Side Story –  Chapter 2

The imperial banquet hall, filled with gathered nobles, buzzed with fascinating conversations.

Among them, the most talked-about topic was, of course, news of the Duke and Duchess of Winderton.

“Has it been half a year already? Since the Duke and Duchess of Winderton last attended a banquet?”

“I hear the Duke treasures his wife dearly. I am rather curious to see for myself.”

While whispering to each other, the nobles kept stealing glances at the Scarlett Duchy’s table.

It was already well known that Lirie had no dealings with the Scarlett family.

So much so that rumors kept resurfacing about how the Duke of Scarlett, having once visited the Winderton estate to see her, had been turned away without even stepping inside.

“Ignore such things, Diden.”

At the blatant stares of the nobles, Diden clenched his fists, but Kion stopped him with a low voice.

“Brother.”

“Do not give them the slightest excuse to sink their teeth in.”

In the past, those same people wouldn’t have even dared look him in the eye, yet now they gazed at him like he was some kind of animal.

It wasn’t as if Kion found it any less insulting.

But now was not the time.

In any case, once he met Lirie, everything would be settled.

“Lirie—just what is she doing? Before, she even dared to drive Father out.”

The thought alone still made his blood boil.

“They say she’s favored by the Duke of Winderton. To think she would cast out her own father.”

“When I see her today, I will make sure to teach her a proper lesson, Brother. That way, she will never dare defy us again.”

“Yes. Father wishes for the same, doesn’t he?”

Kion turned toward the Duke, who was sipping his wine.

Even the man whose expression had not changed all evening slowly nodded in agreement.

It was time to discipline a daughter whose rebelliousness had come far too late.

The Duke recalled the visit he had made to Lirie three months ago.

“The House of Winderton is currently not allowing any visitors.”

It hadn’t even been Edward himself who turned him away.

The humiliation of being refused entry by nothing more than Winderton’s head butler still lingered vividly.

“The Duke and Duchess of Winderton are arriving.”

As the banquet doors opened, Edward and Lirie appeared.

Wearing matching outfits that complemented each other, the two walked in with complete composure, unfazed by the nobles’ stares.

Nobles who were on familiar terms with Edward quickly approached to greet them.

Because so many surrounded them at once, the Scarlett family members had no choice but to wait.

Fortunately, after some time, the crowd dispersed.

The Duke began to move.

“It has been a while, Duke Winderton. And you too, daughter.”

The Duke smiled pleasantly as he stood before Edward and Lirie.

No matter how much he feigned composure, the way Lirie’s face stiffened brought him satisfaction.

“Yes. It has been a while, Duke Scarlett.”

“It has been a while.”

Edward’s expression was cold.

He kept his arm around Lirie’s shoulder as if shielding her.

Perhaps thanks to him at her side, her expression gradually steadied.

“I would like to speak with my daughter in private. Would you step aside for a moment, Duke Winderton?”

The surrounding nobles watched the two households with great interest.

He won’t refuse in a situation like this.

The feud between the two families was already widely known.

Refusing such a request from the Duke of Scarlett here would serve Edward no good.

“Duke Scarlett.”

Knowing this, Edward glared sharply at him and called his name in a low voice.

But the Duke smiled kindly, as if oblivious.

“It has been half a year since I last saw my daughter. Surely I should be allowed the chance to catch up with her.”

He was still the same venomous man.

Lirie, who had been looking at the already-angered Edward, lightly squeezed his hand. It was her way of saying she would be fine.

“Father is right. Since it’s been so long, the family should have time to speak together.”

“Lirie.”

Edward frowned at her agreeing with the Duke.

Did she have any idea what he might do to her?

“You understand me well. As expected of my daughter. We can speak in the lounge for a moment.”

No matter how defiant she seemed now, she was still Lirie.

The Duke was certain that the girl he had raised with strict discipline would not refuse.

“Edward will come with us as well. He’s my family too.”

“Lirie, don’t play games.”

