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Chapter 59
People usually say that a lot of swearing happens in monts like these.
From first impressions to the choice of conversation, there was a peculiar air about her—different from Luna in a way.
"Isna, what in the world is that appearance?"
"A perfect disguise?"
From inside the giant doll costu, a girl's voice rang out brightly.
A perfect disguise?
That ridiculous appearance?
Why was she hiding under the tablecloth, and what was that bizarre doll costu?
More importantly, why had I not sensed her presence despite her being so close?
Even if I hadn’t been deliberately searching my surroundings, even a Sword Master wouldn’t have been able to completely escape my detection.
To achieve this, she must have possessed so kind of extraordinary ability.
In my mory, only a few special cases could evade a detection of this level.
Ah, it must be that doll-like outfit she’s wearing that is helping her.
"Take off that ridiculous thing and speak properly."
"Uh… Asking to undress in front of all these people is a bit…"
CRACK!!
The wine glass in Duke Catsey’s hand shattered completely.
Holding her forehead as if she had a headache, the head of the Catsey family muttered under her breath, while Isna popped off the headpiece of the doll costu.
Simultaneously, her long, fiery-red hair spilled out, flowing wildly.
The first thing revealed was the face of a girl who appeared to be around my age.
Her red hair was tied into twin tails, and her crimson eyes sparkled with both confidence and mischief.
"No way… Isna Mielephon, the duke’s daughter?"
"What on earth is with that ridiculous outfit…?"
As the noble guests murmured in growing confusion at her bizarre entrance, Duke Catsey's headache seed to intensify as she grimaced further.
"Heheh, I heard about it. I know for a fact that it's true."
In this world, the weight of testimony depends greatly on who is giving it.
For instance, the words of a minor noble's son from a small kingdom’s outskirts and those of a duke's daughter from the 13 Great Houses hold completely different levels of impact.
With her adding to the claim, the murmurs around us grew louder.
"Is what you said true?"
"Why would I lie? Oh, would this help convince you?"
She reached inside her doll costu and, with so difficulty, pulled sothing out.
It was a voice-recording artifact.
"Why do you even have that…? No, never mind."
Duke Catsey scowled, rubbing her temples.
It seed like she was used to dealing with her antics.
"Honestly, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way here."
But at least one thing was clear.
She was nothing like the typical image of a noble duke’s daughter.
I wasn’t particularly experienced in these matters, but I could tell that dealing with her would be exhausting.
She was the type to bring trouble wherever she went.
Without hesitation, she activated the artifact.
A loud voice erupted from it, filling the banquet hall.
The conversation inside was unmistakable—it included Siger Reden and his group.
Now, it was clear why she had disguised herself in such an odd manner at the banquet.
She had planned to bring Siger Reden down from the start, and I had inadvertently stepped into the situation.
The murmurs among the nobles turned into full-blown whispers of scandal.
Siger Reden’s face went deathly pale.
Even Count Reden—his father—had an expression twisted with rage.
It took re seconds for the tide of public opinion to completely turn against them.
A family head, whose younger sister had been insulted, was not likely to sit idly by.
"Count Reden."
A voice, cold as ice, blanketed the entire hall.
Count Reden flinched.
"How could you let this happen?"
I spoke in a deliberately provocative tone.
"Though the Cascadia family has endured unfortunate circumstances, my younger sister upheld her duty as a noble and proved her worth, inheriting the count's title. I am proud of her."
The murmuring intensified.
"And yet, are you telling that standing by while soone insults my only remaining family mber in public is what noble honor entails?"
The room's atmosphere shifted.
The sentint now clearly turned against Siger Reden—as if he were the villain.
Siger had likely not expected his offhand comnts to cause such an uproar.
A spoiled playboy often spoke with more bravado than truth.
However, while I had only needed two sentences to seal his fate, he would need dozens of words to attempt to undo the damage.
In politics, who speaks first and who is better prepared determines the winner.
And he had already lost.
"Count Reden's son is clearly at fault here."
"I can't believe it… To insult soone's younger sister right in front of her older brother at a gathering like this…"
Count Reden now found himself in an impossible position—completely humiliated.
Not only had his son disgraced himself, but now the entire Reden family’s reputation was under attack.
"T-This is…"
"Insulting House Cascadia is the sa as insulting Mielephon, to whom they are betrothed."
Catsey, exuding an overwhelming aura, pressed forward.
Her chilling presence, as if she could cut the Count down at any mont, weighed heavily on everyone around.
It was only natural for soone of her rank as a mid-level Sword Master.
"P-please, forgive ! M-my foolish son must have made a mistake in his youthful ignorance!"
