Drenched from the water splash, Liliana was so shocked that even her tears stopped.
“H-how could something like this happen to me?”
This wasn’t just any place—it was the crucial Holy Rite banquet. To be publicly humiliated like this was unthinkable.
“Are you saying this was a mistake?”
Liliana stared at Cedric with disbelief.
“Does that make any sense?”
“Now, now, my lady.”
Cedric spoke, looking past Liliana as if she weren’t there, his gaze fixed on Iris instead.
“I brought this because it reminded me of you. I must have accidentally made a mistake after witnessing such an unpleasant scene.”
He held out a freshly plucked rose from a vase toward Iris.
The sight of the striking dark-haired cultivator offering a rose was surprisingly fitting despite the tense atmosphere.
Iris couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“They said to pour water if family started a fight in the carriage…”
She had wondered why they added it wasn’t always necessary, but now it made sense—they expected her to be the one doing the pouring.
“Thank you, Your Grace. The flower is lovely.”
Iris took the rose from Cedric’s hand, smiling gently.
“No one will blame Your Grace for this ‘mistake.’”
With this excuse, any attempt to scold Cedric for the insult to Liliana would be dismissed as a mere accident.
Orchid’s anger toward the suffering of his cherished younger sister only intensified.
“Even if she’s royalty, this is too much! Who just pours water like that without warning?”
His rage turned toward Iris, who accepted Cedric’s flower.
“I knew you were jealous of Liliana, but involving your husband like this—”
Smack!
A black glove flew over Orchid’s face, silencing him before he could utter another word.
The scene was utterly ridiculous.
“Orchid Valentine.”
But no one laughed.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Duke of Leontheim so furious.”
The nobles whispered in astonishment at the unprecedented scene.
Even among them, no one had seen Cedric formally challenge anyone to a duel before.
His fierce crimson gaze was predatory, sharp as a beast’s.
They said a seasoned cultivator could kill with their aura alone.
Had Orchid been an ordinary person, Cedric’s glare alone could have torn him apart.
“I formally challenge you to a duel for insulting my wife.”
Orchid, still subdued by Cedric’s deadly intent, finally clenched his black glove with trembling indignation.
A faint red mark remained on his cheek from the glove strike.
What is happening right now?
Orchid had never faced hardship mingling with others. No one ever dared treat him poorly.
His firm position as heir, his genius in sword cultivation, his outstanding appearance—who could?
As Sword Master and brilliant heir of the Valentine family, Orchid was unfamiliar with public humiliation.
I must not lose my composure like the Duke of Leontheim.
He steadied his trembling lips and asked Cedric calmly,
“Duke of Leontheim, are you in your right mind? Do you truly intend to make an enemy of the Valentines?”
“That’s right! What kind of disrespect is this?”
Liliana clasped her hands, speaking pitifully as she looked at Orchid’s reddened face.
“Is it acceptable for the Duke of Leontheim to treat others so carelessly? Especially when this concerns our own family.”
“And so?”
Cedric raised his eyebrows lightly and asked,
“Why should I listen to that?”
“How... how can you commit such an atrocious act against Liliana with no remorse? This is truly unforgivable.”
“Or will Liliana, who was training to become a knight, step forward to duel in her brother’s place?”
“Th-that’s...”
Liliana hesitated and slipped behind Orchid.
How could I possibly fight in place of my brother?
From a young age, Liliana had manifested battle qi and showed promise.
Yet she had never publicly sparred outside Valentine knights.
In other words, she lacked sufficient experience to engage in a formal duel.
Besides, I was just born with talent—I have no intention of becoming a knight.
Especially since the Duke of Leontheim was already a renowned Sword Master.
Their mere presence exuded a realm difference palpable through their aura.
“Do you truly intend to cause such a disturbance at this prestigious Holy Rite banquet?”
“I intend to resolve this disturbance.”
Cedric answered as if it were obvious.
“For the honor of my wife.”
In Liliana’s eyes, Cedric seemed unlikely to withdraw this challenge.
Orchid won’t lose. He’s the genius of the Valentines.
But even so, Liliana instinctively gauged Cedric’s cultivation realm.
Though his realm wasn’t visibly apparent, his tightly controlled aura was undeniable.
It’s beyond my judgment.
Cedric sneered down at Liliana with his crimson eyes.
Perhaps Orchid...
It felt hopeless—there was no way to defeat the Duke of Leontheim.
The knight’s instincts whispered the truth: none in the Valentine clan could match this man.
Then what of my honor? Am I to suffer this disgrace and be defeated too?
If she lost the duel after all this shame, Lilliana's name would be utterly ruined.
“Iris unni! Please, stop the Duke!”
Panicked, Lilliana turned to Iris.
“You don’t want family fighting each other, right? This is a family matter, so please do something.”
“Family?”
Iris met Cedric’s gaze with gentle eyes.
His crimson pupils softened as though wholly tamed by her.
“This man is my only family now.”
She leaned her head sweetly on his shoulder.
The sight was undeniable—an inseparable Dao-couple, bonded by trust and shared destiny.
Lilliana was momentarily speechless. Her mind blanked.
Iris, nestled in Cedric’s arms, looked completely at peace.
His hand rested protectively on her shoulder, hers softly atop his.
Even that simple gesture conveyed their unshakable unity.
But what struck Lilliana hardest was the way Cedric looked at Iris—
as if he were gazing upon a sacred treasure, eyes filled with gentleness, warmth, and unguarded affection.
