Enemies Meet at the Engagement Ceremony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Your hands went down, Cherry.”

 

“…… Hmph.”

 

At my mother’s chilly voice, I raised my arm with all my strength.

 

The arm of a young child, not yet properly developed with muscles, began to tremble just from holding it up for about ten minutes.

 

I attempted to gradually bend my arm with some technique, but every time I did, my mother’s cold, piercing gaze halted me.

 

‘I deserved to be scolded like this. I already crushed Enoch’s half face.’

 

Enoch, who had taken quite a beating from me, went home with a swollen face.

 

With that face, even my playmates wouldn’t be able to look at Enoch and slap him anymore.

 

‘I was harsh against a child.’

 

The guilt of hitting a seven-year-old, even though I was also seven, struck my chest.

 

Even though I was seven, my mind wasn’t that of an adult.

 

My body had become that of a child, and somehow, I tried hard to appear childlike.

 

It felt like my mental age was increasingly adjusting perfectly to the age of my body.

 

‘Let’s reflect quietly. I am an adult, an adult.’

 

From a distance, Jessia and the maids gestured to me as if sympathizing, indicating that it was now okay to lower my arm.

 

Honestly, even though I deserved scolding, everyone in this mansion had always overly protected me.

 

If I didn’t remember my past life, I probably would have grown up as a people-pleaser.

 

“Cherry! Can’t you raise your hand a bit higher!”

 

Seeing my mother, I realized that growing up as a people-pleaser would have been disastrous.

 

Even if my arm had been slightly lowered, looking at my mother, who would breathe fire, I probably never thought of growing up without manners.

 

“Sniff.”

 

I, who was trying to reflect, felt a bit melancholic.

 

When I tried to put a bit more strength into my arm again to appease my mother’s anger, that was when it happened.

 

“Our lovely Cherrya! Where are you!”

 

From a distance, my grandfather’s thunderous voice echoed.

 

“Ah, we haven’t finished scolding her yet!”

 

My mother and I exchanged looks with a defeated expression.

 

The person who overly protected me in this mansion was now rushing towards us.

 

From his very excited voice, it was clear that he was not scolding me but coming to shower me with affection.

 

“Dad said he went to the study, but why so soon!”

 

“It seems he has already heard about our Cherry.”

 

“Even if he’s had taken a carriage immediately after Cherry punching Enoch, it wouldn’t make sense for him to arrive so soon. Unless…”

 

“If not a carriage, what else, Mel? He must have run here.”

 

My mother sighed in despair, touching her forehead with her hand.

 

My grandfather had used the power of a Swordmaster to rush here upon hearing the news of me overpowering Enoch.

 

Considering how revered Swordmasters are in the Empire, it was truly an extraordinary action.

 

“Cherry! Grandfather is here! My granddaughter who I am proud of!”

 

My grandfather, bursting into the room as if breaking down the door, had a lively expression on his face.

 

He looked so vibrant.

 

The face that initially seemed intimidating now resembled a benevolent deity.

 

“Grandfather…”

 

Facing my grandfather, whose face seemed filled with joy to anyone who looked at it, my heart fluttered.

 

“Come here, my lovely child. There has never been a prouder moment for you than today!”

 

My grandfather warmly smiled and opened his arms towards me.

 

Glancing at my mother, I bit my lip gently.

 

After looking at both me and my mother, my grandfather wrinkled his face and asked.

 

“Melsia, did you, by any chance, scold our Cherry?”

 

“Dad, please, if you don’t know, stay quiet. Why is it that whenever it comes to Cherry, there’s no sense of dignity…”

 

“I may not know everything, but for sure, that Jade’s grandson must have provoked our Cherry! That’s obvious what kind of nonsense has been spoken by that Gray’s bloodline!”

 

My grandfather scolded my mother, then casually picked me up.

 

“Our granddaughter achieved a glorious victory against the Gray Duke’s grandson. Congratulations, even if I can’t congratulate you properly!”

 

“Dad!”

 

“Can’t you be quiet!”

 

My grandfather brushed off my mother’s words as if they were unworthy of attention.

 

Seeing my grandfather openly taking my side, my eyes welled up.

 

“Enoch…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Enok said I would become boring.”

 

“What?”

 

My words left my mother, father, and grandfather looking at me as if I had said something bizarre.

 

Despite their bewildered gazes, recalling Enoch’s cold expression fueled my determination.

 

How much I despised that face, how much I wanted to strike back.

 

I wanted to express these feelings entirely.

 

“I said I didn’t want to learn swordsmanship, and Enoch claimed both Emblem and I would become weak and boring.”

 

“Emblem becoming boring?”

 

The first to react to my words was my mother.

 

A more intense gleam appeared in my mother’s eyes compared to when she scolded me just moments ago.

 

“Now I understand what that damned Jade said in front of my granddaughter. Losing a mountain wasn’t enough, it seems? I’ll have to send one more his way.”

 

My grandfather, chuckling as if delighted, radiated an unseen force.

 

“Our Cherry endured well, hearing such words.”

 

My father gently smiled, ruffling my hair.

 

But as he smiled, his eyes didn’t.

 

“…….”

 

Everyone felt the same anger I did.

 

Although my grandfather and mother aimed in different directions, the pride in Emblem was mutual.

 

Even at the age of seven, the pride I gained growing up with Emblem was tremendous.

 

Perhaps the pride my grandfather and mother had, having devoted their lives to the family, was beyond imagination.

 

There’s nothing more shameful than the family being humiliated.

 

At this moment, I could feel that everyone here was on my side.

 

“Cherry.”

 

My mother, now composed, looked at me straight with her serious eyes.

 

“Regardless of what Enoch said, do you know what you did wrong?”

 

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to Aunt Diana as well.”

 

“That’s enough.”

 

When I apologized gently, my mother nodded and smiled at me.

 

“Hmph. There is no place for our Cherry to be scold.”

 

My grandfather clicked his tongue, turned his body around and left the room while holding me.

 

I leaned my head on my grandfather’s broad shoulder and watched the room door slowly close.

 

Through the door that was slowly closing, I could see my mother being held in my father’s arms.

 

My father was whispering something in her ear to soothe my upset mother.

 

‘Ah…, I got scolded for the first time.’

 

Seven years old. It was not a lot, but it was not a small number of years.

 

I realized that I had been scolded for the first time in seven years.

 

My mother, who always showered me with love, scolded me for the first time.

 

“It’s okay, Cherry! Gray guys need to be beaten up to know their subject. Jade Gray was one of those guys. He gets on people’s nerves so the sword has no choice but to come out first….”

 

I buried my head in my grandfather’s shoulder while listening to him praise me enthusiastically.

 

“…… It seems like today has been a hard day for our pretty Cherry.”

 

Even though my grandfather knew that his clothes were getting wet with my tears, he pretended not to notice and started gossiping about the Gray Duke family.

 

The main story was that the Gray Duke family was a bunch of bastards with dirty personalities and crooked thoughts for generations, so his mouth should be sewn up.

 

Listening to the comfort contained in the intense gossip, I snuggled into my grandfather’s arms a little more.

 

Grandfather was right.

 

It looked like Enoch Gray’s mouth needed to be sewn up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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