[CHAPTER 92]
The young lady from the ducal house, seemingly oblivious to my flustered state, lifted her chin with smug confidence.
“You know the duel rules, right?”
“Nope, I don’t.”
“Ha! Fine, I’ll explain.”
“Each side chooses one knight as a proxy, and they fight.”
Oh, that’s interesting.
But I don’t have a knight.
“What if I don’t have a knight like that?”
“How is that my problem?”
Well, she does have a point.
Still, it was an absurdly unfair method for someone like me who had no suitable knight.
“Then can’t we just duel each other directly?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“How uncultured, tsk.”
The young lady shot me a look of pure contempt.
Yes, that would be unthinkable for a noble lady.
“Then I’ll refuse the duel.”
“Are you an idiot?”
“You can’t refuse a public duel challenge.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
I looked around in protest, but everyone simply nodded as if it were common sense.
“One week from now, at two in the afternoon.”
“The location will be the Devlin Ducal House training grounds.”
“That’s fine, right?”
No, it’s not fine at all.
Ignoring my opinion entirely, the Devlin young lady curled her lips into a crooked smile and walked away leisurely.
Only I was left behind, screaming silently inside.
I don’t want to do this!
* * *
I returned home without even meeting Lady Owen, instead gaining a massive headache in the form of a duel with the Devlin young lady.
If I lose the duel, she’ll spread nasty rumors about me and Ariana everywhere.
To prove both that the Crown Prince and Ariana were no longer involved and that I had nothing to do with the Devlin heir, I had to win this duel.
The problem was that I had no knight.
The Granger household did have knights, but none of them looked willing to risk themselves in a duel for my sake.
And I couldn’t just send anyone, because the other side was a ducal house that would surely bring a highly skilled knight.
What should I do?
“Haaah…”
I let out a near-groan of a sigh and collapsed face-first onto the table.
Ariana gently patted my back to comfort me.
“Cheer up, sister.”
“That’s right.”
“Please cheer up.”
Joshua Green, who had come to see Ariana, chimed in while crunching on a cookie.
I lifted my head and looked at Joshua through the strands of hair sliding down my face.
“W-why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s s-scary.”
“Young master…”
“You’re a mage, so you can’t use a sword, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I can’t.”
Sigh.
I slammed my forehead back onto the table in despair.
As Ariana gently stroked my head and then briefly stepped away, I was left listening only to the sound of Joshua chewing cookies.
Suddenly, my dress became damp.
“Huh, what?”
Joshua had accidentally spilled his teacup.
He immediately knelt in front of me, trying to clean my soiled dress with a handkerchief.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“No.”
“It was my mistake, so I’ll handle it.”
“I said it’s fine.”
Because we were bickering over the dress, we failed to notice the growing noise outside.
As we tugged back and forth at the fabric, the door suddenly burst open.
The person who entered was none other than Aizen.
“Uh…?”
Why is Aizen here?
I stared at him wide-eyed, and after scanning me and Joshua once, Aizen’s expression turned icy.
He abruptly grabbed Joshua by the back of the neck and slammed him against the wall.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ugh!”
“Who are you?”
Joshua struggled, frowning in pain.
Startled, I rushed to stop Aizen.
“D-Duke!”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Please let go and talk first!”
“Wasn’t this man trying to do something improper to you?”
“No.”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“This is Joshua Green, the friend of my younger sister.”
It seemed he had misunderstood the situation, similar to what happened at the coffee house before.
I explained Joshua’s identity and the situation, but Aizen’s expression did not soften.
“Who knows if he harbors impure intentions toward you?”
“Oh, absolutely not.”
Joshua is a pure-hearted guy who likes Ariana.
“I don’t believe it.”
“No, it’s really true.”
“You might simply not have noticed.”
Aizen’s grip tightened around Joshua’s neck, and his face began to turn pale.
Panicking, I shouted.
“Young master Green likes Ariana!”
At that, Aizen squinted one eye and let out a reluctant sigh.
“Very well.”
“I happen to know a suitable knight, so I will introduce him to you.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you!”
What kind of knight will he send me?
A tall, muscular knight full of brute strength?
Or a smaller but agile and razor-sharp knight?
I recalled the knights of the Calard Ducal House that I had seen before and let my expectations grow.
And the person who arrived was…
* * *
“Greetings, Lady Granger.”
The knight Aizen sent arrived at our house early the next morning.
Black hair, brown eyes, neat features, and a tall frame, though not quite as tall as Aizen.
Watching him clear his throat awkwardly again and again, I blinked in surprise.
“The fake Duke Calard…”
“Sir Schmidt?”
“Yes.”
“That’s correct.”
“Allow me to formally introduce myself.”
“I am Ralph Schmidt of the White Wolf Knight Order.”
Sir Schmidt bowed politely.
I never expected to meet him again like this.
Still dazed, I returned his greeting awkwardly.
“Ah, hello.”
“I’m Jena Granger.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“I heard the circumstances from the Duke.”
“Please do not worry.”
“No matter who Devlin brings, I will win and uphold your honor and dignity.”
Sir Schmidt clenched his fist and swore fervently, showing an almost excessive level of passion.
Did Aizen tell him to do that?
As I tilted my head, he quickly gauged my reaction and continued.
“You may already know this, but Marchioness Nelle Wagner is my elder sister.”
“Ah, right.”
“That’s true.”
“I have heard that my sister received great help from you.”
“Though it is late, I sincerely thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
When I waved my hands, Sir Schmidt smiled faintly and spoke carefully.
“Well…”
“My sister worries about you a great deal.”
“Of course, given what happened, you might harbor ill feelings toward her.”
“But she never acted with bad intentions…”
“I know.”
“That’s why I don’t feel bad about it at all.”
“By the way, is Nelle doing well?”
I had left in such a hurry that I never even said goodbye to Nelle or the northern social circle.
Sir Schmidt, looking slightly flustered by my unexpected reaction, nodded.
“Yes.”
“She’s doing well.”
“Then please tell her I’m doing well too.”
“I don’t resent Nelle at all.”
“Once everything is settled, I’ll be sure to visit the North to see her.”
“Understood.”
“You truly have a generous heart, my lady.”
“There was a reason our Duke missed you.”
Sir Schmidt laughed heartily.
As the awkward atmosphere finally eased, I widened my eyes at the words that caught my attention and asked back.
“The Duke missed me?”
