The elegant atmosphere of the noble banquet shattered completely.
What began as soft whispers beneath moonlit balconies quickly transformed into full noble chaos spreading throughout the grand estate like wildfire. The orchestra inside the ballroom continued playing refined melodies desperately pretending nothing had happened while nobles abandoned dances and conversations alike to gather near the garden corridors overlooking the unfolding scandal.
Laughter.
Whispers.
Mockery.
Shock.
The beautiful noble anniversary celebration had transformed into entertainment.
Cruel entertainment.
Meanwhile—
Inside the ballroom—
The viscount himself finally heard the spreading commotion.
At first he remained confused.
The middle-aged nobleman stood among important guests wearing luxurious dark-blue formal attire decorated with silver family insignias. His carefully maintained noble smile slowly stiffened as more and more nobles began glancing toward him strangely.
Then eventually—
He grabbed another nearby nobleman by the arm.
"What is happening?"
His voice sounded uneasy already.
The nobleman awkwardly cleared his throat before answering carefully:
"…Apparently…"
Another uncomfortable pause followed.
"A viscount's wife is cheating on him with one of his knights."
Silence.
The viscount's expression froze instantly.
Then slowly—
Very slowly—
He asked:
"…Which viscount?"
The nobleman immediately looked more uncomfortable.
"I… don't know."
But the answer already existed inside the viscount's mind.
Fear had already reached him.
Without another word—
He pushed through the gathering crowd immediately.
Nobles parted naturally.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hungry for drama.
And eventually—
The viscount stepped onto the moonlit garden pathway.
Then—
He saw them.
His wife.
Sitting atop his personal knight beneath the silver moonlight.
Her dress partially loosened.
Her expression flushed.
The knight's hands still resting against her waist while she whispered soft breathless laughter completely unaware of the approaching disaster.
Silence consumed the garden.
Then suddenly—
Several nobles laughed.
Others immediately covered their mouths pretending shock.
The viscount however—
Did not scream.
Did not rage immediately.
And somehow—
That calmness looked far more frightening.
His face became pale beneath the moonlight while veins slowly appeared near his clenched jaw.
The nobleman quietly walked forward afterward.
Step by step.
The knight finally noticed him first.
And instantly—
All color disappeared from his face.
"My lord—"
Too late.
The viscount violently grabbed his wife by the arm and pulled her away from the knight immediately.
The woman screamed softly in shock.
The surrounding nobles stepped backward watching eagerly.
Meanwhile—
The knight dropped to his knees instantly.
"My lord please forgive—"
"Guards."
The viscount's voice sounded horrifyingly calm now.
"Execute him."
Silence.
The knight froze completely.
"My lord please!"
He immediately began bowing desperately.
"It was a mistake!"
"Please spare me!"
The viscount ignored him entirely.
Meanwhile—
His wife suddenly grabbed his sleeve trembling violently now.
"Husband please—"
Tears already formed within her eyes.
"It was only—"
SLAP—
The viscount raised his hand violently.
Yet before the strike landed—
Another nobleman suddenly stepped between them and caught his wrist.
"Enough."
The garden atmosphere shifted again.
The viscount slowly looked toward the interfering noble with burning eyes.
"That woman…"
His voice trembled beneath restrained fury.
"…is my wife."
The other nobleman silently observed him for several moments afterward.
Then eventually—
He released the viscount's wrist.
Without another word.
Because honestly—
No noble wished involving themselves deeply in marital disgrace.
Especially one this public.
The viscount immediately grabbed his wife again afterward.
Violently.
And began dragging her toward the front courtyard.
The woman cried quietly while struggling weakly behind him beneath the endless gazes and whispers surrounding them.
Meanwhile—
Behind them—
The knight was already being seized by guards.
His begging echoed helplessly through the garden.
The nobles however—
Only laughed.
Some pitied him.
Most enjoyed the spectacle.
Because noble society devoured humiliation like starving beasts.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"Humans truly are cruel."
Kel quietly watched the entire scene unfold from near the balcony shadows.
"…Humiliation is entertainment for people untouched by consequences."
Meanwhile—
The viscount finally reached the front courtyard near the noble carriage lines.
His breathing had become unstable now.
