Chapter 14.2

"Who are you?"

"...Huh, oh, my, I'm really surprised."

A frivolous yellow-haired man threw his bangs off to the side and frowned.

"Did you just ask me that?"

"Then who else besides you?"

My glass was empty and I was just on the way to refill my drink.

And a man who looked like a jerk was trying to grab Hye-rin's wrist.

The moment I witnessed this, an unknown impulse surged from the depths of my heart.

When I came to my senses, I found that I was already holding his wrist tightly.

"Begone, child. This is not your place."

The yellow-haired individual, Kyle, tried to shake his arm violently to clear it of his opponent's grip but failed miserably.

'What is this guy's strength...?'

I didn't know what the exact circumstances were, so I asked Hyerin upfront.

"Did I interrupt you guys?"

Hyerin's face was as cold as ice.

"No. He suddenly came up to me and asked me to follow him, and then he tried to drag me off somewhere."

"I see."

I put more strength into the hand that was gripping his arm.

Kyle started to feel pain in his arm as if the blood wasn't getting through where it was gripped.

Just because I am taking magic classes instead of swordsmanship practice doesn't mean my body is weak.

On the contrary, I regularly train my body at least three times a week.

and [Heaven]'s talents apply to my physical activities too, allowing me to be able to become stronger at an extraordinary speed.

Of course, Hyerin, who trains and learns swordsmanship as a mastery, is probably stronger than me...

"Aren't you going to let me go?"

Kyle growled.

Looking at the hand, if he just raised mana to the surface of his skin, he could easily shake it off at any moment.

However, he was bound by the rules that stipulated one must not use magical power recklessly within the imperial palace.

"It's the first time I've seen your face. It looks like you are a freshman entering the academy this time. I'm a senior who's about to graduate now, okay?"

"So, what does Mr Graduate want to do with Hyerin?"

Anger wells up in the deepest depths of my heart.

I can't stand the haughty tone and the ugly eyes gazing upon me.

I always aim to maintain calm and rational thinking.

I am obviously in an abnormal state right now.

It was a subtle feeling, as if I had entrusted myself to an instinct I did not know was within me.

"Ha, that's obvious! I'm carrying out the order of His Highness, the first prince, the next holy sun of our glorious empire. You don't have anything to do with this, so get out of here."

I looked at the luxurious table located higher up the room where Kyle pointed toward with his glance.

Amidst the wide table full of delicacies, a certain pig was staring back at us.

Is that guy the First Prince of Kairos?

Is that actually the first Prince Porcus?

Is it truly that pig?

Didn't they say that all the noble progeny of the royal family are immaculate human specimens?

But the 2nd Prince Dave, whom I met earlier, is also quite handsome, isn't he?

I wanted to meet the 2nd princess the most today, but I just so happened to get involved with the 1st prince that I didn't want to meet.

"Are you so dull-witted that you can't figure out what is going on, huh? You're following me back—"

"Why me? I don't plan on following anyone back."

Min Hye-rin's cold yet pleasing refusal made the air around us even more chilly.

It's the first time I've ever seen her look so serious.

"···What?"

Indeed, if it was that famous idioty prince, then the purpose behind taking Min Hye-rin is understandable.

His eyes must have glossed over with lust when it looked upon the overwhelming beauty he had seen for the first time.

"Didn't you hear her? We have nothing to do with you or him, so please pass that message along."

The first prince should be a man of great power.

Ireina's family was also ruthlessly destroyed by his faction.

No matter how much we are considered the otherworldly summoned beings who will determine the future of this empire, such an attitude toward an imperial would have crossed the line while we were still nothing.

I should apologize to him and politely accept his demands.

I have to move quickly to atone, but both my body and my head refuse to do it.

I want to kill Kyle who is right in front of my eyes.

I want to gouge out the eyes of the first prince who dared to steal my woman.

I want to drag Hye-rin to my room and fuck her as proof that she is my woman and carve that fact into every corner of her body.

This is irrational.

I have never felt such strong desires in my life as I have today.

Why am I suddenly acting like this?

At continued resistance, Kyle's face went red.

"I want to see just who wants to act all...!!"

"What's the fuss about?"

"Your Highness, Second Prince!"

His Highness Dave came to my side.

Suddenly, the band at the banquet hall stopped playing, and everyone who was present was looking at the scene.

"I was in the middle of educating a pair of prospective nobles who have not yet entered the academy because they have repeatedly insulted me- a graduate and a noble."

Kyle calmed the tremors of rage and politely bowed his head in response to the prince's question.

"Um, I see. I guess they think differently. Is Kyle right?"

"Your Highness, this person tried to drag me away, so Jihoo stopped him."

Hyerin answered the question on behalf of me, who is still confused.

"Your Highness, I had no intention of forcing her on my honour."

"This person tried to grab my wrist until Jihoo stopped him."

"The two of you speak different accounts. It seems that status and honour are intertwined in this issue..."

The 2nd Prince nodded his head and continued his words.

"Since ancient times, it has been a tradition to resolve trivial conflicts between nobles through a duel. How about a fight between Kyle and Jihoo?"

"Your Highness, are you being serious?"

'Do you think that just a freshman will be my opponent?'

Kyle expressed his doubts to the prince with his eyes.

Although he graduated from the academy this year with below-average grades, he had still grown significantly compared to his freshman year.

"I'm fine with that."

"...Don't regret it then."

"Since both sides have agreed, it's a duel! What about handicaps?"

"No need."

"Hmm?"

Dave's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Huh. You are so bold."

Kyle shook his head, and suddenly he became aware of his current circumstance.

He had left his main tool, his magic weapon, in his bedroom while attending this banquet.

'And looking at this guy's grip strength, he must be a knight or a fighter. It's so strong that I can't even move...'

If the duel was fought right then in these imperfect conditions, there was an extremely small chance that the graduate would suffer a disgraceful defeat by the freshman.

Therefore, Kyle suggested—

"I'm drinking now and there's not much of an audience, so how about arranging a date for later?"

"I don't mind either way."

"Okay, then. I will decide the place and time and let you two know later!"

Like that, I ended up duelling with an academy graduate before I even entered school.

***

"It's about time."

Her brother Dave mediated between Ji-Hoo and an unknown nobleman and obtained the promise of a duel.

Everything was the same as the fate shown by the constellations.

Finally, the wagon of fate was beginning to roll.

Soniel put aside her self-talk and asked Leah, who met her gaze head-on—

"Please could you invite Jeong Ji-hoo to my heavenly palace."

"Yes, I understand."

It wouldn't be long before the second princess would offer her master the woman named Soniel di Kairos on a silver platter.

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