"So, everyone agrees?" — Leon spoke calmly, though there was a slight hint of mockery in his voice as he pushed his brothers back. He gestured for them not to interfere but still didn't forget to thank them for their support.
Prince Julius and his group exchanged glances before silently nodding in agreent to his terms. It was clear they hadn't expected such a challenge, but their pride and status wouldn't allow them to back down.
Seeing their unspoken consent, Leon smiled in satisfaction, clapped his hands loudly, and declared with enthusiasm:
"Excellent! We'll start our duel on Saturday. If you want, you can all co at at once. That'll make things even more interesting." He smirked maliciously, as if already savoring his victory.
His overconfidence sparked a wave of indignation among the prince's group. Several voices spoke up at once, overlapping each other.
"Aren't you being a little too full of yourself?!" Julius snapped, narrowing his eyes in irritation.
"Do you think you can just do whatever you want?!" Brad growled, clenching his fists.
"I alone am enough to take you down!" Greg declared loudly, flexing his muscles as if to emphasize his physical superiority over Leon.
But Leon simply ignored their outbursts with indifference. His face remained calm, and, turning away from them, he spoke with a polite smile:
"Well, I still have a lot to prepare, so I'll have to excuse myself." Finishing his sentence, he turned his head toward Angelica, as if the rest of them no longer held any importance. "Anjie, do you want to stay here, or shall I escort you to your family's residence? If you'd rather not return to the dormitory, I'm at your service."
Angelica remained silent for a mont, considering his offer. Her mood was clearly ruined, and the atmosphere in the hall felt suffocating after everything that had transpired. Finally, she sighed lightly and nodded.
"Fine, take to the residence. I'll be more comfortable there." Her voice was weary but still composed.
"As you wish," Leon replied with impeccable politeness and stepped forward to lead the way.
As they walked, his gaze caught Olivia, who was nervously peeking out from the crowd, clearly hesitant to approach. Her unease was noticeable even from a distance. Picking up on her hesitation, Leon subtly gestured for her to join them.
Olivia hesitated for a mont, but upon noticing his invitation, she finally gathered the courage to step forward. She disliked the attention she was already starting to receive from the nobles. The crowd began murmuring, whispering about her presence alongside Leon and Angelica— and not in a particularly kind manner.
As the trio slowly departed, the remaining spectators, who had been silently observing until now, finally stirred. The murmurs grew louder.
"Did you hear that? Don't you think he was being way too insolent toward the prince?" one of the onlookers asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely! I think if sothing were to happen to him, no one would care," another replied with a smirk.
"But he has Angelica Redgrave as an ally..." a third voice cautiously reminded.
"So what?" the first scoffed. "After today's scandal, her influence is practically gone. No one fears her family anymore."
Amidst the murmuring, behind the prince, Marie could be seen nervously watching Leon's retreating figure.
His appearance had shocked her. She hadn't heard of this character in the ga, yet ever since arriving in this world, the na "Leon Bartfort" had been coming up more and more often. People whispered about his exploits here and there, and the more she learned, the more surprised she beca. How was soone like him not included in the ga as one of the potential love interests?
And yet, she had dismissed him as just another mob— an insignificant background character who wouldn't interfere with the major events.
But just now, he had barged into the story and overturned one of the key monts of the ga.
In the duel, Angelica was supposed to arrive without a representative and lose. After her defeat, her father was ant to exile her to the countryside and marry her off to so naless commoner. It was a crucial plot twist. But then, out of nowhere, Leon Bartfort appeared. He had spoken with such confidence, as if he already knew the outco of the battle, and boldly declared that he would stand as Angelica's knight.
And what's worse... "He looks like him," Marie whispered, her face contorting with unease.
She was thinking about her brother. Leon acted just like him— like a stubborn fool who kept trying to fix everything. That self-assured smirk of his gave her an unsettling feeling. He always wore the sa grin...
Marie clenched her fist and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"It's fine," she muttered under her breath. "I'm sure he won't win."
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