Standing beside him, Ruby Bluen knew he was using Emma Wright to make her give up, but her heart still ached when she saw his expression soften in an instant.

"Why are you here? It's quite windy outside. Even though you're a doctor, you should still take care of yourself. What would happen if you fell ill?" Marcel Horne stepped forward, expressing his concern for Emma Wright. Dressed in military attire just like him, the two standing together seemed to squeeze Ruby Bluen, the wealthy daughter, out of their world entirely.

"I had nothing pressing, so I thought I'd come and see how the soldiers were training," Emma Wright replied with a smile, her bright eyes catching Marcel's gentleness tinged with reluctance, aware that he was still using her as a shield to make Ruby Bluen give up. Lately, she had also been inquiring with the soldiers privately and found out that Marcel Horne had always wanted Ruby Bluen to leave, but Ruby just wouldn't go. She didn't understand why, just like the other soldiers in the Military Camp didn't understand—if Marcel Horne had feelings for Ruby Bluen, why wouldn't he accept her? And why was he trying to drive her away? What was Ruby Bluen's true identity? Why was Marcel Horne, a soldier bold enough to take risks, so evasive when it came to her, choosing his own suffering over accepting Ruby's love?

"When I was attending the Military Academy, I also had to train all the time," Emma Wright mentioned as she walked back to Ruby Bluen's side alongside Marcel Horne. Emma gave Ruby a friendly smile, and Ruby smiled back, then moved forward, subtly wedging herself between Emma and Marcel, preventing them from standing together.

Seeing Ruby's domineering actions, Marcel's gaze flickered with complex emotions.

"Most of you girls are more delicate, and I bet many cried during the daily training," Marcel picked up on Emma's earlier topic. Not to mention the rigorous training at the Military Academy, even the basic military training in ordinary schools caused the students plenty of hardship. Many students couldn't endure the rigors of training and even skipped school.

"I never cried," Emma immediately responded with a laugh. Even with Ruby standing between them, both being Military Academy graduates—Emma having studied medicine there—they shared common ground that Ruby could not disrupt.

"Heh, really? Maybe you were the one who cried the hardest," Marcel quipped, ignoring Ruby and joking around with Emma as if Ruby didn't exist.

"Do you remember what happened during my college military training?" Ruby suddenly lifted her lovely almond-shaped eyes, gazing steadily at Marcel's face.

Marcel glanced at her, speaking indifferently, "We weren't in the same year; how would I know?"

To his rival, he was gentle and jovial, but to her, he was cold and dismissive. Ruby's heart felt an added sting. Hearing Marcel say he didn't know, she couldn't help but bite her lower lip, as if struggling to control something.

"Ruby, did something happen to you during military training?" Emma, feeling somewhat sorry for Ruby's awkward situation, took up the conversation and asked.

"It's nothing. It's very cold outside, and I really can't stand it. I'm going to head back first. You two go ahead and talk. You're from the same world, while I'm from outside of it," Ruby released her bitten lip, tossing out the words calmly before turning to leave.

She couldn't stand there and be treated like air by Marcel any longer. She loved him, running away from her wedding to find him here, but she still had her dignity. She loved him, but not to the point of losing her last shred of self-respect.

Upon hearing Ruby's words, Marcel's face visibly darkened.

He stared coldly at Ruby Bluen's retreating figure, her posture defiantly straight, his inner conflict deepening.

Should he let go of all his reservations and accept her, facing all future difficulties together? Because as she suffered, he suffered too. Hurting her, he was hurting himself. Just as she said, how much longer must he deceive himself? Then his mother's words suddenly flashed through his mind. If he accepted Ruby Bluen's love and they were together, how would his mother ridicule, insult, and torment Ruby Bluen? Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts were all too common in current society. Whose side would he take then?

Marcel Horne hadn't entered the business world. He never had the ambition to control the world like Glades Horne did, even though he was the commander of a battalion. He considered and hesitated far too much.

"Are you going to go after her?" Emma Wright put away the smile on her face, turning to look at him.

"What's the use of going after her? There are just too many issues between her and me... issues I can't ignore," Marcel Horne said bitterly, watching that figure grow farther away.

"You love her, don't you?" Emma Wright smiled bitterly. She had set her sights on Marcel Horne and wanted to win his love, but she was not blind to the reality. Marcel Horne's feelings for Ruby Bluen were deeper than she had imagined. It made sense; after all, they were childhood friends. "I don't know why you love her but are afraid to accept it. I only hope you don't regret it later. Because if you don't accept her, then I'll make my move. My man, I want him to belong wholly to me, inside and out."

"She... is my brother's fiancée."

Marcel Horne suddenly spoke up somberly.

"Your brother's fiancée?" Emma Wright was suddenly stunned. She had thought of countless reasons why Marcel Horne might not accept Ruby Bluen. However, it had never occurred to her that Ruby Bluen might be Glades Horne's fiancée.

"So that's it." She finally understood why Marcel Horne was reluctant to accept Ruby Bluen's love: Ruby Bluen was his future sister-in-law. The obstacle between them was not a matter of love or lack thereof, but an exceedingly complicated relationship.

"My brother loves her very much and treats her well. She grew up with us and has been in love with my brother for several years. Both families have been preparing for their wedding, but..." Marcel Horne did not continue.

Ruby was under a lot of pressure, and so was he.

Ruby could abandon everything and flee here to escape her marriage, but he couldn't abandon everything; after all, he was still a soldier. If his brother couldn't forgive her betrayal and came to resent him as well, causing a scene in the Military District, he would face criticism from his superiors. For a soldier, improper conduct was the greatest taboo.