Chapter 1457

Prince Khrones politely greeted, “We meet again, Lady Rune Bertas.”

She seemed pleased. “Ohoho. Indeed. I hope the King of Sparta is doing well? I apologize for not properly greeting him the last time I visited.”

“There is no need to concern yourself.”

Following the girl, who smiled sweetly behind her hand fan, another beautiful girl with sapphire-blue hair approached, dressed in the style of the Lyndis Empire. She seemed to be around the same age as Rune Bertas.

She said, “Prince Khrones, it's a pleasure. Do you remember me?”

“Of course, Lady Laura Mel.”

The two girls finished their polite introductions with Khrones, then began to subtly glare at and check each other out.

Evangeline felt it was a shame she didn't have any popcorn to enjoy with the show. “Now this is what I'd call a proper high society spectacle.”

In truth, that was exactly what she had been looking forward to. She was genuinely curious whether the romantic dramas of high society—the kind she'd only seen in novels, dramas, and movies—were actually true.

“Lady Laura Mel, can't you see I am currently speaking with Prince Khrones?”

“I'm sorry, but Prince Khrones is not your possession, Lady Bertas.”

“Ohohoho. Even so, wasn't I the one who spoke with Prince Khrones first?”

She haughtily declared, “But you see, Prince Khrones and I are in a relationship that could lead to an engagement in the future, so there really is no reason we cannot talk. Couldn’t you offer even that much consideration?”

The other girl was shocked. “Wha... what did you say?”

It was the typical power struggle between the daughter of a duchy and the daughter of a marquisate.

Lady Laura Mel was from Lyndis, while Lady Rune Bertas was from Pallan.

Evangeline shook her head, marveling at how that boy who everyone referred to as Prince Khrones sure knew how to charm girls across national borders.

That was when it happened.

A boy next to Prince Khrones muttered in a laid-back voice, “Boring, just as expected one of these banquets to be. I don't see anyone strong, either.”

“Quiet, Ratius Borne. The Prince is in the middle of a conversation.”

Following this, a quarrel broke out between two boys next to Prince Khrones who appeared to be friends, and Evangeline's eyes sparkled again as she aggressively devoured the cake on her plate. “Wow! How is this place so entertaining...”

Ratius, a handsome man with a flippant, cheerful demeanor, patted Khrones on the shoulder. “Hey, Khrones, you must be really busy surrounded by all these ladies.”

“Hey, it's not like that.”

Ratius then departed the conversation and smoothly started flirting with a young lady nearby. She reciprocated, and her face soon flushed red.

Meanwhile, the boy with glasses and an intelligent, cold expression simply stood his ground, looking completely uninterested.

“My goodness... to see all three famous top husband candidates gathered here? I'm so glad I came to the banquet today.”

“Right? I think so too.”

Hearing the nearby ladies gossiping, Evangeline continued to watch the love rivalry between the two young ladies.

However, the boy himself seemed completely uninterested, his expression calm and unreadable. Evangeline found it to be a shame. “This is getting old.”

That kind of squabble was only entertaining for so long. Watch it long enough, and it quickly lost its appeal.

The love quarrels of the three handsome boys and two elegant girls, who seemed straight out of a novel, were only interesting up to that point.

Evangeline lost interest in the three boys as soon as she finished her cake, and so quietly walked away. She happened to feel Khrones stare at her in passing, but she chose to ignore it.

That was when Eosha, who had stepped away with her fiance for a few moments, returned and asked, “Are you enjoying the banquet, Princess?”

“It's fun, but watching the same thing over and over started to get old.”

“Hoho. Is that so? It looks like you were watching the Prince of Sparta. Are you perhaps interested in him?”

Evangeline firmly shook her head, looking thoroughly done with it all. “No, not really.”

Sure, she could give him credit for his handsome, attractive appearance and reserved movements, but she instinctively felt him to be repulsive.

“They're immensely talented. Prince Khrones is a high-level Expert and a 3rd Circle Mage. He's a rare case on the continent! And that young lord with green hair next to him is Ratius Borne, the son of the Borne family from Pallan. And the one with the cold, intellectual look... Um, what do they call them... the icy handsome guy? Anyway, he’s Crama Linden, the son of a duke, and a friend who has been with Prince Khrones since childhood. Young Lord Ratius may seem flippant, but he's a famous martial arts genius even within the Empire.”

Eosha explained everything in detail, adding, “And Young Lord Crama Linden is a genius mage, practically blessed by mana at a young age.”

Evangeline still seemed uninterested, politely replying, “Is that so?”

“I have a fun story about the Prince of Sparta, would you like to hear it?”

“I don’t feel like gossiping about other people's business.”

When Evangeline refused, Eosha smiled brightly. “Indeed, the Princess is a truly good person. I must have been a good judge of character. Ah, my apologies. Let me introduce you to my fiance...”

A sudden sound rang out.

Bang!!!

Startled by the sudden commotion, the two turned toward the source of the noise. Evangeline looked surprised, while Eosha's expression turned cold.

