Ragnar''s face went from red to green to a furious, sickly mix of both.
He shook violently, trying to contain himself, but the humiliation-the betrayal- and the open mocking crashed into him like a sledgehammer to the skull.
For the first time in his life, he understood what it felt like to be used, to be cheated on, to be made a fool of by the woman he had worshipped as "pure."
He lunged at Sybi and pped her hard, again and again, each blow echoing across the Celestial Garden.
"You bitch!" he roared, his voice cracking with fury. "You lied to me! You filthy bastard-how dare you drag me into the dirt with someone like you! You forced me to touch trash! I''ll kill you, slut-I swear I''ll kill you!"
Sybi screamed, her voice breaking as she staggered backward, her hair whipping wildly with every strike.
Ragnar kept hitting her, each wordced with venom.
"How dare you do this to me, you filthy bitch!"
Sybi had sacrificed everything, even dragging her parents deep into debt- just to stay close to Ragnar. Her whole family bent over backwards to help her trap Ragnar, pouring money and years into the chase.
And finally, after endless effort and millions lost, she seeded.
She had the engagement ring.
She was only months away from marrying into the Eisenwall family.
Her dream-bing a wealthy, untouchable noblewoman-was already within
her grasp.
It was right there.
Right in her hand.
And now it was gone.
Shattered.
Destroyed.
All because of the Celestial Garden''s unforgiving spotlight.
Ragnar delivered another brutal p that knocked her sideways.
"You better pray all of this is a lie. Because if I find out it''s the truth-your entire family will burn. I will destroy everyst one of you."
He stormed out of the Celestial Garden, face zing red and bruised with rage. The guests stepped aside, staring down at him with open disgust at the man who slept with a woman this dirty, this humiliated.
Sex was free for everyone but for the elite, it was supposed to be a game of status, taste, and high-ss indulgence. Something done with dignity, with partners who matched their social standing.
But being tied to a woman with no ss, a woman everyone now whispered about as filthy?
That wasn''t just embarrassing.
That was social suicide.
People would start asking the same brutal question:
"How the hell could you even sleep with someone like that? Damn, you''re disgusting."
And once that reputation stuck, there was noing back from it.
His elite friends would abandon him. His reputation would rot.
Sybi''s legs buckled. She copsed onto the marble floor, staring nkly, eyes hollow.
She couldn''tprehend how the Celestial Garden exposed every one of her secrets-every hidden act, every lie, every shame-right in front of Ragnar.
Renata burst intoughter, unable to contain herself.
"This is priceless! I''ve never had this much fun in my life!"
Sofina, who had carried years of resentment toward Ragnar, joined herughing just as hard, the sight of Sybi''s ruined face tasting sweeter than revenge. Meanwhile, an android glided over to Alex with a blower attachment, gently drying and cleaning his hairs and clothes. In moments, Alex''s suit was spotless again, not a trace of wine left on him.
Renata leaned in close, her eyes glittering with vicious delight.
"Sofina, guess what? I recorded everything-every second of Ragnar''s meltdown —and I already uploaded it to our ss reunion group. Go check the online room."
Sofina had blocked that chat room for years. But the moment she unblocked it through her bracelet-phone, her screen exploded with notifications.
Messages poured in like a storm-ping after ping, one on top of another.
"Did anyone SEE the clip of Ragnar tonight? DAMN. Duke''s son got annihted!"
"Holy shit, so it''s TRUE? Ragnar actually slept with Sybi? And that woman slept with like-what-hundreds of people?? What the hell?!"
"Ragnar always bragged about dining on elite cuisine, and now he''s been chewing on a filthy street rat. Disgusting."
The chat spiraled.
Everyone hated Ragnar''s arrogance, but most only dared to whisper behind his back-until tonight.
Then a new topic popped up, created by Tobias Bluthelm.
"Attention, old ssmates! Big announcement.
Our Bluthelm humanoid war-machine prototype-the newest version of human- driverbat model I designed-is finallyplete and will be showcased tomorrow at Winchester Stadium.
And since almost all of us are here in Winchester, let''s make this our reunion. And by the way... Renata Winter is in Winchester too."
The group went wild.
"BRO WHAT?? A new version of the human-driven humanoidbat suit?! Tobias actually pulled it off?!"
"Congrats, man! That''s insane!"
"Renata is in Winchester?? Why didn''t anyone tell me?!"
"What about Sofina Scheinwald? She''s in Winchester, right? Is sheing? She vanished for YEARS!"
"I heard she divorced Heinrich and married Marquis Saint-ire. Any news?"
"Marquise Saint-ires... isn''t that the ruined family that only has its name left?"
Sofina frowned at the endless chatter.
Renata waved it off. "Don''t mind them. They''ll talk about anything."
Sofina smiled softly. "It''s fine. They''re not wrong about most of it."
Then Renata jumped into the chat with a voice recording.
"HEY. Stop talking crap about Sofina.
I''m literally having dinner with she and her husband right now.
And yes-Ragnar''s scandal is REAL."
The reaction was pure chaos.
"RENATA IS IN THE CHAT OMG."
“Renataaaa, give us DETAILS! What did Ragnar''s face look like when he
snapped?!"
"Renata, are you REALLY single?? Asking for-uh-myself."
"Sofina, pleasee this time! We miss you!"
Renata nudged her. "They''re asking you to move, Sofina. Time to say something."
Sofina finally typed, "Yes, I''ming."
The room erupted instantly.
"HELL YES. Tomorrow''s gonna be legendary."
The momentum grew louder with every second.
Talk of Ragnar''s humiliation.
Talk of Tobias'' humanoid prototype.
Talk of Sofina returning after disappearing for years.
Sofina turned to him. "Alex, please join us."
Alex smiled. "Yes, I will."
In truth, he had his own motive-he needed to check the Prussian humanoid war-machine himself. With waring year, tomorrow would be the perfect chance to steal their technology.
Since Alex agreed to attend the reunion, Renata gave them a quiet reminder.
"You know the reunion will be held in
the VIP hall at Winchester
Stadium the same ce where the war-machinepanies are staging
a live mobile-suit battle. They r testing their newest prototypes tomorrow, and we''ll be watching the whole thing from a close-up VIP room."
Renata added, "And don''t forget the
old reunion rule. Everyone brings a gift. The gifts get auctioned, and the money covers the event. So let bring something that won''t embarrass us."
Alex nodded. "Alright. I''ll buy a gift for the ss union tomorrow morning."