"Sister-in-law," Julius said. "I thought you’d be busy accompanying my brother tonight."
"Oh, Jeremy?" she replied, pretending to look around. "He’s off talking about quarterly profits or mergers, something incredibly dull, I’m sure. You know how he gets when he starts playing the perfect businessman."
"And so you decided to entertain yourself by bothering me instead?"
She chuckled, stepping closer. "Bother you? I’d never. You just looked lonely standing here all by yourself. I thought I’d do you a favor."
"Some favors I’d rather live without," Julius said, eyes flicking toward the crowd as if searching for an escape. "Shouldn’t you be making sure my dear brother doesn’t get himself into trouble with investors again?"
"You know, you’re even colder than the last time we met. Has the Directorate made you this dull, or are you just pretending?"
"I suppose marriage to my brother must make everything else seem exciting by comparison."
That earned him a brief pause before she smiled again. "Still sharp-tongued, I see... I get the feeling you don’t like me very much, Juli..."
For a split second, Julius froze. An image of Sabine’s gravestone flashed in his mind. A memory from before his regression. Julius let out a sigh, thinking his jokes were probably bordering on harsh.
"That’s not—"
"Just kidding~"
"...."
"Pftt—Hahaha!" Sabine burst out laughing, patting Julius on the back repeatedly. "You should’ve seen your face. You really are sensitive, Juli. But at least now I know you don’t hate me."
"Sister-in-law."
"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head with mock curiosity.
"Leave the Directorate."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden, Juli?" she said with a forced laugh.
"I’ll fill your place for you," Julius said. "So please, leave quietly. You’re pregnant, aren’t you?"
"What—!?"
Her sudden outburst drew several glances from nearby guests. She quickly composed herself, forcing a smile before leaning closer to whisper.
"H-How did y-you know? Not even Jeremy knows yet."
"I have my ways. But... do it for the child."
Sabine blinked, her disbelief giving way to a nervous laugh. "You being all sentimental is kind of creepy, Juli..."
"...."
Sabine crossed her arms, sighing in defeat. "Alright, how about this. If you really can fill my position within a year, I’ll step down from the Directorate."
"I’ll hold you to that."
"It’s a deal, then," Sabine said with a bright smile. "Honestly, I’ve been thinking about retiring for a while now, but I couldn’t find a proper successor. That’s why I was really happy when you joined, Juli. Yay~!"
As they continued speaking, a familiar voice suddenly cut in.
"You two seem to be having fun."
Jeremy had appeared out of nowhere.
Sabine immediately stepped beside him and linked her arm through his, her expression brightening.
"Juli seemed really lonely, you know? It’s my job as a big sister to make sure he isn’t sulking while staring at his ex-fiancée on stage."
"...."
"...That’s too much, Sabine," Jeremy said, frowning. "You seem to be misunderstanding something. Julius didn’t come alone."
"What, seriously?! Who’s the lucky girl?!"
"That—" Jeremy began, but his words stumbled over when he followed Julius’s gaze.
Both brothers turned toward the same direction.
From across the room, Julius saw Isolde standing face-to-face with a familiar man.
It was her ex-husband, Frederick Aschoff. He looked bewildered—no, perhaps even offended—as if unable to comprehend why Isolde was here. He demanded to know who had brought her.
Julius’s hand tightened around his glass. He moved forward, but Jeremy quickly caught his shoulder.
"What do you think you’re planning on doing? Remember, this is a formal event—"
Julius didn’t even look back. He brushed off Jeremy’s hand and continued walking.
As he approached, Frederick’s voice grew louder, his frustration spilling out.
"This woman... she’s an uninvited guest. I was just about to inform security—"
"Uninvited guest?"
Frederick froze, realizing who he had just spoken to. "W–Wait... M-Mister Schneider?"
Julius closed the distance between them. Without breaking eye contact, he placed a hand on Frederick’s shoulder and moved past him, stopping beside Isolde.
"Doctor Isolde Heinrich," Julius said, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close, "is here as my plus-one."
The entire exchange happened in a breath. A few nearby guests turned their heads.
Frederick’s expression twisted between disbelief and embarrassment. "Y-Your... plus-one?"
"That’s right," Julius replied. "I trust there’s no problem with that, Mister Aschoff?"
Frederick stammered. "N–No, of course not. I must’ve... misunderstood."
"Then you’re dismissed," Julius said. "But remember this. Disrespect my guest, and you disrespect me. I trust I don’t need to elaborate on what that entails."
"...."
Frederick’s face paled. He forced a stiff nod before retreating. The surrounding guests, pretending not to stare, quietly turned their attention elsewhere.
Julius turned to Isolde, who looked conflicted, her hand trembling at her side.
"You didn’t have to do that, Mister Schneider," she said. "I was just going to step out to the balcony for a moment and let things... cool down."
"As I’ve told you many times, Doctor—no, Isolde." His tone softened. "You need to remember your worth. You’re far more important than you think. More than half the so-called innovators and guests in this room."
What a stubborn woman. Her self-deprecation was exhausting. No matter how many times he reminded her, it never seemed to get through.
Even after receiving countless compliments and words of praise from investors earlier, however hollow some of them may have been, she still refused to believe any of it.
Julius let out a sigh, swirling the champagne in his glass. It was almost ironic. The people in this room wore their pride like armor, yet the one person with true value was the only one who doubted herself.
He glanced at Isolde again, who was quietly watching the crowd.
Julius tilted his head slightly. "You really don’t see it, do you?"
"See what?" she asked, glancing at him curiously.
"How out of place everyone else looks compared to you."
"That’s... quite the exaggeration, Mister Schneider."
"If you say so."