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I unconsciously bit my nails. Lewellin doesn’t easily get angry, but having been close to her for months, I had only seen her genuinely furious once.

‘It was really scary…’

I glanced at Lewellin. Her face, which had been filled with rage, suddenly lost all expression. I felt more terrified by her blank face than her furious one.

‘That’s a sign that the fight is about to begin…’

My prediction was correct. A smile filled with madness began to appear over Lewellin’s expressionless face.

“No wonder that toothless brat’s going wild, there isn’t even a doctor who could help you, you useless son of a—

“What… what?!”

Lewellin was already a verbal fighter, but when she truly got angry, the seal that held her tongue back shattered, turning her into a foul-mouthed verbal fighter.

“With nothing to boast about, you’re just a pathetic fool filled with vain confidence, blabbering nonsense like a coward! You’re the one I despise the most, people like you who talk big without any real ability! Everyone in the Empire knows your business is going under! You’re so ashamed you can barely hold it together!”

“Y-you crazy girl! Have you said everything you wanted to say?!”

“No! I’m just getting started! I can tolerate just about anything, but I can’t stand someone incompetent! You’re a Deckardo and yet you have zero business sense, every time you meet with clients you cause trouble! I can’t keep quiet anymore about you calling yourself the successor of Deckardo!”

“…This!

As the atmosphere heated up, I hesitated to jump in to protect Lewellin, but she truly let out a torrent of curses. Gone was her usual elegant demeanor, her eyes blazing as she seemed ready to tear into Mehrhen like a rabid dog.

‘Should I step in… or not?’

I leaned against the wall, hesitating. At this point, it felt like Mehrhen was the one getting the brunt of the situation.

‘But it’s nice to see her speak confidently.’

I couldn’t help but smile a little, watching as the words spilled out of Lewellin—words she usually kept bottled up.

Mehrhen was a trauma-filled presence for Lewellin. Being able to speak her mind in front of him was a sign of how much she had overcome her past, and that alone reassured me.

With two hands gripping her dress tightly as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Her fiery red hair tangled, yet it still burned like a flame ready to devour everything in its path.

And those maddened green eyes danced like hellfire above a sturdy wick.

Not even a delicate rose, a beautiful sunset, or a luscious apple suited Lewellin.

“Listen well. The successor of Deckardo will be me! Not you! From now on, I’m the heir!”

She was a flame. Even with her cold rationality, she burned more fiercely than anyone I had ever seen.

Lewellin’s confident declaration echoed down the hallway. I was taken aback, with my mouth slightly agape. Mehrhen fumbled as he gaped at her.

“Y-you’re saying… you will be the successor…?”

“Yes! I’ll do a hundred times better than you!”

Her overly confident words held a convincing weight. I smiled, pleased to see my friend so full of growth.

“You really are crazy.”

“If living the life I want makes me a madwoman, then I’ll gladly be crazy as many times as it takes.”

A fierce exchange of glances occurred between my black eyes and her green ones. As Lewellin spat her words like venom, Mehrhen smirked faintly. His eyes shone with a peculiar madness.

“Hah! Crazies should be dealt with!”

Mehrhen’s large hand rose with intent. The determined Lewellin braced herself for the pain, closing her eyes tightly.

People can’t do everything perfectly; we live together because of that. If Lewellin was a genius in business, then I was exceptional in all kinds of physical confrontations. Just before Mehrhen’s hand reached Lewellin’s cheek, I summoned my mana to block the blow.

“Let’s keep this civil, Deckardo heir.”

If Lewellin was going to suffer from violence, it was my turn to step in as her friend.

“Crisis…?”

“Crisis Young Lady. Make sure you address me correctly.”

As I held his wrist, Mehrhen’s eyes glazed over before widening. He stared blankly at me, then turned to look at Lewellin. She cautiously opened her eyes, and upon realizing she felt no pain, looked at me in surprise.

“Lewellin, are you okay?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s your hair. It looks like it hurts; are you alright?”

At my question, she finally seemed to realize her own state, and her cheeks flushed red. She hurriedly tried to tidy up her messy red hair.

“…I must have shown an unseemly sight.”

“I wasn’t pointing out your messy hair. That’s no concern of mine. I meant to ask whether you’re hurt or not.”

Seeing Lewellin, who was more concerned about her appearance than her well-being even in this situation, made me so helpless I gently stopped her tiny hands as she attempted to fix her hair. I lightly ignored the sound of short screams from Mehrhen, whose wrist was twisted.

“…I’m fine.”

Flushing red, Lewellin quickly turned her head away. I pretended not to notice her slight trembling shoulders and offered her a gentle smile before turning my gaze back to Mehrhen, my face now devoid of any emotion.

