The crowd grew intensely excited over the duel between the two young sword prodigies.
Especially since both were often spoken of as geniuses among the people.
“The Valentine Count family—aren’t they the clan where every member manifests sword energy and wields exceptional swordsmanship?”
“Hmph. But the Duke of Leontheim isn’t someone to underestimate either.”
“Exactly. He’s the youngest victor in the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament. No one’s broken that record yet!”
The nobles who had access to the royal training grounds reacted even more fervently.
Though the duel wasn’t officially sanctioned by the emperor, many gathered one by one just to watch.
Among them was Liliana, dressed extravagantly just like the previous day.
With a sorrowful expression, she looked at her close friend, Lady Emilia.
“If only Sister Iris had stayed quiet, everyone could’ve had a happy Saint’s Festival.”
Liliana muttered gloomily, seeking comfort.
“Sister Iris caused so much trouble for everyone. Why is she so selfish?”
Emilia replied with a reluctant tone,
“The duel wasn’t entirely because of the Duchess of Leontheim.”
Liliana suddenly turned her head sharply and glared at Emilia.
“So you’re saying Sister isn’t at fault? You saw what she did to me at the banquet!”
Emilia, a member of a high-ranking count’s family, had also attended yesterday’s banquet.
She was among the witnesses who saw the entire commotion unfold.
“…I did see everything.”
“But how can you side with Sister Iris after that?”
Emilia looked at Liliana with a confused expression.
“You think I’m taking the Duchess’s side?”
“Yes! You still don’t agree with me.”
Liliana puffed out her cheeks in frustration. Emilia blinked awkwardly as if waking from a dream.
“Am I someone who has to agree with you no matter what?”
Sensing the tension, Liliana softened and linked arms with Emilia, speaking cutely.
“You’re my friend, so you can stand with me and get angry on my behalf.”
Emilia looked at the elaborately dressed Liliana and replied calmly,
“But that doesn’t mean I have to take your side unconditionally.”
In truth, Emilia felt a strange sense of indebtedness toward Iris.
…The Iris I saw at the Saint’s Festival
was clearly not the incompetent and troublesome person Liliana described.
I had only heard one side and judged wrongly without seeing properly.
Liliana withdrew her arm from Emilia’s, her own way of expressing anger.
“B-But still, you saw what Sister Iris did to our family. Is that normal?”
“But there was nothing wrong in what your sister said.”
“What do you mean nothing was wrong? It was all baseless slander!”
“Liliana, you’ve been acting strangely lately. At least at this banquet, you were the one at fault.”
Emilia cautiously approached Liliana, who kept showing annoyance.
“I understand you’re struggling, but you shouldn’t take it out on those around you.”
“Are you blaming me now?”
Liliana’s gray eyes glistened with resentment.
Why does everyone keep pushing me into a corner?
Since yesterday, Liliana had been anxious.
Can Orchid win?
Normally, she wouldn’t even worry about such things. But the opponent was the Duke of Leontheim.
No matter how she looked at it, Orchid didn’t seem likely to win.
If Orchid loses, what will happen to my honor?
Currently, Orchid was fighting not for his own honor, but on Liliana’s behalf.
If Orchid were defeated, Liliana would lose her already battered pride twice over.
That’s why I wanted to stop the duel!
Liliana was gripped by a foreboding feeling. Neither her capable brother nor her father could properly help this time.
It feels like the world hates me.
Even being dragged twice to the inspection office unjustly as a noble lady felt like proof.
The other friends who committed tax evasion with Liliana were not taken in—only Liliana was severely punished.
Moreover, her family—including her fiancé—failed to bring her the corsage she had desperately wanted.
Is all this just coincidence?
Why did everything keep going wrong?
It seemed impossible unless someone close was jealous and sabotaging her.
Liliana’s eyes landed on Emilia.
Though once a close friend, Emilia now sided with Iris, seeming cold and unkind.
“Could it have been you?”
She should have realized it earlier.
“You were the one jealous and scheming against me all along.”
Emilia gave a stunned look and replied,
“What are you talking about?”
Liliana glared at Emilia, tears streaming down her face.
“You were unhappy that I was pretty and popular, weren’t you? No wonder you seemed so strange all this time.”
Even Emilia’s bewildered expression looked hateful to Liliana.
“You and others treated me with disdain for growing up without a mother, right?”
“Me?”
Emilia’s flustered demeanor only fueled Liliana’s anger further. “I already know everything!”
Lilliana shouted, clenching her fists so tightly they trembled.
“Everyone says I was born cursed, that I killed my mother just by being born!”
“That’s not true, Lilliana,” Emilia stepped forward, trying to comfort her friend whose energy had suddenly shifted.
“No one in the cultivation world dares say such things to your face. You know that.”
And it was true—no one openly said such things to Lilliana, who enjoyed the full favor of the Valentine Clan.
In truth, no one had ever even blamed her for her mother’s death.
“You really think I’m foolish enough to be fooled by that?”
Emilia reached out a hand, but Lilliana slapped it away with force.
“I don’t need your pity! If you think I’m going to keep acting like some dumb little girl, you’re sorely mistaken!”