Even though the Reden family was prominent, it was no match for Mielephon.
In this situation, where his son had openly hurled insults, resisting further could lead to an outright conflict with Mielephon—a risk far too great.
The Count was quick to assess the situation.
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"Ahem. So, you are Lord Leon, yes? It seems my foolish son has insulted the honor of House Cascadia out of ignorance."
"I'm glad you understand so quickly."
"H-however, he is still just a child, is he not? How could you be so cruel as to leave him in such a state...?"
Oh, so you're trying to downplay the situation now?
It was obvious that the Count was trying to brush it off as nothing more than a childish mistake.
What he feared wasn’t —it was Mielephon.
Had Mielephon not intervened, the Count would have likely taken a much more brazen approach.
"Shouldn’t you be grateful instead?"
"W-what?!"
"If I hadn’t done this, we would have fought to the death. At least this way, he still has his life. Surely, that’s sothing to be thankful for?"
Or would you rather your son had died?
When I overloaded his aura heart and shattered it completely, I created massive fissures within it.
Because he had overestimated his diocre talent and neglected to properly temper his aura heart, even a slight overload was enough to fracture and destroy it.
Now that his body had been pushed beyond its limits, he was dood to be crippled for life.
"Even so, wasn't this an ambush? H-how could soone of noble blood be so cruel?!"
"Then allow to heal him. I will restore him to better health than before."
"What...?"
"However, once the treatnt is complete, I will personally challenge him to a duel to the death. No representatives. Do you have any objections?"
My killing intent made the Count flinch.
"Th-that is... In a duel, one is allowed a champion..."
"Would you also use a champion to prolong your own life when your ti cos?"
When your lifespan reaches its end, will you appoint soone else to die in your place?
I don’t mind engaging in a fight myself.
But honestly, what could be more important than one’s own life?
"What a bold young lord! Well done! Well done!"
Isna Mielephon clapped in approval, fully supporting .
...Shut up.
I ignored the eccentric young lady of House Mielephon.
"Siger Reden, that guy is pure evil... mmph!"
At that mont, a voice rang out—it was Isna Mielephon, the duchy’s young lady, speaking her mind about the situation.
Of course, before she could say more, her maid, Misha, quickly covered her mouth and dragged her away.
"Misha."
"Yes, my lord."
"Take Isna away. Make sure she doesn’t leave the annex."
Wait, why the annex?
Then, the duke turned to .
"Leon."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"It seems my ssage was not properly conveyed."
"My apologies, but my stance remains unchanged."
"Do you believe this course of action is necessary, even at the cost of your original goals?"
"It was never sothing I placed much value on to begin with. If you want an answer, then yes, I do."
A fake engagent?
Acting as a pawn in political maneuvers?
Fine.
All of that is acceptable.
But it is not acceptable to simply stand by and watch my sister be insulted.
If the kingdom were to turn against lisa, I would turn against the kingdom.
If the empire opposed her, I would oppose the empire.
Cascadia is the only thing I have left.
As I locked eyes with the duchess without averting my gaze, she let out a small smirk.
"Then I take it you are also willing to bear the consequences of your actions?"
"If that is what you wish."
So she would not interfere in my dealings with the Reden family?
It would undoubtedly cause a stir, but ultimately, it wouldn’t be a significant problem.
The Reden family, despite its influence, was not powerful enough to threaten an entire kingdom.
And the royal family of Bata owed a favor.
"I trust you understand what this ans. There will be no more pretenses from now on."
She then turned her gaze toward Count Reden.
No more pretenses?
Were we talking about different things this entire ti?
Just as I was about to ask for clarification, a private transmission from her reached my mind.
-That was a foolish decision. It was re words, nothing more. Is it truly wise to risk everything over a fleeting insult? No matter what you originally intended.
-Perhaps, from a rational standpoint.
Especially for nobles.
-However, I find your choice rather appealing. If one is to be betrothed to House Mielephon, they should at least have the courage to stand their ground. To imdiately crush anyone who insults their family.
Excuse ?
What nonsense is this?
I stared at her, completely forgetting to reply via transmission.
She simply gave a cold, thin smile.
-Given how publicly this has unfolded, surely you didn’t think this engagent would remain a re formality?
-But I wasn’t the one who made it public in the first place.
-I did.
What?
This level of brazenness—was this what it took to be the head of a great house?
-Your Grace, in situations like this, wouldn’t it be normal for you to distance yourself from ?
-Far from it. Thanks to your actions, my decision has been made.
A cold sweat trickled down my back.
To my knowledge, the current head of House Mielephon had several children.
Yet, I had never heard anything substantial about any of them.
And now, I had t one in person.
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