Feeling the gazes fixed on him, he walked straight towards Viscount Lavie with an expressionless face.

The gathered nobles took a deep breath and quickly retreated, distancing themselves from Viscount Lavie.

Even Viscount Lavie involuntarily flinched at that quiet aura, then clenched his fists.

‘No, this is reliable information.’

He tensed his body again, pushing forward after momentarily retreating.

‘Such an atrocious woman should disappear from this world. She should be gone. Because a woman like her keeps causing unhappiness to people.’

Viscount Lavie thought quietly.

As soon as Magnus stepped forward, the nobles’ gazes blatantly fell on Serena.

They were curious about what expression she would have, how she would get angry this time.

But she showed no signs of anger at all.

Serena just frowned, looking troubled, but turned her head indifferently as though she was used to it, lightly rubbing her nape.

‘I knew this would happen.’

Serena thought.

If there are a hundred good things, a bad thing of the same size occurs.

It seemed that this jinx wouldn’t be broken this time either.

‘I’m uneasy.’

It was because Viscount Lavie’s revelation seemed smaller than she had expected.

That is, compared to the size of happiness she had felt.

It was when Magnus finally stood in front of Viscount Lavie.

Viscount Lavie, with some unknown courage, clenched his fists and opened his mouth again.

“Think about it! No matter how noble we are, nobles are given corresponding duties… She ignored all those duties, treated servants carelessly, tarnished the honor of nobility, and looked down on us.”

His voice grew louder and louder.

“That’s… well, that’s true. But she’s clearly changed now…”

“If crimes disappear just because someone changes, why would the strict national laws created by His Majesty exist in this world!”

Those who agreed with Viscount Lavie’s argument began to increase one by one.

In fact, there wasn’t much wrong with what he was saying.

The Duchess has changed, that’s true, but what she did wrong is still wrong. Even if she has changed a lot now, it doesn’t erase what happened in the past.

Of course, considering that she was protected and pardoned to some extent by noble privileges, in reality… it wasn’t something to criticize so harshly.

She did ruin banquets, but no one was seriously hurt at those banquets.

She often fired servants and cut the wrists or tendons of some servants who crossed the line and drove them out, but in fact, this wasn’t that rare in noble circles.

Serena’s actions were just so noticeable that she became the target of criticism, but among the nobles present here, there were surely those who had killed servants simply because they didn’t like them.

That was the difference in status, that was the difference in class.

It’s just that this standard was applied particularly harshly to Serena.

“Viscount Lavie.”

Magnus called him in his usual flat, monotone voice.

“Yes, Your Grace the Du… ke…?”

It was when Viscount Lavie looked at Magnus with a triumphant face, feeling that the number of people agreeing with him had increased.

“What did I just say to you?”

“Ah… ah…”

Viscount Lavie’s lips quivered. There was a monster in front of him. The monster was staring directly at him.

It felt like a chilling killing intent was wrapping around his whole body, and a beast with sharp teeth was drooling while looking at him.

There was clearly nothing behind him, but it seemed as if such a form was visible.

Just being quietly looked at made his whole body go limp.

He had heard rumors that Magnus had been a mercenary who had roamed battlefields from a young age.

He also knew that the nickname he had earned at the young age of just thirteen was ‘The Red Lion of the Iron Wall’.

He just knew it.

Except for his indifferent expression, Magnus wasn’t actually that difficult to deal with.

He didn’t exude tremendous pressure, didn’t try to crush people with power, and usually lightly overlooked someone’s somewhat rude behavior.

“Viscount Lavie, aren’t you going to answer my question?”

The urging voice was relaxed and leisurely.

It didn’t feel at all like someone who was angry.

But Viscount Lavie, who was facing him, was already on the verge of fainting.

“Uh, ah… th-that… ah…”

Viscount Lavie trembled like an aspen tree, as if he had become an ant in front of a monster.

Magnus’s beast-like gaze stuck to him and wouldn’t let go.

“Th-th-there, hic! Th-there, on-only, hic! S-s-said, t-to…”

“That’s right. Do you know what happens to those who misuse their mouths on the battlefield?”

Magnus said, putting his hand on his shoulder quite familiarly as though they were close friends.

“How does it feel to have your tongue ripped out alive?”

Magnus asked monotonously, whispering, while firmly gripping his shoulder.

It was perhaps only natural that Viscount Lavie’s eyes rolled back, showing the whites, unable to withstand the fear.