The boy in the middle—her older brother—grinned smugly, clearly unbothered by her tone. With casual arrogance, he stepped toward her and draped an arm over her shoulders.
"Don't worry, sister," he said smoothly, "I just taught him a little lesson. He'll probably break off the engagement himself now, since you don't have the strength to speak back to Father."
Elena's face turned red with fury, and she roughly shoved his arm off her shoulder, glaring. "Argh! Stop meddling in my business! I didn't ask for your help!"
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and rushed toward the woods, her skirt brushing the grass as she hurried along the forest path.
When she arrived, she found Axelius not far from where the trees thickened, standing with his head slightly bowed, brushing dust and leaves off his coat. His face had small bruises, and his clothes were wrinkled, but he stood firm, his expression distant and unreadable.
