For a moment, I felt as if the ground beneath me had given way, and I staggered. I stared blankly at what Mariam's finger pointed to for a long time. What did Selphius do? No, it wasn't that Selphius had bullied someone, but that he had been bullied by someone else? The Selphius I had known until now would never have been the type to be bullied, even if he had bullied others.
'Did I hear wrong?'
I stared blankly at Mariam. When our eyes met, she lowered her finger and turned her head away.
"That's what I told you just now. I ignored it, and I was the same kind of person. ...I'm sorry."
I clenched the hem of my dress tightly.
"It would be better to hear the details directly from Selphius. I wanted to tell you before I left."
Mariam muttered 'I'm sorry' to me again, then hurriedly fled the hall as if she were a sinner. My blood ran cold. I stood there for a long time, unable to do anything. I just kept clenching and unclenching the hem of my dress. I thought someone had spoken to me, but I couldn't remember.
'Everything is fine.'
Suddenly, Selphius' words in response to my question about the academy echoed in my ears. I had definitely felt something off about his answer at the time, but now I understood. Selphius had never said anything was good, even if it was.
'They were just making it up.'
Because everything was so bad, they had made it up to say it was good. When I came to my senses, I saw the young nobles still laughing and chatting around me. I moved as if in a trance and slowly approached the children.
"Hahaha! See, I told you I wouldn't come out!"
The children were still chatting happily, unaware of my approach. As I got closer, I could hear their carefree conversations clearly.
"Selphius, he doesn't know his place."
The children's mention of Selphius' name made me stop in my tracks. My fingertips turned cold.
"If he doesn't come to the academy, that would be great!"
"I didn't like it from the start! He came from the countryside and acted all high and mighty! They say he's the heir of the Duke, but he can't do anything!"
"Hahaha! Remember what he said when we challenged him to a sword duel? 'If I get hurt, you'll all die,' right?"
"Is it true that his mother abandoned him and ran away?"
"Yeah! My father told me! The Duke's first marriage lasted less than nine years, so how could he have a nine-year-old son? His mother definitely abandoned him and ran away!"
Insults poured out like a waterfall without pause. Crack. I bit my lower lip hard, and the bitter taste of blood filled my mouth.
"Is it okay to do this? He's from the Laphireon Duke's family."
"Hey, do you know the rumors about His Grace? He left the heir, Selphius, in the countryside and never visited him, so he's known as a barbarian."
"That's right."
"What does that mean? It means the Laphireon family doesn't recognize Selphius as an heir! Why would they send a cherished heir to the countryside? He must be someone they've abandoned!"
"Come to think of it, he came to the academy alone, and he also left alone in a carriage! You're right!"
"Yeah! He's really smart!"
The mocking voices made my head cold. I couldn't listen anymore. I snatched the glass of water from a servant standing nearby. It was cool with ice. I poured it directly over the head of the young noble who had just declared that Selphius' mother had abandoned him. Drip.
"Aaaah!"
Startled by the sudden cold liquid on his head, the young noble screamed. In an instant, everyone's attention was on us. The music stopped, and a heavy silence settled over the hall.
"What's going on, who is it! How dare you……!"
The three young nobles turned around at the same time. When they saw me, they froze like ice. The father's grip on my wrist tightened, making it feel like it would break, but I didn't let go of the young noble. I couldn't let him run away.
"You're still a child, just nine years old."
"Yeah, just nine years old. The Laphireon heir who was bullied by those guys is also just a child."
The pain in my wrist was nothing compared to the pain Selphius must have felt for days.
"Even now, with this situation, do you think your son is more important, Trellan Duke?"
"They're just children, let's resolve this through a conversation……"
"If your son is important to you, then my son is also important and precious to me."
I glared at the father and son in front of me, wanting to kill them. When our eyes met, the Trellan Duke stiffened.
"Selphius is my son."
As soon as I finished speaking, a strong aura of killing intent surrounded me. Someone quickly approached me and twisted the Duke's fingers that were gripping my wrist.
"How dare you lay a hand on the Duchess of Laphireon."
A cold, hard voice accompanied the sound of bones cracking. The Duke's fingers were bent back in a grotesque manner. He asked in a voice that sent shivers down my spine.
"Are you begging to be killed?"
"Ugh!"
The Duke, who had never heard such a voice before, clenched his fingers and knelt on the spot. The pressure on my wrist was released. As the blood rushed back, my hand tingled. My grip on the young noble's shoulder weakened and fell.
The cold, sharp gaze swept over my wrist, where the Duke's fingerprints were clearly visible.
"Duke Trellan."
At Terdeau's cold, mocking call, the Duke shuddered. He drew his sword without hesitation.
"Is life too hard for you? You find it amusing to beg for death."
"Your Grace."
"Who dared to leave marks on someone so precious that even I can't easily touch them?"
"That's……!"
"Where should I cut you?"
Terdeau's sudden appearance dampened the spirits of the other nobles. The Duke trembled at the merciless blade.
"The Duchess of Laphireon grabbed my son's shoulder first! I was just trying to……!"
"Are you joking? It's not funny."
"It's true!"
"Perhaps the Duke mistook the Duchess's gentle pat on the shoulder for something else."
"Your Grace!"
The Duke let out a desperate cry. At this moment, Duke Denier stepped forward and added.
"Duke Trellan is right. I saw it too. The glass cup on the floor was thrown by the Duchess of Laphireon."
Terdeau glanced at the broken glass on the floor.
"She didn't throw it; she just dropped it because her hand slipped."
Terdeau, who had spoken briefly, turned and lifted me gently with one arm.
"Be careful of the glass on the floor."
Feeling Terdeau's warmth, I finally came to my senses. I turned my head to look at the terrified Duke Trellan and the young nobles.
"……It's all true."
"What?"
"Everything they just said is true. I grabbed Trellan's shoulder first, and I threw the glass cup."
Terdeau frowned deeply. He turned his head and scanned the three families and their young nobles.
"Who made the Duchess of Laphireon so angry?"
"What?"
Terdeau spoke in a cold, menacing voice.
"Someone must have made her angry for her to do this. Who dared to anger my wife?"
Everyone looked stunned at Terdeau's words. Regardless, Terdeau turned the tip of his sword toward Trellan.
"Was it the young noble whose shoulder the Duchess of Laphireon grabbed?"
The Duke's wife quickly hugged her child.
"Or Duke Denier?"
"It wasn't me!"
"Or young Lord Loremba?"
"Ah! My son would never do such a thing!"
Would never do such a thing? Then why did they bully Selphius? Thinking of Selphius, my anger flared up again. I clenched my fists tightly and bit my lip. As my body tensed, Terdeau, who was holding me, turned his head.
"Fereshati."
Terdeau, who called my name softly, sheathed his sword and gently touched my bitten lower lip with his long fingers.
"It's bleeding."
"……."
"Who made you so angry? Tell me."
"……."
"You don't need to hold back. The one who dared to anger you will see blood."
"Terdeau."
As I slowly opened my mouth, the faces of the three families and their young nobles turned pale with shock.
"Those young nobles."
However, I looked at them coldly, without any mercy.
"They've been bullying Selphius at the academy."
"What?"
Terdeau's eyebrows shot up.
"I heard them talking. They were insulting Selphius, saying he was abandoned by the Laphireon family! And even worse……."
I made eye contact with Trellan. The child shook his head, as if begging me not to say it.
"Trellan said that Selphius' mother abandoned him and ran away."
Terdeau's face hardened, just as it had when he first broke the Duke's fingers.