When My Enemies Began to Regret

At this moment, Fanora had words flashing through her mind. The argument with Purson that took place a few hours ago. When she thought about it carefully, there was a point that struck her.

At that time, she ignored her brother’s words and turned around, but now she had different thoughts. She should have listened to it more carefully.

“You’re having a hard time these days, aren’t you? I heard that you broke up your engagement with the Jalier family. Because of that, Princess Guelder broke off your relationship?”

“What are you talking about now…”

“Don’t pretend it’s not like that. The rumor has already spread.

It was just as Purson said. Going to the banquet wearing a black dress created an unexpectedly big stir as time passed. Sales of black accessories have increased. The production of achromatic dresses also increased. The main result was this positive change, but at the same time, a deadly rumor emerged.

“But no matter how desperate you’re for affection, the third son of Andras is a bit too much. After all, you were once the one who sought to be the duchess.”

“…!”

“Aren’t you the one who changed your fiancé as soon as he died?”

Fanora finally understood the true meaning of his words. Since she wore a black dress, she was prepared to get into trouble, but she never thought such a vulgar comment would go around.

“You said that Aloken is your destined mate,” He said with a mocking expression.

It’s already been rumored in society that she’s a cheap woman.

How interesting is this rumor to the nobles? The person who once almost rose to the position of duchess fell after the death of her fiancé, and the person she met after Aloken was Carl Andras, who was no different from wild animals.

Those who reach the top are subject to envy even if they stay still. And for those who harbored envy and jealousy, the fall of Fanora seemed like a golden opportunity.

“Lady Fanora, rather than such a man… how about me?”

“Huh?”

“Seeing as you remembered my face, I guess you’ve been interested in me. Please take this opportunity to meet me too. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to even say that.” He suddenly asked Fanora to go out with him, perhaps because he had been keeping an eye on Fanora for a long time.

From Fanora’s POV, it was ridiculous. This is why there’s a saying birds of a feather flock together. She vaguely understood why this man was Naverius’s friend.

“Andras, who protects the kingdom, is several times more noble than someone like you.”

“You still regard him as your partner. Don’t do that. Instead, come to me.”

The southern nobleman thought he couldn’t miss this opportunity. She must have been very heartbroken, having recently parted away from the two dukes’ family. If he squeezed in this gap, he thought he could make the abandoned Fanora’s heart to his own.

“…”

“Huh? Where are you going without answering?”

But, this nobleman’s vision was too narrow. He was so absorbed in the thought of catching Fanora as she was about to leave and didn’t notice what kind of look she had in her eyes.

“I’m the heir of the family, so leave aside the third son of that family…”

Cold eyes that show a lot of white and despise the man in front of her. The current Fanora had a face similar to when she killed Haures.

She thought for a moment. Would it be a good idea to send Naverius a friend in the afterlife so he wouldn’t be lonely?

But at that moment.

“Lady Fanora!”

“!”

“Ha, they say even a fox comes when you talk about it.”

Somewhere, the sound of a horse’s hooves sounded. When she turned around to follow the sound, a familiar figure came into view.

“Carl?”

Carl Andras, dressed in a knight’s uniform, appeared in the town square. As soon as he found Fanora, he came down from his horse with a wide smile, but his appearance was somehow different from usual.

“What’s with your face?”

“

.”

Carl’s face was a mess. She was sure he was fine when they parted away in the morning. But now, his lips were torn, and his forehead was red and swollen. The injury was minor, but seeing him in such a state was shocking.

“I came without realizing it because I felt like I could hear Lady Fanora’s voice. You were really in the square!”

“…”

“But what were you talking about? Did I disturb you?” Carl touched the wound on his forehead and smiled as brightly as the spring sunlight.

Fanora looked at that face and explained the whole story without hesitation. “That man insulted me.”

“What do you mean insult!”

“It’s an insult because such a shallow person who believed in the rumors tried to pick on me.”

“…”

“I won’t see you again, even if I die and come back to life. So let’s end here.”

Even if she’s reborn, she will not meet him. The southern nobleman laughed at her cold words.

“You’re such a funny person. I cared for you earnestly, and yet you take this as an insult. If you’re going to feel offended, then don’t act frivolously in the first place.”

He raised his eyebrows and said, “Your beloved fiancé died, so shouldn’t you keep quiet for at least three years?”

Of course, this alone did not solve the person who was rejected. So he glanced at Carl and Fanora standing side by side, then said something hurtful with a snort. “As they say, birds of a feather flock together.”

“!”

The southern noble said that and tried to turn around. But Carl didn’t allow it.

“Wait a minute.”

Carl put his hand on the nobleman’s. The grip on his shoulder was so strong. The nobleman was forced to stop as if he were blocked by a transparent wall.

“What did you just say to Lady Fanora now…”

“What?”

“Apologize.”

Carl had a gentle voice for someone with the name Andras. His eyes also looked extremely kind. So the nobleman didn’t feel much pressure and shook off his hand.

