As expected, Lady Senna nominated a Black Knight. In fact, Viola had expected some knight of the Mariantu Duchy or a knight from some family with close ties to the Mariantu Duchy. But she never expected this name to come up.
“Selvin Brandia?”
She double-checked several times, but it was indeed Selvin Brandia.
‘Why is she here?’
Certainly, Duke Mariantu must have had various considerations. He needed to nominate a knight to face Lady Viola, whether she be Black Bellato or White Bellato, and at the same time, he had to choose someone who wouldn’t lose easily. Moreover, Viola was only 12 years old, so from Mariantu’s perspective, this duel had very demanding conditions.
‘But why Selvin Brandia?’
Brandia. A duchy located near the western end of the central continent. It was a familial lineage of martial artists ruled by Duke Brandia, who in the novel, killed the notorious Serphon with a single punch.
‘Why?’
Things had become complicated. Duke Mariantu and Duke Brandia were not particularly friendly. The Mariantu Duke rejected the Brandia Duke as violent and barbaric, and the Brandia Duke pointed fingers at the Mariantu Duke as a timid desk man.
‘They’re not on good terms.’
Usually, proxies for duels are chosen when there is a deep friendship. There wasn’t much connection between Lady Senna and Lady Selvin.
‘They’re not even close.’
Then why was Selvin Brandia suddenly nominated? And why did Selvin Brandia accept the proposal?
‘Selvin is Brandia’s youngest daughter.’
In retrospect, it was a good choice from Mariantu’s perspective. Selvin was only nine years old now, three years younger than Viola. That would be seen as a thoughtful choice considering Viola’s status as the ‘White Bellato.’ At the same time, as a descendant of Brandia, they were evenly matched in terms of status.
‘They’ve chosen the best Black Knight that won’t be an insult to Bellato. Clever.’
There was a knock at the door.
“It’s Zenon. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
Zenon, who brought strawberry ade, grinned.
“Selvin Brandia. It’s a good choice from Mariantu’s perspective. They must have put a lot of thought into it.”
“Probably.”
“Why do you think Lady Selvin accepted their request to be the Black Knight?”
Viola closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.
“No. That’s probably not it.”
“What do you mean?”
It didn’t seem likely that Mariantu would have reached out to Selvin first.
“Maybe Lady Selvin requested it first.”
The events at the Forget-Me-Not Festival would have spread throughout the continent through various news sources. It was highly likely that Selvin, who found it intriguing, would have reached out first.
“Why do you think that?”
“Lady Selvin is that kind of person.”
“You seem to know a lot about Lady Selvin?”
“I do.”
Arin had once defined the character of Selvin like this, “A follower of Medea.”
“There was a news article that covered Lady Selvin in detail. She desperately wants to meet Lady Medea. She’s been saying it loudly and frequently.”
“Lady Medea?”
Viola nodded.
“She’s obsessed with my strong older sister.”
***
The duel date was set for four weeks later. The time was determined after considering the travel time needed, departing from Brandia and arriving at Winter Castle, as well as for some resting time for Selvin after her arrival.
‘She’s coming here.’
Viola sighed as she lay on her bed.
‘Oh, my fate. It’s been five years since the transmigration. I always thought something like this might happen at any time, but now that it’s right in front of me, everything seems bleak. Is it common for a reincarnated person to seriously engage in a duel?’
It wasn’t something she could recall. In the novels Arin read, the heroine rarely walked such a thorny path.
‘Bam! Boom! Crash! Bang! And it’s all resolved. The cute charm of the heroine melts everyone’s hearts and paves the way for a smooth journey. ‘Will you marry me, my dearest darling…’ as the hero rushes forward. Why do things have to be so scary because of Bellato? Why are people attacking me? I’m supposed to be the favorite character. Can’t they just ignore me?’
Feeling this way, Viola felt it was rather unfair.
‘Me too! I want someone to rush forward and say, ‘My dearest darling, I’ve chosen you!’’
No. Things didn’t need to be like that. She just didn’t want to be exposed to such a serious duel.
‘I want to live a long, long, and happy life. Why is this thorny path unfolding before me? Why?! Why me?!’
She buried her face in the pillow. What use was this fluffy magic bed?
‘In two weeks, Selvin will come charging at me like a madman.’
Selvin was crazy about Medea. In the latter part of the novel, captivated by Medea’s strength, she would often scream, “I’m her biggest fan!”
At that time, during <The Shadow of Bellato,> the word ‘fan’ was coined because of Jeremy, and it wasn’t a very pleasant word. Nevertheless, Selvin self-identified as a ‘fan’ of Medea. So the conclusion was clear.
