Meanwhile, the Northern Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knights Commander faces drained of color at the card Cassia presented.
A petition for redress.
It was a method where a subordinate directly addressed issues with a superior to resolve them.
However, it had been a virtually meaningless act in the Azure Dawn Knights until now.
This was because the Commander-in-Chief, the head of the Northern Command Headquarters, had openly protected the 4th Knights.
‘But I’m different.’
Cassia met the Northern Commander-in-Chief’s gaze with confidence.
Blood relations, connections, and academic ties.
In the K-country where Cassia had lived before her reincarnation, these factors had exerted a tremendous influence.
And now, Cassia held the most powerful of these three factors.
It was blood relations.
She was the beloved daughter of His Majesty the Emperor and the only direct imperial princess, a diamond spoon.
‘Since I was born with a diamond spoon, I should use it as efficiently as possible, don’t you think?’
And so, Cassia was now threatening, ‘I’m going to tell everything to His Majesty the Emperor now!’
“Wh-What are you talking about?!”
At Cassia’s bombshell statement, the commander-in-chief could only put a hand to his forehead and wished he could just collapse…
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I’m going to request His Majesty My Father to judge the right and wrong of this matter, attaching these documents.”
Cassia deliberately used the term ‘Father’.
It was a subtle way of emphasizing her status as the Emperor’s only daughter.
‘What in the world…!’
The Northern Commander-in-Chief gritted his teeth.
If it had been anyone else, he would have dismissed such a threat as absurd, thinking, “What a load of nonsense.”
But the problem was that his opponent was that Cassia.
The Empire’s most notorious mad princess, a lunatic who might do anything unpredictable.
That princess would really go as far as filing a redress petition to the Emperor!
And if that happened…
“My reputation would be completely ruined!
Eventually, the Northern Commander raised his hands in surrender and hurriedly opened his mouth.
“No, I must have made a momentary mistake.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
The Northern Commander-in-Chief quickly agreed and looked at Cassia with a forced smile on his face.
“So, what does Astrid, the Administrative Officer, want?”
Good.
Cassia raised the corner of her lips slightly.
In fact, Cassia had been anticipating this kind of reaction from the Commander-in-Chief from the start.
Honestly, even if I did file a petition, my great father wouldn’t even pay attention, would he?’
After all, why was the Azure Dawn Knights being treated so poorly?
Wasn’t it because the imperial family had turned a blind eye to the knights’ treatment?
However, that didn’t change the fact that if this story reached the Emperor’s ears, it would be a significant blow to the Commander-in-Chief.
The Emperor might turn a blind eye to the situation, but that didn’t mean he would cover up any resulting noise.
‘How on earth did you manage internal affairs to create such a commotion?’
…that would be the criticism the Commander-in-Chief would face.
Therefore, for the sake of his reputation, he would grovel like this before Cassia…
‘Then I should take advantage of this situation, right?’
Cassia, who had been slowly gauging the situation, smiled brightly, completely changing her expression.
“You asked what I want?”
Cassia asked sweetly, then held up three fingers towards the Commander-in-Chief.
Then, she folded her fingers and continued.
“First, fair distribution of supplies.”
One finger.
“Second, punishment of the 4th Knights Commander.”
Two fingers.
As soon as Cassia finished speaking, the 4th Knights Commander’s face turned beet red.
“Hey, Administrative Officer Astrid!”
But Cassia did not waver at all.
Her calm red eyes stared straight at the 4th Knights Commander.
“It was the 4th Knights Commander who first insulted the Azure Dawn Knights, wasn’t it?”
“That’s!”
“And that’s not all? Our Knight Commander even fought under a handicap, not using any aura, and still won the duel.”
Won.
At that word, the 4th Knights Commander’s shoulders trembled, unable to overcome his shame.
Cassia continued calmly.
“Then, instead of accepting the results, you tried to pin the blame on our Knight Commander for the injury you suffered from your own mistake, didn’t you?”
“That’s…”
The 4th Knights Commander was about to retort.
However, all he could do was open and close his mouth, unable to utter a coherent word.
‘See? You have nothing to say either, right?’
Cassia gave a sly smile before turning her gaze directly to the Commander-in-Chief.
“This is a slander against a fellow knight commander. Shouldn’t this be severely punished?”
“S-Severely punished? What do you mean by that…?”
The Commander-in-Chief couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Personally, I think assigning him to portal-guarding duty would be appropriate.”
“That’s out of the question!”
The 4th Knights Commander protested vehemently.
Cassia, her eyes wide and innocent, asked the 4th Knights Commander.
“Why not? After all, the purpose of the Northern Command is to guard the portal, isn’t it?”
Portal-guarding duty.
Both the 4th Knight Order and the Azure Dawn Knights selected personnel every three months to be stationed right next to the portal.
Their duties included regularly replacing the barrier stones sealing the portal and monitoring for any monsters that might break through.
If any monsters did escape, it was their job to eliminate them.
However, knight commanders were usually excluded from such duties.
The reason being that portal-guarding duty was exhausting, requiring a three-month stay at a temporary barracks.
Typically, new knights took on this task to gain experience.
Assigning this duty to a knight commander, the highest-ranking officer of a knight order, was almost akin to an insult.
But Cassia didn’t stop there.
“Lastly, third.”
Cassia’s finger folded down mercilessly.
“Due to the unfair distribution of supplies up until now, our Azure Dawn Knights have suffered for a long time.”
Her red eyes flashed sharply.
“So I believe the entire 4th Knight Order should formally apologize to our Azure Dawn Knights.”
Cassia hammered her point home to the speechless Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knights Commander.
“Officially, by coming to our barracks in person.”
At that moment, the 4th Knights Commander felt something snap in his mind.
“What?!”
He shouted as he suddenly stood up, his voice loud and angry.
The startled Commander-in-Chief tried to calm him down.
“4th-4th Knights Commander! What’s gotten into you?!”
“She’s just a woman who enlisted because she was infatuated with a man!”
The 4th Knights Commander pointed angrily at Cassia, veins bulging in his neck.
“What makes you think you can act so high and mighty?!”
His eyes flared with rage as he shouted again.
“What do you know about knights, you meddlesome little—!”
But before he could finish, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the 4th Knights Commander’s wrist tightly.
It was Giscard.
“How dare you point your finger at her?”
His icy blue eyes glinted like a sharp blade.
And then.
“Argh!”
Crack!
A sharp scream escaped the 4th Knights Commander’s lips as pain shot through him.
‘Commander?!’
Cassia’s eyes widened in shock.
Giscard, who always kept a calm face and brushed off any insults directed at him, was now…
‘I’ve never seen him so angry before.’
His blue eyes were cold and razor-sharp, his lips pressed into a firm line.
His grip on the 4th Knights Commander’s wrist was so tight that veins bulged under his skin.
“Let go… please…!”
The 4th Knights Commander’s face turned red with pain as he begged, his voice trembling.
“Commander of the Azure Dawn Knights!”
The Northern Commander-in-Chief, horrified, ordered Giscard.
“Release him at once!”
But Giscard firmly shook his head.
“It was the 4th Knights Commander who first insulted my knight.”
“Now, listen here!”
“Moreover, it is my duty to protect and defend my knight.”
His voice was cold as ice.
“Therefore, I will ensure that my knight receives a proper apology.”
“……”
Badump.
For a moment, Cassia felt her heart skip a beat.
* * * *
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She’s popping off 💅
That was a satisfying abuse of power and go Giscard, defend our princess!