~Chapter 15~
âWhatâs the big deal about winning the Night of Duels?â
âExactly. She only beat a few knights, and they praise her too much.â
âArenât they just giving Lysa Mediniel special treatment?â
The grumbling voices multiplied. What began as petty mockery turned into baseless slander.
âWho dares talk badly about my girl?â
I turned, looking for the culprits.
As expected, in front of the training grounds stood a group of knights in imperial uniforms, talking trash.
âLysa Mediniel sure knows how to grab connections.â
At the center was a smug noble youth, probably the son of a marquis, judging by how the others flattered him.
âUgh. Even grown men act like this?â
Iâd read this in novels before: snobby nobles mocking a successful heroine out of jealousy. Seeing them ganging up like bullies, even in this fantasy world, was pathetic.
âEven the Imperial Knights, who are supposed to be elite, have idiots among them.â
Eric, beside me, clicked his tongue. I nodded. Best to ignore people like that.
We tried to head inside whenâ
âWell, well. Isnât this the angel of the 2nd Order?â
Of course, the bully noble had to stop me.
âUgh, why do clichĂ©s never skip me?â
I turned slowly, already feeling the headache coming.
âOut for another stroll at the knightsâ order today?â
With his cronies laughing by his side, he sneered at me and the 2nd Order.
âSorry, but you donât scare me.â
Compared to the rowdy customers I had dealt with in my past life, this was nothing.
I smiled my practiced, business smile.
âItâs not a strollâI come to cheer them on. You didnât know?â
âAnd that means showering the knights with food every single day?â
He sneered dramatically, making his cronies chuckle.
Eric stepped forward, but I stopped him. No need to escalate without knowing who this punk was.
The noble smirked, using his status to play the situation to his advantage.
âMaybe youâve got another purpose? Supporting poor Lysa Mediniel so generously⊠Are you looking for a husband among the knights?â
âIf thatâs the case, you should pay more attention to your looks, not the food.â
His cronies laughed along, perfectly in sync.
I clenched my teeth, but when their eyes swept over me so rudely, my patience snapped.
âThis is really nothing special.â
I straightened my posture deliberately.
âWhat did you say?â
âI mean, even if I spend some money on snacks for the knights, itâs nothing compared to the Garnet familyâs wealth. Itâs just a little support for a close friend and her comrades. I didnât think anyone would treat it like a huge deal.â
âHa! No one does that much for a âfriend.ââ
âOh? Maybe youâve never had a true friend. That would explain itâyou wouldnât know the difference between subordinates and friends.â
âYou dareâ!â
One of the rougher cronies lunged, but the noble stopped him.
âGetting so sensitive over a joke. Is Lysa Mediniel some sacred being?â
He pretended to be calm, but his words were smug.
âJust say the word, my lady. Iâll handle them.â
âWait.â
I calmed Eric down, though honestly, I wanted to smash that smug face myself.
Maybe I could find some dirt on him. So I activated the âthinkingâ emoji.
âHa.â
A heart popped up above the nobleâs head. I almost burst out laughing. Poor woman, whoever he was crushing on.
Holding back disgust, I forced myself to wink.
âBetter. You should act cute like that more often.â
âŠUnfortunately, he noticed my wink and thought it was aimed at him.
âUgh. Kill me now.â
I ignored him and focused on the popup that appeared.
System
I Can See Your Affection!
-
Lysa Mediniel â„ 62%
âThis bastard?!â
My beloved Lysa at the top of his list?! Unforgivable!
Then the list scrolled.
System
4. Amelie Garnet (new!) â„ 15%
âWHAT?!â
He dared to have me on his list too? Now he was dead meat.
âJust like Lysa, youâre a bit arrogant, but at least youâve got good taste.â
The noble smirked, throwing Lysaâs name again.
âYou seem very interested in Lysa, Sir.â
ââŠWhat?â
His smug expression twitched.
âEvery other word out of your mouth is Lysa. Anyone would think you canât hold a conversation without her.â
âHah! What nonsense?â
âOh, your face turned red.â
âWhen did itâ!â
The more I teased, the redder he got, stammering like a small dog.
âI only joked, so why are you so sensitive?â
I smiled innocently, throwing his own words back at him.
His face went tomato-red, fists trembling.
âOh my. Youâre not angry, are you?â
âYou insolentâ!â
âI just meant that youâre not some trashy noble who insults someone he secretly loves but canât have.â
âYouâ!â
âWhatâs this noise?â
Perfect timing.
Just as he raised his hand, Richard appeared.
Eric sheathed his sword at once, while the noble froze, shoving his hand behind his back.
âY-Your Highness!â
ââŠJonagel Jizir. Did I see correctlyâyou raised your hand against a lady?â
Richard pulled me behind him, his voice cold as ice.
I almost laughedââJonagelâ? What a name.
âN-no, Your Highness! She was being rude, I only meant to warn herââ
âSo you admit you were about to strike her.â
Richardâs voice dropped lower, more dangerous.
Jonagel trembled, his face pale. Even I felt a shiver.
âRank has its perks. Power is the best.â
And right now, Richard was on my side. Nothing felt more reassuring.
âLady Amelie Garnet is my officially permitted guest in the knightsâ order. No matter the situation, no one is to threaten or disrespect her.â
ââŠWhat?â
I almost doubted my ears. Richard was defending me this much?
at least he does have some reason to him