"...!"
"Lady Elliot!"
One of the knights surrounding Lady Deisha, as if to protect her, bowed slightly toward me. He was an Imperial knight who often escorted me whenever I entered the palace.
'Now that I look at it, except for one, they were all knights belonging to the Imperial Family.'
With the exception of the knight standing close to Lady Deisha, all of them had golden lions embroidered on their chests, indicating that they were knights of the Imperial Household.
Although they were broadly referred to as knights belonging to the Imperial Family, there were several knight orders within the Imperial Family, including the Imperial Guard, which was directly under the Emperor.
Although they were basically knights receiving orders from the Emperor, the entity giving them orders varied depending on which knight order they belonged to.
Knights distinguished their affiliations by the color of their sleeves. Crown Prince Sis also had his own order of knights.
I lowered my gaze and looked at the knights' sleeves. The silver, glistening in the sunlight, was dazzling. The symbol of the Sis was silver, the same color as his hair.
'There was a reason she mentioned Sis.'
The corners of my lips twisted upward on their own.
"Daughter of the Duke of Deisha, would you please answer my question?"
A tone so gentle that even I was surprised flowed from my mouth. I showed her the warmest smile I could muster.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"..."
She pressed her lips together tightly without answering. Anger boiled over at her frustrating response, but I couldn't vent it on the street where everyone was watching. I smiled even more brightly, matching the boiling anger.
It was a known fact that her stubbornness was tougher than steel. She steadfastly endured me, even when I was acting like a complete jerk. The torment I inflicted back then was something that absolutely could not be sustained with ordinary willpower.
Unlike her appearance of shedding tears and whining at the drop of a hat, her nerves were thicker than anyone else's.
'You shouldn't be fooled by that delicate appearance.'
It wasn't a question I wanted to hear her answer to anyway. I turned my head toward the knights.
"Do you know why His Highness the Crown Prince's knights are escorting Lady Deisha?"
"..."
The knights hesitated, looking at each other's faces.
"I believe I have the right to ask this kind of question, but was I mistaken?"
"No, Lady Elliot."
A knight I know spoke up.
"Then, could you explain the reason to me?"
"Duke Deisha has asked His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for help."
Duke Deisha brought only five knights to the capital.
It was realistically difficult to protect both Duke Deisha and the Duke's daughter with just those five people.
'But there wouldn't necessarily be a need to be a Knight of the Sis, would there?'
If the Duke had requested it for the Duke's daughter's excursion, the Emperor would have readily provided knights. However, the knights currently accompanying her were not the Emperor's direct knights, but the Knights of Sis.
Given Sis's personality, there is no way he would have handed over the knights of his own accord. This means that the Duke personally asked Sis for it.
'What on earth is their ulterior motive?'
Even while conversing with the knight, Lady Deisha had tears welling up in her large eyes and trembled like a delicate flower petal.
Her pitiful appearance, which was enough to make even those without sympathy feel pity, was enough on its own to turn the other person into a mean person.
"I see. But what brings everyone here?"
The young ladies who met my gaze avoided my eyes and lowered their heads. Only now did they realize that they were on the main street and what he had done.
"It is not your business to concern yourself, Young Lady."
As if her excitement had not yet subsided, Countess Leslie answered curtly.
"I was going to pass by as well, but since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's name was mentioned."
Countess Lesliere shuddered. No matter how powerful the family was, they could not possibly go against the Crown Prince, the next Emperor. She shouted with a look of injustice on her face.
"Lady Deisha insulted me and my family."
“Really?”
"..."
As expected, there was no answer from Lady Deisha. She clutched the sleeve of the knight standing beside her and let only teardrop-like tears fall.
Not only the knights protecting her, but also the men watching her looked at her with pity as she shed tears. It was something they realized anew, but her gestures and tone of voice stimulated the men's protective instincts.
"Lady Deisha, is what Lady Lesliere said true?"
"Um... that young lady tried to drag Martin away."
"You lowly one, you soiled my dress first! You deserve to be punished!"
"Young, Young Lady hit Martin. And she hit Leah too... Hitting people is a bad thing."
“W-what!”
Countess Lesliere was furious again. I fully understood her feelings, but such intense emotions were absolutely no help in this situation.
"Calm down, Lady Leslie."
"Have I calmed down now?"
"I understand how you feel, Young Lady, but you should restrain yourself a little. It does not look good to others."
As if she still had a shred of reason left, Lady Lesliere, who had been flapping her wings and running wild like a fighting cock, hesitated at my words.
"Lady Elliot, we have all been greatly insulted by Lady Deisha. We absolutely cannot pretend that it never happened."
Baron Kerion's daughter, having calmed down before anyone realized it, stepped forward with a composed face.
“Of course.”
They looked at each other with bewildered expressions, as if they thought I had stepped forward to interfere with them.
"However, I feel that there is no suitable place to settle the matter."
"..."
They, too, were not unaware that this matter would tarnish their honor. Nevertheless, they could not tolerate the behavior of the Lady of Deisha.
"Lady Elliot, what do you think we should do?"
The Baroness Kerion asked for my opinion. I smiled and answered simply.
"First of all, I suggest that you return home quietly as is."
“That’s ridiculous!”
"Absolutely not. I cannot do that."
"Why must we do that?"
Led by the Countess of Lesliere, the noble ladies reacted fiercely. They seemed to detest the Duke's quite a bit. Their faces showed that they would absolutely not let her get away with it, even if it meant tarnishing their honor.
"And file a formal complaint."
"...!"
"... Yes?"
"What..."
"Even if we tried to determine right from wrong here, it doesn't seem like Lady Deisha would admit it. Isn't that right?"
They nodded as they watched Lady Deisha still holding onto the knight's sleeve.
Lady Deisha will absolutely not hand over her attendant, so the only remaining option is to resolve this by force.
However, the ones currently escorting Lady Deisha were the Crown Prince's knights. It must have been a situation they were extremely reluctant to face.
"Therefore, please each return to your homes and formally protest to the Duke of Deisha's household."
If Lady Deisha does not understand what is being said, it is wise not to deal with her.
There was a way to solve the problem without necessarily dealing with her.
'It would be even better if things escalated.'
I became extremely curious to see how Duke Deisha, who was as sly as a snake, would respond.
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