Chapter 10
The Andersen family is the most prestigious swordsmanship family in the Empire.
Those who inherited the family’s legacy were considered unmatched in terms of martial prowess, and even today, those who seek to pursue martial arts gather at the Andersen family, hoping to learn from them.
However, not just anyone can inherit the family’s vision.
The Andersen family selects those who will inherit their teachings under strict conditions and only accepts those who prove their loyalty to the family as subordinates.
Thus was born the Andersen Knights—a force renowned as the strongest elite unit in the Empire, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Imperial Golden Knights tasked with protecting the royal family.
“It has been a long time, Lady Jeremia. Do you remember me?”
When faced with a member of such a knightly order, Jeremia swallowed her dry throat and spoke a name from her memory.
“Sir Wilhelm…”
“It is fortunate that you remember.”
Despite her faltering voice, Wilhelm responded with a faint smile.
As a sense of unease crept over her, causing her body to shrink slightly, Wilhelm once again extended a polite greeting.
“I was worried that you might have forgotten me during the six months you’ve been recovering in this villa… But of course, considering how much the family invested in your education, it would be strange if you didn’t remember.”
No, his attitude was polite, but only superficially so.
Though he feigned courtesy, the underlying malice in his tone was something Jeremia had encountered countless times from knights when she was still in the main house.
The only difference now was that the subtle hostility that had once been hidden was now blatant.
“Still, it has been quite some time since I last saw you, and you look quite unkempt.”
Wilhelm’s eyes openly scanned Jeremia with a look of disdain as he continued speaking in a slightly excited tone.
“Your hair is not well-maintained, you’re not wearing your usual makeup… Ah, could it be that the servants who assisted you with your grooming didn’t come with you?”
“That’s…”
“That won’t do. No matter how heartbroken you are from the broken engagement, neglecting yourself at such a youthful age is unacceptable. If the family head were to see your current state, he would be disappointed.”
Jeremia’s face hardened coldly.
She exhaled a small sigh and then moved into the mansion without another word.
“We can discuss this further inside.”
“Yes, that would be best. I must also report to the family head regarding your lifestyle here.”
Was it just her imagination, or did his unnecessary remarks seem overly drawn out?
No, it didn’t matter.
Ignoring the growing irritation, Jeremia led Wilhelm to the drawing room.
In the center of the spacious room stood a single chair and table.
The servant who had gone to the kitchen entered as soon as the two took their seats across from each other.
“I have brought tea.”
With a courteous demeanor, the servant placed two teacups on the table.
The reddish liquid emanated a gentle aroma.
Wilhelm smirked as he glanced at the tea and casually lifted his cup.
“This… isn’t this a bit excessive?”
His tone carried an annoyingly insinuating question.
“…Excessive? What do you mean by that?”
“From what I’ve seen, life in this villa seems rather difficult for you.”
The mansion was sparsely furnished, its owner unkempt, and the funds provided by the family were far too meager for any luxury.
The condition of the estate was a clear indication of its financial limitations.
“Even the state of the tableware is embarrassing compared to the main house…”
The cup in his hand was an evident example.
Naturally, the cheap teacup, lacking any intricate design, held tea that was clearly not of high quality.
Indeed, such an evaluation was apparent when he placed the cup back on the table.
“…What is the purpose of your visit?”
Despite her irritation, Jeremia refrained from speaking further and simply urged Wilhelm to state his business, wishing for this encounter to end quickly.
The answer came when her eyes fell on the letter Wilhelm held in his hand.
“I came to deliver a letter from the family head.”
“…If that’s the case, you could have sent it through a courier. Why did you come here personally, Sir Wilhelm?”
“Because this is an important letter.”
An important letter, he says.
What important news could possibly be meant for a child already abandoned by the family?
“Hand it over.”
Whatever it was, she couldn’t leave an unopened letter addressed to her.
Jeremia reached out to take it, but Wilhelm blatantly pulled the letter back out of her reach.
“…Sir Wilhelm?”
“This letter is something I must read to you personally.”
