Liebe said, "I'm coming. Please get them seated."
Liebe and Licht went to greet them at the venue.
"Hello, Uncle. How are you?" Liebe said.
"Hello, Dad. Hello, Mommy. How are you?" Licht added.
Elodie said, "I missed you, dummy."
Licht grinned. "Pamper me!"
Liebe took a picture and said, "I should document this for future blackmail purposes."
"Delete it!" Licht shouted, pulling Liebe's cheeks.
"No, never. I need to save it to embarrass you later," Liebe replied.
Rosa said, "Licht, sad to see you're still as idiotic as ever."
"What can I say?" Licht replied with a shrug.
Jewel spoke up. "I wanted to ask something, young head of security."
"Yes, Uncle. What is it?" Liebe said.
"You sure have bloomed," Jewel said. "But is it true you came up with the security formation?"
"Yeah," Liebe answered. "I worked on it a bit."
"Quite impressive," Jewel said. "But I wanted to know your opinion about tomorrow."
"About tomorrow?" Liebe asked.
"Well, tomorrow is your mother's wedding," Jewel said. "A big day for you, huh? Probably even bigger than your own wedding will be."
"Umm… unfortunately, I don't follow, Uncle," Liebe said.
"I'll get directly to the point, if you don't mind," Jewel continued. "Tomorrow is such an important day. And rather than enjoying it, you're stuck being the head of security. On top of that, nobody in your family—or even in your extended family—ever considered or asked about your opinion on this wedding. And here they are, trying their best to keep you away. May I ask why that is? And what exactly is your opinion that's so frightening to the rest of your family? It's obvious they're on edge."
Liebe said, "Unfortunately, I don't know. Maybe it's just their way of keeping a filthy hybrid away from the eyes of the guests so they won't 'taint' their sights. But the truth might be that what I did three years ago in the capital traumatized Gabriel—the groom-to-be—to the point that even seeing me triggers his PTSD, and my very existence makes him see his own funeral."
"That's an effective point," Jewel said. "But how exactly did you discover that?"
"I didn't," Liebe replied. "Licht did, and that's all his observation."
Jewel smiled. "Looks like my son made me proud after all."
"Aww, thanks! Please keep going," Licht said.
"Now, answer my question," Jewel said. "How do you really feel about this wedding?"
Liebe said, "Personally, I hate it. It's just a show, nothing else. It disgusts me."
Jewel nodded. "Just as I thought. And seeing the situation, after this wedding, unfortunately, my former position will be tainted by Gabriel. And that's against my interest."
"Yes, Uncle," Liebe said. "That's quite the sorrow. But I will not do anything to interrupt this wedding."
"Understood," Jewel said. "But just know—from now on, along with Gelda and Sujibur—I am also on the side of the Liebe faction of Black Rose."
"Thank you, Uncle," Liebe said quietly.