The atmosphere around us froze slightly.

My demand for an apology from Marcel seemed to have shocked everyone.

It was a natural reaction.

Marcel had never bowed his head to anyone in the social circles.

“I warned you before not to insult my husband, didn’t I? Did you forget that already? If you don’t watch your words with us next time, I won’t hold back either.”

‘You bastard.’

I barely suppressed the insult that was rising to the tip of my tongue.

Marcel glared at me with defiant eyes before gritting his teeth and speaking.

“You’re joking, right? You want me to apologize to that idiot? I’m the Marquis of Howard. I’d rather hand over my factory and lands. Do you really think losing them will ruin me?”

“…!”

Oh my, goodness.

The crowd gasped in stunned silence, filling the hall.

Our bait had worked perfectly.

‘Yeah, I think it would ruin you…’

Everyone knew that Marcel’s lands and textile factory were everything to him.

So, it was also clear to everyone that Marcel was acting out of pride and impulsiveness.

At some point, even the music that had filled the hall had stopped.
‘You’d rather lose everything than apologize?’

I let out a small scoff and then resumed staring at Marcel, pretending nothing had happened.

“Are you serious? If so, I might just accept your lands and factory as compensation for all the times you’ve belittled my husband. What do you think?”

As I finished speaking, I glanced over at Alec.

He looked at me for a moment before responding.

“If that works for you, Louise, then I have no objections.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I gave him a soft smile.

To be honest, forcing Marcel to his knees would have been far more satisfying than taking his lands and factory.

But if I could get everything he owned instead of an apology, that seemed like a pretty good deal too.

“Still, it’s a shame. I really wanted to see Marcel kneeling before you, Alec.”

“…”

I truly wanted that to happen.

In the brief moment I gazed into Alec’s eyes, Marcel scoffed.

“You’re seriously delusional. If you think I’d apologize just to save my lands and factory, you’re gravely mistaken.”

“In that case, I’ll send a representative to the Howard estate first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Do as you wish.”

Marcel remained as arrogant as ever.

Damien, horrified, hurried over to Marcel, whispering urgently, though his words rang loud and clear.

“Marcel, I think you’ve had too much to drink. You should go home.”

“You think I’m drunk? I’m perfectly fine.”

Damien clenched his jaw and, now switching between glancing at me and Alec, tried to negotiate with us instead.

“Surely, you two aren’t serious about taking an entire family’s estate over a silly bet? I know it’s a wager, but you understand that would be going too far.”

Speaking rapidly, Damien forcibly dragged Marcel out of the hall.

Even as he was being pulled away, Marcel kept glaring at us, and Alec and I continued to meet his gaze.

The room buzzed with shocked murmurs once again.

“Is Marquis Howard really going to lose his lands and factory over a bet?”

“It hasn’t been long since he lost the Marchioness.”

“All he needed to do was apologize. I don’t understand why he’s so prideful.”

The whispers, filled with worry and surprise, didn’t die down easily.

Even as we left the ballroom, Marcel’s eyes still burned with rage, and I didn’t shy away from his gaze.

He wanted to destroy us just as much as I wanted to ruin him.

***

‘Worthless fools. How dare they challenge me?’

Marcel loaded powder into his musket.

The possibility of losing his lands or factory wasn’t even a thought in his mind.

What was driving him to madness now was the fact that Louise and Alec had disrespected him.

In front of all those people, they had the nerve to humiliate him, demanding an apology to that idiot!

How dare they.

‘How dare they treat me like that!’

Marcel’s hands shook with fury as he gritted his teeth.

He hid in the woods by the path where the carriages would leave the ballroom, waiting for them to emerge.

Never in his life had he felt such immense rage.

In the distance, Damien was keeping watch near the ballroom, ready to signal Marcel when they appeared.

From his vantage point, he could see the area where the carriages were gathering.

Those two fools not only caused him to lose his beloved Julia, but they had now humiliated him twice.

Now was the perfect time to teach Louise and Alec a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

Though he couldn’t rely on mercenaries to kill Alec, Marcel believed that he could succeed on his own.

He would kill them. He had to.

Though it was a dark night, Marcel’s eyes burned with fury.

Nothing else mattered to him except killing them.

Eventually, Damien flinched and gestured toward Marcel’s direction.

The atmosphere was tense—Louise and Alec’ carriage was about to emerge.

It wouldn’t be difficult to shoot down those pests.

Marcel had never acted so directly before, but the thought of taking their lives with his own hands filled him with satisfaction.

A twisted smile crept across his lips.

“Get ready, Alec.”

‘I’ll make sure your survival from the North means nothing.’

As Marcel chuckled, the sound of hoofbeats grew louder.

From across the path, Damien prepared to throw the powder onto the carriage.

The plan was simple: blow up part of the carriage, forcing them to come out. At that moment, Marcel would fire his shot.

First, he would shoot Louise, then, after watching Alec suffer, he would finish him off too.

While Marcel’s heart pounded with excitement, the carriage sped toward him.

From a distance, leaves rustled along the path as Damien lit the powder.

It only took a moment for the flaming powder to arc toward the carriage.

Though hastily acquired, it was powerful enough to blow up one side of the carriage…

But Marcel’s face fell as his anticipation evaporated.

The powder seemed to bounce off the carriage as if there was an invisible barrier. It flew back, rolling toward Damien.

Boom!

Before Damien could even grasp the situation, the powder exploded.

“Argh!”

In the bright flash of light, Damien tumbled to the ground, writhing in pain.

The sudden noise startled the horses, and the driver struggled to regain control.

‘What… what just happened?’

Marcel could hardly believe his eyes.

From the shaking carriage, the door suddenly burst open, and one figure shielded another as they emerged.

It was Alec and Louise.

“…!”

Marcel hurriedly raised his musket.

He had no idea what had happened to the powder Damien had thrown, but he felt that if he didn’t kill them now, he wouldn’t get another chance.

Hunting was something he had done countless times, so aiming at a target was no big deal for him.

Bang!

Marcel fired.

The bullet flew straight towards Louise.

‘That’s right. Now you’re all finished.’

Marcel let out a small laugh and lowered his gaze slightly to reload, but at that moment, Alec’s special skill activated once more.

—

[Attack detected!]

[‘Special Skill: Don’t Touch My Husband’ activated!]

[When enemies harbor malicious intent to harm you, resistance increases tenfold.]

[Mana decreases during use.]

[Duration depends on mana and affection level.]

—

The resistance skill enveloped Alec and Louise.

Thanks to his increased level and affection, the skill’s effectiveness was now far stronger than before.

Just like the powder earlier, the bullet failed to strike them, deflected by the resistance skill and bouncing back the way it came.

Alec, shielding the shocked Louise, turned to look in the direction where Marcel was hiding.

He had already suspected something was off from the way Marcel had stared at them while leaving the ballroom, so he had Gideon keep an eye on him. And now, Marcel had tried to kill them.

Considering Marcel had even hired mercenaries before, this wasn’t too surprising. It was clear they could no longer afford to ignore him.

“…Huh!”

The bullet grazed Marcel’s face, and in shock, he collapsed on the spot.

It wasn’t an explosive powder like before, so there wasn’t a blast, but the startled coachman came running to them.

“My lord! My lady! Are you all right?”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories