“Perhaps during peaceful times, such leniency could have been excused. But now, in these critical times when we must prioritize unity for the nation over individual desires, Lord Lucius invoked the phrase ‘true love’ to break an engagement that was meant to set a standard. He replaced the warm blood in the hearts of the nobility with the icy chill of midwinter. You understand the implications, don’t you? If your side cannot properly settle this matter, the Romana family will impose sanctions. If you wish to avoid that, Lord Lucius must be... well, let’s say, dealt with decisively.”
Once a girl deeply in love with Lucius, Liliengela now carried the demeanor of a proud noble, cloaked in responsibility and duty. Her words, sharp as nails, hammered down mercilessly. Lucius’s cousin felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, his hands damp as he wiped his brow. He clenched his teeth, silently lamenting the opportunity they had let slip away. If only Liliengela had become the family’s matriarch... she would have been someone to be proud of.
“Our family promises to fulfill our social responsibility as high-ranking nobles. We will ensure that Lady Liliengela is not disappointed. Even if the family head defends Lucius, the entire family will see to it that he is strictly punished.”
Lucius’s cousin bowed deeply once again.
And so, with expressions as tense as if their nerves had turned to steel, Lucius’s family and relatives encircled Lucius and Maricia, who were still lost in their romantic euphoria, and escorted them out of the venue.
“Has my father been informed?” Liliengela quietly asked Andre, the heir to a viscount family and a trusted member of the Romana faction. Andre, known for his quick thinking and skill, was one of Duke Romana’s favorites.
“I have already arranged for the matter of the broken engagement to reach only His Grace’s ears for now,” Andre replied.
Satisfied, Liliengela nodded.
Duke Romana and other key figures of the kingdom, including Lucius’s father, were in a separate chamber discussing strategies to address the tensions with neighboring nations.
In a way, the broken engagement presented an opportunity to suppress Lucius’s family. High-ranking nobles like the Romana family wielded political power and set traps by controlling information and taking preemptive measures to secure their interests.
“My father wouldn’t show the same leniency as Lord Lucius’s father, but precautions are always necessary. The spies embedded within Lucius’s household must be instructed to increase their surveillance,” Liliengela thought to herself, silently dismissing the idea of the novel’s lenient consequences as utterly unacceptable.
Scanning the room once more, Liliengela’s instincts—honed by years of being pampered—kicked in. She had a natural radar for detecting those inclined to indulge her whims. Andre, one such individual, stood beside her.
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