Chapter 152: The Youngest Disciple (4)
RW9After that, Trisha kept scratching her head in desperation while begging Dereck to please help her at least a little, but Dereck, as if raising a wall of steel, rejected all her requests.GlHs
tT36Even if Trisha, who went around raising her voice arrogantly everywhere, had reached this point of humility, one would think he might grant her something; but he had no intention at all of retracting the principles he had already established.Z5s3V4e
dn6t0“Miss Trisha. Even so, in this world there is nothing that is absolute. Lady Diella, although she certainly has the temperament of an enraged beast, if one approaches her with complete sincerity, one way or another she eventually opens her heart.”hqGeRV
zC0Q“…”vrSzUAy
YSzOK“To use myself as an example, when I first met Lady Diella, I ended up drenched in dirty water full of food scraps. After leaving me like a filthy rag, she hurled insults at me nonstop.”7HUXi
Vq345Dereck remembered the first encounter with Diella.QLMb4
7y4The image of that small girl shut away in the annex of the Duplain family, rejecting the entire world as if everything were her enemy, quickly came to his mind.sLzz
btQR“S-she did something like that? How in the world did you manage to connect with such a savage? What kind of magic did you have to use for a wild beast like that to end up following you so well…?”L4h
ZHx“Hmm… I did everything in my power… that’s all I will say.”g7LuhGN
etia“No, you have to give me a clear method so that I can at least try.”qVEDaU
Pw3Nz“The details are a secret…”D380JTX
JUgaT3NEven though Trisha argued with Dereck for a long time, he still didn’t budge an inch.NVKDil4
qUMIn the end, she had to accept that Dereck was not someone who could be persuaded with words or flattery.1f6
Ua4pTTrisha, no longer caring about appearance or dignity, grabbed her head while letting out groans of frustration.mxD
ECELnIrSince it was uncomfortable to just stand there watching her, Dereck swallowed a sigh and forced himself to respond.l9nzJz
KehJsNu“Are you afraid of Lady Diella?”nPnCTdT
E2svL“Ugh… i-it’s not fear. I just think approaching such a tyrant brings nothing good. She has… no poise… no elegance…”hl3v
fuz4“You don’t have to be that afraid of her. As I said, even if she seems like someone who acts without thinking, in the end she is a person who cannot step outside what is reasonable.”n77
C1XG2u“I-it’s not fear, I said. W-who is afraid of whom…?”fxQ
fR1NRC3“You have spent a long time in noble society, haven’t you? In the end, Lady Diella is also a young noblewoman of the Duplain family, and you must not forget that she is part of aristocratic society.”zZj
ALj8EHNo matter how much Trisha was groaning on the inside, Dereck simply said what he had to say.AejP
1hPAs always, this man did not change his attitude depending on what family or lineage the person in front of him came from. Whoever it was, he kept his own center firm.8VSOvMC
dMJ“Among nobles, what is it that they value most, Miss Trisha. You know that better than anyone.”n0QkGU
A3SWhen Dereck said that, Trisha’s fingers trembled slightly.5Ow9
jbupIt sounded like a clue, but in reality it was nothing more than a superficial phrase with no real content. Even so, Trisha could not ignore it.mTKE
oqa“What does that mean?”V1T
bwuY“Literally.”E553ZTy
kHh— Creaak.ObNs
aQRB9“Forgive me for making such a distinguished guest wait. In any case, the higher the rank, the more work.”p5Kc0
gQYGlzAt that moment, the mistress of the mansion, Countess Rodelia, entered the reception room accompanied by the servants.b73VCcI
7mFTrisha finally remembered what Countess Rodelia had emphasized several times: that Baron Ravenclaw was an honored guest in this mansion and had to be treated with absolute respect.cPlck
aGardBut Trisha had been spouting all sorts of sincere words without any filter whatsoever, and thinking about it, she felt so embarrassed she wanted to slam her head against the wall.UgVUDEu
vJIY‘I-I lost my mind for a moment. W-what foolishness have I done.’z2KSA
gJzLJKTrisha grabbed her head and held her breath, but Dereck, as always, simply greeted Rodelia with his expressionless face, as if nothing had happened.5HCONjZ
hM6It was obvious that Dereck didn’t take Trisha’s reckless comments too seriously.8Au4F6
i91That was the kind of person Dereck was.lRfWV
Xl0e***AZp
sMK“I am sorry that I can only present a limited support plan. As I already said, assigning too many resources or personnel to another territory is not something very advisable. Also, the situation around the White Labyrinth does not look good, so I hope you understand.”NugE
