Chapter 115

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 115

Chapter Title: The Duke's Assault

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Duke Ballua's face flushed red then drained to pale as he snatched the documents and pored over every detail. Trembling with rage, he soon flung the papers aside and roughly shook my shoulders.

"Is this Duke Duvered's doing?! Is he finally trying to ruin my house?!"

A sharp gaze pierced from the bushes. Zachari, gripping his sword hilt, was poised to leap out.

'Not yet. Only step in if my life is in danger.'

I shot him a look, and he ground his teeth.

"Those bastards I want to tear apart... how do they see me...!"

Duke Ballua shoved me away. I pretended to lose my balance, stumbling and banging my waist against the fountain edge.

That instant.

"Little One!"

Duvered knights rushed over in a flash, swords drawn on Duke Ballua.

'Faster than I expected.'

I'd figured they'd come looking the moment I vanished from the hall, but not this quickly.

'A bit early, but...'

Fine, let's do this!

I burst into tears with an "Owwie...!" loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear.

People startled by the commotion came running. My family arrived first.

I put on an Oscar-worthy performance as a terrified little girl.

"Leblain!"

Dad rarely raised his voice. He knelt and checked me over as I wailed.

"What happened?"

"It hurts!"

Dad's face hardened. Ishak shoved past the knights and rushed to me.

"Did that jerk hit you? Huh?!"

I nodded quickly, showing him my shoulder—red from Duke Ballua's grip—and pointing to my waist where I'd just collided.

"Here and here. And here too!"

I used to be the queen of exaggeration back in the day.

I smirked inwardly, but kept up the scared expression. If my beggar days' pals saw this, they'd beam with pride: "She's a full-fledged con artist now!"

"Good heavens..."

"Duke Ballua was drinking too much at the reception, they say..."

"He hit a child because he was drunk?!"

The guests whispered in shock, and my family's faces turned icy.

I subtly twisted my body, positioning myself between Ishak and Duke Ballua—just in case Ishak lunged, I could grab him.

But then.

"You bastard!"

"Auntie!"

My unexpected aunt lunged forward and grabbed Duke Ballua's collar.

"You hit a child? My niece, no less?!"

'Oh no.'

Auntie was Duvered blood, so not exactly a saint, but she never crossed the line of common decency. Hitting a kid? Unthinkable to her.

When she heard about Duke Teramore beating Henri, she'd thrown a fit—even from the capital, she vetted our siblings' tutors meticulously.

And now, at her own party, assaulting her niece right behind her back? No wonder she lost it.

The others deeply empathized with her fury.

'Still, no!'

Duke Ballua was fragile.

A lifetime of books and dirty backroom deals—no battlefield experience like Auntie, captain of the White Horse Order.

To her, he'd be less than a pushover.

'If he passes out from a punch, my plan's ruined...!'

Some were already frowning.

Not at the child abuse, but at a noble resorting to fists.

'This is about to turn into a PR battle. Before the family causes a scene, I need public opinion solidly on my side.'

I latched onto Auntie's waist.

"Don't hit him!"

"Let go, Leblain! He hit you—a child!"

"If Auntie hits Duke Ballua, people might call Duvered the villains again!"

The area fell silent at my shout.

"We're innocent, but people think we're villains. So we have to breathe carefully, walk carefully. Even if we try so hard, if Auntie hits the duke now, we'll be called villains again... I don't like that. I don't want our family to be the bad guys."

"......"

"So I won't cry even if he hits me again. Auntie, don't get mad!"

Tender-hearted noblewomen rushed to me.

"Heavens, to think such thoughts."

The godmother knelt to meet my eyes.

"Don't kill yourself over ignorant gossips' chatter, dear."

I sobbed dramatically, grinning inside.

Parents shot furious glares at Duke Ballua.

Caught abusing a child by her guardians, under the crowd's scornful stares—he was uncharacteristically flustered.

"Does Duke Duvered know what the Child of Destiny said to me?! Even a sage couldn't hold back rage!"

The godmother hid me behind her and glared.

"What did she say?"

"She spat curses and insulted me! She said she'd bought the debt I owed Ballua and demanded the mansion now! Called me trash—me!"

People looked at me; I clutched the godmother's skirt tight, hunching my shoulders.

"Dear, is it true?"

"I don't know what Your Grace is talking about..."

I threw back the exact words he'd used when his temple abuse was exposed.

[What nonsense is this? I have no idea what you're talking about. The bruises? From learning to ride. My wife and I forbade it after seeing the injuries, so she snuck her brothers' horses. Our fault for not watching closely, but abuse? Ridiculous.]

