A light knock on the door. Sirius Black lifted his head from the documents he was examining, fixing his gaze on the dark wood for a few moments.

"Come in."

Shortly after, Alphard's figure appeared, and he gave a slight nod before entering the patriarch's office, approaching his desk, and standing in front of the man.

"I believe you already have an idea why I've called you here."

Alphard felt the corner of his lips twitch, as if about to smile. Yes, he knew why he had been summoned. It was obvious that the story of how he had grabbed Marguerith in front of Walburga and Betelgeuse would spread like wildfire among the family members... And the fact that Marge had left with him wouldn't go unnoticed by the patriarch either.

It was ridiculous, the role he was playing. As ridiculous as the man before him, with his attempts to control everything and everyone around him. But he had no other choice but to confront him if he wanted to prove himself worthy of having Marguerith for himself.

"Who told you?" the young man asked, a bit more aggressively than he had planned.

"Your sister," Sirius said dryly.

Alphard clenched his teeth. This didn't surprise him. Walburga always wanted to be the patriarch's favorite and would do anything to please the old man.

"I want to marry Marguerith," the young man said determinedly.

Sirius stood up, serious, walking around the desk until he was in front of his nephew.

"And I want you to leave England."

This time, Alphard couldn't help but smile.

"I'm afraid I can't comply with your wish, Uncle Sirius. I love Marge, and she loves me. We will stay together."

he man's eyes sparkled with rage, but his expression remained impassive.

"We both know you are the black sheep of your generation in the family. Your future is to disgrace yourself at the first opportunity."

"I appreciate your concern, Uncle. But I will prove you wrong. Now, if that's all..."

He turned his back on the patriarch, preparing to leave, but was stopped by the grave tone of the patriarch's voice.

"You are not suitable for my niece, Alphard."

This time, the young man couldn't control himself. His laughter broke the silence as he turned back to Sirius, his dark blue eyes shining in defiance.

"Well then, if you think I'm not suitable for her, let's see what Marguerith thinks of all this."

The irony in those words was almost like a slap. Sirius was not accustomed to being contradicted. But mastering himself, he only stared at him once more.

"Marge will think whatever I want her to think."

With long strides, Alphard again crossed the distance between them, staring the man directly in the eyes, challenging him.

"I can also be cold, sir. I can also be cruel. Don't dare meddle in this. I will not allow you to continue ruining Marguerith's life."

It was Sirius' turn to smile.

"I can erase you from the tapestry, deprive you of the rest of your inheritance. And then you will see that love is not enough."

Alphard looked back at him, serious.

"It was not for nothing that Lycoris ran away from here. You not only trample over everyone to get what you want, Uncle. But you also play extremely dirty." He turned to the door. "I pity you, Sirius Black. Because I will take Marguerith away from your influence. You envy us because you know no one loves you, not even Aunt Hesper. Maybe power can somehow compensate for the emptiness of feelings that you are."

And with that, Alphard left the office behind, walking determinedly. He and Marge would stay together, even if they had to leave London for it. However, the young man wasn't fully aware of the enemy he had made. In his simmering rage, Sirius Black was already planning his revenge.

The long hair... The small hands... The way she responded when he stole a kiss... Alphard daydreamed in his apartment bed, remembering the last encounter he had with Marguerith.

He couldn't let his uncle steal that from him, destroy the love that was so precious to him.

At that moment, he heard footsteps echoing in the apartment's living room. He got up, heading there, finding his fiancée. Marguerith blinked anxiously upon seeing him with such a heavy expression.

Marge put the bag she was carrying over her shoulder on the table and remained standing, staring at him silently for a few seconds, feeling her heart slightly accelerate.

"Alphie, what happened? What's the problem?" she asked, unable to hide her anxiety.

"I was with Uncle Sirius just a while ago," he observed. "He wants me to break up with you and leave the country."

The twin felt the blood drain from her face upon hearing his words. Her feelings shifted to a confusing mix of incomprehension and fear.

She couldn't understand her uncle's reaction. What would make the patriarch take such drastic action? It was true that Sirius never approved of his nephew's free spirit, but from Marguerith's point of view, nothing justified such intense aversion. She always believed that if they talked to him, the uncle wouldn't oppose the engagement.

At the same time, she felt a suffocating anxiety starting to build in her chest. She couldn't lose Alphard too... She couldn't bear to see him leave... Not now, when they had finally found their place beside each other.

"And you didn't accept his request, did you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, though a slight tremor revealed her concern.

"Unfortunately, for our uncle, I'm not the kind of person who accepts being ordered around so easily," he replied. "Honestly, Marge, Sirius Black is a pain in the neck."

"Maybe I can ask Aunt Hesper or Bete to help us," Marguerith said, trying to rationalize the situation and find a way out.

"Do you really think he'll give in?" Alphard grumbled, looking at the ceiling as if an answer might appear there for his problem.

Marguerith sighed, anxious, causing her fiancé to lower his head and turn his attention back to her. She averted her face from Alphard's gaze for a few seconds, nervously gripping the sleeves of her coat. She had never faced Sirius Black before, never went against the great patriarch's wishes. The mere thought of challenging her uncle terrified her. However, she wanted to be happy, she deserved it. Despite everything, those months loving Alphard had made her realize there was a part of her that wanted to step out of Sirius' shadow... And she was no longer alone... She had Alphard.

"It's worth a try..." she looked at him again.

He nodded before pulling her by the waist, causing her to practically fall on top of him.

"If he doesn't accept, we can get married. We're of age, we don't need anyone's approval."

"I didn't want to go to that extreme," Marge commented, nestling into Alphard's chest.

"At least we won't have to hide anymore."

The twin said nothing, only raised her face, placing a kiss on his lips in response.