My lady slaps someone
"What? That's... Of course! I've already decided! I'm going to teach this foolish woman who dared to defy me a lesson, and it's going to ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Before the individual in front of me can finish their sentence, I twist their arm. Their piercing screams echo, making my head throb and my brain feel like it's on fire.
A fool who can't grasp a woman's true worth. Do they really think someone like them can discipline Milady? It's quite amusing. Milady is the only righteous presence in this world. The one in need of correction is undoubtedly them.
"Ahhhh!"
Unintentionally, I apply more pressure to their arm, causing it to produce an unpleasant sound as it twists. As they continue to scream and cry out, I can sense a smile forming on my own lips.
Ah... This is how it should have been from the beginning.
KILL, KILL, KILL.
Anyone who threatens or opposes Milady, anyone who obstructs her... I'll eliminate them all. I'll deal with them, handle them, and eliminate them.
"Hey, why are you just standing there? Get rid of this guy already!"
"Alright, alright, I got it. Sorry, but this is just business. Please, die quickly."
Upon receiving assistance from the guards, one of them, who had been hesitant until now, draws his sword. Despite his words, he wears a malicious grin, likely thinking about how to torment me.
Disgusting. It's embarrassing to have such an uncouth man among the Duke's household guards.
"Brother!? Please stop!"
"Shut up! You just stay quiet!"
Furthermore, it was Milady who panicked. She attempted to intervene in a hurry but was shouted down by her furious brother. Meanwhile, the guard raised his sword, preparing to attack.
"Whoa, that's dangerous...!"
"Eep! What are you doing, you fool?"
I use the man I've been restraining as a shield, suddenly pushing him forward to block the guard's attack. The guard tries to adjust his sword's direction to avoid harming the one he's supposed to protect, but the sudden movement throws off his balance.
Observing this, I'm convinced: this guard isn't accustomed to battle. It's not surprising. When it comes to guards for the Duke's heir, the concept of putting the one they're protecting in harm's way is rare. Their typical duties usually involve flaunting their strength as a deterrent or employing their considerable magical power to enforce compliance.
If that's the case, then subduing him should be relatively easy.
"This is it!"
I seized the opportunity, rapidly closing the gap with my exposed opponent. In response, the guard, caught in an awkward posture, forcibly swung his sword in an attempt to intercept me.
However, it was a poor choice.
With my drawn short dagger, I skillfully deflected his sword. A slight twist of my wrist was enough to disarm him, and the sword slipped from the guard's grip.
"What... Ugh!?"
Now weaponless and bewildered, the guard presented an opening. Seizing the moment, I swiftly twisted my body and delivered a forceful kick to his chin. My kick hit its mark precisely, jolting his brain, and even though he was a nobleman, he rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"
Clearly, he hadn't anticipated such a swift resolution. Desperately, Zane attempted to rouse the fallen guard, but the unconscious man remained motionless.
"..."
"Yikes!"
With that, the troublesome guard had been neutralized. Now, let's turn our attention to the main course. When I redirected my gaze, Zane seemed to realize he was the next target. He emitted a small cry and trembled.
◇◆◇◆
Sending a knight to deal with a commoner was a bit too much in Isabella's view. She tried to intervene and stop her rampaging brother, Zane, but it was already too late.
The guard had swung his sword, and in the next moment, Crow's lifeless body would have been on the ground.
"Wha, whaat?!"
This worst-case scenario was flipped upside down in an instant as Crow effortlessly overpowered the knight. The unexpected outcome left Isabella baffled.
While Isabella knew that Crow was skilled, thanks to their past training expeditions, she never expected him to defeat a knight.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"Crow?!"
Unbeknownst to her, Zane had gone berserk, casting spells recklessly in his frenzy. In the midst of this magical storm, Crow skillfully maneuvered, occasionally deflecting spells, and quickly closed the distance. He seized Zane by the collar, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
And then, he raised the dagger in his right hand, ready to strike down.
"Crow, stop!"
In response to Isabella's plea, Crow froze. The blade was mere moments away from touching Zane's forehead, and it was evident that any sudden movement could result in the blade piercing flesh.
"Ah, I apologize, Milady. I will take care of this scoundrel immediately. Please wait for a moment."
Crow kept the dagger steady, turning his face toward Isabella. He maintained his usual smile, which only highlighted his abnormality, deeply unsettling Isabella. For the first time, she felt the madness within her own attendant, causing her to shudder.
"You must not kill brother."
"What are you saying, Milady? This scoundrel tried to harm you, in other words, he's an enemy. Enemies must be eliminated when the opportunity arises."
"Ugh!"
Still, Isabella couldn't allow her brother, Zane, to be killed. If the precious heir of the Valiaz family were to be killed, it would undoubtedly throw the ducal house into turmoil, and, above all, Crow, the one who did it, would not escape the death penalty.
However, even when given such an order by Isabella, Crow simply tilted his head, appearing as if he couldn't understand. This complete disconnect in their perception left Isabella speechless.
Today, on this day, Isabella truly realized that their worlds were fundamentally different.
"Ah, Eins!"
"I apologize, but I cannot stop him."
"That's...!"
Isabella, unsure of how to halt Crow's rampage, turned to Eins for assistance. Eins, a capable maid who was well-acquainted with Crow, represented her last hope. However, Eins simply shook her head in silence.
If even she couldn't stop Crow in this state, what could they do?
"However, there's one thing. He acknowledges you as his master, please don't forget that."
"?"
This was probably Eins' advice. But in this situation, what difference did it make that Isabella was Crow's master?
(Besides, shouldn't a servant be obedient to their master?!)
The thought made her unreasonably angry.
Why did everyone act so selfishly?
