HRNGDS 71

~Chapter 71~

Some of the young noble ladies watching the situation felt resentment toward Kassen.
They were all ladies who had suffered because of their unfaithful fiancés.

“Now that I think about it, does Sir Kassen even have the right to judge others?”
“It was Sir Kassen who broke off the engagement with Lady Delphina first.”
“Why can’t Lady Delphina have a lover? Even her current fiancé, the Grand Duke, isn’t making an issue of it. Sir Kassen’s reaction seems too much.”

Kassen’s face turned red.
If he just left like this, his pride would definitely be ruined.

“Ivelina, are you just going to stay quiet? My honor is being dragged through the mud!”

“Once other people know the full story, they’ll change their minds. Don’t worry. I’ll reveal everything Delphina has done!”

And then—

Alphong, who had been quietly watching the situation, finally spoke.

“No need for that.”

Ivelina looked at him in shock and quickly whispered in his ear.

“Do you have a death wish? Why are you suddenly speaking up? Didn’t Roni tell you the plan?”

“Oh, I heard it very well.”

Alphong’s lips twisted into a smirk. He stepped out into the middle of the noisy crowd.

Everyone looked at him in surprise—he was far too dignified to be mistaken for a commoner.

In a cold voice, he said:

“My name is not Alphong.”

A chilling silence fell.
He took something from inside his clothes—an emblem showing he was a member of the Rikeion Ducal family.

Ivelina’s face turned pale at the sight.
Some nobles watching quietly swallowed hard.

The Rikeion Ducal family was rare in number. Such an emblem could not be held by a branch family member.

And the only direct member of the Rikeion Ducal family whose whereabouts were currently unknown—was Alphonso Rikeion.

The one who reacted most dramatically was Duke Rikeion himself.
He trembled so hard he nearly fainted, and if his knight hadn’t supported him, he might have collapsed right there.

Ivelina, clueless, shouted:

“How does he have the ducal family’s emblem?!”

“Because I am Alphonso Rikeion, Ivelina.”

Alphonso looked slowly into the eyes of Kassen, Ivelina, and Duke Rikeion, his face showing rare anger.

“The rumor that I had an affair with my granddaughter is ridiculous. And the person who spread that lie… is you, my granddaughter.”

Then Alphonso walked forward toward Duke Rikeion.

“We have something to talk about, my son.”

Duke Rikeion disappeared with the man who claimed to be Alphonso Rikeion.
Those who had been watching began to whisper.

“Wasn’t Lord Alphonso an old man? This one looks too young to be him.”
“But he does look like the young Alphonso. My father showed me a portrait once.”

Even though they’d all heard the young man call himself Alphonso, they couldn’t easily believe it.

Even after Duke Rikeion left with him, doubt still lingered.

The one who answered their doubts was Calix, his face mixed with happiness and frustration.

“That Alphonso brat… he used to look older than me.”

His long-unseen friend now looked younger than him—despite being much older in age.
Naturally, that made Calix angry.

Calix had often teased Alphonso for looking older, but now… Alphonso’s appearance was to Delphina’s benefit, so Calix couldn’t entirely hate the situation.

‘More important than my feeling of defeat is clearing Lady Delphina’s name!’

Not wanting to let people keep talking nonsense, Calix spoke up:

“Among knights, some reach a certain level where their bodies become younger. It’s rare, so most people don’t know about it.”

With those words, the mood completely shifted.

No noble there was unaware that Alphonso had been a great knight.

“Then Lady Delphina was falsely accused!”
“Then what about the evidence and witnesses Lady Ivelina spoke so confidently about?”
“Could they have been… fake?”

People began leaving to spread the juicy story elsewhere.

The most furious person in this situation was Kassen.
He glared at Ivelina with burning eyes.

‘Delphina didn’t cheat. Ivelina lied to me—just to drive a wedge between us.’

In the past, Ivelina had often framed Delphina:
Claiming Delphina bullied her on purpose, or that she copied her dresses out of jealousy.

Some of these, Kassen had ignored, thinking they were harmless academy pranks.

But this was different.
This time, Ivelina’s scheme had crossed a line—damaging his honor.
He dreaded how much people in the capital’s society would whisper about him now.

What enraged him most was knowing Delphina would never look back at him because of this.
He remembered the way she looked at him, like he was an insect.

Everything felt like Ivelina’s fault.

“Ivelina, what is the meaning of this?”

At Kassen’s angry voice, Ivelina couldn’t answer.
Her eyes darted around, feeling the piercing stares of everyone watching.

‘Why did Father leave with that man? Is he really Alphonso Rikeion?’

Kassen yelled again.

“You did this to destroy things completely between Delphina and me, didn’t you?”

Ivelina was irritated to madness.
She had done this for Elcayan’s sake—Kassen Huart was beneath her notice now.

She felt humiliated—people whispering, her fiancé glaring at her, her dress soaked and pitiful.

Delphina, meanwhile, was escorted by Elcayan to change her clothes.
The contrast between them was unbearable.

Gritting her teeth, Ivelina shouted at Kassen:

“Why are you blaming me for your own misunderstanding?”

“What, are you finished talking?”

“You’re the one annoying me, you squid! Where’s the proof that man is our grandfather?”

“Ivelina, what are you doing? Can’t you tell from the Duke following him without a word? Do you want to be dumped right now?”

“Fine, let’s break it off! If I get dumped twice, it’s only your shame, not mine!”

Ivelina clenched her teeth.
There was still a chance—

‘There’s no way such a young man could be Grandfather.’

If that turned out to be true, she planned to demand an apology from Kassen for his rudeness.

And so, ignoring the stares around them, Ivelina and Kassen kept arguing.