HPbUw“No, not at all. Even just what you have promised will be a great help for the Ravenclaw territory. When the infrastructure work is finished, I was thinking of decorating the main hall with a portrait or a statue of Your Excellency, Countess Rodelia, who has supported us.”AQl
EPBO“If you do that, it will also be a great honor for me. You are someone who knows how to show respect.”Lfzc
RIESOnce almost all negotiations were settled, Dereck prepared to return.nWHyq
gwZCountess Rodelia tried to hold him back, saying that since he had come all the way to the territory, why not stay a little longer; but Dereck, who lived days so busy that he barely had time to breathe, politely declined.qx4zAW
T068KERodelia had wanted to take the opportunity to draw Trisha and Dereck a little closer, but since it didn’t work as she hoped, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.Vbb
broBBEven so, she had successfully created a major point of contact between the house of Countess Renuel and the house of Baron Ravenclaw.7vK
qyCbuzThat alone was already a considerable diplomatic gain, so with a satisfied smile, Rodelia said to Dereck.UMa
DSuF70v“I imagine my daughter must have committed several discourtesies.”YhZgmnD
RX3ObqOCountess Rodelia, wise ruler of the Renuel county, knew that her daughter Trisha must have already said all sorts of things.v2mg1X
091Trisha had returned to the annex at her mother’s order, because there were still matters Dereck had to address alone with the countess.uwQQ
Pn4Taking advantage of that moment, Rodelia offered an apology with a kind smile.MbW0
m5s“At first glance you can see that Trisha is arrogant and very vain. She leans on the prestige of House Renuel to look down on everyone, and wherever she goes, she is obsessed with keeping her chin up.”KWj18KV
ZwA3A5“…It’s not that bad.”ep4gfp
5zodLJA“You don’t have to be so formal. I would like our relationship to be a little closer.”otQGwJ
Yt3Although Rodelia presented herself completely open and relaxed before Dereck, for a frontier baron it was somewhat overwhelming for the head of House Renuel to approach him with such familiarity.5sTbc
gIT0DWhen Dereck slightly lowered his head without arguing too much, Rodelia sighed inwardly and spoke with a more casual tone.qYqtRKR
Ort“Trisha surely takes after her father. My late husband, Hutton, always tried to teach her useless things.”AP0NN
0gfh“Useless things?”WkJYZ8
dsmEtI6“Things like masculine ambition, guts, bluffing, taking initiative, reading the atmosphere—those kinds of showdowns that are not very useful for a young lady of an old noble lineage.”4EpE6Q
jEpor7Countess Rodelia sighed deeply as she remembered her late husband.gieBgeR
U9wMind games and firmness could be useful in the dangerous social world of the nobility, but Rodelia, who spent her entire life as a warrior on the battlefield, was not skilled in such subtleties.9ks1
4fm85KPerhaps that’s why the great merchant Hutton tried to teach Trisha something Rodelia could not teach her.ZNZo
3ydBH“That’s why Hutton and I always clashed regarding Trisha’s education. Although normally one of us gave in, and that settled it.”HKE32ep
6GRgDF3“…”n8WMOd
MvGOdht“Even so, Hutton had a very good eye for certain things. So I also yielded quite a bit. But even then, standing in front of a seven-year-old girl shaking his fist to tell her not to blink or making her jump off cliffs to enjoy the thrill—that really was excessive.”2PJe
5iyIMGcJust hearing it made it easy to imagine what kind of person Hutton had been.3B3ZShQ
CCovxSeeing Dereck’s incredulous expression, Rodelia cleared her throat.imqw3
YtwC“My husband Hutton was really—how could I put it…”1yC
hvJq“Yes, he was a weirdo.”RJgSeFK
FmpaSG“…”UyA
q0N“You don’t need to choose your words. As I said before, I think we can become closer. Ahem.”JJXWc
WuFsxA“I appreciate you saying that.”pca
uwdUS2“Hutton was truly a strange man. At that age, the normal thing for a girl is to start receiving proper education in etiquette, tea, magic, history, literature—but he, who understood better than anyone the importance of a lady’s education, didn’t seem to want to teach Trisha any of that.”aI3qs
bZAkiCRodelia’s voice turned slightly nostalgic.Mp0S
yux3When recalling old times, it was natural for the voice to soften.2Epa
3rw8“Most likely, by then Hutton had already understood it.”wIV
DJRh6A“…”FjxvMZ
awD49What had he understood? Dereck didn’t ask. He sensed it. And Rodelia, seeing his expression, let out a sigh.jn86wCj
gZ8“Yes. With your perception, I’m sure you already know. Trisha, in every aspect, is a girl without any particularly outstanding characteristic.”Men
