Gale did not sit down.
"He told me," he said sharply, pointing toward Silas without looking at him, "that this young man was completely plain, he wore cheap clothes, and he had no presence! He was a weakling!"
Silas visibly shrank where he stood.
"Other than good looks, a decent build, and acceptable posture," Gale continued with open sarcasm, "there was nothing remarkable about him!"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Don’t tell me you fell for some pretty boy? I thought I taught you better, daughter of mine!" He spat the words out so viciously it made the servants flinch.
Mira chuckled softly. She glanced at Silas, who was trying very hard to study the tablecloth.
"That is quite a fitting description," she admitted calmly.
Then she turned toward her mother.
"His name is Elion, Mother," she said with a gentle smile. "I’m sure you’ll like my husband."
Gale looked like he might explode.
Across the table, her mother covered her mouth lightly as a quiet giggle escaped her.
Mira did not try to defend Elion with grand claims. She did not speak of hidden strength or mysterious power. Even if she did, she doubted her father would believe it.
"How about you meet him first," she suggested calmly, "before making baseless assumptions, Father."
She lifted her spoon and took another small bite of tart.
"Baseless? So you mean to say Silas is lying then?"
"I cannot say Silas is wrong. That is what he saw."
She met her father’s eyes.
"But sometimes, appearances can be deceiving. I learnt that first hand actually..."
That seemed to cool Gale slightly. Only slightly. He remained standing, with his jaw tight as he waited for Mira to continue.
"But," Mira continued.
Her tone shifted from calm to a subtle sharpness.
She placed her spoon down gently.
"Make no mistake."
Her eyes sharpened as she looked at both of her parents.
"If you do not accept Elion as my husband... and you attempt to separate us... or begin searching for another marriage proposal for me without my consent..."
Her voice did not rise; it stayed calm like water in a lake.
"I will not agree to it."
The room grew colder.
"In fact," she added evenly, "I have no issue cutting ties with this family entirely."
There was a sudden pause as every motion stilled.
"You may as well disown me. If not, well, then you might have to marry off a corpse, that is, if I don’t succeed in running off from this family."
That did it.
Gale’s face darkened completely.
Even her mother’s amused smile faded as she studied her daughter more carefully.
Mira was not joking. But the words she had spoken sounded so absurd that it took a moment for everyone to truly understand the gravity of what she had said.
"You unfilial—!" Gale began.
"Let’s leave the matter for now, Father," Mira interrupted smoothly. Her smile returned as if nothing had happened.
"This tart is lovely," she said lightly. "You should try some. No need to ruin your appetite over something that is already set in stone."
The change in tone! She went from calm and bothered to deadly serious, and then back to being nonchalant about the whole ordeal as if it had nothing to do with her!
This daughter of mine. Her mother gave a wry smile and shook her head slowly. Now she was truly curious about this young man.
Either he was exceptionally capable. Or love had somehow made her daughter blind. Either way, this whole situation was very unexpected.
Gale finally sat down heavily in his chair, anger still simmering within him.
"I always said Mira was not the right one to send to that academy," Cedric suddenly muttered from his seat. "It should have been me."
"Shut up," Gale snapped at him immediately, shutting his mouth up before he could say any more.
He did not want to revisit that argument.
They had discussed it many times before. And deep down, he sometimes wondered if Cedric had a point.
But he would never admit that aloud.
After all, it was far easier for a beautiful daughter to attract the attention of a young nobleman than it was for a son to charm a noble lady.
He had made his decision based on that assumption. And Mira was already talented as a mage to begin with, so it didn’t take much effort to get her in.
Cedric? Not so much. In fact, he was trudging through the apprentice mage levels with great difficulty, despite being pumped with resources.
Mira did not react to her brother’s complaint.
She simply continued eating her dessert, calm and unbothered. As if these events had nothing to do with her at all.
Elinor also remained calm.
Unlike Gale, she did not let her emotions rise so easily. She knew her daughter too well for that.
Mira had always been calculating. Careful. The kind of girl who weighs every decision twice before making a move. For years now, Elinor had quietly worried about that side of her. Mira chased benefits, advantages, and leverage.
Even at a young age, she thought in terms of gain and loss. No matter who she interacted with, even her own parents.
It was impressive.
But it was also dangerous.
Because Elinor recognized it.
She had once been the same.
That was why she found it hard to believe that Mira had simply fallen for a handsome face. A pretty boy with good posture and nothing else.
No.
If Mira chose him, there was a reason.
There was always a reason.
And yet... if by some rare chance her daughter truly had acted on emotion instead of calculation...
Elinor did not think it would be the worst outcome.
Perhaps it would even be a blessing.
To choose love over benefits.
To follow her heart instead of weighing profits. Maybe her husband didn’t approve; hell, a part of her didn’t approve either, but she was not opposed to it as much.
Elinor’s smile softened slightly as she watched Mira calmly enjoy her dessert while her father simmered beside her.
She did not like watching her daughter repeat the same mistake she once made—entering a marriage built purely on benefit.
If Mira had truly chosen differently this time...
Then perhaps that was something worth protecting.