He twisted his head and seized her wrist tightly.
Talia stubbornly held on and dug her nails into the soft flesh. Her face, which had been flushed scarlet, now turned deathly pale.
He writhed and let out choked, grotesque cries. Paying no heed, she pressed harder, as though she intended to crush his tongue into pulp.
At that moment, a shrill scream rang out from somewhere. Hurried footsteps followed, and someone grabbed her by the shoulder.
Talia let out a savage scream.
“Let go! I'll rip his tongue out so he can never spew that disgusting filth again!”
“M-my heavens! Somebody stop her!”
A piercing voice echoed through the corridor.
Ignoring it all, Talia gripped Lucas's jaw and forced her fingers deeper into his mouth.
Just as she was about to sink her nails into the root of his tongue, a powerful pressure wrapped around her waist, and suddenly her body rose into the air.
Panting furiously, Talia turned her head.
Varkas, who had lifted her up like a piece of luggage, was glaring at her with eyes colder than frost.
“What exactly is going on here?”
As though trying to comprehend the scene before him, he alternated his gaze between her and Lucas.
Then Lucas, who had been sitting there blankly as if unable to believe what had happened to him, jumped to his feet.
“Th-that woman tried to rip my tongue out! Look!”
Pointing furiously, Lucas stuck out his wounded tongue.
The veins in Talia's neck bulged.
“Come here! I'll tear it out by the roots!”
The boy recoiled in horror.
“S-see? She's really insane! She's out of her mind! Why did you marry someone like her instead of the First Imperial Princess? You should annul this marriage right now—!”
“Lucas Laedgo Siorcan.”
A low voice laced with a sigh settled heavily over the corridor.
Not only Lucas, but even Talia, who had been raging without reason, froze.
After taking a moment to steady his breathing, Varkas slowly continued.
“What exactly did you say to my wife?”
“I just...”
Lucas trailed off with a flustered expression.
Looking down at him with cold eyes, Varkas stated flatly,
“So it is something you cannot say in front of me.”
Lucas's face turned white.
His eyes darted around before he mumbled indignantly,
“No, but still... does anyone normally go this far...?”
Talia glared at him as though she wanted to kill him, but then Varkas's icy gaze turned toward her instead.
She stiffened involuntarily.
Like an inquisitor presiding over a trial, he questioned her.
“Would Your Highness care to explain what happened?”
Talia looked up at him with eyes full of fury.
As the insulting words his brother had spat out came back to her, her entire body began trembling.
He wanted her to repeat those words with her own mouth?
Grinding the words through clenched teeth, she replied,
“I'd rather die.”
Varkas narrowed his eyes.
Drawing a long breath as though gathering the last remnants of his patience, he said stiffly,
“You must tell me the reason if I am to deal with this appropriately.”
Lucas's face twisted. He looked as though he were the one suffering unfair treatment.
Staring at him as if she wanted to tear his face apart, Talia began twisting her body.
“I don't need anything. Put me down.”
“......”
“Didn't you hear me? Put me down.”