The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 62

“…?”

 

Duke Kalinos said no more.

 

Marquis Berto realized with indignation that he had been completely overpowered in a single reply, and fumed. “Let’s start. You can go first.”

 

With a short whistle, Duke Kalinos raised his sword first. Marquis Berto, not to be outdone, gripped his sword tightly, his fighting spirit burning.

 

Clang! The two swords clashed sharply. Berto’s weapon was a bastard sword embedded with a noble mana stone for his mana blade, while Duke Kalinos wielded an ordinary longsword that appeared unremarkable.

 

Berto gritted his teeth at the lack of proper preparation and sincerity. But what infuriated him even more was the reality that he was gradually being pushed back by such an insincere longsword. A sharp, piercing sound erupted from the clashing blades.

 

“My goodness!”

 

“Isn’t Marquis Berto losing?”

 

“Yes. Duke Kalinos is overwhelming him.”

 

“He must have cut down people or monsters like that.”

 

At those words, Duke Kalinos lightly applied pressure with his fingertips. The moment blue mana flowed from the longsword, a splitting headache shot through Berto’s already aching head.

 

Damn it, Giselle. If it weren’t for you, I…! As soon as he picked up the sword, the splitting headache made it hard to focus, and his vision blurred. If it weren’t for you!

 

Duke Kalinos didn’t act like a beast. He simply applied pressure to his sword, effortlessly pushing Marquis Berto’s sword away.

 

Marquis Berto, glaring resentfully at his rapidly retreating sword, let out a guttural cry as he pushed back with all his might. “Ughhh!”

 

Perhaps it was because he was straining his shoulder muscles to their limits. Clang! With a grinding sound, the blade embedded with mana stones visibly trembled violently.

 

“Oh.” A fleeting look of surprise crossed Duke Kalinos’s face.

 

Seeing that, Berto felt a surge of energy. I practiced countless times to defeat you! Determined to win, he put more strength into his sword, trying to push back.

 

“It’s getting tiresome. Let’s finish this.”

 

Duke Kalinos relaxed his grip slightly, drawing Berto’s sword towards him. The moment Berto lost his balance and staggered from the recoil.

 

“Huh, Gasp!”

 

Duke Kalinos then pushed his sword forward with force. The brute strength Berto had exerted returned as a powerful wave.

 

“Uaargh!”

 

Berto’s wrist twisted with an odd sound. As searing pain shot through him and the tip of his sword seemed about to snap, the tip of Duke Kalinos’s sword suddenly surged towards Berto’s throat. Thud. The sound of Berto’s sword falling followed belatedly.

 

“Is it over?”

 

Marquis Berto stared blankly at the blade of Duke Kalinos’s sword hovering before his neck.

 

“Your form has worsened since the past.”

 

“…”

 

“Do you need a lesson in swordsmanship? Unfortunately, I have no intention of teaching you anymore.”

 

The cold, critical remark stung with humiliation.

 

Thus, the duel between Duke Kalinos and Marquis Berto ended in a rather anticlimactic fashion. Duke Kalinos confidently received the beautiful blue lily, which blooms only on the Feast of Saint Gladius.

 

“I’ll take the victor’s flower.” The red eyes of Duke Kalinos gleamed with joy as he held the so-called ‘victor’s flower.’

 

To think I’d be confirmed as second best here, of all places, today.

 

Lady Shabel’s disappointed expression only added to the sense of despair.

 

But why is he holding the victor’s flower so precious?

 

The other knights, witnessing this, reacted as if they were in the presence of an idol.

 

“Oh, come to think of it, didn’t he say he was announcing his marriage today?”

 

“He must have entered the competition to dedicate it to his lady.”

 

“Surprisingly, he has a romantic side!”

 

As the knights whispered among themselves, a subtle excitement appeared on the faces of some ladies.

 

Duke Kalinos boldly walked over and took the hand of a lady standing apart from the rest. “To my lady Giselle, I dedicate the ‘victor’s flower.’”

 

Just as everyone was wondering if they had seen it wrong, Giselle stood up, took the flower from him, and smiled brightly.

 

“You should tuck it behind my ear, Darling!”

 

“Ah.”

 

Duke Kalinos gently tucked the vibrant flower behind Giselle’s ear. In the enchanting atmosphere, Giselle grasped the hem of her dress and nestled into his embrace.

 

“Aah, Darling~♡”

 

As Giselle clung tightly to him, Duke Kalinos’s expression stiffened, like a monster just learning the emotion of embarrassment.

 

“…Yes, Darling.” Though he seemed a bit out of sorts, he dutifully brushed back Giselle’s hair and said, “It’s a shame for your feet to touch the grass. Shall I carry you?”

 

The chillingly saccharine remark left everyone around them in various states of shock. It was a tremendous scandal. Giselle, known as the fool of the social scene and bearing the dreadful nickname ‘everyone’s lover,’ was Duke Kalinos’s beloved! Other ladies, unable to maintain their composure, resorted to pointing fingers in disbelief.

 

Marquis Berto’s legs gave way beneath him. Giselle… isn’t just Duke Kalinos’s test subject? With that thought, a surge of anger and greed welled up within him. If she’s valuable enough for Duke Kalinos to desire, then she must be worth something. He ground his teeth as he watched Giselle, smiling beautifully in Duke Kalinos’s arms.

 

It was at that very moment, as everyone was fixated on Giselle, who held the victor’s flower. Giselle, nestled in Duke Kalinos’s embrace, flashed a devilish glint in her eyes.

 

* * *

Marquis Berto might not realize it, but the event I was most looking forward to today was definitely not the ‘victor’s flower’ or the ‘Feast of Saint Gladius declaration.’

 

“Giselle, shouldn’t you say a few words to commemorate receiving the victor’s flower?”

 

Of course, it was customary for the lady who received the victor’s flower to offer a word of encouragement to her knight. However, as if everyone noticed the peculiar glint in my eyes, the atmosphere became tense.

 

“Mmm, today I plan to read a wonderful piece of trash!” Smiling, I raised the crumpled letter.

 

It was finally time to set off the build-up I’d been waiting for, clenching my teeth every time Marquis Berto sent me those belittling letters. To read a personal letter in public on a festival day? What an absurd, laughable scandal! But to humiliate Marquis Berto, who had gone out of his way to showcase my despair, this kind of embarrassing spectacle was just right. And besides, it’s kind of fun thinking that I’m going fully crazy myself!

 

As Marquis Berto’s eyes widened, I mouthed to him with a teasing whisper. ‘You thought it was over, didn’t you?’ He might want to snatch the letter away immediately, but unfortunately for him, Duke Kalinos was by my side.

 

With a wide smile, I began to read the letter. “Now, let’s be~gin!”