“A duel is only established when both parties fight, you idiot. Don't butt in where you don't belong, and get lost.”

“Ugh...”

A man had his head slammed into a table, being none other than Valide, Eosha's gentle-looking fiance. The one who'd grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed him into the table was Ratius Borne.

Blood streamed from Valide's nose from the impact.

“Kyaaah!”

“Oh my goodness...”

Leaving behind the shocked cries of the young ladies and lords, Eosha rushed over. “What's going on?! Oh my goodness! Valide! Snap out of it!”

Eosha supported her fiance with a pale face.

“Cough. Lady Eosha... please step back...” He grimaced in pain, but didn’t retreat. He angrily demanded, “Apologize, Young Lord Borne. She said she didn't do it!”

“Didn't do anything wrong? Are you kidding me right now? Are you trying to say my eyes were wrong?”

It was the inevitable side effect of gathering nothing but young people in one place—a clash between hot-blooded youths.

Valide shielded a young lady who was crouched on the floor, trembling and crying like a frightened little animal. “I apologize for my own rudeness, but she isn’t someone who’d lie.”

“Then, are you saying that Lady Rune Bertas is lying right now?”

That would create complications. “That is...”

“Sob... Sob. It truly is a misery to suffer this humiliation.” As Lady Rune Bertas spoke through her tears, everyone noticed the fruit juice stain on the skirt of her dress.

Looking as if she were about to rush forward, Eosha coldly asked, “What is going on?! Why did you hit my fiance like this?!”

Ratius replied with an impudent smile, “Hit? This was just a subdual, Lady.”

She scoffed. “You have to be kidding me.”

“And he started it,” the man insisted. “That rude lady sitting over there spilled a drink on Lady Bertas's skirt, and when I told her to apologize, she kept insisting she didn't do it, and then this guy intervened.”

Eosha looked at the young lady sitting on the floor. “Lady, is what they claim true?”

“Ah. No! It's really not! I didn't spill the drink...”

Yet, it seemed no one else believed her.

“Yes, a lady like you would never lie about something like this.” First comforting the girl, Eosha then looked at Lady Bertas. “Lady Duchess, did that young lady really spill a drink on your dress?”

“Sob... Sob. Are you saying I'm lying, then? I feel so wronged!”

Seeing her sobbing pitifully, Eosha ground her teeth. That pompous girl was so readable, just from her expression.

Prince Khrones and Crama walked over and looked around. One of them asked, “What's the matter, Ratius?”

Ratius shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I got into a little dispute with him, that's all.”

Khrones asked, “Lady Duchess, are you alright?”

“Y-yes, Prince...”

“I'm glad you're not hurt,” he responded with an unreadable expression. “Hey Ratius, explain in detail.”

“That lady spilled a drink on the Lady Duchess. And when she was being so defiant about it, I just said a word. Then this guy came out of nowhere and picked a fight.”

Khrones stayed silent, and Crama sighed. “You can't even stay still for a second, Ratius.”

“Well, if you have a problem with it, let's just fight.”

“Forget it. I'm tired of bickering with you. Your brain’s nothing but muscle.”

When Crama backed away, Ratius smirked and provoked Eosha, taunting, “Well, Lady Patrick. Are you happy now?”

“Yes, I am. I’ve also realized what a simple person you are.”

His expression fell. “What did you say?”

“I’m pretty sure you probably set up a situation where it’d be difficult to determine the truth from the start. Frankly, it’s not a surprise. It's not like I've only known you for a day or two.”

“W-what did you say?!” Lady Bertas flared up, but Eosha kept her cold expression as she turned her gaze toward Ratius. She then took off the glove on her hand and threw it at him.

Smack!!!

Ratius glared at her with an eerie smile. “Huh? What is this you're doing, Lady Patrick?”

“What do you think? I'm challenging you to a duel. You assaulted my fiance, and I'm demanding justice. You attacked him because you were angry and thought he looked weak, acting before a duel had even been agreed to and before the truth came out. That's a line you had no right to cross.”

In response, Ratius snickered and shrugged. “They say birds of a feather flock together—now all sorts of weaklings think they can take me on. Fine, Lady Patrick. I didn't like the Patrick family anyway. You folks have been constantly clashing with my family.”

She coldly declared, “That doesn't matter.”

He just sneered back. “I refuse the duel. I have no intention of dueling with those who aren't even on my level.”

“What did you say?”

“Besides, in this situation, it’d look bad if I hit a lady, wouldn't it? So, just bring a knight to stand in for you instead. If you win, I'll apologize as many times as you want.”

She furiously ground her teeth. “Just how arrogant are you going to be?!”

“Arrogant? Sorry, but don't change the subject. Lady Bertas is the victim, and I am merely helping her. Still, arrogance... if you have the ability, it's not arrogance. It's just a given. And in this situation, is the fault mine, or is it yours for not being able to control yourself just because your fiance was shoved a little?”

