Chapter 22. After the Rant

However, it lasted only a moment before Raskal returned to his indifferent expression and spoke.

“And? What about it?”

“What… what do you mean, ‘what about it?’” Dalia nearly clung to his arm, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Are you seriously saying this after seeing these disgraceful photos? Are you truly planning to take such a vulgar and wanton girl as your wife?”

“And why not?”

“Raskal!”

Unable to control her temper, Dalia shouted. Yet, Raskal showed no sign of being fazed. He looked down at her with dark, emotionless eyes before speaking.

“You’re free to oppose this marriage if that’s what you want, Mother, but do not interfere with my affairs.”

“Wh-what? How dare you say that to your own mother—”

Before she could finish, Raskal’s lips curled into a sardonic smile, and he interrupted her.

“‘How dare I?’ That’s not something for you to say to me, Mother. It’s something I should be saying to you.”

“What…?”

She stared at him, dumbfounded, as he continued.

“In case you’ve forgotten, the master of this dukedom is me. Not you.”

At those words, Dalia froze, her tirade cutting off like a marionette whose strings had been severed.

Raskal leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

“So don’t presume to give me orders. All decisions regarding this household—including my marriage—rest solely with me.”

Only then did Dalia realize the truth. The mountain she needed to overcome to stop this ridiculous marriage wasn’t Serenia—it was her own son.

As if reading her thoughts, Raskal added with calm finality, “As your son, I’ll tolerate your complaints to an extent, but don’t cross the line.”

With that, he swept out of the room, his cape billowing behind him.

Joshua quietly followed, leaving Dalia alone in the empty office.

For a long time, she stood there, unmoving, before collapsing to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Alarmed maids rushed in to help her, reaching out their hands.

“Madam!”

But Dalia slapped their hands away, her expression contorted with fury.

Her teeth clenched so hard it seemed her jaw might break, and her lips were bitten nearly to the point of bleeding as she narrowed her sharp gaze.

The thought of being ignored like this did not even begin to shake her resolve.

There was no way she would allow someone like Serenia Barishart to stand at her son’s side—not even over her dead body.

Grinding her teeth, she muttered under her breath, “…Fine. If it comes to this, I’ll do whatever it takes to stop it—even if it costs me everything.”

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Barishart Estate.

Serenia woke up, thankful she had avoided becoming “frozen Serenia” thanks to the sacrifice of her dining chair and wardrobe. Rising early in the morning, she meticulously prepared herself, ready to leave the house at a moment’s notice.

The pile of neglected housework from her extended absence loomed over her, but there was no time for such matters now. Skipping breakfast, she ran through every possible scenario in her mind until the sound of a heavy knock echoed through the front door.

Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

Curly ash-gray hair and eyes like molten peridot. A man who looked like a carbon copy of the Marquis of Milton greeted her with a bright smile and a polite bow.

“Good morning, Lady Serenia Barishart.”

Serenia’s expression turned cold as she stared at him, responding icily, “What brings you here at this early hour, Sir Joshua?”

Despite her frosty tone, Joshua grinned as if unfazed and got straight to the point.

“Raskal asked me to deliver this to you.”

He handed her a card. The moment Serenia saw the sharp, scrawled message on it, her face darkened.

—

*‘You’d better hurry. Before I pull the plug on the Count.’*

—

“You despicable bastard…” Serenia muttered through clenched teeth, crumpling the card in her hand.

She glared daggers at Joshua, who shrugged with an exaggerated expression of innocence. Without a word, she bolted toward the hospital.

Running non-stop, Serenia burst into the hospital room, breathless, and pushed the door open.

It was a small, shabby private room. Some might have called it excessive for someone in such dire financial straits, but it wasn’t out of consideration for the Barishart family. It was a gesture of kindness from the hospital director, meant to prevent commoner patients from feeling uncomfortable sharing a room with nobility.