“What in the world…”
“As I said before, if it were just news to deliver, a courier would suffice. I came here as a representative of the family head, so it is only fitting that I carry out his duties.”
A representative of the family head.
Hearing those words, Jeremia frowned in displeasure.
No matter how much she had been cast aside, she still bore the Andersen name.
Yet, standing before her, Wilhelm acted as though he were the true Andersen, speaking in a manner that implicitly placed her beneath him.
“Wilhelm. You…”
“Now, let me read the contents of the letter.”
Before Jeremia could voice her anger, Wilhelm opened the letter and began reading without hesitation.
As though her reaction was of no consequence to him, Wilhelm started reciting the letter’s opening with a heavily emotional tone,
“Jeremia, my disappointing child.”
As if speaking directly to her, the words were filled with scorn.
“It has been over six months since you left the main house. As you are likely doing nothing of significance and wasting time pointlessly as always, I am certain this letter finds you in that state.”
As though he could predict her current circumstances.
And yet, the letter wasn’t entirely wrong, causing Jeremia to feel her throat tighten as she clenched her fists.
“You are that kind of child. One who can do nothing on her own and is only capable of following orders. A foolish and incompetent girl who can’t even do that properly. You were a constant source of disappointment to me.”
Words so barbed they could hardly be considered those of a parent to their child…
But this was what Jeremia knew family to be.
Lacking affection and quick to discard her like a broken object when she failed to meet expectations.
Having never experienced familial love, she wasn’t entirely unprepared for the disparaging tone of the letter.
Yet…
“Even so, as your father, I will give you one more chance.”
Despite regarding her as worthless, he had the audacity to act as though he were being generous.
“A ball is to be held soon in Herta City, where you are currently residing. The location is enclosed with this letter. On the designated date, you are to attend and achieve results.”
Even after abandoning her once.
With no intention of understanding her, he now expected her to attend a ball, find a suitable partner, and contribute to the family through an advantageous marriage.
“I hope you will not disappoint me this time. Remember, this is your final chance. Prove to me that you are a worthy child.”
And yet, just in case.
In the faint hope that there might be a single positive remark directed at her, she had read until the end.
But all she found was contempt aimed squarely at her.
“……That concludes the letter.”
-Thud!!!
Unable to listen any longer, Jeremia slammed the table.
The teacup in front of her tilted, and the tea inside swirled violently.
But it didn’t spill.
No matter how angry she was, Jeremia’s instincts suppressed her from expressing her anger any further.
“After all this time….”
No matter how much she was mistreated, she had been taught all her life never to defy the family.
“After casting me aside so coldly, now they come back, acting as if they’re being generous? Is this what they mean?”
The instinctive fear ingrained in her.
The profound self-loathing that stemmed from it.
Feeling it resurface after half a year, Jeremia finally erupted with the resentment she had been holding back.
“How little do they think of me to say such things now? I… I was nothing more than a tool for the family…”
“Lady Jeremia.”
But such feelings didn’t matter.
The voice of her father’s representative, filled with a cold tone, seemed to express just that.
“I am here as the family head’s representative to deliver his words. Raising your voice at me is essentially an act of rebellion against the family head.”
“Don’t… don’t spout nonsense! You are…”
“Besides, isn’t the family head completely correct in what he said?”
Thud.
It was as if something struck the back of her head.
Standing frozen with wide-open eyes, Jeremia could only watch as Wilhelm smirked at her with blatant disdain.
“To put it bluntly, Lady Jeremia, the family head is right. You are the epitome of incompetence.”
He abandoned even the façade of courtesy.
And without hesitation, he drove a dagger into her heart with his words.
“The family head invested so much in you, yet all he received in return was betrayal. You couldn’t even maintain a simple relationship with one man, and now you reject even the family head’s mercy?”
“No, that’s not it! He was the one at fault! I… I did my best, but he wouldn’t look at me…”
“He wouldn’t look at you because your efforts were insufficient. Look at yourself now. With no one interfering, you can’t even take care of yourself and are wasting your time aimlessly.”