CADUEven without Dereck saying it, her parents had already confirmed it multiple times.AkZu
BAL1g0“Be it magic, arts, politics, studies, or etiquette—whenever she’s taught something, she ends up a little below average or a little above it. Never enough for anyone to call her useless, but never enough for anyone to call her talented even once.”MVtj
g6B“Miss Trisha herself told me that.”sdb
T5a“Exactly. Compared to your students, who shine like stars every one of them, Trisha must look like a dull stone.”qmZNUDm
DVD0Dereck couldn’t nod, but he didn’t deny it either.WJasSf9
p8jJy3Even if Trisha were his disciple, the chances of her achieving dramatic growth were almost zero.ihtvD
MHnuFAll the students Dereck had taught until now had the “sky open” above them, without limits.Dgphrk
wPBBd2Siern and Denise, for example, could be called prodigies or geniuses.74E4S
IIko4fBut Trisha’s upper limit was clearly sealed.YTrTzG
ytBzSDereck could say with certainty that even if he taught her personally, he could only bring her to a level slightly above average.OKH
IZY“Mediocrity is not a sin.”kYZIQBE
BI4Rodelia lowered her gaze.opuvI5
Q2NsPt“But there are those who, because of their position from birth, are not allowed to be mediocre. It’s not something that can be solved just because others say ‘it’s fine’.”NcwLQ
3w9kSShe was the daughter of the continental heroine Rodelia and the great merchant Hutton. It was easy to imagine the situation in which she had grown up.sruqb
ju6AThat obsession with keeping her chin raised was a kind of desperate struggle.xe5
dLl2vDereck made a decision. He had to be clear, to avoid future problems.IWC
RsPKw1v“Even if I taught her directly, Miss Trisha would never reach the level of 3 stars or higher.”fILd
Z4WIt wasn’t a guess, but a certainty.PHo59qs
888And Rodelia knew that man didn’t make statements lightly. So she closed her eyes for a few seconds and nodded.k1dugaz
0ZIRodelia lifted her gaze toward the clear sky, remembering the past.NmNvMGq
logjD9Hutton, who adored his daughter more than anyone, at first taught her all the subjects of a noble lady.O2xu
p0IpYBut one day, he abandoned all of that and focused solely on strengthening her mentality and courage.jfPEK
0WRYhProbably because he had seen exactly what the limit of his daughter’s talent was. Hutton had an exceptional eye for those things.IWkQWC6
rqERgShe remembered the days when little Trisha, with eyes bright with curiosity, followed her father.KYu62
YS8eKvThat girl who ran through the forest, climbed cliffs, and fished in the river while her father guided her.uLO8MM
XVJ2sWoThanks to that, she developed a rough personality; but Hutton wanted to engrave only one thing into her heart.Zh0pk
qeoThe girl who looked at the open sky with ambition would inevitably someday crash against reality.7t3
E7qQtFRIn a social world full of brilliant beings, the day would come when she would have to lower her head, lamenting her faded talent.seQio8
EXeThat is why the only thing a father had to carve into his daughter was:1Kx2
l7Tn0h— “Never shrink back.”RvaP
D1PuVq9It was the last message of the man who started as a beggar and ended up the owner of a commercial empire.9jGyRG
4P8— “Even if it seems like everyone is playing above your head, never shrink back, Trisha.”GQ0hmvS
OSzM8wSIt was what he told her while drying clothes before a fire near the cliff after spending the whole day catching fish.oinD
wMXTHe gave her a closed fist for her to bump and promise.A7cWOzN
bLehIt didn’t matter if she seemed arrogant, pretentious, or if people insulted her.ibFT
6yFiEven if they considered her a third-rate villain, greedy and conceited, or a mediocre person.AXXXJS0
uhTKMLSShe must never worry about that.a6LY
zoy79DNo matter what happened, she must never shrink back.4sonLwi
hP9DIOIt was what Hutton repeated again and again, the man who reached the top with sheer tenacity.IB2
fMFr6Was that message still in her heart?A1oF
I3UPk2“In short, he was a bizarre man without control, without elegance, and completely unpredictable. Even now, remembering him is dreadful. I have no idea how I endured the marriage. Whenever I think of him, I can only sigh.”Hok
sId“…”Srq9H
641fG“But well…”Rhxm1gA
LmpVAThe countess Rodelia, who spoke as if remembering an enemy, slowly closed her eyes and smiled.wEhU
Dkfa3m“As a husband, he wasn’t that bad.”zNBX
RD0D592***wxv
jtdPY7‘What is that thing nobles live and die for, Miss Trisha? You know that better than anyone, don’t you?’9ev2
a6QVeAt this point, she could only cling to her pride.wVgl
ZHBdxxThe idea lit up inside her that, one way or another, she would become Dereck’s disciple.zUYXD
22G9jIt was as if her pride had been mercilessly scratched.FAdy
