"You really invited them? I can't believe it, don't you love your own daughter?" an indignant voice resonated throughout the room.
The source of that voice was an elegantly dressed woman whose purple hair was divided into two ringlets behind her back.
She had her arms crossed, while glaring at her husband.
"But Violet, we've already discussed this, it's for the good of our family," the man replied.
Sitting in front of his desk, which was full of neatly organized documents; was a man with a much more ordinary appearance than the woman's.
His beard was unkempt, and his hair disheveled. Apparently, he was much better at arranging his office than himself.
"Nonsense! You'll only ruin us. Are you going to engage our little Penelope to a delinquent? That's madness," the woman exclaimed, pointing at the man with an accusatory finger. "You lied to me, you convinced me you weren't planning to go through with that engagement, that it was just a farce to keep that gang of delinquents at bay."
He brought his hands to his head, completely exasperated.
Certainly at first it was like that, the idea of marrying his Penelope to the son of the mafia boss seemed horrible to him.
He didn't refuse immediately for obvious reasons, not only because it would be extremely dangerous to face the Morfeus family, but also because they had the support of the Regulus, powerful merchants.
"No, he won't. Making enemies of them would be our doom, receiving their help instead... Could be the only solution," Notos responded while rearranging some documents nervously to try to relax.
He knew it, what Baltazar wanted was simple: to join the nobility.
It was something that was starting to become fashionable lately. Ruined low-ranking nobles united their family with blood of wealthy commoners, or as they called themselves: "bourgeoisie."
"You're not being serious, are you?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow with total skepticism. "Perhaps the fact you're a pathetic baron has made you forget it, but the Noirs are dukes, we can't resort to such desperate measures."
What Violet said was true, that was only common in the lower nobility.
The civil war not only brought a great economic crisis, but a readjustment in the privileges of the nobility.
As was obvious, all those who fought on the side contrary to the princess's were greatly affected, seeing their noble title greatly reduced among other punishments.
However, all nobility was affected, since the princess removed a large part of the nobles' privileges to return them to the crown.
Commoners received more freedoms and opportunities, since to fight the economic crisis, commerce was promoted.
Those commoners with talent and vision could grow their businesses without being drowned in taxes, which allowed them to invest in the reconstruction of cities and crop fields destroyed in the war.
This made them gain monetary and social power, which allowed them to create a new social class: the bourgeoisie.
"What would you know!?" the man exclaimed, getting up from his chair. "I'm the one who breaks his back every day trying to fix the crisis we're facing, I don't go out and barely eat drowning in paperwork while trying to find a solution to this shit. And what do you do besides visiting your lovers? Nothing! So don't come now with your tantrums, you never had a voice or vote in this."
The woman opened her mouth while blinking with confusion, then closed it and opened it again like a fish out of water.
It was rare to see Notos angry, he was always calm and submissive, all he knew was work.
But Violet knew it, an era was coming where nobles were becoming useless, and the people were realizing it.
They were starting to advance, and the only way to preserve their status would be to unite with powerful commoners, before these replaced them.
"What would I know?" the woman said, with a more serious tone and a darker look. "I know too much, and you know it well."
But Violet couldn't let it happen, she knew it.
The fifteenth birthday was a very important event in high nobility. However, it wasn't a pleasant event either, it was more like a battle.
The Noirs were already the laughingstock of high society, if they found out about the desperate measures they had to resort to, they'd surely mock them.
Violet had already lived that as a child, and didn't want her daughter to live the same humiliation.
"True," the man said, calmer, but with the same severity in his voice. "And that's why you should know this will happen. And you shouldn't blame me, it's not my fault that instead of helping me save our family, you've decided to sink into your own self-pity."
Violet's eyes remained fixed on her husband, as if she didn't believe what she'd heard.
"What? That's your answer?" she said incredulous, Notos wasn't usually so direct with her, something that left her in shock... But also made her furious. "Bastard!"
The woman grabbed the desk and flipped it angrily.
"No! Of course I won't let that happen, she's my daughter, not an object you can trade," the woman exclaimed while kicking a pile of papers that was on the floor.
Notos just sat in his chair, calm, as if he were used to that behavior.
"She's also my daugh—"
"No!" the woman interrupted, jabbing her finger in the man's chest. "She's not your daughter, she barely sees you, you spend every day in this little office isolated from the world. Why do you think I go see Jeremy and Kyle? Because someone as unmanly as you can't satisfy me," a malicious smile appeared on the woman's face. "Because that's what you are, you're not even human, you're just a useless person who spends all day working."
The woman paused to breathe, seeing the man, wondering if her words would be enough for Notos to back down.
However, he didn't even flinch.
"Are you done?" he said with indifference. "Well, yes, you're right; Penelope doesn't have my blood, and as much as I'd like to care for her as a daughter... I haven't had time," the man then turned, to look her in the eyes; doing so, she noticed his dark circles that revealed how little the man slept.
"As for satisfying you," the man's tired gaze seemed to hide some sadness now. "Well, I couldn't... I'd never break my promise."
Upon saying that, Violet's expression changed, as if guilt had hit her head-on.
"I-I," the woman could barely emit a stammer, before breaking down.
Her knees hit the carpet, while she brought her hands to her face, unable to contain her tears.
How could she treat him like that? That man had been so good and understanding with her, much more than she deserved.
"I-I'm so sorry..."
"Shhh, don't say anything," the man placed his hand on her head, stroking her hair.
By inertia, she leaned on his lap, letting the tears fall.
"I-I'm a horrible person and I... I shouldn't have treated you like that."
The man shook his head, while continuing to stroke her hair, as he did long ago.
He could never blame her, after all, he was the one who had failed... And that was his greatest sin.
"I don't understand, you just wanted to protect Penelope... You didn't want history to repeat itself... And I don't want that either," he said, maintaining his serious expression.
The woman looked up, her eyes moist and crystalline from tears.
"R-really?" she asked, almost like a plea.
Notos nodded, his gaze now showing firmness.
"There's no way my daughter will get involved with someone like that, I'll take care of those delinquents myself. So don't worry... Our daughter won't have to carry that fate."
While the woman broke down crying, Notos's features hardened.
He had to prepare for war... He would end the Morfeus family.
However, lost in their thoughts, neither noticed the half-open door... nor the one who was spying on them.