Chapter 490: Silent Night, Holy Night (2)
Chapter 490: Silent Night, Holy Night (2)
A lion lives in the north of the Empire.
It sounded like nonsense, yet it was a fact accepted as common sense across the continent. There was only one reason why a lion, a creature usually sighted in the East, would roam the North.
It had been driven out of the East.
That was how the Yurdina family was born. Long ago, they were subjects of the nation that unified the continent, but they were humiliated and exiled to the North—a wasteland at the time. There, they held their breath and endured. In the end, Yurdina became one of the founding pillars of the Empire.
The harsh environment of the North and long years of perseverance only made Yurdina stronger.
Excluding the Lupemion family of the East, there was no rival worthy of contesting their title as the greatest martial house. Yurdina’s status, having seized the Empire's military authority, was absolute.
And then there was Yurdina Castle, called the heart of the North.
The office of the Head of Family, located at the highest point of the castle, was currently in shambles. It was a state of ruin that made the notoriously tight security of Yurdina Castle look like a joke.
However, anyone who knew the identities of the two women facing off inside the office would have no choice but to accept that this was inevitable.
Gold and silver sat there, looking like polar opposites.
First, the girl with silver-gray hair was a mess. Her clothes were torn in various places, and faint traces of blood seeped from numerous scratches and sword wounds.
Cornered in the edge of the office, the woman panted for breath. A frost-like, cold killing intent seethed within the girl’s blue eyes.
At the end of that gaze sat a woman with brilliant golden hair.
She had an alluring face, her pale fingers wrapped around a wine glass as she sat in her chair. With her legs crossed and a bored expression on her face, the woman’s complexion looked poor to any observer.
Her face was etched with irritation.
Through her disheveled pale pink gown, the curves of her body were barely hidden. Furthermore, her slightly labored breathing and the beads of sweat on her skin spoke of the traces of battle.
Seria Yurdina and Delphine Yurdina.
One symbolized silver and the other gold; they were half-sisters who held the real power of the Yurdina family.
Naturally, their status was not something a mere guard could stand in the way of.
"…Seria, your big sister is very disappointed."
At that sudden reproach, Seria couldn't suppress the emotions surging within her.
If anyone had the right to be angry, it was Seria. It had only been a few days since she had returned to Yurdina Castle after organizing the front lines of the last battle.
Seria had been happy at the thought of finally sleeping among the dolls made in the likeness of her beloved Senior. She had planned to bury her face in the coat her beloved Senior used to wear and enjoy a pleasant rest today.
The person who had ruthlessly shattered that sweet moment was Delphine.
Having been summoned out of the blue, Seria had to face all sorts of provocations in the office. They were mostly stories about the nights Delphine had spent passionately with her beloved Senior, and Seria, whose relationship with her sister was already strained, immediately drew her sword.
This was the result.
Seria had lost. It was a familiar scene, and now the vassals didn't even bother rushing up in a commotion.
The Yurdina family had long since become a dysfunctional mess.
Grit, grit.
The sound of Seria grinding her teeth echoed.
"…You bitch."
"What did you say?"
Seria chose to shut her mouth at Delphine’s questioning.
As Seria slightly averted her gaze, her face was full of annoyance. If she could have it her way, even tearing Delphine limb from limb wouldn't satisfy her, but the outcome of the fight had already been decided.
Seria wasn't stupid enough to invite a meaningless beating.
Delphine’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but she soon snorted as if uninterested. Even the way she tilted her wine glass was captivating.
"Anyway, Seria… I was pinning my hopes on you. Since I can't step forward publicly, I was hoping that you, at least, would step up and seduce my husband."
"Are you in heat or something? Then why don't you learn how to handle it yourself? Ian Senior isn't a man with enough free time to constantly keep a sow like you company, is he?"
"Once you spend a night with my husband… no, never mind. What's the point of me saying anything to you?"
Grit. Seria almost raised her voice as she ground her teeth again.
It was because a blatant sneer was etched on Delphine’s lips. However, as another piece of information was spat from those lips, Seria could only freeze with her eyes wide open.
"…The Saintess beat us to it."
At those words, Seria could only blink her eyes in silence.
'Beating someone to it'—it was clear what that meant in romance. Wasn't the reason Seria was being humiliated by Delphine right now because she had been beaten to the punch?
Delphine continued in a soft voice, as if she had expected this.
"She went and made a public proposal. And in front of tens of thousands of witnesses, no less… It was right after she performed a miracle, returning without a single scratch from atop a burning pyre. The foolish masses were so excited they looked ready to put on a play about it."
"That, that can't be…."
Seria’s eyes, directed at the floor, began to shake aimlessly.
Ian Senior should have told her to wait.
She never imagined such a massive incident would occur in just a few weeks. In her anxiety, Seria didn't even have the composure to bite her lip.
On the other hand, she felt like she finally understood Delphine’s attitude.
The reason Delphine was in a particularly foul mood today.
It was jealousy. Pathetically, this sex-crazed female’s mood plummeted as soon as she faced the crisis of having her husband snatched away.
That was why she had called the clueless Seria and beaten her up for no reason.
Her personality was consistently impressive. Seria decided she should plan an assassination using poison in the near future.
