"This is unacceptable!" The Marquis said, pacing back and forth, looking from Giovietta to Alfonso.
"I agree!" Delina said. "The Duke definitely went overboard!"
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, but she is my woman. How is it that I went overboard? Giovietta and I love each other."
"T-that is n-not t-true!" Giovietta said, clenching the hem of her dress. "I-I l-love L-lord S-suind-dara!"
That was the first time she proclaimed her love. Not even in the privacy with her fiancé had she ever done that. Those words were like sharp knives on Alfonso's chest.
"If you loved your fiancé, you wouldn't be… be…" The Marquis motioned from Giovietta to Alfonso. "YOu wouldn't be whoring yourself. I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
"She was not whoring herself! The Duke was taking advantage of her. She was crying, for God's sake!"