Eosha gave a hollow laugh. Her teeth audibly ground together, and she growled out, “I don't need your consideration. I'll step up and crush you myself.”

Valide, who was still slumped on the floor, hurriedly tried to stop her. “Ah. No, Eosha!”

That was when it happened.

“Is there really a need to fight?” Evangeline said as she stepped forward.

When everyone turned to her, Lady Bertas asked with a frown, “What do you mean?”

“Isn't the root cause whether she spilled the drink or not?”

“Y-yes?”

“Then we just need to verify that.”

When Evangeline said that, Ratius tried to say something, but Khrones stopped him. “Stop it, Ratius. It's unseemly. Princess Evangeline, do you perhaps have a method we can use for verification?”

“I indeed have a few methods.” Evangeline took off a pale green ornament attached to her earring.

[Sylph, come out for a second.]

It was an earring housing a spirit. However, no spirit could be summoned just by calling it out like that. An elementalist might be able to do so, but Evangeline didn’t know how to use spirit magic.

Nevertheless, as soon as she called it, a light breeze blew, and a pale green bird appeared.

Most of the others seemed unaware, but Evangeline had forcefully summoned the spirit using dragontongue.

The spirit said nothing and quietly looked up at Evangeline.

She asked, “Can you show me the memory of what happened here?”

At her words, Sylph trembled fearfully before nodding his head. Soon after, a video appeared before everyone. There stood a girl, completely intimidated as Lady Bertas approached her with a drink in hand.

“T-this is a fake!” As soon as Lady Bertas realized what was coming and let out a flustered cry, the duchess in the recording deliberately bumped into the girl and spilled the drink she was holding onto her own skirt.

“Oh...” Ratius fell silent, his face darkening with annoyance.

Evangeline announced, “So the culprit is revealed.”

The girl refused to accept the turn of events. “This is fake! A spirit that wasn't summoned through spirit magic showing memories? That's ridiculous!”

“Then why don't you present other evidence to the contrary? This side showed spirit memory, and all you have on your side is your purported claims.”

“T-this...” The girl didn’t know how to respond, but quickly grunted, “Ugh! Princess Evangeline, don’t think you'll get away with this!! Do you even know how much my father donates to Heins Academy...”

“Get away with it? I'm sorry, but that's not something you should be asking me. And I'm not exactly attacking Lady Bertas, either. I merely revealed the truth. Isn't it wrong for you to get angry at me?”

“Ugh!!” Lady Bertas fumed, snapped open her hand fan, and turned her gaze away.

At the same time, Eosha laughed coldly and snarled at Ratius, “Hey, what do you have to say for yourself now?”

“Uh. T-that is...” Ratius stammered as the situation unfolded in a way he hadn't expected.

Meanwhile, Lady Rune Bertas glared furiously at Evangeline. She then pulled off her white glove and threw it at Evangeline.

Smack!!

“What? What’s the meaning of this?” Evangeline asked coldly, even though she knew exactly what it meant.

“I challenge you to a duel! I'm challenging you to a duel for humiliating me and tarnishing my honor!”

Hearing her outcry, Evangeline frowned. “I'm sorry, but you don't look like you're worthy of a duel with me, Lady.”

“My dueling proxy is Young Lord Ratius!”

When she shouted that, Ratius pointed to himself with a dumbfounded expression. “Lady Bertas. Me?”

“Yes, Young Lord. Please stand in for me.”

Although he had spoken arrogantly just moments before, he had been placed in an awkward position once the truth was revealed. He tried to refuse, starting to say, “That's a bit...”

However, Rune Bertas wasn’t going to let him escape.

“Young Lord, don't forget that your family and our duchy are deep business partners.”

At those words, his face completely hardened, and he said, “It’s my fault for not seeing this through. Fine. I accept.”

Having said that, he spoke to Evangeline, remarking, “Princess, shouldn't you call for a proxy as well?”

“Fu... Fufu...I don't know if the Princess will have a proxy to fight in her stead. But if you do...”

“I will.”

Just then, Prince Khrones, who had been standing silently, stepped forward, and everyone looked at him.

Evangeline was stunned. “Uh. Khrones?”

“I said I’ll be your proxy. You have no problem with that, do you?”

Lady Bertas looked at him with a stiff expression. “Y-Your Highness...”

“Lady Duchess, it's unseemly what you did.”

“Ugh!!”

Ratius seemed to steel his resolve, saying, “Well, fine. Khrones, you're strong enough to make for a decent fight...”

Evangeline nonchalantly cut in to say, “Excuse me, why are you jumping in and deciding everything for me?”

Khrones looked at her with a blank face. “Excuse me?”

“A duel. You can do it without a proxy, right? As you step up yourself, that is.”

“W-what are you trying to say?”

Ratius began to worry for his own reputation. “B-but, Princess! I can't hold back if a duel happens. Hitting a lady, that's a bit...”

“Hit me? You?” Evangeline expressed genuine doubt and smirked. “Who said you could?”