With a sudden push, Lilliana shoved Emilia to the ground. Her palm scraped on the stone, blood trickling down.
Lilliana’s strength, honed through years of sword cultivation, was nothing like the delicate build of Emilia, a noble lady with no martial roots.
But Lilliana didn’t even glance back at the friend she had hurt—she just ran away in tears.
Was this… really the same Lilliana I once knew?
Emilia sat there in stunned silence, staring after the weeping girl.
I had no idea.
When they first met, Emilia had thought Lilliana was like a saint from an old cultivation legend.
There was something like a divine aura about her.
Golden hair, a pure and radiant smile that seemed untouched by the mortal realm—
People were drawn to her, enchanted. They wanted to follow her, be near her, be her friend.
And Lilliana, with her natural charm and light, made everyone around her feel special.
But now…
Even the close friends who once adored her had started to drift away.
“I don’t think she meant any harm, but… why would she be meeting someone else’s fiancé alone like that?”
“She yelled at me over a dress I was going to wear. She used to be so kind… how can someone change so completely?”
Especially since the Sacred Banquet, where Iris’s dress had become the talk of the realm, new whispers had begun to spread.
“Could it have been the Grand Duchess Leonteim who made it for her?”
“If you think about it, there’s no way she wouldn’t know what was going on—maybe she was lying all along…”
Things once brushed aside because “Valentine’s sword genius is just different” were now viewed with suspicion.
What wore everyone down most was Lilliana’s abrupt shift—no matter how talented, her selfishness had become too much to bear.
Even when others started distancing themselves, I kept defending her, thinking she was just going through a hard time…
But the Lilliana Emilia once knew—the thoughtful friend who quietly supported others, who helped even with tasks that seemed impossible—
She was nowhere to be found.
I’m your friend, not your servant.
Another noble lady happened to be passing by and noticed Emilia on the ground.
“Lady Emilia? Why are you hurt like this? Weren’t you with Lady Lilliana today?”
“She suddenly pushed me…”
“What?! Lady Lilliana, who trains in sword cultivation, pushed you?”
That was the moment Emilia made her decision:
She would walk away from Lilliana.
Lilliana, lost in her own world, would never notice it—
But behind her back, the number of people who still stood by her side was rapidly dwindling.
And just like that, a new rumor took root and gained power.
That the glorious feats Lilliana had always boasted of—
Were never hers to begin with.
They were all her elder sister Iris’s achievements.
The duel between Orchid and Cedric was held with little ceremony.
It wasn’t a formally sanctioned match blessed by the Emperor, after all.
Normally, in such cases, the presence of an impartial adjudicator becomes essential.
But Cedric cared for none of that.
“Bring whoever you want. Hell, drag the Earl of Valentine over and sit him down if you like.”
He couldn’t have made it clearer that he had no interest in such formalities.
“Whoever you bring, it won’t change the outcome. No judge can hand victory to that guy.”
A terrifying confidence radiated from him.
Most of the onlookers were stunned by how boldly Cedric dismissed tradition.
But Iris, one of the parties involved, wasn’t shaken in the slightest.
Because Cedric will win.
No matter how much Orchid had improved, the difference in cultivation between him and Cedric was still overwhelming.
Iris herself had witnessed it firsthand in the past—Orchid had never been a match for Cedric.
Unless he resorts to something dirty…
With that in mind, Iris made sure to verify the situation beforehand.
Given the presence of so many nobles, any underhanded tactics would have to be extremely subtle.
She personally ensured that no poison, forbidden talismans, or hidden tools had been prepared.
It seemed even Orchid’s pride as a Valentine cultivator had kept him from resorting to disgraceful tricks.
Besides, with so many witnesses present, it’s as if everyone here is a de facto adjudicator.
A well-known noble from the Valentine faction had been appointed to officiate the duel, but it likely wouldn’t be necessary.
Things would end quickly.
“Madam.”
Cedric, standing before Iris, stretched his arms lightly as he prepared.
Unlike Orchid, who came clad in full duel attire, Cedric wore simple robes and wielded an ordinary sword—
Yet he shone with the ease of someone born for the battlefield.
“Are you worried about me?” he asked with a relaxed smile.
“…Honestly? Yes.”
No matter how much one prepares, the world always throws unexpected challenges.
“But I never once thought the Duke would lose. Because I believe in him.”
“That’s right. Of course, I will win.”
Cedric smiled gently and tenderly stroked Iris’s hair.
“Is there a particular way you hope I win?”
“Hm?”
“From now on, my lady, all you have to do is choose.”
Cedric counted options on his fingers.
“First: win overwhelmingly. Second: utterly crush him. Third: defeat him with humiliation.”
They were all basically the same outcome.
From Cedric, there radiated a fierce resolve to decisively overpower Orchid while making it utterly disgraceful for him.
“I don’t mind whichever.”
Iris spoke with a soft smile.
“But if I had to pick one…”
Cedric was taking on the duel, enduring hardship, all for Iris’s honor.
In truth, he dislikes the attention and never really liked duels.
He acted purely out of devotion to her.
So Iris summoned a bit more courage than usual.
“Please do all three.”
Chapter 64