*Whoosh—*
The daughter of the Drake family held a black, flowered feather fan, waving her arm as she spoke imperiously, “Bring that insolent little brat from the Leoness family to me this instant.”
Her voice was calm and her tone light, yet it seemed to carry a hint of anger. Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind as someone hurried through the crowd, passing by her.
“I was wondering who was looking for me. So, it’s that annoying brat from the Drake family? I didn’t expect to run into such a bothersome person here.” A mocking smile played on Emil’s face as she frowned slightly, growling like a lion in a low voice. “How could a noble figure, rarely seen even within the Noel Court, appear in a tavern in this foreign land?”
Miona Drake, the eldest daughter of the Drake family, ignored Emil’s provocation. She simply squinted her slightly upturned eyes, her dark red pupils fixed on Emil’s feet. More precisely, she was likely looking at those exquisite and gorgeous glass shoes.
“Those shoes were specifically customized for my sister. Please return them now.”
“Ah, these?”
Only then did Emil realize why this young lady from the Drake family had come knocking. Come to think of it, when she bought the shoes, the shop owner did seem to mention that they had been reserved in advance by a distinguished guest.
However, Emil had ignored that and directly outbid everyone to take the shoes. She hadn’t expected that the eldest daughter of the Drake family was the one who had bought them. At the time, the big girl had even confidently added that if there was a problem, they should come find Emil la Leoness. This saved the other party the time for an investigation, allowing them to block the door directly.
Erica, however, was quite puzzled. Why was the Silver Dragon family here in Regatya, the Holy City? They were indeed lying low abroad, but logically, they should be focusing their efforts back on Noel at this time…
‘Oh.’
The girl then remembered that she had successfully suppressed the rebellion of Chancellor Zionov. Originally, this was when the Drake family should have returned to their motherland and used their power to resolve the various rebellions popping up everywhere. But since Erica had made the rebellion itself cease to exist, there was no need for the Drake family to return to Noel to play the hero.
“Please return them, unless you want to suffer.”
Miona Drake extended a well-proportioned hand, clad in a white lace glove, toward Emil.
Emil merely frowned and muttered under her breath, ‘Suffer…?’ She then bared her canines in a disdainful smile. “Reluctant? These are already mine. Since they belong to me, they have nothing to do with you. If you feel wronged, you should have come to buy them earlier. Is it my fault you’re slow?”
“If you insist on not returning them, you will truly suffer a great loss, Miss Leoness.”
*Creak, clatter.*
The figures in black robes guarding Miona Drake shifted, their movements accompanied by the heavy clanging of metal. They silently drew the longswords at their waists. Beneath those bulky black robes, various types of heavy weaponry were likely hidden.
‘Are those the legendary Drake Dragon Tooth Soldiers?’
*Hiss—*
The atmosphere of mutual hostility radiating from both sides caused a stir among the people in the tavern. They didn’t seem frightened, however…
“Are they going to fight? Then bring me more wine.”
“I love watching women fight the most.”
“It looks like a fight between nobles. Let me grab a seat first.”
“Who’s going to win? Why is that blonde chick’s maid just standing there? Get in there! I want to see blood!”
No, it seemed these people were doing just fine.
As someone who clearly understood the current situation, Erica couldn’t help but feel nervous. If Emil and Miona started a fight in this cramped place, a bloodbath would be unavoidable. This entire block would be leveled. Moreover, their identities here were just foreign exchange students.
Furthermore, if foreign nobles caused a scene and fought here, the news would spread throughout the city overnight. Busybody types might even escalate it to the level of provoking the authority of the Holy Kingdom. When it came to rumors, Erica was an expert and knew this all too well.
“Cowardly Drake whelps, always hiding behind others. It seems you’re not ready for a one-on-one challenge with me, eh?”
“Why should I be brainless like you Leoness fools? Do I look like I’m tired of living?”
Emil and Miona seemed to have nothing but fighting on their minds. It was likely that the options of ‘reconciliation’ or ‘compromise’ didn’t even exist in their heads. This was no surprise; the Leoness and Drake families had been at odds for countless generations. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them ancestral archenemies. It wasn’t strange at all for them to start a fight the moment they locked eyes.
If she couldn’t stop them from fighting, she should at least change the location. With that thought, Erica had no choice but to step out and intervene between the two sides.
“Um, I’m very sorry to interrupt your bonding session, but if you must have a knight’s duel, why don’t we move to a different place… at least to an empty field where no one is around? How about it?”
“What’s this, Erica? Why are you suddenly popping out?” The big girl seemed very angry that her chance to pummel her enemy had been interrupted. If it were the usual Emil, she probably would have given Erica a flick on the forehead right then and there.
Finally, Emil looked around at the girl and their surroundings, sighing softly as if she had no choice. “Fine. That way, I won’t have to hold back when I fight anyway. Hey! Little Gecko, don’t even think about running away.”
After saying that, Emil took the lead and walked out of the shop with light, brisk steps. Her heroic and dashing appearance was just like the blonde female knight Erica had first met. Miona Drake, meanwhile, watched the scene from behind with interest.
“Hmph.” Soon, those dark red eyes turned toward the girl. The gaze was as spine-chilling as a surging pool of blood, making Erica shudder involuntarily.
“Even if I do go out, don’t you dare think for a second that I’m complying with your wishes, you dog of Callista, Angelina.”
“I apologize. It’s not Callista, but Evelyn la Callista VIII, the Queen whom you should be loyal to.”
“The Queen? Is that so?” Miona, noncommittal, said no more. She left the shop with heavy steps, accompanied by those clad in black robes.
**[You are a highly skilled trainer!]**
**[Trainer Class experience points earned. +50]**
Ignoring the system’s antics, Erica recalled the keywords from the conversation.
‘A dog of Callista?’ It clearly carried a hint of contempt.
It wasn’t surprising. As far as she knew, the current Drake family did not recognize Evelyn’s Callista family as royalty. They only recognized Noel as their master. Naturally, the Callista family, who had usurped the throne, earned their dissatisfaction. And a temptress who clung to them, fawning and seeking favor, surely annoyed them even more. That was likely why Miona had gone out of her way to use her humble name, Angelina, in an exaggerated manner, giving it a deeper meaning.
It was probably just a “friendly” bit of trash talk. *Hmph. Just because I haven’t practiced the Way of the Keyboard for years doesn’t mean I couldn’t tear you apart in minutes!*
‘Still… they are loyal subjects of the Noel family.’
Although they eventually raised the flag of rebellion against the Noel royalty for some reason, and the specific cause was unknown, for now, they remained potential targets of revenge in Erica’s destiny.
‘However, if handled properly, I might even be able to win them over…’
*Crash!*
As a result, many people in the tavern, seeing that the two beauties weren’t fighting and were leaving instead, swarmed out all at once.
“Go, go! Let’s go watch the show!”
“Heh heh, hair pulling and clothes stripping! My ‘little brother’ won’t let me miss this!”
‘What’s the point of moving the audience like this, you idiots?’
‘You’re all going to be blown to bits!’
Erica also tightened her cloak, lifted the hem of her skirt, and ran outside in a flustered hurry.