“What did I do wrong that you want me to apologize for?”

When he showed no signs of apologizing, Carl began to frown. His expression seemed at odds with the scandalous rumors circulating about him in society.

“You’re insulting not only me but also her. So apologize now…”

“Why should I apologize for something like this! You really don’t know anything about the etiquette of the noble, Sir Carl Andras.”

What’s the point of a man with such a docile attitude coming forward? There were many cruel rumors about him in the world. Still, they must have been exaggerated because of his achievements on the battlefield. The nobleman thought like that and lowered Carl’s hand.

“Etiquette… Well, I just got scolded by my older brother for not being noble.”

“Carl, don’t listen to that nonsense.”

However, the atmosphere turned upside down with one of Carl’s next actions.

“Then I’ll say it again with courtesy.”

He took off the white glove on his right hand. And he said this to the nobleman in front of him, holding this glove as if he were going to tear it. “If you cannot truly apologize, I will formally request a duel in my family’s name.”

“!?”

“No, wait…”

When one is subjected to personal desecration, the nobles of Kasius have only one choice. It was a duel for honor. These days, various legal restrictions were imposed, saying that it was barbaric to take other people’s lives, and because of that, it was a culture that was out of fashion but still remained in existence. In addition, the Andras family had a great advantage in the duels.

“You’re smarter than me, so you probably already knew. My family has the royal permission, so we’re not subjected to charges of injury in the case of the duel of honor.”

“!”

Nowadays, the dueling culture is fading and disappearing, but in fact, this was the main cause of the nobles’ fear. Fear of the Andras family was widespread throughout Kasius’s society. Given that they are reliable allies to protect the kingdom, the current trend of Andras’ reluctance was excessive. Then why are the nobles of this kingdom afraid of their kingdom’s spears?

“I’m not guilty even if I kill a fellow nobleman.”

The reason was simple. They’re afraid that they might get caught by them and get beaten to death.

In return for their long-standing loyalty to the royal family, they were given the power equivalent to summary execution. There were many cases where they killed their opponents in a duel if they said something offensive in a public place. If the opponent is from a powerful family, it might be resolved through the mediation of the witnesses…

“The matriarch has issued a ban, saying that the duel had ruined the impression of our family, but…”

“…”

“I think she’ll understand this much.”

The small-bodied nobleman gulped dry saliva. Carl’s right hand, with his glove removed, showed numerous pieces of evidence that came from the battlefield.

“You’re not going to run away, are you?” Carl smiled brightly at the scared-faced man in front of him. “Even if you reject it now, I will still receive an apology in my own way.”

As their confrontation dragged on, the number of onlookers began to increase one by one. Nobles who came out of the jewelry stores or high-end clothing stores glanced at the town square. If it continued like this, the duel could really happen.

 How can someone seriously talk about killing a person, especially a fellow noble? He gritted his teeth, and after a while, he finally spoke.

“…ze.”

“What?”

“I… apologize. So, the duel…”

He was eventually forced to give in. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have said such nonsense from the beginning. He went out strongly just to build up his pride but ended up being even more humiliated.

“…please cancel it.”

After the apology, the nobleman hurriedly moved away as if he no longer wanted to be involved with them.

Fanora looked at his distant back and said regretfully, “Even if you showed up a little late, I’ll take care of it.”

“Yes?”

“There are many secluded alleys around here.”

What came out of her mouth were meaningful words. At this, Carl smiled awkwardly.

“You should stop doing that now. For a comfortable departure.”

“Well, anyway.” Fanora, who had a firm face because of the disturbance on the main street, finally smiled. “Carl, where were you going? You even brought your horse.”

“I was on my way to the palace to meet the matriarch.”

“

to see the marchioness.”

However, there was something that stood out as they spoke face-to-face like this. Fanora looked at his chapped lips and spoke in a worried manner. “How did you get hurt on your face?”

This was clearly a bruise from someone. But who would hurt Carl Andras? She stretched out her hand with a questionable face. Perhaps because of the conversation earlier, the wound on his lip was torn again and bleeding.  

“It’s not a big deal…”

“Looks like you’re going to drag this out.”

Fanora didn’t mind her clothes getting dirty and wiped the blood with her sleeve. Seeing her like this, his anger, knowing she was being insulted, melted away like snow.

“This. My older brother hit me.”

“What?”

“If it were normal, I would have punched him too. Now that I think about it, it’s an important time… So I just accepted it quietly.”

Fanora tapped the corner of his mouth with her sleeve to stop the bleeding while listening to Carl. “For what reason did your older brother hit you like this?”

“I learned about the future thanks to Lady Fanora…”

“Yes.”

“So, I asked my older brother if he would run away if there was no hope of defeating Gamiel…” Carl said with a tingling cheek after being beaten by his brother. “As soon as I said the word ‘run away,’ I got hit.”

“Oh my god.”

“After that, he got angry and questioned whether I’m really Andras or not.”

The fact he tried to convince his older brother was surprising. However, the important point of the story was that this attempt failed.