“I said I hate it!”

Diez shouted with all her might. Though she couldn’t storm out because her legs wouldn’t support her, she still had a voice to resist.

The man who had offered the drink was momentarily silent. Anger flashed in his eyes as he stared at her.

“You worthless b*tch.”

“Ah!”

“How dare you hold your head high before the eldest son of a marquis family?”

A rough hand grabbed Diez by the hair. A strange ecstasy spread across the face looking down at her, contorted with pain.

“A b*tch who knows nothing but warming beds. Why are you being so irritating?”

“Stop…… stop it.”

“Let’s see if you can act the same way after drinking this.”

He forcibly pressed the glass to Diez’s lips. As she desperately turned her head to avoid it, the cold alcohol spilled over her chest.

She didn’t want to, but tears threatened to fall. What did I do wrong? If Jürgen sees me like this, he’ll surely be angry.

He’ll definitely abandon me completely……

Suddenly, the pain she felt on her scalp disappeared. Unexpectedly released, Diez exhaled sharply and looked at the scene unfolding before her.

The man who had been grabbing her hair was now on the floor, letting out continuous painful groans. Dull friction sounds created a dissonance as they alternated with short screams.

Not only surprised gazes, but the hall, which had certainly been noisy, fell silent in an instant. Another man was crushing him under one foot, beating him to a pulp with a rifle.

It was Jürgen.

Diez froze, momentarily forgetting even the sorrow of being assaulted by a stranger. The polite Duke who had been conversing with businessmen was nowhere to be found. His neatly combed hair now flowed randomly over his forehead.

Jürgen showed no sign of stopping. No, it seemed more like he couldn’t control himself.

It was the first time.

The first time she had seen Jürgen so angry.

Five minutes earlier. Jürgen was spending a tedious time. The businessmen surrounding him were trying their best to attract his attention by elaborating on various topics, but they ultimately failed to pique his interest.

It wasn’t surprising. It had always been this way. Rather, it was familiar to Jürgen.

Instead, distracting thoughts kept creeping into his mind. He continued to worry about leaving Diez alone. He had left her on her own thinking he would finish quickly and return, but he felt as uneasy, as if he had abandoned a child by the water.

In a way, he found himself ridiculous. In the end, I’m the one who can’t let go. After telling Diez all those things to cut off his attachment, he himself couldn’t drive her out of his mind.

“By the way, Duke Klaus, aren’t you thirsty? I heard the royal family has released precious alcohol.”

For most men, it was difficult to understand not drinking at all while attending a banquet.

Jürgen gave them a brief answer to their question.

“I’m not one to enjoy alcohol by nature.”

“Haha, I see. Everyone has different tastes.”

He silently nodded. There was no need to tell them that he had grown to avoid alcohol even more after restraining Diez under his body while drunk.

“Then regarding the large cannon you plan to produce this time……”

As he quietly listened to the conversation that quickly returned to the main topic, Jürgen glanced in the direction where he had left Diez. She was still standing in the same spot without anyone to talk to.

Suppressing a sigh, Jürgen withdrew his gaze again. He didn’t intend to blame her. Mingling with people must be especially difficult for Diez.

The conversation with men eager to make a deep impression only continued to lengthen. Suddenly, one of them who had been particularly restless whispered in Jürgen’s ear.

“Duke. Is the lady you brought as your partner alright?”

“……What do you mean?”

“Look over there.”

Jürgen looked in the direction he indicated with his eyes. The woman who had definitely been standing alone just minutes ago was now surrounded by men.

That wasn’t all. The moment he witnessed the scene unfolding so blatantly, Jürgen left the businessmen surrounding him with just one parting comment.

“Continue your conversation.”

It felt as if all the blood in his body had turned cold. As if suffering from temporary deafness, no sound entered his ears. Only Diez’s screams pierced sharply, stimulating his nerves even more acutely.

The man holding Diez was even trying to force her to drink. Jürgen’s steps, which had been striding firmly toward them, suddenly halted.

What he saw before his eyes was no longer just some unknown family’s son. Had the late Duke Klaus, his father, also abused Diez in this way? The figure of his father seemed to overlap with the large man’s back.