“Deckardo heir. What kind of vagrancy is this?”

“…This is a matter of the Deckardo family! Crisis Young Lady should step back!”

“How can I step back when my friend was about to be assaulted? Besides, I heard some disrespectful comments about me too.”

Mehrhen’s face turned pale. As he struggled to free his wrist from my grip, I tightened my hold, causing him to squirm like a scared rat while he glared at me like I was the enemy.

“…How much did you hear?”

“Probably everything from beginning to end.”

Mehrhen’s face turned ghostly pale.

No matter how wealthy Deckardo was, they could never surpass Crisis in pure authority. They ranked as marquesses and dukes, after all. If Crisis were to lodge a complaint against the Deckardo family for Mehrhen’s slip of the tongue, Mehrhen would have to bear the responsibility.

‘If I inform Father, Kal, and Aria, the three of them would immediately tear Mehrhen apart… It would be wise to keep this matter under wraps, but it could also serve as leverage to threaten Mehrhen.’

I scanned Mehrhen slowly with my cold, rigid gaze, contemplating. Perhaps sensing the killing intent behind my gaze, he trembled.

“What should I do with you?”

A cold, emotionless voice dripped from my lips like ice. As the trembling Mehrhen clenched his teeth, he shouted loudly.

“Do you have any proof that I insulted the Young Lady? No matter how much the Young Lady is a Crisis, you can’t accuse a marquess without evidence!”

‘What a complete idiot.’

It made perfect sense why Lewellin was ready to write a whole saga of insults against Mehrhen. In his cornered state, he squawked like a rat, and I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“That fool is trying to ruin the family…

Lewellin, who had been behind me, muttered. I casually crossed my arms, coldly assessing Mehrhen through a stiff gaze.

“Seems the heir lacks understanding of the balance of power in this Empire.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

I tightened my grip on his wrist, still feeling like he hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation. He let out a high-pitched scream. Remembering what Mehrhen had done to Lewellin, I felt an urge to crush him, but I forced myself to suppress that desire.

With a slightly twisted smile, I leaned in closer to Mehrhen, whispering.

“Crisis is the only Duke House in this Empire. Even if apples sprout from a vineyard, if it comes from a Crisis, it’s considered truth.”

Crisis has inherited military command for generations in the Empire. No matter how many objections noble families raised about it being excessive nepotism, Crisis silenced all dissent with innate talent in wielding the sword, charisma, and military command skill.

“No matter how young a Young Lady with no title, it’s still a Crisis. Do you think I can’t ask something of you?”

Such a Crisis has held supreme power throughout the history of the Empire, a figure of fear for all.

Mehrhen stiffened at the insidious whisper.

“You will take responsibility for what you said. By the way, the price for mentioning Crisis is quite steep.”

With my eyes closed, I twisted my lips into a smirk. As Mehrhen trembled and gawked at me, he eventually mumbled grudgingly.

“Being the illegitimate daughter of a commoner, even a small whisper would never go unheard in the tranquil corridors of power.”

Mehrhen was trash, incompetent, unable to gauge the situation and keep his mouth shut.

‘This bastard…’

My expression hardened slightly as I saw Lewellin step towards Mehrhen.

With a loud crack.

“Kuhuk!”

In an instant, black smoke enveloped Mehrhen’s neck. Strangled by an invisible force, he clutched his throat and began to cough uncontrollably.

I recognized the familiar aura of mana and couldn’t help but sigh.

‘We’re in trouble now.’

As the party actually insulted seemed merely annoyed, it seemed someone who had been eavesdropping was infuriated.

I had been feeling a presence for a while now and turned to look directly down the corridor behind Mehrhen. No one was visible, but I had sensed someone’s presence since before, and it was becoming clearer.

“Don’t kill him.

At my half-sigh, the presence drew nearer. Each time they took a step, the translucent magic faded, slowly revealing a human form.

Silver hair slowly regained its hues. Long legs moved with a ferocity. With insane rage and fury, red eyes glimmered.

“…Kal.”

My brother, Kal Crisis.

“Hmm. I wonder if a waste of air like this should be allowed to live?”

Kal approached me with a bright smile that was utterly unlike his usual demeanor, nuzzling his head against my shoulder like a cat. His soft black hair tangled on my dark uniform.

To the casual observer, it might seem like he was acting spoiled, but after spending months alongside Kal, I found myself tightening up in tense readiness.

Everyone has different ways of displaying anger. Some crumple their faces and yell, while others might go cold and stoic, and some even smile instead.

For Kal, it was the last of those options.

“Don’t you think he should die? Huh?”

This was Kal’s attitude when he was furious.

 

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