At her playful smile, the Duke’s face hardened.

She was no longer the daughter who used to tremble in fear and nod silently.

“It’s no game, Father. Why would I joke with you? I simply think that if it’s truly a family matter, then my husband should be included.”

The hand Edward held was damp with sweat.

She might have been acting unbothered while facing the Duke of Scarlett, but her tension was clear.

“Lirie.”

“I’m not Lirie Scarlett, Father. I am Lirie Winderton. That means I am not of the Scarlett family, but of the Winderton family.”

It was her declaration that she no longer belonged to House Scarlett.

Though her voice was quiet, the expressions of the Duke, Kion, and Diden twisted as though they had swallowed something foul.

“Lirie, do you dare mock me? Do you forget who raised you and made you the Duchess of Winderton?”

Kion grabbed Lirie’s wrist tightly, issuing a warning.

“Lord Kion Scarlett. I would suggest you release her hand.”

But as long as Edward was beside her, they could no longer threaten Lirie as they once had.

The moment Kion’s hand touched her wrist, Edward spoke in a calm, low voice.

Though Edward maintained proper decorum, anyone who heard his voice could tell he was angry.

“This is a matter of the House of Scarlett. Please step aside for a moment.”

Though pressed down by Edward’s presence, Kion did not retreat.

He was certain that if he let this go, Lirie would only grow more defiant, and so he needed to tighten her leash.

But at Kion’s words, Edward let out a mocking laugh, looking at him with eyes full of disdain.

“It seems the young lord has already forgotten what my wife just said.”

Shame flushed Kion’s face.

No matter what, no one had ever dared mock him so openly to his face before.

“You are being rude.”

“No, the one being rude here is you, young lord. My wife clearly said she is a Winderton, and yet you insist on treating her as though she is still a Scarlett.”

“…Even if she is married, family is still family. Lirie is my sister.”

Kion had been struck where it hurt, but he clung to the fact that blood ties made them family, unwilling to back down.

“She is the Duchess of Winderton. No matter how close by blood, in a public setting, addressing the Duchess by her maiden name, and all the more so grabbing her wrist without permission, hardly makes for a respectable sight.”

Edward’s voice was calm, unshaken, as he dealt with Kion.

“Duke Winderton!”

Kion’s raised voice drew the attention of nobles who had previously been indifferent.

“Kion, that is enough. Come back here.”

To the Duke of Scarlett, who valued honor above all, this sort of attention was undesirable.

“But Father!”

Perhaps feeling he had been bested by Edward, Kion clenched his fists without even noticing the eyes on him.

It was a side of Kion Lirie had never seen before.

She wasn’t sure if she had ever witnessed him so riled up. It was surprising—satisfying, even.

“Be silent and stand back. Do not tarnish the honor of House Scarlett.”

Only after the Duke repeated his warning did Kion bite his lip and step back behind him.

“I ask that you forgive my son’s rudeness, Duke Winderton.”

With that, the Duke took Kion and Diden and moved toward the other side of the ballroom.

“Until His Majesty arrives, shall we step out onto the terrace?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Edward and Lirie slipped away from the nobles’ gazes and quietly went out to the terrace.

Only after locking the terrace door behind them could they finally relax.

“You seem to be in high spirits, Lirie.”

She took a deep breath and smiled, the freshness of it making Edward smile as well.

“Of course. I’ve never seen Father or my brothers lose their composure like that before. And it feels good to have landed a blow of my own.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest.

They had always been the strong ones.

She had always been the weaker one, the one hurt.

But this time was different.

Seeing them bow their heads was both exhilarating and, in a way, bittersweet.

“From now on, they won’t be able to trouble you. You won’t need to worry about them again.”

Edward was right.

They wouldn’t dare touch her now—not with her position as the acknowledged mistress of the House of Winderton, a status they couldn’t ignore.

“Thank you so much, Edward.”

It was the moment she fully felt, down to her core, just how much her circumstances had changed.