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At Letticia's sudden appearance, Jarvis flinched, and in that moment, Achilles approached him with a menacing air.
"Who are you?"
Achilles barely held onto enough reason not to snarl, "What the hell are you?" His sharp tone made Jarvis flinch slightly, but once he realized his opponent was Achilles, he straightened up with a confident air.
"I am Lucian Jarvis, heir of the Marquisate of Jarvis. I was also invited to Lord Averil's birthday banquet last year, though it seems you don't remember me."
"How can the heir of the Jarvis Marquisate so casually strike up a conversation with another man's younger sister, someone he doesn't even know, and who hasn't even had her debut yet?"
"I was just about to introduce myself properly. Even if the young lady has not debuted yet, surely she is allowed the joy of making acquaintances, is she not?"
Jarvis replied smoothly, unfazed by Achilles's rebuke.
Ignoring Achilles's face flushing red with anger, Jarvis shamelessly stepped closer to Ariette.
"Although my approach may stray somewhat from conventional manners, I hope you understand that it is only because of the feelings I cannot suppress for you, my lady. So please, allow me the honor of hearing your clear voice call my name, to continue this connection between us, and to let the golden freesia, so like your radiant hair, take deep root within my heart."
"…Th-that's… inappropriate. Even if you say such things…"
Flustered, Ariette stepped back from Jarvis. Unbothered, Jarvis tried to approach her again with the same brazen look, but this time Achilles grabbed his shoulder roughly.
"Don't you dare lay those filthy hands on my sister."
"Ugh!"
Gasps and murmurs of surprise spread among the onlookers at Achilles's sudden move.
Jarvis tried to shake off Achilles's grip, but against the strength of a knight commander like him, it was a hopeless effort.
Even so, perhaps emboldened by the fact that Achilles was only the duke's second son, Jarvis forced a sneer, glaring at him as though to belittle him despite the pain of his shoulder being crushed.
"I'm well aware of the Averil family's excessive love, but seeing it firsthand… it really is extreme. Do you intend to act this way toward every man who tries to court your sister?"
"When it comes to lowlifes like you, yes. Where do you get the gall to talk to my sister without an ounce of shame?"
"…My lord, it might be wiser to refrain from using such rough language."
Letticia, who had no intention of defending Jarvis, nevertheless threw out a piece of advice. Ezkhiel, too, glanced at the surrounding guests and tried to calm Achilles down.
"Lord Averil, please compose yourself. I understand your feelings, but isn't this your elder brother's birthday banquet?"
"And that's what matters right now? When there's a bastard daring to harass our Arie?"
The moment Achilles shouted, the murmuring crowd quieted. The Duke and Alexander stepped into view through the parting guests.
"What is going on here, Achilles?"
"It's nothing, my lord, Sir Averil. The young lord was simply a little overzealous in his affection for his sister and made a minor mistake, that's all."
"I wasn't asking you. Achilles, explain."
Ignoring Jarvis, Alexander fixed a sharp gaze on Achilles. Achilles shoved Jarvis's shoulder away roughly before replying.
"I was only stopping this man from forcing himself on Arie."
"What?"
At those words, the Duke's eyes turned murderous as they fell on Jarvis. Rubbing the shoulder that had been grabbed, Jarvis faltered under the Duke's glare and hurriedly tried to explain himself.
"There must be some misunderstanding, my lord. I merely confessed my feelings to the young lady, nothing more."
"How dare you?"
But his words only backfired. The Duke, hearing this brazen admission from a man filled with impure intent toward his daughter, looked ready to draw his sword on the spot if only he'd had it at his side. Alexander, too, wiped away even the courtesy-smile from his face, staring at Jarvis as though at a sworn enemy.
Compared to the restrained hostility Ezkhiel or Lenard had shown before, this fury was something else entirely. Under that pressure, the shameless smile faded from Jarvis's face, replaced little by little with fear.
Yet the true calamity about to befall him was not only from the three men of the Averil family.
"What is the meaning of this commotion?"
When Countess Freke arrived with Matthias, Jarvis looked at him as though grasping at a final straw.
But before Jarvis could even open his mouth, Ezkhiel stepped forward and explained the situation.
"Young Lord Jarvis here caused a disturbance by rudely pressing himself upon Lady Averil, insisting on introducing himself despite her refusals."
"…Is that so?"
Matthias's cold gaze turned toward Jarvis. Seeing what he thought was his last hope staring at him like that, Jarvis frantically shook his head.
"That's an exaggeration! Sir Bright is twisting the truth!"
