Chapter 25
At Elion’s appearance, the eyes of the Ribbon Trio grew round as saucers, their mouths falling open without strength.
It was practically an automatic reaction.
“S‑sorry! Please—please go ahead.”
Like dolls whose joints needed oiling, the young ladies stiffly stepped aside to make a path for him.
Just as Elion walked past them—
The blonde young lady parted her lips with a shy smile.
“Um… by any chance… are you His Grace, Grand Duke Klitzman?”
At those words, both Elion’s and Luviana’s eyes trembled at the same moment.
A man seen walking across the capital’s busy streets with Luviana Payson… that man was actually Elion Klitzman, the Grand Duke! A pink‑colored rumor sparked from the life‑saving incident?!
It felt like tomorrow’s gossip‑magazine headlines flashed before her eyes like a slideshow.
No… no, no! Absolutely not!
Luviana shook her head at Elion so slightly it was barely noticeable.
Whether he understood her signal or not—the important part was that Elion simply shook his head with a completely unchanged expression.
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
Watching him bluff so calmly, Luviana swallowed a deep sigh of relief.
But the Ribbon Trio, as she had already sensed earlier, were quite persistent.
This time, not just the blonde, but also the brown‑haired and red‑haired girls joined in.
As if performing a chorus, they clasped their hands before their chests and spoke in excited voices.
“Jet‑black hair like the night sky and deep blue eyes like the abyss!”
“A perfectly sculpted physique filled with muscle and an intense aura pouring out of him!”
“He really isn’t His Grace, the Grand Duke Klitzman? The light armor he’s wearing looks exactly like the one His Grace wore during the victory celebration!”
Hearing himself being praised so fervently, Elion’s face gradually turned red.
Even a swordmaster who could topple any enemy with ease seemed helpless against mindless praise attacks.
If she stayed still, he would definitely get dragged into their interrogation.
No way in the world I’m letting that happen!
Luviana waved her hand toward him and called out loudly:
“Alex! Come on, we don’t have time—let’s go!”
“Uh? Ah… mm.”
Receiving a sudden new name, Elion blinked in confusion.
Thankfully, the startled gazes of the Ribbon Trio had shifted away from him and toward Luviana.
Luviana looked at Elion with a reassuring expression that said, It’s fine. Just trust me.
The blonde young lady asked Luviana in a very gentle voice:
“Luviana, is he someone you know?”
“Mm-hm. My cousin. Alex Duray. He’s been living in our rural territory all this time, but he came to the capital for a short while.”
Luviana looked up at Elion and lightly tapped his chest twice.
“Alex must feel lucky! Getting mistaken for His Grace the Grand Duke Klitzman, the Empire’s most handsome man!”
Luviana laughed—too sweet and too exaggerated even to her own ears.
She thought of her real cousin Alex, currently buried in heir education back in the territory, and sent him a silent thank‑you.
Upon hearing that such a dazzlingly handsome man was her cousin, the Ribbon Trio’s gazes toward Luviana softened like warm spring sunlight.
“Oh my! We had no idea!”
“Your cousin is truly dashing. He can stand shoulder to shoulder with His Grace, the Empire’s famed most handsome man.”
“Seriously. You’re so lucky, Luviana—having such a wonderful cousin.”
Heh… the girls’ jaws practically dropped.
Luviana was baffled.
You were ready to pounce on me just moments ago, yet the moment a handsome ‘cousin’ appears you flip sides instantly? Unbelievable!
These people apparently had no shame.
Now fully prepared to strike back, Luviana lifted her chin, wearing a smug smile.
“Oh, girls. Try not to drool, okay? My cousin Alex is way out of your league. He’s handsome, sure—but that’s about it.”
Her red eyes flicked toward Elion with a slightly exaggerated display of pity.
“Even though he was born into a prestigious spirit‑user family like me, he still hasn’t contracted a spirit. Isn’t that shameful?”
“A‑ah…”
The Ribbon Trio’s faces began to turn pale.
They exchanged frantic glances among themselves, eyes darting nervously to Elion beside them.
Regardless of their panic, Luviana continued her attack mercilessly.
“Alex is the same age as Stephanie. But compared to her—she became a spirit‑user eight years ago—Alex is… well, incomplete. Don’t worry though. Since his brain is as pure as mine, he’s adapting in his own way.”
You know… just like the things you said behind my back earlier.
I heard them very clearly.
And I got hurt.
Violence is not just hitting or kicking someone.
Saying things that stab someone where it hurts is violence too.
People as ugly-hearted as you, who talk so easily while wounding others, dare to praise beauty? How laughable.
…But wow, this attack hurts me more than it hurts you. I never want to say things like this again…
Watching the Ribbon Trio panic admittedly felt satisfying, but Luviana’s own stomach hurt.
After all, she was cutting herself down in the process.
The blonde young lady forced a troubled smile and said in a sing‑song voice:
“Oh my… why would you say that? Just because you’re from a spirit‑user family doesn’t mean everyone has to become a spirit‑user. That’s… not like you at all.”
The brown‑haired and red‑haired girls chimed in:
“She’s right. Even if he can’t become a spirit‑user, he can learn swordsmanship and become a knight, or study and become an official, or even become heir to the family.”
“Only a very small percentage become spirit‑users anyway. Isn’t that a bit harsh, Luviana?”
Truly shameless creatures.
They giggled and flirted with Elion, glancing at him sweetly. Luviana clicked her tongue.
So smiling like that and changing the subject means I should just let things slide?
Wrong.
Absolutely not.
“Oh my, my, my! Listen to you changing your tune! You were loudly badmouthing me just a moment ago—acting like I had no sense of shame! Did all that vanish the moment a handsome man showed up?”
The Ribbon Trio’s faces turned completely ashen.
Even so, they kept sneaking glances at Elion, trembling like wet kittens.
Luviana doubted whether these were the same girls who had stabbed words into her back earlier.
What about a handsome man made them panic so much?
These were people who had known her for years and still hurt her without hesitation.
Yet now, in front of a man they met today—and might never see again—they were petrified of his judgement?
Pathetic.
Excuses spilled from their lips like water:
“N‑no, that’s not what we meant…”
“Luviana, I think you misunderstood…”
“Right, we would never say such things…”
Oh? If you’re going to lie, at least wet your lips first.
Luviana glared at them and raised her wrist, showing her communication bracelet.
“In that case… why don’t we check? My top‑tier communication bracelet has a recording function. It automatically records everything for twenty‑four hours. Isn’t that amazing? Let’s all check right here whether I misheard or not. How about it?”
It was a lie.
Her bracelet had a teleportation function, not recording.
She didn’t even know if recording‑type magic devices existed in this world.
But she said it boldly.
In an argument, the most important thing was unbreakable confidence.
The young ladies’ expressions shattered.
They looked like they were about to cry.
The blonde girl’s eyes darted left and right anxiously.
A communication bracelet with recording? A 24‑hour automatic recording? I’ve never heard of such a thing… When did the world become so advanced?
The other two were thinking the same.
The wisest choice was clearly to retreat immediately.
“Ah… right! We had a restaurant reservation—I almost forgot!”
“Y‑yes! Oh my, we have to hurry!”
“Let’s go. Quickly!”
And so the Ribbon Trio fled down the stairs without looking back.
Running down stairs in heavy, dragging dresses was practically suicidal.
“Oh my!”
“Kyaa!”
“Careful!”
A moment later, loud thudding noises mixed with shrieks echoed from below.
