Chapter 11
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Mount Hua Sect's Lady
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However, since the opponent was so very young and the little sister who had always been utterly useless, it just seemed like he was merely surprised—not something worth being that impressed by.
But what was strange was Charlotte's eyes, instead.
They weren't the eyes of the docile Charlotte who only knew how to obediently lower her head. They looked like the eyes of a single swordswoman who would never break.
And that gaze was so fierce that Byaki suddenly felt an urge to look away without even realizing it.
"What kind of great proof is that supposed to be?"
Only after hearing Russell mutter with a sneer did Byaki snap back to his senses.
"Right, what makes that so impressive?"
Byaki ground his teeth in shame at the thought that he had frozen up, even for a moment, before that tiny girl.
Just as he was about to grab Charlotte by the collar—
Isaac quietly raised his hand.
Byaki turned to Isaac with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
"Why stop me, brother? Didn't you hear this wench snapping at us?"
Instead of responding to his younger brother, Isaac abruptly stood from his seat and walked over to stand in front of Charlotte.
'Figures someone with real presence in the story would be different.'
His skin was so fair and pale it was hard to believe he trained under the sun every day, and his beautifully arranged features gave off a chilling air. Tall and slender, with a slim waist and ample chest.
Isaac was as beautiful as a carved statue. If Charlotte hadn't known he would bring a storm of blood to this house later on, she might have stared at him in a daze for a bit.
Isaac glanced down at his youngest sister looking up at him, then turned his head to peer at the fork embedded in the corner of the table.
"Are you saying this proves that you've awakened the Aura talent bestowed upon all blessed members of House Setia?"
He muttered as much while tugging at the fork.
But the fork, firmly lodged into the wood, wouldn't budge without considerable force.
Isaac clicked his tongue softly and gave Charlotte a peculiar look. His deep blue eyes were filled with suspicion and curiosity.
"What in the world is this?"
His younger brother and cousin, who knew he never even spared a proper glance at anyone unworthy of his acknowledgment, stared at Isaac in considerable surprise.
"......So, she's hiding something, after all?"
Russell leaped to his feet in disbelief upon hearing Isaac's mutter.
"No way, brother. It's not that impressive. Why make such a fuss?"
Isaac narrowed his blue eyes, finally tearing his gaze from Charlotte to look at his two younger brothers. A cold sneer lingered in that gaze.
"Not impressive......? Well, Russell. Think you could do the same?"
"......Brother! What are you saying?"
Byaki's face flushed red and purple with irritation at hearing such words in front of their worthless youngest sister—something he never could have imagined.
It was right then, as he irritably snatched up a wooden fork and channeled Aura into it.
Crack.
As expected, the fragile wooden fork couldn't withstand the concentrated energy and crumbled into a handful of powder right there, scattering beneath the table.
"......Huh."
Seeing Byaki mutter in bewilderment, Russell grabbed a fork as well, but the result was the same.
They had trained with swords sturdy enough to handle Aura infusion from the moment they began learning it, so they were clumsy with such low-quality materials.
Russell no longer took Byaki's side and stared down at his palm in confusion.
Byaki gazed emptily at the fork that had turned to powder in Russell's hand, then forced out a retort.
"......No, I mean, this isn't Aura—it's some kind of trick, brother!"
Isaac chuckled softly and gripped the embedded fork, applying strength to his hand.
"A trick? You think we couldn't tell?"
As he lifted it, the fork didn't come out—instead, the entire table rose. Unable to bear the table's weight, the fork's neck cracked, then snapped with a sharp crack.
Isaac's face grew even more intrigued as he deftly caught the falling table and set it down, then looked at Charlotte.
"You're handling it with unusually precise control. Where did you learn that?"
Charlotte felt uneasy about Isaac suddenly showing interest in her, whom he had treated like she didn't exist. And the way his eyes sparkled with abnormal fascination was a little scary.
As she hesitated over what to say, a knock came at just the right moment.
Knock knock knock.
"The Minor House Lord and House Lord have arrived."
With the butler's guidance, kitchen maids bustled in carrying the main dishes, while servants helped tidy the table.
Roast lamb lasagna, fresh summer vegetable salad, pasta loaded with seafood, fruit juice—the dishes were served amid the peculiar sight of just four people from Setia House facing each other.
In that odd tension, Isaac let out a chuckle.
"Heh."
Then he stared intently at Charlotte with a peculiar gaze and nodded toward the seat Russell had occupied.
"Sit, Charlotte. Looks like we've got a lot to talk about."
"Brother?"
"......Brother!"
The seating order had been tacitly set by hierarchy.
Even direct kin ate in other dining halls if they weren't at the table, and that unspoken rule had been strictly observed until now.
And now, of all people, a side branch like Charlotte was being bumped up in the order?
For something as trivial as stabbing a fork?
But before they could protest, Isaac pulled out the chair for her, and Charlotte sat down in a daze.
"Wait...... I mean, what is......?"
Jerome, who had just opened the door at that moment, froze at the bizarre scene.
Did the brain refuse to accept something too strange?
He stood there for a moment, trying to reboot his stunned mind.
Isaac—his brother's son, who never properly listened and always exuded a fierce, arrogant air that was his only worry—was pulling out a chair for his youngest daughter.
'And that's the number two seat in the pecking order among the kids.'
Even stranger, Charlotte sitting there didn't look burdened or eager to flee.
And Byaki's face twisted with jealousy, Russell looking flustered......
'I knew something felt off...... but what the hell happened here?'
Seeing the usual dynamic completely reversed made him suddenly feel dizzy.
"Such a commotion."
At that moment, House Lord Camilla's clear, ringing voice echoed.
Everyone froze in place and bowed in greeting.
"Greetings, House Lord."
"Greetings, House Lord."
She was a mother to some, a grandmother to others, but to show respect to the head of House Setia, they all addressed the Duchess as House Lord.
Camilla glanced around at those gathered and nodded.
"Take your seats."
"Yes."
Jerome swallowed the question on the tip of his tongue about the situation and pulled out Camilla's chair.
Seating herself gracefully, Camilla cut straight to the point without preamble.
"Shadow Blade Day approaches soon."
"It's finally here."
Isaac replied with a faint smile.
Camilla nodded, her sharply cut blonde hair swaying.
"Two months from now, when the tournament ends, at least one—and up to three—of you four successor candidates here won't be sharing meals together anymore."
The time had come.
It was a declaration that they would begin narrowing down the successor candidates.
It was essentially just trimming down an already nearly decided order, so there shouldn't have been much tension.
Isaac grinned with particular delight, his eyes fixed on Charlotte.
Clink, clink.
In the quiet dining hall, where only the sound of cutlery clinking continued, Isaac couldn't tear his eyes away from Charlotte as she ate.
'Was Charlotte always such an entertaining cousin?'
No one could stand tall in front of Camilla, but Charlotte was especially timid, always tense and ready to bolt. She trembled just in front of him and his siblings, let alone Camilla.
Yet now, she seemed not just brazen but downright cheeky.
In truth, the only one who should feel the impact of Camilla's declaration was Charlotte.
It was as good as proclaiming they would cast her out right in front of her.
But Charlotte was the one enjoying the meal the most at that table.
'Is she too young to understand?'
Isaac narrowed his eyes and glanced at the wooden fork still embedded in the table.
'......No. That can't be it.'
The broken handle of the wooden fork still jutted out starkly from the table.