Her brother tried to take what wasn't his, Crow ignored orders, and Eins wouldn't help!
Why am I the only one struggling like this? This is just absurd! It's wrong!
Isabella had been under constant stress, and this was the moment she finally snapped.
"Crow!"
"What is it, Milady?"
"That's enough... Stop it!"
In response to her plea, Crow turned around again. Isabella approached him with a hurried stride and, still seething with anger, delivered a firm slap to his cheek.
◇◆◇◆
He felt a shock surging through him, as sparks ignited in the depths of his eyes. The once-gray world rapidly bloomed with vivid colors. At its center was Isabella, her arm gracefully outstretched.
"Mila, dy...?"
"Are you back to your senses?"
"I... I..."
"Well, if this was the way to bring you back, I should have done this from the start."
He recognized the stinging sensation on his cheek, realizing that he had been slapped.
While Milady checked on his condition and seemed satisfied, he felt his spirits sink. Despite his temporary lapse in sanity, he remembered every detail of the recent events clearly. He had let his anger get the best of him, even raising his hand against Milady's brother, an action that could have serious consequences. However wretched the man was, he was the heir to the ducal family, and there would likely be repercussions for his actions.
"My apologies for the trouble my subordinate caused, my brother."
"D-don't play games with me! Do you think you can do this to me and get away with it?"
Regaining his senses, Zane, who had been freed, could not bring himself to accept Isabella's apology. Overwhelmed with guilt for causing problems for his sister, he was consumed by anger.
"I do feel sorry about it, but the root of this issue lies in your attempt to meddle with my subordinates and let's not forget your attempt to harm me."
"What!? Such nonsense won't work! You, someone like you, should be reported to Father and punished..."
"Is that so? Well, then, I must take certain measures to protect myself."
"What are you saying?"
Zane was preparing to make an unreasonable demand from Milady, and the atmosphere was tense. However, Milady's words shifted the dynamics.
"My subordinates can be quite ruthless, and I'm not sure I can control them this time. Right, Crow?"
"If Milady commands it, I shall take care of it promptly."
"Eek...!"
With a slight nod from Milady, Zane screamed in terror. He seemed to be traumatized by the recent events. The man who was so arrogant and defiant moments ago was now trembling like a small animal in response to Milady's words.
"However, I do not favor such violent methods. Therefore, let's consider this a result of a misunderstanding on both sides, and end it here. Does that sound acceptable, dear brother?"
"Sh, shit... Fine, I'll let it go this time. There won't be a next time."
"Well, thank you, dear brother."
While it appeared that Zane had more to say to Milady, he realized he was at a disadvantage and retreated hastily, disappearing down the corridor. Isabella elegantly watched him go with a subtle smile, and Crow couldn't help but feel immensely proud of her.
"Phew, for now, let's just relax," Isabella said as they managed to return to her room. She sat on the sofa and let out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry, Milady."
"Yes, this time was quite dangerous. I mean, raising a hand against my brother, of all people – how foolish! You know you could have faced execution," Isabella replied.
"I have no words to respond," I said, bowing my head.
In a situation where I had put both myself and her at risk, and we had been fortunate to escape unharmed, there was no choice but to bow to her.
"Come here," she suddenly called.
Noticing how I had sunk into despair, Isabella seemed to take pity on me and patted her thigh, motioning for me to come closer.
I understood the implication behind her gesture. Was that what she meant?
"Milady?"
"Come on, hurry up!"
"Yes," I replied, still bewildered by the sudden turn of events. I moved to sit beside Isabella, resting my head on her soft thigh. Her hand gently caressed my head.
"Um...?"
Feeling Milady's hand caressing my head and using her lap as a pillow was comforting. However, I couldn't understand why she was doing this, and my bewilderment overcame any joy I felt. I had caused her significant inconvenience with my reckless actions.
Instead of receiving such a rewarding treatment, I believed that I should be punished.
"I know you tried to protect me. Your methods weren't commendable, but even so..."
At that point, she paused, her gaze drifting into the air as if she hesitated for a moment.
She must have something important to say.
As I enjoyed the pleasant sensation of her combing through my hair, I waited patiently for her words.
"I'll only say this once, so please listen carefully."
"Yes."
It seemed she had made a decision. Milady looked directly into my eyes with a serious expression.
In response, I hung on to her every word.
"Th-thank you..."
"Eh!"
Just a single word.
Nevertheless, the heartfelt words from Milady had a powerful impact on my heart.
How embarrassing...
My face felt hot.
I was likely as red as Milady's face in front of me.
"That's the end of this discussion! I'm going to take a bath, so get ready for bed!"
"Eh!?"
Perhaps feeling somewhat embarrassed or uneasy, Milady suddenly got up and hastily left the room.
As I rose from my lap pillow perch, I made eye contact with Eins, who had been witnessing the entire situation.
"Sir Crow, I apologize."
"It can't be helped. I was also at fault for letting my guard down because Zane had been quiet lately."
Naturally, we were discussing the recent incident. Our investigation revealed that Zane had devised various plans to lure Eins back into his service, resulting in the unfolding events. We would need to be even more cautious from now on.
"Is there any problem?"
However, this wasn't the only issue. While Zane seemed to have behaved himself during the negotiation with Milady, many people in his service handled the unsavory tasks.
This means there's a possibility of them seeking revenge discreetly. If nobody notices, it could be disguised as an accident or an incident of some sort.
If it's deemed an unfortunate accident, it won't affect the negotiations with Milady.
"He's not the type to give in quietly. Given his character, the chance of him relenting is low. As a precaution, take necessary measures."
"I understand. I'll prepare accordingly."
There was no option but to get ready for the probable retaliation.
Eins gracefully acknowledged my orders and left the room to make the necessary arrangements.
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