No, it’s not my fault. This happened because everyone abandoned me.
Jeremia, whose vengeful spirit had blossomed against those who wronged her, began to feel her resolve weaken as Wilhelm’s straightforward accusations struck her.
“I… I…”
“Do you think being born into the Andersen family makes you anything special?”
Perhaps it wasn’t the world that was wrong, but herself.
“Don’t delude yourself. Unless you fulfill your role, you have no right to call yourself a member of the Andersen family. Without contributing to the family, even knights like me cannot remain loyal to you.”
Did she even have the right to harbor feelings of vengeance?
Even if she wanted to deny it, the life she had led and the memories she carried weighed her down.
“So, even now, change your mindset and quietly follow the family head’s orders. Unless, of course, you truly want to be cast out of the family.”
Wilhelm, the Andersen knight, boldly made his claim, laughing smugly as he rose from his seat.
Leaving the incompetent daughter frozen in place, unable to respond.
“Well then, I’ve delivered the family head’s letter. I hope to see proper results the next time we meet…”
As Wilhelm tried to leave, he noticed someone blocking his path and halted in his tracks.
It was likely the only servant in the mansion, dressed in a butler’s uniform.
Realizing that the servant was standing in his way, Wilhelm furrowed his brows and spoke in a harsh tone.
“What is this? Step aside, servant…”
“Apologies. I happened to notice a bothersome insect in my way.”
“Insect? What are you talking about…”
-Bang!!
Wilhelm was sent flying by a punch.
As Wilhelm tumbled across the floor, clutching his broken nose, he gritted his teeth.
“You… what have you… Gah!”
Blood poured from his nose as dizziness overtook him.
The impact was anything but light.
As Wilhelm struggled to regain his balance, the butler approached the table and the untouched teacup.
“I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t even take a sip of the tea I served.”
“Why would I drink that cheap tea…!”
“Western Frontier. A tea leaf cultivated through repeated refinement in the western frontier of the continent, with only a small quantity produced. It’s of such high quality that even the royal family receives it.”
The butler calmly lifted the teacup.
However, the tea had already lost its fragrance. Tea is best enjoyed when steeped with the proper amount and temperature.
“If you truly understood its value, you would recognize its quality by its aroma alone. But you dismissed it as worthless simply because of the cup it was served in?”
Tea that had gone cold was less valuable than plain water.
Wilhelm, grinding his teeth in anger, reached for the sword at his side.
“You… Are you mocking me?”
“You are perceptive. A person who serves the noble yet considers himself their equal, unable to recognize the value of those before him, deserves such treatment.”
“You insolent…!!”
-Schwing!
Wilhelm unsheathed his sword, a faint haze rising from its blade.
It was sword energy—a skill only wielded by those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, capable of slicing through even the sturdiest materials.
In essence, drawing such a weapon on a person was a declaration of intent to kill.
-Clang!!
But the blade did not cleave the insolent butler’s head.
Before the sword could reach his neck, it was intercepted by something held in the butler’s raised hand.
“What… what is…”
Wilhelm, unable to fathom what had stopped his sword, turned his gaze to the object.
It was a small dagger.
No, it wasn’t even a weapon.
At best, it was a table knife meant for cutting steak.
“A… knife?”
It was absurd.
Blocking a blade infused with sword energy using nothing more than a steak knife?
-Thwack!!
As Wilhelm stood in disbelief, a kick landed squarely in his stomach.
Unable to withstand the impact, Wilhelm collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.
The butler, wiping the knife clean with a handkerchief, spoke in a calm voice.
“Stand up.”
More piercing than sword energy.
Sharper than the knife in his hand.
“Surely, a knight of such renown wouldn’t leave his pride shattered without retaliation, would he?”
Yes, Wilhelm had no choice but to charge forward.
Even if his instincts warned him of impending doom, the whispers of a devil could compel a man to act against reason.
{{Note: As another team is already working on this series, we’ve decided to drop it after chapter 10 ㅠ.ㅠ}}
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