Amid the stark white walls and linens, her father’s face stood out—a sickly, almost corpse-like pallor. Beside him, a man in black idly fiddled with the IV line like it was a toy.

Striding up to Raskal, Serenia snatched the IV line from his hand and stepped between him and her father, her face sharp and defiant.

“I didn’t think even you would stoop this low, Your Grace,” she growled.

Raskal, his face devoid of emotion, replied, “It’s unfair to accuse me like this when I’ve done nothing.”

The tone of his voice, utterly devoid of sincerity, made Serenia scoff. She glared at him with fiery determination and hissed, “What are you trying to achieve? Do you want me to repay your so-called debt?”

“Debt? Ah, you mean the price of that life?” Raskal waved his hand dismissively, looking bored.

“Forget it. What good would it do me to take back something so worthless?”

“Then why did you send that marriage proposal? Didn’t I make myself clear that I’d refuse?” Serenia demanded.

“And I told you that I never gave you a choice.”

The deadlock in their conversation made Serenia sigh, pressing her fingers to her temple in frustration.

“What is your problem? What’s your real goal? Is this some new kind of harassment?”

Raskal raised an eyebrow, seemingly perplexed. “How odd. Why does everyone keep demanding a reason for my actions?”

“Because it doesn’t make sense! It’s absurd and incomprehensible!”

Shrugging, Raskal said casually, “Fine. If you really need a reason…”

He paused, glancing around as though searching for inspiration, then continued, “How about this? Something simple and cliché: love at first sight.”

Serenia let out a long, exasperated sigh, shaking her head. “Are you mocking me?”

Her exasperation elicited a slightly irritated look from Raskal. “So even giving a reason is a problem now? What do you want from me?”

“Because it’s not the truth!” Serenia snapped. “You’re lying!”

“And how would you know that? Can you read minds?” Raskal retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Finally losing her composure, Serenia shouted, “Stop dodging the question and answer me properly! Why are you going this far to marry me?”

Even in the face of her outburst, Raskal remained unfazed, responding with a single, hollow word.

“Because.”

“…Because?” Serenia repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Raskal’s black eyes, dark as the abyss, regarded her steadily as he elaborated. “That’s right. Because.”

Then, he added indifferently, “Think about it. Does a lion need a reason to hunt an antelope?”

As Serenia’s expression hardened, Raskal explained further, his tone almost patronizing.

“It’s simple. The antelope just happened to cross paths with a hungry lion. There’s no deeper reason.”

Her face darkened at his analogy, but Raskal continued nonchalantly.

“It’s the same here. I’m at the point where delaying marriage is no longer an option. You just happened to cross my path and irritate me. That’s all.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

Serenia clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, trembling as she bowed her head. After a long pause, she finally whispered through gritted teeth, “…Liar.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s a lie!” she shouted, her eyes blazing as she glared at him. “You’re trying to destroy the Barishart family! Just like you silenced my father, you want to silence me, too!”

For the first time, Serenia caught a flicker of unease in Raskal’s expression.

Her voice rose in frustration and anger, tinged with a desperation that reminded her of a child throwing a tantrum.

“Do you think I’m some naive fool? Why are you doing this? What are you hiding? What happened 14 years ago that’s making you act like this?!”

At the mention of “14 years ago,” Raskal’s face twisted into something terrifyingly menacing.

His movements were deliberate and slow as he stood, towering over her. Stepping closer, he growled low, his voice dripping with danger.

“You’re far too bold for someone who doesn’t know their place.”

“What…?”

“A half-baked noble with no responsibilities and no obligations,” he sneered.

Serenia ground her teeth, trembling with suppressed rage. His words, however, only grew crueler.

“Know your place. Where there are no responsibilities, there are no rights. You have no right to know.”

His mocking smile twisted further as he flicked her forehead with his fingers, forcing her to take a step back.

“So stop pretending to be human and live as you’re meant to. A pseudo-slave, valued only by the name and wealth of your family.”