"My chief aide has never once twisted or exaggerated a situation. And do you truly think the knight commander would raise his voice so loudly at his own brother's birthday banquet unless you had acted with great impropriety?"
Matthias's voice cut like a blade. Jarvis tried desperately to defend himself, but before he could, Lenard suddenly stepped out from the crowd. Bowing his head to Matthias, he began to speak.
"Your Highness, while it is true that Young Lord Jarvis behaved rudely and spoiled the banquet, I beg you to hear his circumstances, just this once."
"Circumstances?"
"Brother?"
Letticia looked at Lenard in shock. He despised Jarvis, why on earth would he try to defend him? It made no sense.
Casting a deliberately meaningful glance at Jarvis, Lenard now unleashed the acting skills he usually reserved for charming female guests. In a voice heavy with sympathy, he began.
"Young Lord Jarvis is currently so wounded in his heart that he cannot make rational judgments."
"…A wounded heart?"
Matthias furrowed his brows slightly. Lenard continued, adding a touch of theatricality to his tone.
"Yes. This past spring, he devoted himself wholly to wooing my younger sister. But, as you know, my sister became the beloved of another. Outwardly he offered his blessing and vowed to preserve their friendship, but deep down, in his desperate wish to reassure her, he convinced himself he had to show Lady Letticia that he too could form a bond with another remarkable woman. And so, I believe, he acted recklessly here today."
"So, in other words… he took out his resentment over being rejected by Lady Sharon and tried to toy with Lady Averil instead?"
At Matthias's words, laughter broke out from the crowd, no one could tell who started it. Everyone knew Jarvis had courted Letticia during the spring season and been turned down.
"Well, I suppose it makes sense. When a lady rejects you, you want to prove you've found someone even better."
"Exactly. That's why he was so desperate. But really, who could ever hope to compete with Lady Sharon, the Diamond herself?"
"Still, even so, how could Young Lord Jarvis behave so… crude, no, outright rude? And to someone who hasn't even debuted in society yet?"
In an instant, Jarvis had become nothing more than a pathetic man, desperate to flaunt that he had found someone "better" after being rejected.
Stung by the ridicule now pouring over him, Jarvis tried to move toward Lenard, but Alexander blocked his way. With a look of false benevolence, he clamped down hard on the same shoulder Achilles had grabbed earlier.
"Don't strain yourself, young lord. You don't need to force yourself to be fine. Isn't it because you rushed things that you ended up causing today's commotion?"
"N-no, that's not, my lord, please, let go of my shoulder-"
"That's right. A man like you can surely meet someone suitable for your station. But please stop being rude to others in some misguided attempt to prove yourself to me. It's shameful to cause such a scene at Sir Averil's birthday banquet of all places."
Even Letticia joined in the reprimand, leaving Jarvis twisting his face in frustrated despair. Watching him, the Duke curled his lip into a cold sneer.
"My heart is not made of ice, so I can understand a wound like that. But even so, does that justify making an indecent move on my daughter at my son's birthday banquet?"
"My lord, it's a misunderstanding! Please, allow me to explain-"
"If your wound was truly so deep, we would have understood if you'd chosen not to attend. There was no need to force yourself to remain out of a sense of obligation. Now, be gone and rest."
"And don't you dare come near my sister with such excuses ever again."
With Alexander and Achilles both pressing him to leave, Jarvis glanced around desperately for an ally. But there was no one willing to extend a hand. The last person he locked eyes with was Ezkhiel, who simply sighed, turned his face away, and left Jarvis abandoned.
His face contorted with humiliation, Jarvis finally fled the hall in disgrace. The music and chatter soon resumed, filling the air as if nothing had happened.
"What an absurd spectacle. Are you all right, Lady Averil?"
"Yes… I'm all right, Lady Sharon."
"All right? How could you be all right after some lunatic like that clung to you!"
When Ariette gave a faint smile, Achilles rushed to her side in outrage. Alexander and the Duke, too, hovered protectively, unwilling to leave her even for a moment.
"This won't do, Arie. You should retire for the evening. For someone to dare such a thing to my precious daughter…"
"Don't worry, Arie. I'll make sure you never have to see that bastard again."
"Brother…"
As Ariette looked troubled by her family's fussing, Matthias clicked his tongue quietly. He seemed to realize that speaking with Ariette any further tonight was impossible.
"I believe I should take my leave as well. Duke, may the rest of this evening pass without incident."
"What?"
Letticia, who had been hoping at last to dance with Ezkhiel, was left dumbfounded by Matthias's sudden announcement.
Ezkhiel, too, looked at her with sympathy, but with Matthias striding out, he had no choice but to follow, and the two of them left the banquet hall together.
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