"Elias."

Vincent’s voice dropped into a register so chillingly low it made the air in the courtyard turn to ice.

Elias hurried to his commander’s side, bowing slightly with the seamless, practiced professionalism he always carried.

"Your Lordship?"

"What is the prescribed punishment," Vincent demanded coldly, his eyes never leaving the trembling forms of the Viremont family, "for the crimes committed here today?"

Elias calmly adjusted his spectacle, like he had been waiting to be asked this specific question.

"Legally speaking, Your Lordship," he began, "the destruction of noble property, the illegal concealment of inherited assets, and the blatant threat against a Marchioness grant us full authority to detain the offenders immediately and place the Viremont estate under thorough investigation."

The color visibly drained from Baron Jame’s face, and Elias continued without the slightest trace of sympathy.

"That includes the freezing of all Viremont assets, the confiscation of family records for review, and the imposition of substantial financial penalties. Should your Lordship desire it, the matter may also be brought before the royal court for official judgement."

By that, Elias meant public shaming.

As he casually listed each devastating consequence with a completely deadpan expression, Penelope stood safely behind her husband.

She delicately wiped a lingering, theatrical tear from her eye, a sharp, knowing smile forming on her lips. Glancing sideways, she caught sight of Martha standing not far away from her. Hidden behind the folds of her sleeves, Martha subtly gave her lady a thumbs-up, and Penelope almost smiled.

Vincent listened to Elias in silence, his expression dark and calculating as he contemplated the legal ruin of the house. Finally, he spoke up, his gaze fixing heavily on the master of the estate.

"Baron James, are you aware that withholding another person’s inheritance, particularly that of a Marchioness, is a direct violation of imperial law?" Vincent asked, his tone laced with a dangerous promise of violence. "You tend to forget your place because she is your daughter, but I shall correct your memory very soon. I also heard from the palace that your house is drowning in debt. You really seem to hate your status as a Baron, considering how eagerly you are begging to lose it."

Baron James’s knees nearly buckled at the mention of his nobility.

Vincent took a step forward.

"Your debt is highly suspicious, Baron James," he stated. "Which means regardless of whether I pursue this matter through court, a single detailing letter from me would be more than sufficient reason for His Majesty to launch a formal investigation, and if that happens, it’s over for the Viremonts. I doubt the Crown would be particularly forgiving."

"Your Lordship," the Baron immediately dropped to his knees, his polished boots scraping against the dirt. "This humble servant pleads for you to have mercy! The barony has always been maintained by the Viremonts and always will be. Please, reconsider your judgement."

"You should have reconsidered your actions before tearing up my wife’s inheritance papers and bullying her in the very presence of my guards," was Vincent’s swift, lethal comeback. He didn’t even look down at the kneeling man. "Disrespecting my wife is the exact same as disrespecting me, and every single member of the Viremont house will pay dearly for it. I will personally see to it that you all end up on the streets like the commoners you wish to become. Getting rid of one annoying noble will make things much easier for me around here."

"MERCY, YOUR LORDSHIP! MERCY!" The Baron and his family wailed, their pride completely shattering as Genevieve and Mirabel dropped to their knees beside James.

Mirabel slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with Penelope who smiled her way.

She turned to William, looking at him with pleading eyes for him to do something, but even William knew better than to draw the Marquis’s attention to himself. He remembered how his life almost came to an end at the royal court, an outcome only avoided because of Penelope’s intervention.

In the end, he averted his gaze without a word, much to Mirabel’s frustration.

The Baron was also lost in thought.

Baron James knew with sickening certainty that if the crown decided to dive into the true reason behind why he had accumulated so many debts, he would be utterly done for.

Rosehill had been going through increasingly difficult times due to his own glaring incapabilities, and in his desperation, he had illegally used Penelope’s inheritance as collateral to appease his lenders. If those creditors took the matter to the Marquis to save their own skins, he wouldn’t just be ruined, he would be finished permanently.