Such looks had once been reserved for Lilliana alone.
I truly thought of you as family, Iris…
No matter how hard she tried, Lilliana couldn't shake the feeling that Iris had stolen what was hers.
“…So the time we spent as family meant nothing to you?”
“How tiresome.”
Cedric’s voice was calm, yet laced with incredulity.
“You people aren’t even her family anymore.”
Only
he
held that place now.
And he looked faintly pleased as he said it.
“Strange. There’s quite a bit of noise coming from people with no ties to my wife.”
“You speak that way only because you don’t truly know Iris,” Orchid snapped.
“Seems your famed intellect is built on delusions,” Cedric retorted with a smirk.
“Is this the level of swordsmanship in the Empire’s dueling tournament these days?”
The Empire’s Grand Sword Tournament, held every other year, was a prestigious event.
Orchid had once claimed victory there at a young age—though he never surpassed Cedric’s record as the youngest winner.
Still, it was a source of deep pride for him.
Enraged, Orchid ground his teeth and shouted,
“Are you truly declaring war with House Valentine?!”
Cedric didn’t answer. Instead, he removed his remaining glove and threw it.
Slap!
The black leather struck Orchid’s face again, this time without force, but all the more humiliating in its mockery.
“No gloves left now.”
Cedric turned from Orchid and met the gaze of the Valentine Patriarch, Kaidrich.
“So this is the kind of ‘Valentine’ you claim to represent.”
“What grievance drives you to insult our house so thoroughly?”
Unlike his son, Kaidrich had regained his composure—knowing well the power Cedric wielded as a prince of imperial blood.
“You’re not doing all this simply because of my daughter. What is it you’re really after?”
“My true goal?” Cedric raised a brow, his voice calm but dangerous.
“I’ve noticed something: you all speak far too freely to the consort of a royal bloodline. Did no one teach you proper decorum?”
Kaidrich, lips tight, gripped the hilt of his sword.
As a Knight Commander, he was among the few permitted to carry a weapon in the presence of the royals.
But even he dared not unsheathe it without grave cause.
“No matter how high your station, it doesn’t give you the right to trample on House Valentine.”
“And no matter how noble your blood, it gives you no right to disrespect my wife.”
Cedric smiled, returning Kaidrich’s words to him like a blade wrapped in silk.
“Seems the matter of who has the greater right must be resolved through a duel.”
“Very well! Let’s settle this through combat!”
Kaidrich’s face twisted at the provocation.
“The blades of House Valentine are not so easily overcome.”
“I’m eager to see just how ‘heavy’ they really are.”
Cedric rolled his shoulders, his tone full of ease.
“With such a fearsome duel, surely we may wager something substantial? Of course, you may name whatever you wish as my penalty—if I lose.”
Which, of course, I won’t.
Cedric already carried himself as though victory were assured.
And not a soul could fault him for it.
He was, after all, Cedric of Leontheim.
“Then our stake shall be an apology,” Kaidrich said, eyes narrowing.
What’s his game…?
Cedric stepped forward, easy smile still on his lips—but now there was the unmistakable weight of imperial blood in his gaze.
Even in jest, he moved like one born to command.
“If I win, the head of House Valentine will kneel before my wife and apologize.”
Cedric’s imposing aura pressed down on Kaidrich with terrifying force.
Even though Kaidrich was known as the finest knight in the capital, staring into those crimson eyes made him feel as if he had already lost.
“Ah, of course, I’d welcome the rest of your family kneeling too.”
At that moment, imperial attendants raised their voices from behind, announcing the emperor’s arrival.
“The great sun of the Felsis Empire, His Majesty the Emperor, is about to arrive!”
The time for talk was over.
Since the duel was decided, Cedric had no further business with the Valentines.
Nearby nobles averted their gaze, tense with anticipation for the emperor’s arrival.
Once the emperor arrived, the Holy Rite ceremony would proceed as tradition dictated.
Cedric smiled gently, curling the corner of his eyes as he looked at Iris.
“Iris, shall we leave now?”
“Huh?”
Leaving the Holy Rite banquet before the emperor’s arrival was a grave breach of etiquette.
Yet Iris ignored such customs and nodded faintly.
“Alright.”
Cedric held Iris’s hand tightly. Before passing Kaidrich, he tapped the knight’s shoulder lightly and whispered threateningly,
“Lord Valentine, even if my wife was once a Valentine, you should know she is now the Duchess of Leontheim.”
The Leontheim couple, who had caused a stir at the Holy Rite banquet, vanished gracefully amid the stares of onlookers, leaving behind the retinue of House Valentine.
Liliana shivered in the cold, the water now chilling and humiliating her, while Orchid’s face remained flushed with shame.
This is how it is.
Kaidrich reluctantly prepared to leave with his children.
“Orchid, let’s go. Liliana might catch a cold.”
“But father, His Majesty will arrive soon…”
“It’s alright. The emperor will understand. If not, this knight captain will take responsibility.”
“Take responsibility?”
A harsh voice rang out from behind.
“I believe I should hear what all this commotion is about.”
With the imperial radiance unique to royalty—golden hair shining brilliantly beneath a splendid crown, a crimson cloak draped over broad shoulders—Ludwig glared at Kaidrich with dark red eyes like dried blood.
“I suppose the Valentine Knight Captain knows quite well.”
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Kaidrich’s face turned ashen.
Chapter 62