At the Manscott estate, Julius and Alexis arrived unannounced. They were greeted by Tina, dressed up and ready, and her father, Maion.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Lord Julius!”
Tina almost flung herself at him, but Julius instinctively raised a hand to stop her.
“I read your letter, but there’s no way I can accept it. I want to see Sophia. I need to speak to her directly.”
“Oh, but it was always meant to be me, not my sister. Isn’t that right, Duke of Citrona?” Tina turned to Alexis for support.
“But it was Maion who sent the elder daughter, wasn’t it? Julius has taken a liking to Sophia. What’s the meaning of offering the younger daughter now?” Alexis asked, glaring at Maion.
But Maion, with his back against the wall, refused to concede easily.
“It was a mistake on my part. Naturally, we should follow the original agreement. Besides, Sophia has agreed to this—she even gave her necklace to Tina as a gesture of acceptance.”
The necklace, which Sophia had cherished, now sparkled around Tina’s neck.
There’s no way Sophia would willingly part with that!
Julius vividly remembered how happily Sophia had admired the necklace. Anger flared in his chest.
“Regardless, I—”
Crash!
“I won’t be satisfied until—”
Crash!
“I talk to—”
Crash!
“What is going on?!” Julius shouted, exasperated by the repeated loud noises interrupting him.
Storming out of the foyer, he saw broken jam jars scattered on the ground. Looking up, he spotted several shattered windows, and from one of them, Sophia leaned out, her face desperate.
“Lord Julius! Lord Julius—!”
“Sophia!”
Seeing her, Julius immediately memorized the location and shoved past Maion and Tina, sprinting up the main staircase.
“Hey, Sophia! What are you breaking in there? Stop it already! This will be my mansion someday!”
Rauno banged on the door, shouting angrily at Sophia. He tried unlocking and pushing the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.
Inside, Sophia was pushing a desk against the door with all her strength to keep Rauno out.
She didn’t have a clear plan for escaping or overcoming the situation. But when she saw Julius arriving at the mansion through the window, she panicked. Afraid that Tina might leave with him, she desperately smashed the windowpanes one after another with the jam jars at hand, hoping he would notice her.
* * *
“I swear, I’ve got nothing to do with this! The viscount asked me to do it—!” Rauno shouted, then paused as a small knock sounded from the door.
“Sophia, are you in there?”
“Lord Julius! Please wait a moment!”
Frantic, Sophia began moving the desk. It only budged a little at a time, and by the time she managed to open the door, her arms and legs were trembling from exertion.
* * *
When Sophia finally stepped out, Julius felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had been anxious to confirm whether what Maion and Tina had claimed was true.
But before he could say anything, Sophia staggered toward him and collapsed into his arms, sobbing.
“Please take me back with you, not Tina. I-I want to go back to the mansion. Don’t leave me behind—”
“I’d never leave you behind. I came here to take you back,” Julius reassured her gently.
Hearing this, both felt a deep sense of relief—they wanted to be together.
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