His wife still cried quietly behind him while servants and guards awkwardly avoided eye contact entirely.
Then suddenly—
A calm voice spoke nearby.
"Can we speak for a moment?"
The viscount turned immediately afterward.
And there—
Kel stood calmly beneath the silver lantern lights.
The viscount recognized him instantly.
Herald.
The increasingly famous advisor connected to House Asheville.
Right now however—
The viscount looked in no mood for conversation.
He violently opened the carriage door before shoving his wife inside roughly.
Then turned toward Kel with cold eyes.
"What?"
His voice carried open hostility now.
"What?"
Another step closer.
"You also came to lecture me about how I should treat a cheating woman?"
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly sighed.
"This conversation already feels dangerous."
Meanwhile—
Kel remained completely calm.
"No."
The viscount frowned slightly.
Kel's dark eyes reflected the cold lantern lights quietly afterward.
"I only came to tell you something."
Silence followed.
Then calmly—
Kel continued.
"Your anger is valid."
The viscount slightly stiffened hearing that.
Kel however continued immediately afterward.
"But decisions made through rage usually harm the person making them most."
The cold winds drifted softly through the courtyard.
Kel's voice remained calm.
Controlled.
"Instead of acting recklessly…"
Another pause.
"…consider the situation differently."
The viscount narrowed his eyes slightly.
"How?"
Kel quietly looked toward the closed carriage door afterward.
Then softly—
"Your wife now wears chains."
Silence.
The viscount frowned deeply.
"…Explain."
Kel calmly folded one hand behind his back afterward.
"She destroyed her own image publicly."
Another pause.
"She humiliated herself before noble society."
The viscount silently listened.
Kel continued.
"That guilt will never disappear now."
His voice lowered slightly.
"And every single time she sees you…"
Another cold pause followed.
"…she'll remember tonight."
The viscount's expression slowly changed.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly continued.
"You can remind her whenever you wish."
"Control her whenever you wish."
"Exploit that guilt endlessly."
The atmosphere became colder somehow.
Inside his mind—
Even Sairen became quiet now.
Because Kel's words were not emotional.
They were strategic.
Cruelly strategic.
Then finally—
Kel added softly:
"And your wife came from a wealthy family, correct?"
The viscount blinked once.
Kel's gaze sharpened faintly.
"As the husband whose reputation suffered publicly…"
Another pause.
"…shouldn't you reclaim everything with interest?"
Silence.
Then slowly—
The viscount smiled.
A dark smile.
Cold.
Ugly.
Yet satisfied.
"…I have to say…"
He quietly laughed once.
"…you truly are a brilliant man, Mister Herald."
The nobleman looked toward the carriage afterward.
"Honestly…"
Another faint laugh escaped him.
"…I was considering exiling her."
"Or beheading her."
Kel calmly replied:
"A dead person has little value."
The lantern lights flickered softly.
"But a living corpse…"
His dark eyes remained emotionless now.
"…is worth as much as you decide."
Silence.
Then finally—
The viscount entered the carriage afterward.
The doors shut heavily.
And moments later—
The carriage began moving away from the estate.
Yet even from outside—
The atmosphere inside felt wrong.
Ugly.
Cruel.
The viscount no longer behaved like a wounded husband.
Now—
He behaved like a man who found a permanent tool for emotional revenge.
Inside the carriage—
His wife's muffled crying quietly echoed beneath the moving wheels.
And somewhere within that darkness—
The beginning of her punishment had already started.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly stood beneath the courtyard lanterns afterward.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distant night roads.
Inside his mind—
Sairen finally spoke softly.
"You just transformed rage into calculated cruelty."
Kel remained silent briefly.
Then calmly replied internally:
"Emotion fades."
Another pause.
"Control lasts longer."
The silver-haired spirit became quiet afterward.
Because honestly—
Sometimes even she could not fully understand whether Kel's mind was terrifying…
Or simply realistic beyond morality.
Meanwhile—
Back near the ballroom balconies—
Reina finally realized Kel had disappeared.
Her silver eyes searched the surrounding corridors briefly.
Then eventually—
She saw him calmly returning beneath the cold moonlight.
And somehow—
The moment he approached again—
The strange restless feeling inside her chest quietly settled once more