Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Perfect Disguise
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Usually, they'd say something like "he cursed up a storm there." From her first impression to her choice of words, there was an oddity about her that felt a bit different from Luna's.
"Isna, what in the world is that getup?"
"A perfect disguise?"
A girl's clear voice rang out from inside the puppet costume.
A perfect disguise? That monstrosity?
Why had she been hiding under the tablecloth, and what was that creepy puppet head supposed to be?
No, more importantly, how had she evaded my senses while hiding right there?
I hadn't been actively scanning the area, but for a Sword Master-level detection to miss her?
To pull that off required some special ability on par with the feat.
In my memory, only a few special cases could slip past senses this sharp.
Ah, the puppet costume she was wearing must be serving that purpose.
"Take off that ridiculous thing right now and speak."
"Uh... asking me to strip in a crowded place like this is a bit..."
Kwachang!!!!
The wine glass in Duke Catshi's hand shattered into pieces.
The Catshi family head pressed a hand to his forehead as if nursing a headache and muttered under his breath. At that, she yanked off the headpiece of the puppet costume with a pop!
At the same time, fiery red hair cascaded out.
The first thing revealed was a girl who looked about my age.
Her red hair was tied into twin tails, and her red eyes sparkled with confidence and mischief.
"Good heavens. Isn't that Lady Isna Mielephon?"
"What on earth was that getup..."
As the nobles' confusion grew from her bizarre entrance, Duke Catshi grimaced even harder, his head throbbing worse.
"Hee hee, I heard it. That proves it's true."
In this world, a testimony's impact depends on who's giving it.
For instance, a word from me, son of a remote border noble house, versus one from the daughter of a 13 Great House duke—they weren't even in the same league.
With her chiming in to back me up, the murmurs around us swelled.
"Is there any doubt about what you heard?"
"Why would I lie? Oh, should I play this for you?"
She rummaged inside the puppet suit, grunting a bit, and pulled something out.
It was a voice-recording artifact.
"And why do you even have that... Haah, never mind."
Duke Catshi scowled, clearly exasperated. Was this just par for the course with her, after all this time?
"Honestly, I didn't expect things to play out like this here."
At least one thing was clear.
She was light-years away from the typical image of a duke's daughter.
I wasn't the most worldly guy, but she struck me as the type who'd drag trouble wherever she went.
The kind who stirred up incidents without trying.
She casually activated the artifact.
At once, a noisy sound blared from it.
But amid the racket, the boys' conversation—including Seeger Reden's—came through crystal clear.
Thinking back on why she'd pulled such a weird disguise stunt at the banquet hall, it seemed she'd planned to bury that Seeger Reden punk from the start, and I'd just gotten tangled up in it.
The nobles' stirring grew louder as they heard it, and Seeger Reden's face drained to blue. Even Count Reden's expression crumpled.
Public opinion flipped in an instant.
There weren't many family heads who'd sit idly by after their daughter was insulted.
"Count Reden."
His body jolted at the chilling voice that seemed to blanket the area in frost.
"How could this happen?"
In that tense atmosphere, I spoke up like I was fanning the flames.
"Though House Cascadia has endured its share of scandals, my little sister proved her worth to defend our house and uphold our noble honor, earning the count's title. I take great pride in her for that."
The murmurs intensified.
"Yet you're saying it's not a stain on noble honor to let someone publicly insult my last remaining family member?"
It didn't take much to steer the mood toward "Seeger Reden is the villain here."
Just two well-placed lines.
Of course, Seeger probably hadn't meant to blow things up this big when he spat out his words.
A kid who chased skirts like him was at least half bluff anyway.
But to undo the wedge I'd driven in with two lines, he'd need dozens to explain himself.
Agitation was all about striking first and preparing meticulously—the early bird wins.
Not that he could salvage his already wrecked reputation now.
"The young master of House Reden was in the wrong here."
"To insult his little sister right in front of her big brother at a formal event like this..."
Count Reden, who hadn't even known what happened, ended up looking like a fool caught flat-footed.
Not just Seeger, but House Reden's image was taking a massive hit.
"Th-that's..."
"Insulting House Cascadia is the same as insulting House Mielephon, with whom we share a betrothal."
