Chapter 16
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Infamous Young Master Takes the Stage!
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Murmurs...
The gazes of the nobles, who had been freely mingling and socializing, turned toward the party hall's entrance. It was due to a single woman stepping inside.
Typically, noblewomen invited to such parties entered escorted by their fiancés or siblings.
If they lacked a fiancé or sibling, they might be accompanied by an unattached male noble or their own guard knight.
This was simply proper etiquette in treating a lady.
Yet the reason this woman drew so much attention wasn't merely because she entered alone despite having a guard knight in tow.
'Oh... she's stunningly beautiful...'
Pinch!
"Ow!"
Men with fiancées hastily averted their eyes under their partners' sharp glares. But the single men flocked to her side in an instant, eyes sparkling.
"Fair maiden more radiant than the stars above. Might I have your name?"
"I must be alive today just to meet you in this moment."
"Heir to House Rapelt, the finest knightly family under House Crimford. Andrea Rapelt, at your service, mademoiselle. Choose me tonight, and I shall give you the most splendid evening."
The unattached men saw their chance—even those who had been flirting with other women rushed over, vying desperately to win her favor.
Soon, her surroundings teemed with beastly noblemen. The young women scorned by them cursed the men and glared jealously at her.
Even Joanna didn't hold back her praise for the woman's beauty.
"She's truly breathtaking. If I were a noble gentleman, I'd surely muster the courage to approach her."
"It'd be a waste of time. They'll tire themselves out and scatter soon enough."
"Pardon? Do you know her, young master?"
"Not yet."
'...?'
Joanna set aside Johann's cryptic words—which sounded like he knew her but then claimed otherwise—and watched the woman.
Sure enough, Johann's prediction rang true.
The young nobles, ignored no matter their efforts by her aloof demeanor, began to weary and retreat on their own.
No matter how beautiful the flower, if it couldn't be plucked, it held no meaning for them. Of course, exceptions always existed in such situations.
'How dare that wench act so high and mighty...!'
A fierce flame blazed deep in Andrea's chilling gaze upon her.
His friends had already given up their pursuits and were now spectating. Their interest, naturally, lay in whether Andrea would succeed.
Andrea's own fondness for her had long faded. But that was separate from refusing to back down.
He was the acknowledged leader among his friends—both by himself and others. Ending up like the rest wounded his pride.
'I'll drag you to my bed tonight without fail!'
Pure affection had vanished, replaced by pointless stubbornness.
"Very well. I acknowledge you hold no romantic interest in me. But among all the renowned young lords here, there can't be one I don't know. Yet I don't recognize you—perhaps you're from a noble house recently granted a title?"
Andrea pitched his voice low so only she could hear.
"In that case, leveraging my status and position wouldn't be a bad deal for you or your family. Why not take what we each need from one another?"
"Excuse me."
She dipped her head slightly to Andrea, then brushed past him as if utterly uninterested.
She hadn't moved earlier simply because the crowd blocked her—not out of reluctance. Now unhindered, she moved to leave without a second thought.
Crack!
To Andrea, however, this seemed like blatant disregard.
Already brimming with stress, her cold indifference ignited his fuse.
"You insolent bitch, who do you think you're...!"
Grab!
Andrea seized her shoulder as she passed—hard enough to make an ordinary woman scream and collapse.
"Oh my! What should we do...? Shouldn't someone stop them?!"
Joanna fidgeted in shock at the sight, but Johann chuckled softly.
"Yeah, they should stop him before he gets wrecked even more."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
Slap!
A sharp crack echoed through the entire hall. It rang out so loudly and crisply that even the orchestra halted mid-performance, staring in stunned silence.
As if time itself had frozen in the hall, everyone gaped in horror at the woman and Andrea.
Andrea's head snapped to the side. He glared wide-eyed, turning back to her.
His stinging left cheek and her cocked-back right arm clearly told him what had just happened.
'I... I got slapped?'
Andrea's shock wasn't from expecting her to slap him out of nowhere.
As he had introduced himself, he was the heir to House Rapelt—premier knights under House Crimford.
Even riled up, he could dodge a normal woman's slap with eyes closed.
Yet this one's slap landed before he could react. No wonder he was stunned. Then the full scene around him sank in.
He had been publicly humiliated—slapped by a woman at a formal event. Realizing this, uncontrollable rage surged within him.
"Hey! That guy's about to lose it again!"
"Seriously, he's almost as bad as Young Master Johann—minus the skill. Without his talent, he'd have been disinherited ages ago."
"Shut up and stop him!"
His friends, spotting the danger, rushed to intervene...!
Smack!
"Whoa..."
"What the...?"
"Did I just see that?"
Andrea, his friends, and the onlookers all froze once more.
The woman had removed her white glove and flung it squarely into Andrea's face.
Among nobles, this gesture meant a challenge to duel—and a noblewoman challenging a nobleman was utterly unprecedented.