"Seria, you know, don't you? The fact that my husband is a necessary figure for our Yurdina in every sense… We can't let a martial artist who has reached the level of High Expert be stolen away like this."
Seria was still reeling from the shock. She couldn't help the hollow laugh that escaped her.
Necessary in every sense?
Her ulterior motive was transparent.
If Seria went through all that trouble to bring Ian to Yurdina Castle, Delphine intended to seduce her beloved Senior whenever she felt like it. It was a future that made her nauseous just thinking about it.
Crazy bitch.
However, Delphine’s logic was close to a sound argument, and Seria didn't feel like adding a rebuttal. She agreed with the sentiment that they couldn't let Ian be taken away like this.
For now, she had to borrow anyone's help.
Even if that person was a mortal enemy wearing the mask of a sister.
Delphine was indeed quick-witted. She immediately took Seria’s lack of rebuttal as silent consent.
"…Claim him by any means necessary."
It was a plain and dry instruction.
It meant it was an order given not as 'Delphine,' but as the Head of the Yurdina family. No matter how much Seria hated her sister, her loyalty to the family was real.
Eventually, Seria knelt on one knee and bowed her head.
It was the posture of a vassal receiving the orders of the Head of Family.
"If you need money, use it until the family assets are depleted. If you need force, mobilize the private army. If you need seduction, even if you have to offer up that body of yours… ah, maybe that’s impossible."
"Wh-what’s wrong with my body?!"
Of course, it didn't take long for the argument to ignite again.
Seria had to stammer as she emphasized the curves of her body.
"I don't have a body that loses to anyone else's, you know?! It's not even that different from yours, Sister…!"
"Tsk, tsk."
As if Seria’s rebuttal wasn't even worth listening to, Delphine clicked her tongue and sipped her wine.
"That’s why you’re still a virgin. There’s a reason my husband hasn't touched you, isn't there?"
"…You, you slut."
Flames sparked again in the eyes of Seria, whose sore spot had been poked.
Soon, another storm broke out in the Head of Family's office. Behind them, the vassals sat slumped outside the door, tears streaming down their faces.
This was the sorrowful current state of the Yurdina family.
*
I adjusted the front of my clothes and prepared to head out.
It was the same before, but since the recent incident, the number of people paying attention to me at the Academy had increased. In particular, the frequency of women whispering when they saw me was high.
Their interest was focused on one thing.
Who would I dance with at the Holy Night Festival?
The general consensus was the Saintess. After a kiss that was no different from a confession in front of tens of thousands of people, my partner had long been officially recognized as the Saintess. Strictly speaking, public expectation was just that high.
She was a woman who had never let anyone by her side.
The story of a man challenging an Honor Trial alone to rescue a lady in distress, and the Saintess performing a miracle after he faced death hundreds of times, set fire to the hearts of many.
If I didn't choose the Saintess as my partner, it felt like they were ready to start a riot.
However, the opposing opinions were also formidable.
"Didn't Senior Percus say he was getting engaged to Senior Lainella?"
"Is the reason Senior Lainella hasn't been seen lately perhaps…?"
"It might just be because the weather is particularly bad today."
Sigh. A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily. In fact, my worries were no different from theirs.
I had already started too many things.
Right now, Delphine Senior and Seria were waiting in the North.
Furthermore, what was I going to do about Senior Elsie, whom I had agreed to get engaged to, or Emma, with whom I was in an unofficial romantic relationship?
If I could, I wanted to set a date and take some time to organize my feelings about this. But unfortunately, I still had work left to do.
The Saintess had remained in the Holy Kingdom to deal with the aftermath of the incident. I also had to shoulder the responsibility of looking after Celine and Ria, who had not yet recovered from the aftereffects.
But karma always returns at the most unexpected moments.
It was the same for me.
"You… you son of a bitch…!"
At the voice thick with hatred and resentment, my gaze turned behind me. Standing there was a handsome boy with brown hair.
Though his blue eyes looked like they were about to flip back into his head.
It was Elsie Senior’s younger brother, Lupin.
I slapped my forehead with an 'it finally happened' expression. I hadn't even been able to open the letters from the Lainella family out of fear, but I could fully empathize with his feelings.
A man about to get engaged to his sister suddenly spreads rumors of a scandal?
If I were him, I’d want to have the veins in my neck popping too.
"You, you, how dare someone like you… betray our sister?! Do you think you can just live happily after that?!"
I was the one in the wrong, after all.
So, I tried to untangle the knot in the quietest place possible.
"I'm sorry, Lupin… but I'm 'a bit' busy right now, okay? So later tonight, in my room…."
"What?!"
However, Lupin, who had lost his mind, began to grow even more frantic at my words.
The capillaries in his wide-open eyes looked ready to burst.
"Your 'dick' is busy?! You crazy, debauched bastard!"
In the end, I had to cover my face with both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Please, just go away…!"
The sound of the onlookers whispering felt like it was stabbing my chest.
It was a peaceful day at the Academy.
*
Thud. A heavy pouch dropped onto the table.
Emma could only look at the person opposite her with dazed eyes. There, a lovely girl with flowing dark blue hair was wearing a beaming smile.
"How much will it take?"
She uttered something preposterous.
"How much did that bitch… I mean, Senior Lainella, give you?"
The secret struggle behind the scenes was beginning.