In the original story, Viola killed Medea, thus Selvin harbored a grudge against Viola. That’s how the story turned them into enemies. Yes, Selvin became a very difficult enemy for Viola.
“You’re weaker than Lady Medea. Why did the price Lady Medea paid for loving you have to be her death?”
Viola sighed again. Among the clichés she knew, there was no scenario where the father stepped forward and said, “Come to Winter Castle. I will accept any challenge made against my youngest daughter.”
‘Ugh.’
She had to prepare for the duel. It was impossible to find a Black Knight when Duke Bellato himself mentioned his youngest daughter would accept any challenge. Viola had to face it directly but was at a loss on how to respond.
‘I’m weak.’
Then, a letter arrived.
‘Jeremy?’
The sender of the letter was Jeremy.
***
The beginning of the letter read as follows:
[To Lady Viola, from Jeremy, who wants to be friends.]
Viola carefully examined Jeremy’s letter. Apart from the content, she felt that there was something strange about the handwriting.
‘It’s strange.’
The handwriting was quite beautiful. It seemed like someone had specifically practiced handwriting.
‘Isn’t Jeremy supposed to have bad handwriting?’
Despite being known for bad handwriting, this handwriting was very beautiful. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like there had been a lot of practice.
The letter was a whopping 14 pages long. In it, Jeremy explained why he acted the way he had, why he wanted to be friends, and expressed his deep apologies.
[I’m really sorry. I think I acted too selfishly, putting my desire to become friends first.]
And there was also this:
[I don’t mean to insult you, but I want to protect you. If it’s okay with you, would you mind if I became your Black Knight? Of course, you’re not weak enough to need my protection, but I feel like this is a way to show my determination.]
He also expressed a desire to meet and talk if possible.
Viola placed Jeremy’s letter on her desk and fell into thought. Then, she had a good idea.
“Zenon, send a letter to Jeremy. Invite him to meet me at Winter Castle.”
“Okay.”
Zenon went out and came back soon after.
“Why are you back so soon?”
“Jeremy is staying at an inn near Winter Castle. I think we can bring him here right away.”
“Is that so?”
Jeremy had already arrived at Winter Castle.
“Shall I bring him?”
“Bring him in.”
A while later, Jeremy, dressed plainly, arrived at Viola’s room. He removed his robe and even his mask. At that moment, it felt like everything in the room brightened up.
‘He’s really excessively handsome.’
Indeed, he looked like the typical idol that would attract countless fans. Jeremy smiled warmly as he met Viola’s eyes. In the meantime, he seemed to have reflected a lot, looking quite modest.
“Fortunately, you’ve allowed us to meet.”
“If I hadn’t allowed it, why would you come here in advance?”
Even if he had used a warp portal, he would have had to wait for at least two weeks.
“I just… wanted to show respect.”
If Viola had allowed it, he would have met her without delay. If she hadn’t allowed it, he would have quietly left. He thought that was the minimum respect he could show her.
“Did you suddenly grow up?”
“Seems like it.”
From Jeremy’s bright smile, there was not a single wrinkle of insincerity. His expression was bright and cheerful.
“And your handwriting?”
“My handwriting?”
“It’s much prettier than when you gave me a note before.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
Actually, Jeremy had put in special effort to practice handwriting for this letter. But it felt embarrassing to say that he had to practice his handwriting in front of a noble lady like Viola. It felt like he would be laughed at for wasting time and effort on something trivial. Jeremy’s face turned red and he quickly changed the topic.
“Uh… Would it be okay if I became your black knight?”
“No.”
Viola rejected him bluntly. It couldn’t be helped. Since the duke had directly mentioned ‘his youngest daughter,’ Viola, as the person in question, couldn’t choose another person as her Black Knight.
‘How did I even get here?’
If she could just endure a few more years, warm-hearted Medea would surely take over the duchy. She just had to hold out until then.
“Instead, I have another request.”
Viola met Jeremy’s eyes.
“You said you wanted to protect me, right?”
“Yes. I hope it didn’t feel like an insult to you.”
“If I felt insulted, I wouldn’t have let you sit here in front of me.”
“Fair enough.”
Jeremy smiled brightly again, seeming relieved. Perhaps the embarrassment still lingered in his ears, leaving a slight redness.
‘Stop smiling like that. I’m serious! You’re unreasonably handsome.’
Taking her gaze off Jeremy, Viola spoke.
“There’s another way you can protect me, Jeremy. A way that only you can.”
“A way only I can?”
Jeremy’s eyes sparkled. His heart began to race at the idea of finding a way to seek Viola’s forgiveness and be of help to her. He thought that was the responsible behavior of a noble.
“What is it?”
Soon, Jeremy’s eyes widened.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on Mach, 7.
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