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"Step aside, Arie. That bastard dares to covet you and try to lure you in?"
"Lord Sharon has nothing to do with this! We just happened to meet by chance in Faymont, and he was only escorting me home!"
Ariette protested, but the Duke still refused to back down.
"By chance? Fine, let's say it was chance. Then what about that communication code?"
"I was the one who asked him for it! Lord Sharon graduated from the business faculty and is now working as the deputy manager of Sharon Jewelry. I thought it would be helpful to ask him whenever I had questions."
"You could've just asked your father! Why would you go to him of all people?"
"My younger sister asked me for advice, so I signed a contract to act as her business consultant. Since I'll also be advising on this perfume venture, it's only efficient for Lady Averil to ask me as well."
In truth, it was Ariette who had exchanged communication codes with Lenard first, but seeing that things were about to escalate, Lenard chose to give a convenient excuse.
The Duke, however, only scoffed at that answer.
"The heir of a house, who should already be busy with family affairs, takes on the role of consultant not for jewelry but for a perfume business? Isn't that just an excuse to get close to my daughter?"
"…I've been meaning to ask, Your Grace. Just what exactly do the members of your house think of me?"
Lenard's expression hardened, icy cold at the groundless accusation. Not even when dealing with the most troublesome customers had he ever been this angry.
"Last time, when Lady Averil visited Sharon Jewelry, I overlooked the fact that the young lords overreacted just because she had a private consultation with me. But now, Your Grace, to actually draw your sword simply because I escorted her by carriage and exchanged a few communications with her, do you really think that's reasonable behavior?"
"You think I haven't seen shameless scoundrels like you before, trying to make a move on Arie? They come with some excuse of etiquette, greet her politely, and when she refuses, they coax her with talk of meals or outings, trying to lure her in with sweet words!"
"I have never once broken etiquette in dealing with the Lady, nor have I ever forced upon her anything that might upset her. On the contrary, Your Grace, you're the one who, based solely on your baseless assumptions, pointed a sword at me and insulted me. Isn't that the real shameless behavior here?"
Lenard's cutting rebuttal made the knights and servants gathered behind the Duke stare at him in shock.
The Duke's face flushed red and pale with rage, but Ariette sided firmly with Lenard.
"Father, he's right! Lord Sharon only helped me, so why are you being so unreasonable and lashing out at him? And to think you even drew your sword, what would you have done if he got hurt?"
"Arie, but-"
"Apologize to him right now! Anyone can see this time it's clearly your fault, Father!"
At his daughter's scolding, the Duke looked utterly stricken, as if the world had collapsed around him. He gazed at Ariette with pitiful eyes.
"Arie, why are you taking his side? Don't tell me… do you actually like him? You used to say when you were little that you'd marry me when you grew up!"
"Why are you bringing that up now of all times?!"
Ariette's face turned beet red with embarrassment. Lenard, understanding her mortification, politely turned his head as if he hadn't heard anything.
It was one thing to remember a child's innocent words about marrying her father someday, but to bring it up so seriously now? How was anyone supposed to respond to that?
"I've told you many times not to say things like that! I can't marry you or my brothers anyway, so what will you do when I eventually bring home the man I intend to marry?"
"Marry? What nonsense! There isn't a single man in this world who's good enough for you!"
With a look of despair, the Duke gripped Ariette's shoulders tightly and shook his head.
"How many times must I tell you, Arie? Even if the man you bring home is a peerless beauty straight out of legend, has the power to ensure you'll never bow to anyone, the strength to protect you no matter what, and the wealth to grant you everything you desire, he would still be unworthy to covet you!"
"Father, this is just…"
"He mustn't even speak to other women, only you. He must think of nothing but you, place you above all else, and be willing to cast aside everything and everyone for your sake. Even then, I would allow nothing beyond mere conversation. Marriage? Absolutely not."
It was sheer madness.
Lenard barely managed to swallow down the words his younger sister often muttered, which had risen up to his throat.
He had stayed silent, curious to see how far this lunacy would go, but in the end, all it did was waste his time and sour his mood.
Wealth and honor, sure, but the rest? That's utter nonsense.
