A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

"Seraphina Sterling, don’t say I’m picking on you or not giving you a way out of this!" As he spoke, one of Peter Quinn’s cronies pulled out a professional-looking video camera and aimed it straight at Seraphina.

"Just kneel before this camera, apologize, repent to Mr. Quinn, and show your sincere remorse. If you do, I’ll let you off the hook today!" Peter Quinn grinned with sinister arrogance, looking down at Seraphina with false pity, as if he were a god presiding over her fate.

"Let’s put aside whether I’m the one who did this. Even if I were, are you sure you’re not overstepping your authority? On what grounds are you qualified to punish me on behalf of Mr. Quinn?" Seraphina’s lips curved into a faint smile, betraying no fear. ’She was twisting his words, framing his actions as an official punishment issued on Martin Quinn’s behalf.’

But while Peter Quinn wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he wasn’t a complete idiot, either. He was especially cautious when it came to Mr. Quinn. "Of course I’m not qualified to act on Mr. Quinn’s behalf! But I can punish you *for* him, to vent his anger! Mr. Quinn is the future head of the Quinn family. Anyone who is part of the Quinn family has an obligation to defend our future leader!"

’So he’s not entirely brainless! It’s a mystery how Jasmine Faulkner and her daughter managed to play him so easily.’

"I won’t stop you from defending the dignity of your future leader, but I really wasn’t the one who scratched Mr. Quinn’s car! Even if you want revenge on his behalf, you should at least target the right person. At the time, it was clearly—"

"Sister! There’s a limit to your recklessness! That’s Mr. Quinn! How could you dare to hit his car? It’s one thing for you to be so wild all the time—after all, you just got back from the countryside, so it’s normal you’re not used to high society! But how could you hit Mr. Quinn’s car? And then you ran away? Do you have any sense of responsibility at all? Are you trying to bring ruin upon the Sterling Family?"

Just as Seraphina was about to say Faye Sterling’s name, Faye cut her off. Every word she spoke was designed to expose one of Seraphina’s "secrets," giving everyone present a deeper, albeit skewed, understanding of who she was.

A wild personality?

That wasn’t a big deal. You find all sorts of people among the rich; being a little untamed was harmless enough.

Back from the countryside? Now *that* was a problem. It meant she was a country bumpkin! To be in the same room with someone like that was simply degrading. Why would the Sterling Family even bring back a hick like her?

Worst of all, she had provoked the Quinn family! The Quinn family, one of the most powerful families in Aethelgard! This was a disaster of another magnitude. Everyone knew that messing with Mr. Quinn was like poking a hornet’s nest; no one who tried ever came out unscathed. Martin Quinn, in particular, was a formidable figure nobody dared to cross. They all went out of their way to avoid him, yet this Seraphina had apparently provoked him head-on! She clearly had a death wish.

Seraphina watched Faye Sterling’s Oscar-worthy performance. ’It would be a crime against the entertainment industry if this woman doesn’t become an actress,’ she thought. ’If I didn’t already know the truth, I’d probably believe her myself.’

"Seraphina, you are a member of the Sterling family, but as the Second Madam of this household, I must say a few words in the interest of fairness. What you did was completely wrong. How could you just flee after hitting Mr. Quinn’s car? Anyone who drives knows that no one can guarantee they’ll never get into an accident. But when an accident does happen, we can’t be afraid to take responsibility and run away! That is an utterly irresponsible thing to do!"

Jasmine Faulkner spoke with grave, self-righteous solemnity, as if she couldn’t wait to transform into an angel of justice and punish the sinner, Seraphina. "Even if it hadn’t been Mr. Quinn’s car, even if it had been any ordinary person, you still shouldn’t have just ignored it and driven off! Have you ever considered that if you had hit a person, that would be fleeing the scene of a crime! You could face criminal charges for that! You were the one in the wrong from the start. This Mr. Quinn is not wrong; you should apologize to Mr. Quinn!"