The second day of mourning was quieter than the first.
The Vale family had gathered at Alexander’s residence once again, dressed in black.
The house that had always felt warm and alive now seemed strangely empty without Alexander’s presence.
Seraphina sat quietly on one of the sofas, her hands resting in her lap.
She had barely spoken since morning.
Across the room sat Sebastian and his wife, Victoria and her husband, while Nathaniel sat alone.
Nathaniel had been unusually quiet.
He had spent years trying to find the right moment to tell Seraphina how he felt about her.
Whenever he came around, he would find excuses to stay longer, ask about her work, or try to make her laugh.
But every time he got close to confessing, something interrupted him.
Today, he had finally decided that he would tell her.
He looked toward Seraphina.
She was staring at the floor.
“Seraphina,” Nathaniel called softly.
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“I’ve been meaning to—”
Before he could finish, Seraphina suddenly stood.
Everyone turned toward her.
Nathaniel stopped speaking.
Seraphina looked around the room.
Her heart was pounding.
The lawyer’s words from three days ago kept replaying in her mind.
You must be legally married before you can take control of your eighty percent.
She had never cared about the inheritance.
But now that Alexander was gone, she didn’t know what else to do.
Her eyes moved across the room until they landed on Lucien.
He was standing near the window with his arms folded, watching everyone silently.
Seraphina took a breath.
“Lucien.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“What?”
She walked toward him.
The room became strangely quiet.
Lucien watched her approach.
“Why are you coming over here?” he asked.
Seraphina stopped in front of him.
Then, without warning, she said,
“Will you marry me?”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Nobody moved.
Nathaniel’s face changed instantly.
He stared at Seraphina as though he had misheard her.
Victoria slowly raised an eyebrow.
Sebastian looked from Seraphina to Lucien.
Even the lawyer seemed frozen.
Lucien himself appeared genuinely stunned.
“You…”
He paused.
“What?”
Seraphina swallowed.
“I asked if you would marry me.”
Lucien stared at her.
“You proposed to me?”
“Yes.”
“In front of everyone?”
Seraphina glanced around.
Only then did she realize exactly how many people were watching.
But she refused to back down.
“Yes.”
Nathaniel clenched his fists beneath the table.
He had spent years trying to tell her how he felt.
And now she had just proposed to another man.
To a man who had appeared in her life only recently.
He couldn’t hide the anger in his eyes.
Lucien looked at Seraphina for several seconds.
Then he shook his head.
“No.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“No.”
His answer was calm.
Immediate.
Final.
The embarrassment hit her all at once.
“You didn’t even think about it!”
“I did.”
“For how long?”
Lucien looked at her.
“Three seconds.”
A few people lowered their eyes, trying not to react.
Seraphina’s face burned.
“Fine.”
She turned around.
“Seraphina—”
She didn’t stop.
She grabbed her bag from the sofa and walked toward the door.
Nathaniel stood.
“Seraphina, wait.”
She ignored him.
The front door slammed behind her.
Everyone remained silent.
Nathaniel stared at the door.
Then he looked at Lucien.
There was anger in his eyes now.
Lucien noticed.
But he said nothing.
Seraphina reached her car and opened the door so hard that it nearly slammed against the side.
She climbed inside and started the engine.
Her hands were shaking.
She couldn’t believe she had actually done that.
And worse…
He had rejected her.
In front of everyone.
The passenger door opened.
Lucien got in.
Seraphina looked at him.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m your bodyguard.”
“I don’t need one right now.”
“You still have one.”
She rolled her eyes and looked forward.
Lucien closed the door.
The car became silent.
Seraphina drove.
Neither of them spoke.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Lucien glanced at her.
She kept her eyes on the road.
He looked away.
Another ten minutes passed.
Still nothing.
The silence became heavier.
There was no argument.
No explanation.
No apology.
Nothing.
It was so quiet that the inside of the car felt like a graveyard.
Seraphina’s jaw remained tightly clenched.
Lucien leaned back in his seat.
He had expected her to yell at him.
Instead, she hadn’t said a single word.
Somehow, that was worse.
They continued driving through the evening traffic.
Seraphina didn’t look at him once.
Lucien didn’t try to speak again.
When they finally reached the house, Seraphina parked the car.
She turned off the engine.
Silence.
She opened her door.
Lucien stepped out after her.
Seraphina walked toward the front door without waiting for him.
She unlocked it and entered.
Lucien followed.
She dropped her bag onto the sofa.
Then she stopped.
Her back remained turned toward him.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally, Seraphina spoke.
Her voice was low.
“You really couldn’t say yes?”
Lucien looked at her.
“No.”
She slowly turned around.
“Why?”
Lucien stared at her.
And for the first time since she had made the proposal, he looked completely serious.
“Because you don’t want to marry me.”
Seraphina frowned.
“Then what do you think I want?”
Lucien held her gaze.
“You want your grandfather’s inheritance.”
Seraphina went silent.
His words hit harder than his rejection.
Then she whispered,
“Maybe you’re right.”
She turned away.
“But you still didn’t have to embarrass me like that.”
Lucien watched her walk upstairs.
He remained standing in the living room.
But there was something he hadn’t told her.
When she had asked him to marry her…
For the briefest moment— he had wanted to say yes.