Chapter 16
In just two hits, Welsh Knight was trapped.
When it hit the joint of his leather armor, he bucked with a groan.
Nanael Welsh shouted.
“Sir Geoffrey!”
She didn't give him a chance to breathe. She slammed the butt of her sword into his hand, causing the knight to loosen his grip.
“Ooo!”
The clatter of his sword hitting the ground was masked by the screams of women.
Omarion did not stop, she moved her sword violently. The knight quickly lost his balance, falling on his butt with a confused expression on his face.
She pointed her sword at his neck and asked.
“Do you admit defeat?”
... "Yes".
What is your name
I asked the loser's name, as is usual for knights.
“I am Geoffrey of Sutherland. I serve the Duke of Welsh.”
“I am Omarion Al-Amari*.”
She extended her hand to help him. He looked around in horror, but still kissed her hand.
“I am the Grand Duchess of Morte. If you want revenge, come over there.”
She put the sword back in its sheath and looked around.
The garden was quiet.
No one can hide their surprise.
She turned to look at Nanael Welsh.
Her beautiful face was contorted with humiliation and shock.
Omarion thought it would be nice to humiliate the lady, but she didn't feel any particular pleasure.
As with dealing with Viktor's nightmares, her sword skills were only a temporary solution
In the social world, a lady had to speak with dignity, following etiquette.
Her actions today will likely result in further insults.
Regardless, she was a knight.
She can only speak with her sword.
She looked coldly at the Duchess's guests.
People who wanted to humiliate her.
The thought that she had ruined their pleasure brought her bitter happiness.
She dropped her sword to the ground and returned to Sir Carls' side.
He silently knelt down and put her shoes back on.
“Let's go, Sir Carls.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
In extreme silence, they left the tea party.
***
The capital can be clearly seen through the carriage window.
Carls let out a deep sigh.
“I'm glad you didn't kill him.”
“Why would I want to kill him?”
“The lady’s sword... uh...”
Sir Carls took another deep breath and met her gaze.
“Will you tell me why you did that?”
“…”
“I know the lady wouldn't draw her sword over a petty argument. What the hell happened?”
I tried to avoid his eyes.
The reason she was hiding all this from Charles was because he was a knight of the Grand Duke.
The nobles were cunning, so they never insulted her in front of him, the Grand Duke's chief of staff.
Because no one was crazy enough to insult the Knight Master and his family in front of him.
She just wanted it all to go away.
“I was just angry. Immature.”
Carl's blue eyes darkened.
He looked at her for a moment and then shrugged exaggeratedly.
“Okay. The lady doesn’t want to talk about it, so I won’t ask anymore. But just know that my nose will be cut off by the Grand Duke.”
Watching Carls get upset, I became worried.
He was her escort knight, so he would be questioned about this.
She comforted him, telling him, “It wasn’t his fault,” and that she would “tell Victor about it herself.”
After her discussion with Charles ended, they arrived in front of the Grand Duke's palace.
“Finally home.”
I got out of the car with a feeling of relief.
***
It wasn't long before Victor returned.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to know about dueling yet.
Since he had to meet high-ranking nobles and the imperial family, he had been stuck in the imperial palace for most of the social season.
I sat with him at the table after a long while.
Dinner was sizzling roast beef.
She spoke carefully as she tore into the beef.
“I had a duel today.”
"What ?"
Victor looked confused. He put down the wine glass he was holding.
“Are you injured?”
No, I'm fine
“What was Karls doing that made you have to duel?”
Victor narrowed his eyes.
She immediately shook her head as she remembered Carls, who half-seriously expressed his concerns.
“Don't blame Sir Carls. I said I wanted to do it.”
“Who was your opponent?”
"I"...
She paused for a moment.
“He was a Welsh knight. Sir Geoffrey of Sutherland.”
Victor thought for a moment, then frowned.
“Isn’t he Nanael Welsh’s companion?”
“Yes. Actually, I proposed to Ms. Welsh.”
Victor stared at her expressionlessly.