Back then, he'd blamed whips, bruises, even my concussion on me.

'Thanks for the lesson, jerk.'

With a downcast face, I looked around and said,

"I'm learning investments from the Duvered Council Chairman. That's how I ended up buying what he called a 'loan' from Duke Ballua... He said if you can't pay interest, they take your house..."

"And?"

"No house makes you sad. I know—I lived in an orphanage without one. So before Duke Ballua loses his house..."

"You warned him so he wouldn't get in trouble."

"Yes..."

The crowd glared at Duke Ballua.

He sputtered, "Th-this...!!" in outrage, but I was the thoughtful child looking out for the family—he was the drunk child-beater trash.

With Dad here, he couldn't crush me with authority or force.

I softly called, "Daddy..." and he scooped me up.

And he was escorted out.

Dragged off by knights.

The party ended in disaster. Guests left with wary glances at the Duvered family, who returned to the mansion.

Gazing at Leblain asleep on Javelin’s lap, the Duvered men's eyes gleamed coldly.

"How will you deal with that scum worse than a beast?"

Ishak growled.

The dice rolling in Duke Duvered's hand halted abruptly.

Henri draped a blanket over Leblain and spoke.

"Tearing him limb from limb isn't enough. We gouge out his eyes and make him kneel before our little one, begging pathetically in a state unfit for a human."

Henri was ruthless by nature, but never this openly furious.

As the victim in the Teramore beating, he knew well.

Assault wasn't just physical blows. It was humiliation—a lifelong shackle.

Yohan said,

"He dared touch our reverse scale inside Duvered's lair."

The boy's eyes darkened deeply.

"We exterminate his clan so he never even thinks of targeting our little one again, and shred his precious honor before his eyes."

They'd prodded the dragon's coiled reverse scale.

In the shadows, Duke Duvered's eyes blazed blue.

The next day when I woke, the world had flipped.

In my pajamas, I scratched my messy hair.

"Duke Ballua lost his house...?"

"At dawn, Duvered's chief accountant Shugon and administrators stormed Ballua mansion."

'Shugon—from Henri's retinue. Henri, huh.'

Classic Henri. Efficient.

I giggled and hopped off the bed.

"Yesterday's beating scandal blew up~!"

"Is that something to celebrate? Tough times may lie ahead."

"Who cares? Even if we sit back, the family handles it."

This was one sweet perk of being a power player's kid!

Now, just find proof Ballua made Mireyu and absorbed the demon.

"Alright, let's go see Lane."

"Yes."

We quickly prepared and headed to Lane's mansion.

After my last visit, I'd realized we needed a discreet entry.

So, under guise of renovations, we built a secret passage straight to Lane's study. Had to use teleportation arrays to reach it, though.

At the passage's end, connected to Lane's study, noisy voices leaked through the door.

"How could Your Grace do this to me?!"

Duke Ballua's wife's voice.

"Debt? Nonsense! Those were gifts from you!"

"Some were gifts, yes. But I never gifted gambling money."

"Liar! You planned to deceive me from the start. Con artist! Colluding with Duvered, right? What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

A scream-like shout erupted.

[What did I do wrong to have to raise trash like you!]

'Why is everyone in that house so consistently vile?'

I channeled a bit of divine power into Lane's core fragment in my pocket. An invisible line connected, revealing Duke Ballua's wife's pale, tear-streaked face.

"I've only ever worked hard—that's my crime!"

You hit me.

Forced rotten food down my throat when I got mad, whipped me if I spit it up.

Hid me in closets.

Wouldn't let me eat moldy bread.

Made breathing, walking, sleeping, living itself a sin!

My vision burned red.

The Chairman grabbed my hand.

"Little One."

His warmth pulled me back.

I said calmly,

"Thinking you did nothing wrong—that's your greatest sin, Madam."

Lane, merged with me via the core, spoke coldly; she flinched.

"Y-Your Grace... pity me, please. The family might cast me out. My husband, my sons—they'll..."

"You should never have trusted others' kindness."

"What?"

[Poor little rat. Always suspect others' goodwill. You're at fault for not questioning why a stranger showed you such favor.]

"Always suspect others' goodwill. You're at fault for not questioning why a stranger showed you such favor."

"......!"

The duchess gaped, then collapsed, burying her face in her hands, sobbing.

I released the core.

Public opinion was mine, my family a solid backup, and I had power and money.

Breathing hard, I told the Chairman,

"Let's go find Nos."

Time to show those devilish Balluas a real devil.

Time to place Ballua's demons under the guillotine.