CH 117

Louise was shorter and thinner than Damia. Her only advantage was that she was brazenly awful with a terrifying temper.

Unlike a verbal altercation, a physical fight wasn’t something that could just be won with maliciousness. Once Damia responded with her sincerity, Louise was forced to be pushed aside.

“You— really!!”

Louise, who had fallen on her ass, gritted her teeth and dashed at her again. But Damia didn’t even blink when she kicked her on the shoulder to stop her midjump.

“Aargh!! Don’t think I’m going to leave you alone, you wrench!!”

Once again, Louise’s eyes widened, losing her reason in outrage. Her anger, which was about to subside after beating Damia, now blazed even more when she received an unexpected counterattack.

Something that pricked her was caught in Louise’s hand as she fumbled across the ground to get up.

‘This… … .’

It was a fragment of the broken lamp thrown at Damia earlier.

The sharp piece of iron was sure to leave a disastrous scar on the soft skin of a noble lady. Even so, no matter how bad-tempered Louise was, it didn’t seem right.

At the touch of the cold edge of the metal in her hand, her chest suddenly sank. Louise was about to throw the debris from her hands. But unfortunately for Damia, due to her timing, she did not see this and rushed towards her.

“Stay put!”

Damia planned to quickly subdue her and call someone before Louise swung her hand again. She hadn’t even thought of hitting her in the first place.

But Louise, unaware of this, thought she was being attacked.

“Don’t come near me!!”

At the same time, her eyes flashed, and Damia felt her hand get suddenly hot.

“… … Ah!!”

Something warm ran down her palms and wrists. Then, startled by the unfamiliar pain, Damia hurriedly looked down and saw her badly torn hand from the sharp iron edge.

She was so startled that she was momentarily speechless. It was the first time in history that a physical fight between aristocratic women had ever happened. But she never expected Louise to wield a weapon!

“Hey—T-this is your fault! Why did you touch me?!”

Conversely, as Louise grew more terrified, she became more and more ferocious, like a cornered dog with exposed teeth. Finally, since it couldn’t get any worse as long as she had already hurt Damia, she was driven by an impulse, and she ran at her and swung the shard.

“It’s because of you! That I’m doing this—that Cesare had to do that play!!”

She couldn’t suppress the overwhelming urge to ruin Damia’s pretty face. Deep down in her heart, it was what she had always wanted.

However, Louise’s hand never reached Damia and halted in mid-air. A man’s large hand stretched out from behind her and grabbed her wrist.

“That’s enough.”

His voice was cold and soft as a snake’s.

Louise’s eyes grew wide. Then, her movements abruptly stopped as if those words casted a spell over her. But it wasn’t just because he grabbed her wrist.

“…… Cough!!”

Blood rushed out from between Louise’s thin lips. Even in the dark of night, Damia could see the blood running down her white chin and neck.

And…… The tip of a sword protruded out through her thin abdomen.

Damia’s face turned pale with terror and surprise.

She shook her head in disbelief and called out the name of the man who stabbed Louise from behind.

“Ces—Cesare… … .”

It was him. She could tell even though he was wearing a black gentleman’s hat, almost covering his face with a scarf and a high collar unsuited for the season.

“Hello, Damia.”

The man who had his funeral today smiled brightly.

With Louise still impaled on his blade.

“You’re not going to call me’ older brother’ anymore? Oh, is it because I’m already dead? How bittersweet,”

Cesare smiled gaily as if saying, ‘Now I’m the only man left.’ His face looked genuinely delighted, which made Damia even more horrified.

Cesare was genuinely insane.

Louise, who was still in his hands, was bleeding and suffering. But he was as calm and carefree as if he was holding a dead pig.

“I’m sure you have a lot to ask me, but please wait. I’ll take care of this noisy trap first.”

Unlike when Cesare gazed at her, he looked down on Louise with an emotionless stare.

‘This is why I didn’t tell you.’

This uselessly quick-witted girl managed to find out that he was not dead. And when she couldn’t beat Damia with her anger, she was shouting the fact that he was alive all around the place.

This crazy bitch was clever. But, when it came to him, she had been more than willing to put herself forward. And since Count Ferrai was a powerful family, it was only fitting that he made use of such an easy pawn.

But that was now all over. He was about to give up his identity as ‘Cesare Primula’ completely. And that meant he would return to where he was supposed to be and develop the strength to take off anew.

‘In order to begin well, it’s important to finish things well.’

Cesare, upon thinking so, grabbed the handle of his sword. Ready to twist the blade in Louise’s abdomen, crush her bones, and inflict fatal damage to her internal organs. So she could never survive.