"Please mind yourself, Mr. Villy Barrett."
Seeing the sleazy blond man try to grab her hand again, Alice sighed and gave a reminder.
"As I recall, my father never consented to any engagement between us. So please refrain from calling me your fiancée."
Among the many suitors who approached the Carlos family after Alice came of age, the Barrett family, which held a marquis title, certainly had the highest standing.
So Alice clearly remembered: both she and her father, the Baron Carlos, had explicitly rejected the Barretts' marriage proposal.
However, the family with the highest status was, unsurprisingly, also the most arrogant, most difficult—or perhaps just the most shameless.
Even after being rejected, Villy Barrett, only son of the Marquis Barrett, continued to pester Alice relentlessly, even brazenly referring to her as his fiancée.
As nauseating as that was, it wasn't without a silver lining—
Well, the silver lining was: ever since Villy started declaring Alice as his betrothed, no one else dared propose to the Carlos family and risk incurring the wrath of a marquis's only heir.
About 90% awful, 10% useful.
"Oh no, Lady Alice, you are the goddess of my heart. Who but me could ever be worthy of such grace and elegance? Even if your father disapproves, I will never let you go."
"I think you're mistaken, Mr. Villy. It's not that my father disapproves—I believe we're simply not suited for each other."
Alice had concluded that subtlety was useless when dealing with someone like him.
"No, no, no, Alice, you're the one who's mistaken,"
With a confident flick of his blond hair, Villy placed a hand on his hip and smirked.
"When I said I won't let go, I meant it literally. Whether it's Baron Carlos or your own opinion, none of it matters to me. If I say you're my fiancée, then you will never escape from me. That's what I mean by 'not letting go.'"
"You! That's going too far!"
Ilon, Alice's childhood friend and someone who held feelings for her, couldn't just sit back and watch this.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be, standing in my way?"
Villy's eyes turned sharp. His tone toward Ilon was completely different from how he addressed Alice. After all, to him, everyone here—aside from the two Seth brothers—were trash.
"Ilon!"
Alice shot him a look, signaling not to get involved. She didn't want trouble spilling over to the Austin family.
"Oh? Things are lively over here."
Finally stepping out from the crowd was a rotund middle-aged man.
"Father!"
Marquis Barrett, Villy's father. With so much fat on his face, one might question if Villy, with his passable looks, was even biologically related.
Most likely, his looks came from his mother's side. After all, noble houses of marquis rank often picked only the most beautiful women for marriage.
Like what Villy Barrett was trying to do now.
Squinting impolitely as he ogled Alice from head to toe, the marquis nodded in satisfaction.
"So this is the woman my son has his eyes on. You really take after your old man's good taste."
Being the marquis's only child, Villy was thoroughly spoiled. Thanks to his noble birth and status, he had never been denied anything in his life.
And that upbringing, courtesy of Marquis Barrett, had shaped Villy into the playboy he was.
"Though it's hard to say a baron's daughter is a proper match, if the kids are willing, I, as a father, would of course support their happiness."
"Support their happiness, my ass! It's your son's fantasy, not hers! When did Alice ever agree to this?"
Like a fearless calf before a tiger, the pampered youngest daughter of the Austin family, Ren, wasn't afraid to shout out. Her defiance drew sidelong glances from the crowd.
"So you think you can bully people just because you're a marquis, huh? Well, let me tell you—even if you were the Duke Seth's son, you still couldn't beat her!"
After a quick calculation, Ren grabbed Aisha and shoved her forward.
"She beat both of the Seth brothers! So what do you think about that?"
Wow. Talking big, then throwing your bestie under the bus. You really are the ultimate best friend.
"You're Alice's younger sister?"
Looking over the shy, soft-spoken girl who bore about 80% resemblance to Alice, Villy suddenly caught on.
"Sister-in-law, eh? A pleasure to meet you!"
Cue the full-body cringe. Aisha now fully understood how her sister felt. Being called "sister-in-law" by someone like this was physically nauseating.
"Beat the Seth brothers? So that's you—Aisha Yuna Carlos."
The marquis squinted his eyes slightly open. When they were closed, he could just barely pass for gentle. Opened, though, his years of political scheming were all too apparent.
"Since both families have duelists, resolving this matter here at the banquet will be simple."
He gestured to his son and proposed:
"Villy is also a duelist. At a banquet like this, all disputes can be settled by duel. That is, after all, why the Royal Duel Arena exists."
He was referring to the lavish dueling platform at the center of the venue.
"Aisha Carlos, if you win this duel, Villy will give up on Alice. But if you lose, the engagement becomes binding."
"Father, I don't want to give up on Alice!"
Having never been denied anything, Villy already considered Alice his property.
"Villy, the Barrett family can give you everything you desire. However, as a man, there's one thing you must earn for yourself: a woman."
It sounded noble; that said, Marquis Barrett's true calculations were far from that.
Aisha Carlos was well-known as the girl who defeated both Seth brothers.
In this banquet—where family status was determined by dueling skill—if his son won this match, it would mean the Barrett family had surpassed the Seths.
Just like Duke Seth resented Lord Kaiser, Marquis Barrett had long coveted the duke's position.
If an opportunity arose, no matter the risk, he'd pounce on it and devour anyone above him.
Such is human greed—endless.
"Very well. The Carlos family accepts the duel!"
Alice had already planned to use Aisha's strength to revive the Carlos family's prestige this year.
Humiliation, scorn, and slander from the past—all could be washed away by this duel.
And if she was going to do that, it didn't matter if the opponent was a viscount's son or a marquis's.
In fact, crushing a marquis's son at the banquet would make the Carlos family's revival unmistakable.
"Are we really accepting this duel?"
Aisha, sweet and naive, wasn't thinking that far ahead.
"If I lose, you'll have to marry that disgusting leech..."
"Of course we're accepting!"
Alice squeezed Aisha's small hand tightly, full of confidence.
"Don't forget, you're my knight tonight. And trusting your knight, having her bring honor and glory to our house—that's how it should be!"
"I'm... your knight?"
Easily swayed, Aisha was instantly won over, her heart swelling with a sense of purpose.
Ren whispered, "Still, wait, if Villy Barrett's a duelist, does that mean he's a Saint Arcanum student too? Never seen him around... maybe a graduate?"
Alice said, "No, Villy Barrett is a duelist, but he's a second-year at Starcrest Academy."
"A marquis's son from Livorden studying abroad at Starcrest?" Ren scoffed. "Traitor vibes!"
As mentioned before, with Fusion Summoning on the decline, even nobles from Livorden—including the king himself—had started sending their children abroad to study.
The Barretts were just one such influential family.
Ren analyzed, "No wonder Marquis Barrett isn't fazed about Aisha beating the Seth brothers."
Those who sent their kids abroad to other academies all shared one thing: disdain for Saint Arcanum and Fusion Summoning, believing foreign methods were superior.
Especially after Starcrest Academy won the Sacred Grounds Tournament this year, Marquis Barrett was even more convinced in his decision.
Now on center stage at the banquet's dueling platform, Aisha and Villy faced each other.
Who would have thought the night's first duel would be between the buzzworthy second daughter of the Carlos family and the "foreign-educated" son of Marquis Barrett?
The crowd was electric.
Everyone loves a spectacle. No matter who won, the aftermath would trigger a chain reaction.
And don't forget—the duel also concerned the marriage of the beautiful and popular Alice Carlos.
A tap on the Millennium Puzzle triggered a golden glow of soul transference.
"This duel... I have to win, no matter what."
Taking control of Aisha's body, Miles opened her emerald eyes once more.
"The true knight has entered the stage."
...
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