She exuded a chilling aura like she could cleave the count in two any second, her mid-tier Sword Master prowess pressing down on everyone around.
"P-please forgive us! M-my foolish son seems to have spoken out of youthful folly!"
House Reden might be prominent, but they couldn't compare to the Mielephons.
Especially not now, with clear proof his son had hurled the insult—they'd make deadly enemies if they pushed back.
He sized up the situation fast.
"Ahem. Young Master Leon, was it? My foolish son seems to have besmirched House Cascadia's honor."
"Glad you see reason so quickly."
"Ha... but he's still just a child. How could you be so cruel as to leave him in that state...?"
Ah, trying to downplay it?
Steering things toward "just a kid's mistake" to smooth it over.
Count Reden feared the Mielephons, not me.
He'd probably have played it brazen if they hadn't stepped in.
"Shouldn't you be grateful instead?"
"Wh-what?!"
"If I hadn't done that, we'd be settling it with a deathmatch right now. Better he keeps his life than dies, no?"
Want your son dead?
When I overloaded his aura heart and shattered it, I left a massive crack in it.
He'd slacked on training it, relying on his half-baked talent, so even a little overload cracked and wrecked it.
With his body ruined from the overload, he was doomed to be a cripple now.
"Even so, it was a sneak attack! H-how could civilized people be so brutal!!"
"Then I'll heal him. Make him healthier than ever."
"What...?"
"But once he's healed, I'll challenge him to a deathmatch. No proxies. Any objections?"
He flinched at my killing intent.
"Th-that's... Duels allow proxies..."
"Planning to send a proxy when your time's up, too?"
Your lifespan's ending, so your son fights me here to the death.
I'm fine either way.
But nothing's worth more than life.
"What a fiery young master! Good on you! Good on you!"
Isna Mielephon jumped in to cheer me on wildly.
Shut it, you.
I ignored the Mielephon nutcase lady as best I could.
"That Seeger Reden punk is pure scum... Mmph!"
Then came a shout from Lady Isna Mielephon of House Mielephon, who'd been watching.
Of course, Head Maid Misha clamped her mouth shut and dragged her off in seconds.
"Misha."
"Yes, Family Head."
"Take Isna away. Keep her in the annex. And Young Master Leon."
Why the annex, though?
Duke Catshi called to me next.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Seems my words didn't get through properly."
"My apologies, but my stance hasn't changed."
"You judge this worth abandoning your original goal?"
"It wasn't a cherished process anyway. If you want a yes, then yes."
Fake engagement? Helping with the queen consort's twilight scheme?
Fine, all good, but not enough to let my sister get insulted.
If the kingdom turns on Melissa, I'll turn on the kingdom. Empire does it? Empire's my enemy.
All I have left is Cascadia.
I met her gaze without flinching, and she gave me a cold look before smirking faintly.
"Then I take it you'll bear the consequences yourself."
"If that's what you wish."
Meaning she won't meddle with the Redens? It'll be noisy, but no big issue.
House Reden was big, but not kingdom-shaking.
And the Bata royal family owed me one.
"You understand what this means. No more fakes."
She said that, then turned to Count Reden.
Fakes? Our conversation was on different wavelengths?
I pondered the odd word for a moment before her voice transmission hit me.
-A foolish choice. Just words, nothing more. Ruining everything over one insult isn't wise, whatever your goal was.
-Objectively, sure.
Especially for nobles.
-But personally? I like your pick. If you're betrothed to a Mielephon, you need that grit and spirit. Means you've got the guts to crush anyone who insults your family on the spot.
What? What nonsense is this?
I stared at her, forgetting to reply via transmission, and she flashed a thin, icy smile.
-You didn't think a public spectacle like this could pass as a mere fake engagement, did you?
-No, I didn't publicize the engagement talk.
-Didn't I?
What? This audacity? Is this how you run a great house?
-Your Grace, shouldn't you distance yourself from the screw-up here?
-Far from it. Your actions firmed my resolve.
Cold sweat trickled down my back unbidden.
From what I knew, the current Mielephon family head had several children.
But I'd never heard properly about a single one.
Until now, when one showed up in person.