Chapter 1 - Prologue
***
“Young Master!”
If Cassius wouldn’t put on the gloves thrown in front of this crowd. It would not only ruin his reputation, it would bury him in the floor.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall was on the verge of exploding.
The desire to follow him to the rear lake and watch that duel welled up in the wide hall. However, it was only a desire that could not come true, and no one dared to follow. That was exactly what was meant by the Grand Duke of Berg. A title that placed him above Kellyden, the highest aristocracy in the West.
And so Cassius was to stand in front of Lesche near the lake, with several of Kellyden’s knights. Lesche stood with Alliot.
” ……Your Highness.”
Cassius felt that this cold winter wind blowing from the lake was too unrealistic.
“Is this because of Seria?”
Lesche, who was insincerely checking the blade brought by a Kellyden knight, raised his head.
His red eyes became murderously stern, and the Kellyden knights almost put their hands up and surrendered without realizing it.
“Will you shut up when your tongue is pulled out?”
Cassius’s pupils stop for a moment at the raw words.
“…What did I say that offended you?”
“Who gave you permission to call the Grand Duchess by her name? Do I have to pull out your tongue and throw it to the bottom of the lake for you to come to your senses?”
“….”
A bright blue vein appeared on Cassius’ hand as he gripped his sword.
Officially, Lesche’s words were correct. Seria was the Grand Duchess of Berg. In terms of rank, she was much higher than Cassius’ mother and father. However, Seria was his sister, so he could call her by her name and speak casually. In the Glick Empire, that level of flexibility was acceptable. However, the atmosphere of the Grand Duke of Berg was so bleak that it made his skin crawl.
‘Did he hear that Seria almost drowned?’
But Seria had a strong pride. She had been since she was a child. That was all, despite the fact that her head was pinned down in the lake and she was about to drown. She didn’t even say anything to offend the Marquis of Kellyden, who angrily asked, “Why did you leave without permission and turn the castle upside down?”
Her origin was Seria’s greatest weakness, and since that day she became more and more vulgar, as one would expect from an illegitimate. She swore more often, and as if she was crazy about luxury, she bought jewelry and ordered a dress that was more expensive than Cassius’s mother’s. Once she wore shoes, she didn’t wear them again.
Cassius raised his sword more seriously than ever. He instinctively felt the crisis of death. Only the innocent old butler stepped on the ground, pacing back and forth. After that, he planned to tell Grand Duke Berg the honor of the castle on the lakeside. It might somehow calm down his anger…..
“….?”
Immediately after that, the old butler’s eyes went wide. It wasn’t just the old butler. All the Kellyden knights who were standing there could not believe their eyes.
Pow.
With one shot, Cassius was stripped of his sword. Cassius fell backwards and couldn’t get up. Lesche’s merciless foot stomped on Cassius’ chest. Cassius let out a painful cough.
It was beyond belief.
Cassius was not a famous knight, but his skill with the sword was objectively superior. The Marquis of Kellyden was strict about the education of his successors, which was why the knights trained him rigorously.
Still, Cassius now was as helpless as a child.
Clank.
Lesche threw Cassius’s sword to the distant floor. It rolled messily on the black stone floor that had been robbed from his master’s hands.
After that,
“Ahhhh!”
Cassius screamed. Because Lesche stomped on Cassius’ feet. He was merciless. Even though he wasn’t even wearing his military steel tapped boots, Cassius’ bones were smashed.
“Young Master!”
“…”
The old butler shouted in desperation. Because Lesche had grabbed Cassius by the chest with one hand, and dragged him towards the lake.
No one dared to run and get Cassius back as they were still in the middle of a duel, and more importantly, they were intimidated by the gruesome protection of Alliot, who stood there watching.
Boom. The dull popping sound that could be heard then.
The knights’ eyes, including the old butler’s, were drawn to the sound.
“…!”
The castle on the lake. The lake that encompassed Kellyden Castle was large. Because of the season, the lake was frozen to a crisp. Lesche violently pierced the thickly frozen ice with a sheath. The force that pierced the thick ice at one was unimaginable.
At the dark, freezing surface of the water, Lesche lifted his head. Cassius was unable to move due to the impact of his broken feet, and was only groaning.
Lesche got down on one knee and sat down in front of him, then went straight to grabbing Cassius’s neck and lifting him up.
Then.
“Young Master!”
Lesche shoved Cassius’s face into the ice cold water.