8cG9iTrisha, lying alone on the bed in the private room, gnashed her teeth and then let out a long sigh.iTsqLU
oj2XThe image of that young lioness with bright red eyes, radiating intimidating ferocity, came to her mind.ksAzvtN
gSnThe number one in rank at the Ravenclaw academy, the principal disciple, Diella Katherine Duplain—to be honest, just standing in front of her already instilled a paralyzing fear.rrSo2t
LcZDbGDereck had managed to tame that crazy girl and turn her into his disciple; it was something she still found impossible to believe.rumP
RRpj6Seeing her become a meek lamb only in front of him was an unimaginable spectacle.k7IMz
s6xEven so, she too was a noblewoman. What is that thing nobles live and die for? In reality, the answer was simple.2G9wXF
6RA“It’s legitimacy.”rFZfsLR
DYUjLegitimacy, legitimacy—that damn legitimacy.1az3
VT3hvy3Maybe it didn’t make sense to talk about legitimacy with a young wild beast like her—but legitimacy is something that, if one knows how to manipulate words, can always be manufactured somehow.3Hp
nCBpX“…”koeu
nDjUxyZTrisha, lying in the dark room, stretched her hand toward the ceiling and clenched her fist.yiMg6Z
mNa2wrnShe felt strength rising up to her nose, bit her lower lip firmly, and exhaled strongly.b807mT
j7ZPThen she narrowed her eyes and gathered her courage.IVr
TsAJl“I am the noblest of the ladies of the line of Count Renuel.”XGj
BT7zteShe swallowed her uneven breath and clenched her fist again.Lva4
RcoJQHer mind began spinning at full speed.Ur8
vbnRReFour days later, at the Hall Rose meeting.J5m
S5xAmong the numerous sons and daughters of influential families who were at the Elfontaine building for academic research, a single young woman advanced cutting through the entire hall.5ks
WSFWpjXWherever she walked, the crowd split in two.aYDot
YUDdEach time she took a step, everyone watched her movements; each time her abundant blonde hair swayed, everyone stepped back, afraid of blocking her path.vlzC
cHKqyhrIf she looked to the right, the people on the right swallowed hard; if she looked to the left, those on the left broke into a cold sweat.7Nd7V
cDmp5CcAt some point, this little tyrant had become the ruling figure of the Hall Rose, capable of subduing the whole hall with her gaze alone.Lg5i8QX
KLDSuch was the fleeting nature of worldly power.foFqg
FdT7Nothing had changed, but depending on support and shifts in political tides, one could go from being crushed on the ground to walking above the clouds.ZjG8T
57j0saWith no intention of dealing with that rabble that didn’t even seem noble, the young woman walked heavily through the crowd.ww3
QGlfJ“Good morning, Miss Diella.”FMzVp
iYXsuyGBut someone stood directly in her way without moving aside.OkQB
Ro7Diella frowned, but the person in front of her lifted her head even higher and took a deep breath.at9Cyp
CI3NqIV“You don’t seem to be in a good mood, hmm?”rBprTDL
dYxQs“Tri… Tri… what was it? Your name.”wKwb
5tqcQFAlthough she knew perfectly well that her name was Trisha, Diella purposely decided to scratch her pride.Pdz
8F5Trisha held back her emotions, forced a smile, and recalled one by one the words her late father had engraved in her throughout her life.cBII
BUADxXAs a lady of Count Renuel, she had to always live elevated, proud, dignified, and with her posture high.FB8fb3
ZK83p4zBut life always brings tests that seem to measure how far a person can fall.7xOteyv
BrFH“Get lost.”pS8g
TsDnA single word from Diella made the entire hallway fill with a freezing sensation.QHagha
DBMXMSIt was like facing a lion inside a cage.Fv9z5M
cIHFd9Worrying about one’s clothes or about not getting one’s shoes dirty in front of a wild beast was stupidity.B04M
0RFw8ymTo survive in there, one had to be willing to roll in the mud.Ixf5pTj
GoK9jbPAnd the most valuable thing Trisha inherited from the banker Hutton was her courage.1EkCyA
SiIETrisha smiled softly. She had spent days practicing words in front of the wall—words she had never said in her life.emenPAW
qh4AF2Now she just had to let them out lightly and firmly.DHdWVjt
0FdLfThe more impactful, the better.cO4wjgc
5LShsiO“Let’s fight, bitch.”zho3
tJvefvThus, the atmosphere of the Elfontaine building, full of spectators, froze instantly.YC2D9
GLJbqEThey wondered if their ears were malfunctioning.aaS
Qc2pThey had heard something, but it seemed too absurd to be real.4icJFr
6JIThe young noble ladies, with their mouths open, were left petrified, unable to move.bB5iqEU
80INSiRest in peace Trisha.SnD6
lZxsAs if they had agreed on it, everyone fell into a solemn silence.nXAAEJ
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