"You expect me to marry my daughter to him? After what he did?"
"..."
Silence.
Effie father let out —a single, bitter laugh.
"You think a ring will erase what happened? Lucien, can't you see it? Your son tried to rape my daughter. Do you believe she could ever call him 'husband' after that?"
"..."
No one answered.
Because no one could.
Effie's mother trembled with barely contained fury. Liana's lips remained sealed, her expression unreadable. Lucien merely steepled his fingers, his gaze cool and detached.
All eyes turned to Lucien.
Grey watched, intrigued.
'How will he react to this?'
Lucien exhaled, as if indulging a tiresome child.
"You see, Cedric," he said, voice smooth as he tapped on the armrest, "normally, I wouldn't even care about something like this… But the only reason I'm suggesting marriage is because it's you."
Effie's father flinched. His fists clenched, but he didn't speak.
His words were simple—he was only considering marriage because they were friends. Otherwise, he had many ways to deal with the current situation… and none of them were pretty.
Grey could read the outline of his words.
It was like a threat, coated in the silk of care.
And Cedric understood that, too.
Because the man before him wasn't just a friend.
He was the leader of the strongest guild.
His lord.
Cedric's open his mouth only to close it again, in the end, he lowered his head.
"I… know. But—"
Liana cut in, her voice honeyed. "Cedric you don't have to worry. Effie will be happy with us. We'll treat her as our own."
He had no rebuttal.
His wife Isolde, silent until now, placed a trembling hand over his.
A surrender.
Seeing this opportunity Lucien pressed further—
"Now, Grey."
Grey's attention snapped back to his father.
Lucien's voice was deceptively light. "I gave you one last chance and let you attend the academy. And this is what you did." He paused, glaring at him. "I've overlooked your behavior until now, but you've crossed a line. You should be grateful you're marrying a girl like Effie."
His gaze hardened. "As for your punishment… I'll decide that later. For now, apologize to them—for the pain you've caused their daughter."
Grey stared at him.
Then at Effie's parents.
He wanted to laugh.
All of this was a farce. Lucien didn't care about him—or Effie. What he wanted was to bind Grey to her, and through that union, seize control of her family's influence.
A branch house, perhaps, but one with power worth exploiting.
It was a clever scheme—just as one would expect from someone like Lucien.
A man who struck swiftly, seized control whenever opportunity allowed, and never let emotion stand in the way of ambition. A man who would devour even his own friends if it served his rise.
A perfect leader.
Grey was, in a way, genuinely impressed.
But what truly intrigued him was the expression on Effie's parents' faces. They looked… reluctant. Hesitant.
Yes, they were being forced into a corner—asked to marry their daughter off to the very man who had once tried to violate her.
But even so, it wasn't a bad situation for them. In fact, it was a good opportunity—a chance to rise.
So why the hesitation?
'Interesting. Very interesting.'
Grey realized he was missing something. A crucial piece of information.Something didn't add up. For now, all he could do was guess.
Were they truly so sentimental?
Or…
Was there another offer on the table—one that hadn't come from Lucien?
Heh.
This was turning out to be more fun than expected.
His eyes shifted toward Lucien, who was still waiting for his response.
And suddenly, the smile on Grey's lips vanished.
Yes, it was fun.
But that was all there was to it.
From the beginning, this had been nothing more than entertainment.
Now that he had more or less pieced it together, he had already lost interest.
He looked at his father—Lucien, the mastermind. The plan had been nearly perfect, flawless in execution.
Except for one simple, fatal mistake:
He dragged Grey into it.
His lips curled slightly.
He remembered Lucien telling him to apologize.
"Apologize?"
Grey echoed the word, letting it ring loud enough for all to hear.
All heads turned in unison, their eyes settling on him...
He looked back at them with cold arrogance, as though peering down from a height they would never reach.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
His golden eyes—hollow and filled with boredom—locked onto Lucien.
"I would do no such thing."