***
“You must come! Oh, my God! His Highness, Grand Duke Berg, has thrown the Young Master into the lake.”
“What?”
Marquis Kellyden, who was sitting in front of Seria listening to the doctor, quickly stood up. Seria was just as surprised as he was.
‘Cassius in the lake? Oh My God.’
‘I can’t believe I didn’t get to see it in person……!’
What a waste. It was such a waste. Seria wanted to run to the lake to see it. She jumped up, but the doctor stopped her immediately.
“Grand Duchess, no. You’ll be startled.”
“Yes, Seria. I’ll go check. Why are your husband and Cassius….Marchioness, you stay here too. I’ll go.”
Marquis Kellyden hurried off. His head was now on edge.
Everything that happened was harsh.
She was shaking like a person having a seizure in the middle of the banquet hall, and now the Grand Duke who was equivalent to the emperor suddenly visited the castle and threw his eldest son into the lake…
At this point the story wouldn’t just end in the Western society, it would surely spread to the capital…
“Seria, your father might die.”
Even though the Marquis was quiet and indifferent, he was quite old. He might have a heart attack.
Then she heard a voice coming from the entrance.
“Go quickly and check.”
“Yes, Marchioness.”
The Marchioness, who had hurriedly sent the servant away, was trembling slightly. She hurried up to Seria as soon as her eyes met Seria’s.
“Seria. Come on, you should go too.”
“Marchioness, the Grand Duchess is ill.”
The doctor stopped her, but the Marchioness turned to Seria and said angrily:
“My dear son is about to die!”
“I’m not going. Marchioness.”
“What? You……”
“My Lady is not feeling well. Marchioness Kellyden.”
Abigail, who had been lurking behind Seria the whole time, stepped out. Seria was surprised by her calmness.
‘Doesn’t Bibi normally throw her gloves first?’
Abigail had gritted her teeth at the sight of Seria’s swollen eyes when she ran in the lounge earlier.
But once Seria looked at her, she stood behind her. Seria was so surprised by Abigail’s calm composure, and now she let her anger out in such an elegant way.
‘Alliot should have seen this…’
But Alliot was with Lesche. Seria thought Alliot wouldn’t believe her if she told him about this later. That Abigail had become a patient knight.
However, the Marchioness was unaware of how precious this scene was. She was fueled with the will to take Seria to the lake.
“Seria! Don’t you know how messed up the banquet is because of you? Only when Cassius dies will your anger be released? Hurry up, please.”
Just then, something white flew past Seria. For a moment, Seria couldn’t believe her eyes.
‘…Gloves?’
Pack.
The gloves that almost hit the Marchioness’ face were caught by the Knight Commander of Kellyden.
“What does this mean…”
“I challenge you to a duel.”
Abigail was consistent in size with the Kellyden Knight Commander. The Marchioness shuddered, stuttering.
“Seria, what is this! Now take back your arrogant knight!”
Seria frowned. What nonsense is this?
“How dare I touch the honor of the knight?”
The Marchioness glared at Seria. But she didn’t push Seria like before. She just ordered the Knight Commander to do the next best thing.
“Finish this as soon as possible, Commander. I must go to Cassius.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After telling a servant to prepare a place for the duel, the Commander said to Abigail.
“Don’t blame me too much, Knight.”
***
Pow.
Abigail defeated the Knight Commander of Kellyden in an instant.
‘As expected, Bibi is the strongest in the world.’
The scene reminded Seria of the time when she went to the Tshugan Plains to save Lina, Kalis and the nobles who were isolated in the snow.
Abigail easily knocked down the commander of the knight, just as she did with the knights at the barracks back then. Then, impressively, instead of stomping on the Knight Commander’s face, she struck down with such force that it shattered the marble next to his face.
Perhaps if Abigail was wearing military boots instead of leather shoes, the marble tile located there would have definitely been shattered.
It was a very thorough defeat.
All the nobles in this western part of the country were of lesser rank than Kellyden, so they had no choice but to be wary of the Marquis, but that was not the case with Abigail. She didn’t care how she looked in people’s eyes.
Abigail didn’t care one bit about the honor of the Knight Commander of Kellyden.
While holding down the Knight Commander, her devouring gaze was directed at the Marchioness. Still, it was a sight to see the Marchioness’ face, which often seemed like a young woman’s, turned a different color every second.
‘I must have the most perfect knight in the world.’
As Seria smiled with satisfaction, she could sense the great fear of the maids nearby.
Who laughed like some devil….