As if to confirm her intent, she stared straight into Andrea's flustered eyes and formally declared it.
"I could tolerate a spirited gentleman's advances toward me. But insulting me as a 'bitch' and trying to manhandle me—that I cannot overlook. Andrea Rapelt of House Rapelt, was it? To defend my honor, I challenge you to a duel."
...
"Puhahaha!!"
As everyone else faltered in confusion, only Johann's roaring laughter filled the hall.
"What do we do, young master? If Brother Howard were here..."
Joanna stomped anxiously. Protocol barred Johann from intervening directly, but Howard could have stopped the fight.
Other nobles couldn't quell this either.
House Rapelt held as much authority under the earl as House Hirobenkal under Viscount Domos.
"No helping it. The party's opening ceremony hasn't started yet."
Once the host appeared for the ceremony, attention would inevitably shift there.
That's why hosts allotted pre-ceremony time for guests to mingle freely.
Noble parties were extensions of politics, not mere indulgence.
"Still, I figured no psycho would cause this much chaos at an heir's event... Andrea, right? He's got a lot in common with me. Not quite on my level, though."
"That's nothing to brag about, young master. More importantly, you're just going to watch? This could turn disastrous!"
The woman's side and House Rapelt's knights eyed the standoff tensely. They held back only due to House Crimford's guards watching.
"Yeah. Guess I have no choice. Sigh..."
"Young master?"
Johann rose and descended the dais toward the pair.
People parted naturally, clearing his path. Blocking him risked their own trouble.
Thus, Johann arrived before Andrea and the woman.
Andrea, seething with venom, and the woman—who had readied her sword from her guard—both turned to him and bowed.
No matter his reputation as the ultimate scoundrel to avoid, ignoring his bold approach wasn't an option.
"Andrea Rapelt greets Young Master Johann."
"Lilia Avangardi greets Young Master Johann."
'Avangardi?'
Learning her house and name for the first time due to Johann's arrival, Andrea scowled deeply while bowed.
House Avangardi were merchant-born nobles newly titled and added to House Crimford—bottom rung.
'A commoner bitch from days ago dares humiliate me?'
Grind!
Andrea gnashed his teeth but knew revenge must wait.
'Obvious why this scumbag showed up. He wants to bed Lilia ASAP, huh?'
No matter her pride, she couldn't ignore an earl's second son's demand. Andrea smirked inwardly.
Rumors swirled that no woman left Johann's bed intact—common knowledge among nobles.
Lilia's expression soured, sensing the same.
But...
"Bring a chair and wine."
At Johann's command, guards swiftly fetched his seat.
Johann sat, eyeing them both expectantly.
"What're you waiting for? Fight already. I came for a front-row seat."
"Pardon?"
"What do you...?"
As they blinked in confusion, Johann scowled and prodded Lilia.
"Fight. You're so confident, right? A baron's daughter from a fresh title challenges Andrea? You know House Rapelt's prestige. How dare a wretch like you insult a prized asset of House Crimford?"
"Y-Young master...!"
Andrea was moved—Johann publicly validating him before the crowd.
He reflected on all the times he'd cursed Johann in the past.
"If you lose, strip naked here, kneel, and beg Andrea's forgiveness. Got it?"
The crowd inwardly cursed Johann at his terms, frowning.
'Vicious bastard...! Utter scoundrel! Instead of stopping it, he eggs them on...!'
'Thought he'd slimmed down and humanized a bit, but it's just skin deep.'
'Make a noble lady strip naked here to apologize? Might as well tell her to bite her tongue and die! Ridiculous...'
Even for low-rank nobility, demanding a lady strip publicly was tantamount to suicide.
"Scared? If you're not confident, lick between my legs right now, and I'll forgive you."
Johann spread his legs wide while seated, grinning. Lilia replied resolutely.
"Thank you for the chance to restore my honor. I will strive to meet your expectations, Young Master Johann."
"There you have it, Andrea. I want to see that haughty bitch naked, weeping as she crawls under your legs. If House Rapelt's heir—called the earl's sword—loses to a merchant baron's fresh-titled daughter, what then?"
"Not in a million years..."
"It better not. If it does, I'll beat you to death myself. House Crimford needs no weak blade. Right, Andrea Rapelt?"
Locking eyes with Johann sent a chill piercing his heart—Andrea startled.
But seeing the usual murky gaze, he dismissed it as imagination and replied vigorously.
"Understood, young master!"
"Good! I trust you—take my sword, like my own avatar, for this duel."
Johann stood, drew the sword at his hip, and bestowed it upon Andrea.
"Father gifted it specially at my coming-of-age. Treat it as me and wield it well."
"Th-This precious sword...! Thank you!"
Andrea knelt on one knee, receiving it reverently.
In other contexts, it might evoke a lord knighting his man. But the intent to torment the woman soured it for onlookers.
Yet...
Crackle.
The moment he received it, Andrea's eye twitched faintly.
'Ugh! My arm just tingled a bit... Imagination?'