“Are you angry too? Did you do something that the Grand Duchess shouldn’t have done?”
“Or because I mentioned the lady?”
She struggled to shake her negative thoughts.
She did not regret defying the insult, but her behavior clearly deviated from that to which a Grand Duchess was expected to adhere.
Victor was justified in being angry with her.
“Even if you blame me...even if you hate me, I will be fine.”
But surprisingly, he didn't scold her. He held her hand briefly and then let her go. He smiled very calmly.
“I'm glad you weren't hurt, Marion.”
Then a server placed another piece of meat on her plate.
“You must be hungry, so eat more.”
She nodded, puzzled, and popped the slices of beef into her mouth.
It felt like she was chewing skin.
***
Omarion was withering before his eyes.
She was as tired as someone on her deathbed all week.
She didn't talk comfortably to anyone and didn't touch half of her food.
When he asked her what was going on, she forced a smile and said she was fine.
“But… I dueled today.”
Victor hid his nervousness and sent her to their bedroom early. The moment he disappeared, Omarion appeared.
Carles called.
As soon as his knight arrived, he was reprimanded.
“What the hell were you doing?”
At his harsh question, Karls immediately bowed his head.
“I'm sorry, sir. This is my fault.”
Victor narrowed his yellow, snake-like eyes. It was rare for his chief of staff to admit his mistakes so openly.
Finally, he sighed and rubbed his hair.
“Even if Marion wanted to, you had to take her place. What would have happened if she had been injured?”
Karls raised his head and looked at Victor as if he was talking nonsense.
“Your Highness, even if all of the knights of the Welsh Family attacked the lady at once, she would not have suffered a single scratch. She is the second strongest knight on the continent after His Highness!”
“Do you think this is an excuse?”
“According to my chivalry, I should have fought in her place… No, that’s not what I wanted to say.”
Karls' expression collapsed. Speak in a serious tone.
“There are strange rumors circulating in female circles. There is much talk that when His Highness gets better, he will divorce Her Highness and marry Mrs. Welsh.”
“Who dares to say that?”
“Maybe the Welsh people. Quite a few people believe the rumors and have been rude to the Grand Duchess.”
The Grand Duke's eyes became crazy.
“Why are you telling me this only now?!”
“I only found out today!”
Karls rubbed his temples painfully.
“Your Highness, I am a knight at your service. No one dares to talk about the Grand Duke in front of me.”
“….”
“After I brought the lady with me today, I asked her, and no matter how many times I asked, she didn’t say a word. I can’t imagine what I heard at those parties.”
He let out a long sigh.
“How could she even fight a duel?”
The Grand Duke's eyes became cold as ice.
Duke of Welsh.
They were a strong family, and we certainly received their help, but they demanded a high price for it.
Once the war was over, rumors of his illness were deliberately spread in an attempt to end talk of marriage.
“Even after breaking the engagement, she still has the courage to dream of marrying me.”
“They may not know that they have earned My mercy only by being an ally for so long.”…
Karls stopped his master, who began drumming his fingers rhythmically on the table.
“Don’t think strange, Your Highness. The lady was hiding this on purpose.”
“I have the right to take revenge on my wife.”
“The lady wouldn't like it if she knew.”
His sharp golden eyes stared at Karls.
But Carls was calm.
Victor averted his eyes in annoyance and looked up at the ceiling.
The coldness in his eyes was still there, but an unfamiliar impatience was present beside him.
“Why was she only listening to them? She didn’t tell me.”
Carls answered calmly.
"This is correct".
The Grand Duke slowly lowered his eyes. His body trembled in anger. لم ير كارلز فيكتور غاضبًا بهذا الشكل منذ عودتهم من الحرب.
However, he did not shake.
“Your Highness paid a dowry to buy the lady. She is not stupid. She knows better than anyone that she was summoned as an assistant, not the Duchess or the official hostess. How was she going to complain to His Highness? Your Highness deserves to endure the lady’s distrust.”
The Chief of Staff's words pierced Victor's chest like a dagger.
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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