He had assumed he’d be able to trade Penelope’s inheritance back to her in exchange for the valuable gifts she was supposed to bring to the estate today. And if she proved herself to be difficult, they would make her submit by threatening to tear the papers. But the girl was far more conniving and had managed to surprise all of them multiple times in a week.

His entire breakdown was her fault. She and her mother had been nothing but a curse to his otherwise peaceful life. What he truly couldn’t grasp, as he was dragged lower into the dirt, was where she had suddenly grown such a backbone.

Penelope has changed completely. Terrifyingly so.

Meanwhile, Penelope watched them grovel from her safe haven behind Vincent, her eyes devoid of pity. They had driven her innocent mother to an early grave and treated her like a disposable bartering chip. Seeing them wailing in the dirt was only the beginning of what they truly deserved.

"Have them detained," came Vincent’s sharp orders.

The elite guards moved instantly, grabbing the frantic, weeping members of the Viremont family and dragging them away toward the estate’s holding quarters.

Only William was left standing now.

Because he was not part of the Viremont household, the guards had left him out of the immediate sweep, leaving him standing alone and utterly ignored in the center of the courtyard.

Vincent turned his back on the pathetic scene, placing a gentle hand on Penelope’s shoulder as his voice softened completely.

"Feeling better?"

Penelope nodded, giving him a small, fragile smile that contrasted sharply with the ice in her eyes moments ago.

"The guards and Elias will take care of the rest from here," Vincent said, much to Elias’s visible, heavy-sighing exhaustion in the background.

The Marquis then let out a leather-gloved hand for her. "Let’s go."

William watched, paralyzed, as Penelope smoothly placed her hand into Vincent’s. The contrast was agonizing.

As he pulled her close to lead her out, William didn’t even cast a single thought toward Mirabel as she was dragged away screaming. Instead, driven by a desperate, ugly impulse, he went after Penelope.

"Penelope," he called out before he could stop himself. He hadn’t meant to draw Vincent’s lethal attention along with it, but seeing her leave so willingly with the man he absolutely loathed made his chest burn with a profound, suffocating jealousy.

Penelope never mattered this much to him, so why did it hurt to see her happy with someone else?

Both Penelope and Vincent stopped in their tracks to look at him. William completely ignored the Marquis’s towering presence and took a bold step closer to Penelope, his eyes wild.

"So, you knew all this time?" he asked, his voice shaking. "You knew I was with your sister, and now you’re upset about it. That’s the real reason why you’re with him, isn’t it? You’re just trying to get back at me for what I did! What other reason could there possibly be for you to be—"

"William," Penelope cut him off, her tone dripping with exhaustion. She was entirely tired of having to repeat herself to a man who refused to listen. "I will repeat this only once, so listen carefully. Not everything is about you. You’re not as important as you’ve pictured yourself to be. The universe doesn’t revolve around you either."

Those words sliced right through his ego.

"What I once felt for you no longer exists. In fact, you should be happy. Now that I am out of the way, you and Mirabel can become a happy couple once the imperial investigation ends, if she comes out clean."

Then thoughtfully, "You know, If you even dare to send me a wedding invitation, I would happily show up to bless my sister and my new brother-in-law."

"This is not funny, Penelope!"

"I’m not being funny," Penelope replied smoothly, her expression deadpan. "I meant every single word I just said. I am a married woman now, and besides, what is the use of coming after me? The magnificent plan you made with my family to use me has completely crumbled, so I am of no use to you anymore. I could have the elite guards drag you away as an accomplice to my family’s deceit, but my words aren’t merely enough for. I will have the Viremont’s expose your treachery as well, and then, we’ll see how your father plans to get you out of that one."

Vincent watched the entire interaction in silence, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t see the need to intervene... yet. He wanted to see exactly how his wife handled her past, and her cold, unyielding response highly amused him.

When Penelope looked up at him, her eyes signaling that they should finally leave this wretched place, Vincent nodded and began to lead the way out of the courtyard.

"Oh, and before I forget," Vincent suddenly said, stopping in his tracks as if he had just remembered a minor, trivial detail. He turned his head slightly, his icy gray eyes pinning William to the spot. "Tell your father I shall be paying him a personal visit very soon."