05

"Your Excellency, have mercy!" The servants around us fell to their knees, trembling.

I took a deep breath, composed myself, and fluttered my fingers in a delicate gesture.

I moved to sit beside him. "Magnus, please, don't be so hasty. I'll have the... adulterous pair... brought here at once. We can discuss this calmly."

"Hmph."

I offered him a placating smile.

Then I turned to my head maid, my voice suddenly booming and laced with rage. "What are you standing there for? Go and drag that disgrace of a daughter here, along with her shameless, social-climbing, lazy, and utterly repulsive parasite!"

"If they're a minute late, I'll have him killed!"

The poor maid, doubly terrified, scrambled out of the room, tripping over the threshold as she went.

"Clumsy, but cute, don't you think, Magnus?" I said, turning back to him with a serene smile as I adjusted a pin in my hair.

Magnus Devereaux just stared at me.

Given it was the Kingmaker himself, Juniper didn't dare delay. She arrived quickly with Shane in tow.

"Your Excellency. Mother," Juniper curtsied slightly.

I took a sip of the fresh tea a servant had brought me. "Shane Gentry," I said coolly. "Kneel."

Shane looked confused, but he obeyed.

"Mother, don't you dare harm Shane! Did Magnus Devereaux threaten you?"

"I don't love Tristan, and that's final! It doesn't matter if he's obscenely wealthy, powerful, gentle, or well-mannered! I will never love him or marry him! You all need to just give up!"

Seeing Shane on his knees, Juniper immediately flared up.

The familiar script, the familiar vows. The buzzing in my head was starting again.

This little brat was truly determined to derail my retirement and sever my future as the President's mother-in-law.

Beside me, Magnus Devereaux let out a short, sharp laugh.

He fixed his gaze on Juniper, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Just as I thought he might be developing an inappropriate interest in his son's fiancée, he spoke.

"Well, Miss Langston. You truly are a beauty," he said slowly. "What a pity you're blind."

"You say you love him. What, exactly, do you love about him?"

This question seemed to energize Juniper. "Love that is measured by material things isn't real love! You might not understand, Your Excellency, but true love is a feeling. It's a connection!"

She spoke with passion and conviction, trying to persuade this titan of industry and politics to be moved by her love story and let her go.