Half of humanity was female, how could anyone live without ever speaking to another woman? And those conditions about living solely for Ariette's sake were absurd beyond belief.
Worse, even if someone miraculously met those impossible conditions, the Duke still said he wouldn't permit more than casual conversation. That was so ludicrous it made Lenard's neck stiff with exasperation.
What was more shocking was that the knights and servants standing behind the Duke were nodding along in agreement.
Seeing such insanity all around him, Lenard realized anew just how warped Ariette's environment really was.
With surroundings like this, it's a wonder she managed to grow up without her personality being ruined.
He had heard stories before, but seeing the Duke's household deifying Ariette with his own eyes, it felt like a miracle she had turned out as well as she did.
That thought made Lenard's anger flare. With a voice laced with icy sarcasm that clashed with his otherwise composed face, he fired back at the Duke.
"So, by Your Grace's standards, the Lady's partner would be someone who looks impressive enough, with money and power to spare, yet so intoxicated by his supposed love that he can't even manage his own life, losing everything, including the people around him, in the process. If it were my younger sister, I'd stop her at all costs from marrying such a man."
The atmosphere, which had been movingly emotional to them alone, froze solid at Lenard's words.
Ariette, flustered, glanced back at Lenard, but he didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
'They're going to end up at each other's throats anyway once I leave. A few more words here won't change much.'
After all, it was the Duke who had crossed the line first. Even if it were the Emperor himself, brandishing a sword at a noble's throat would have earned him the title of tyrant. For nobles to do such a thing to each other, it was as good as declaring war between their houses.
So, before leaving, Lenard decided he might as well say everything he wanted to say.
Dropping his smile, he pointed out the contradictions in the Duke's words.
"An individual who possesses wealth, honor, power, strength, and beauty, and on top of that, is willing to cast aside everything for the Lady's sake… Such a person would be no different from the tyrants and foolish kings in myths and history, who ruined their nations blinded by lust. Otherwise, are you planning to bring in some man with strength and looks but no family or friends, and make him your son-in-law so that he'll have no choice but to rely on the power and wealth of your house, forced to live in absolute obedience to the Lady?"
"What outrageous drivel is this!"
The Duke's furious shout shook the manor gates. Ariette's eyes widened as she stared at Lenard in shock.
"Let's be honest, Your Grace. Even if we set aside the external conditions, in order for someone to throw away everything for the Lady's sake, he would have to have no one else close to him. Otherwise, it would mean a man who discards his family and friends for the sake of his wife, and how could anyone trust such a man enough to let their daughter marry him?"
Few people live lives where they have only one precious person. Of course, among family, lovers, friends, and colleagues, one bond might matter most, but that doesn't mean the rest can be tossed aside.
And anyone who could so blindly devote themselves to a single person while discarding everyone else, Lenard did not consider such a man desirable. The Duke himself was already a prime example of that very flaw.
"You say it's for the Lady's sake, yet you demand such absurd conditions for a son-in-law. Is it because you want requirements so impossible that you can easily reject anyone who shows up? If that's the case, wouldn't it be better just to say plainly that you won't allow her to marry? It's not admirable, but at least it would be more honest than hiding behind this excuse of acting for her sake."
"Excuse? You dare say I only pretend it's for Ariette's sake?!"
The Duke, once again speaking in rough tones, reached for his sword a second time, his face showing neither remorse nor regret for having threatened Lenard earlier.
"Father, why is the Sharon family's carriage… Arie!"
Just then, Achilles, who had returned from outside, spotted Ariette and rushed over in alarm. His face pale, he clutched her, frantically checking her from head to toe.
Meanwhile, Lenard signaled discreetly to his escorts, then turned back to the carriage door.
"There's no point in staying here any longer, only to face the Duke's threats again. I'll be returning now. My Lady, I apologize for frightening you."
"Ah, Lord Sharon!"
Ariette, dodging Achilles's fussing, called out to him, but Lenard only gave the slightest nod before closing the carriage door.
Unless the apology came directly from the Duke himself, he had no interest in hearing Ariette apologize on her family's behalf ever again.
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