He had the illusion of hearing disgusting laughter. Jürgen, who had momentarily turned his steps, snatched a rifle from a royal guard standing by the wall.

He moved with the long gun in his hands. As the man, his father, drew closer, he was completely consumed by rage bordering on murderous intent as he swung the rifle barrel.

The man who took a direct hit to the back of his head screamed and collapsed to the floor. But Jürgen didn’t stop. Half out of his mind, he pressed down on the man’s chest with his foot and beat him until he was a mess. Though the face that had been struck hard with the butt of the rifle was becoming a bloody mess, the only thought in his mind was that it wasn’t enough yet.

The surroundings were quiet. No one dared to try to stop Jürgen. Even the guards who had noticed the commotion and approached were hesitating.

Duke Klaus, who had always seemed like he would remain calm no matter what happened. Duke Klaus, who had been frighteningly composed even during his father’s funeral.

That Duke was now beating another family’s son nearly to death, all because of Diez Schleicher.

“S-stop! Stop!”

Despite the man’s pleas, he didn’t budge as if he couldn’t hear. What finally stopped Jürgen was Diez’s cry, who couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

“Duke, please stop now!”

Jürgen, who had been glaring at the trembling man while stepping on him, threw the rifle to the floor. Only his labored breathing echoed loudly in the terrifyingly quiet banquet hall. After roughly pushing back his disheveled hair, Jürgen’s gaze instantly shifted to Diez.

Diez, who had instinctively shrunk back, saw that his eyes had calmed somewhat.

“Are you alright.”

Diez couldn’t answer his question. Now the biggest spectacle in the banquet hall was not her but the unnamed man who had been beaten by Jürgen.

“I’m sorry, Miss Schleicher. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

Now his complexion was tinged with traces of deep regret.

What was he regretful for? For leaving Diez alone? Or for losing his composure and assaulting another noble?

She couldn’t be certain of either.

“Let’s clear up the situation. I will escort the lady to her room now.”

At Jürgen’s words, the guards who had regained their senses moved quickly. The marquis’s eldest son, who looked almost unconscious, was practically collected by their hands.

Now only Diez remained. Jürgen approached, draped his jacket over her shoulders, and extended his hand to help her stand.

“Can you walk?”

This didn’t seem like the time to pretend she was fine. With that judgment, Diez answered honestly.

“N-no.”

Without further words, Jürgen gently lifted Diez in his arms. Until they had completely left the banquet hall, which was still pressed down by silence, none of those gathered there dared to speak.

As they entered the lobby, a hotel employee approached to guide them. Contrary to what the men had predicted, Diez was in a separate room.

Following the staff’s guidance, they walked down the carpeted hallway and into the room without exchanging a single word between them. Only after the staff member finally left did Diez speak her first words.

“Put me down, please.”

Jürgen carefully placed Diez on the bed. She merely removed the jacket from her shoulders and handed it to him, still not saying anything more.

Jürgen hung the jacket she gave him over his right arm and asked.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“……No.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Those people didn’t lay their hands on me.”

“So grabbing you by the hair doesn’t count as laying hands on you, I see.”

Diez didn’t answer. She seemed to want to be alone.

There was actually nothing he could do for her by staying at her side. After saying all those things to her earlier, it would be ridiculous to awkwardly pretend to care for her well-being now.

Though he wasn’t certain if leaving Diez like this was the right thing to do, he had only one choice available.

“Then I’ll leave so you can rest.”

As he turned around and reached for the doorknob, Diez suddenly asked.

“Why did you act like that earlier?”

Jürgen’s movement stopped as he was about to leave the room. He kept his hand on the doorknob and only turned his head to ask.

“What do you mean?”

“There was no need for you to get that angry.”

What is she trying to say? Jürgen finally let go of the doorknob and turned to fully face Diez.

“Yes, that person was trying to insult me, but beating him that severely……”

“Are you actually worried about that bastard’s well-being right now?”

“I’m trying to say that Your Grace’s response was excessive.”

“Excessive response, you say.”

His cooled head began to throb again. Though he knew he should throw a cold sneer and leave the room, Jürgen simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.