Noticing the glass in my hand and the warm smile on my face, a gleam flashed past in Selina's eyes, and she got a little elated, thinking that I was finally going to drink the beverage mixed with potion.
However, she soon suppressed her excitement and controlled her emotions, turned her head and looked sideways to avoid catching my attention after confirming that I hadn't noticed her change, and acted as if she didn't care whether I would drink it or not.
And this was exactly what I wanted, because as soon as she looked away, I slid the glass under the table and, without making her or anyone else notice, poured nearly 80% of the drink into the Spatial pouch I had gotten as a gift earlier.
After that, under the eager eyes of Selina, who was looking at me with her peripheral vision, I pretended to drink by lowering my head slightly, covering the entire glass with my both hands, and bringing it to my lips as though I were actually consuming the liquid inside.
To be truthful, my initial intention was to change the blood contained in the potion, but I didn't have enough time before the already-dropped blood lost its potency, so I had to abandon that idea.
Anyway, I wasn't too upset about it because, with what I planned for Selina, I will have too many opportunities to do that in these next two months.
Noticing the almost empty glass that I put back on the table, a sense of victory flashed across Selina's eyes; her shoulders relaxed, and she then took a deep breath of relief, thinking that her objective was finally finished.
Subsequently, it didn't take long before her expressions started changing as her relief turned into anger and then hatred because of how I had treated her earlier.
At the end of which, she was finally back to her cocky and arrogant self.
Witnessing her changing expressions, a playful smile appeared on my face, which I didn't even try to hide this time.
But Selina, who believed I drank the potion, thought that I was attracted to her, that I was finally showing my emotions, and that I was now showing her this smile to express my goodwill.
These delusions just made Selina all the more proud, and she felt like this was how it should have been from the very beginning.
'Oh poor girl! Oops! I mean, you poor b*tch.'
I inwardly mocked her, while on the outside, in front of her face, I immediately removed the smile from my face and then once again ignored her.
"!!!!"
which immediately popped the bubble of arrogance on her face.
Watching me lost in my thoughts without even caring about her instantly froze Selina's smile, who now had a gloomy look on her face as if she had eaten a load of sh*t.
But recalling her mother's assurances that the potion would definitely work helped restore her confidence, and her arrogant smile bounced back.
pfft~!
Witnessing her expressions change in such a way felt too comical, and I almost burst out laughing and lost my composure.
Selina, having read numerous romantic stories, assumed that I was possibly attempting to "play hard to get" and that, because the potion's effect is still a little weak, I want her to pursue me instead of me pursuing her, despite the fact that I now like her.
But how could this be acceptable to this spoiled brat who always had boys chasing after her like dogs licking her feet?
For Selina, even the thought of chasing after a boy was absolutely unacceptable!
My image in her mind, which was already in the far negatives, broke all records and almost touched the line of lifelong enemies.
But Selina's ego swelled instantaneously when she believed that I had already consumed the potion, that I would have her in my heart, and that I would soon fall hopelessly in love with her.
Because of this, when she saw my indifferent and arrogant behaviour again, she let loose with all of the negative feelings that she had been stuffing down because of me.
Thinking that from now on, whatever she does, I would dare not do anything to her.
And so, drowning in her own delusion with an overly inflated ego, she pointed her finger at me and spoke threateningly.
"How dare you ignore me?"
"Huh?"
Although this was all planned by me from the beginning to the end, even I was amazed at how beautifully I controlled her emotions, pushing them to the point that they burst in such a way.
But even if I had anticipated this result way earlier, when it finally happened in front of me, I couldn't believe that someone's brain could really be this impaired.
'Is this girl's brain really a piece of sh*t?'
Anyway, I also had enough of her; I had already achieved half of what I wanted from this night, and it was now time to get the other half.
So, just after Selina shouted at me and attracted the attention of the people nearby, my expressions instantly turned ruthless, and I spoke slowly with a threatening tone.
"So what if I ignore you? Who do you think you are anyway, some kind of princess?
I questioned her in a voice loud enough for the people nearby to hear clearly but not loud enough that it reached my mother.
The fact that I was so brazen in my insult only served to infuriate Selina further.
But I didn't give her any time to respond because I continued to speak in a reprimanding tone, as if I were issuing a warning, which was actually fine because everyone makes mistakes, and as it was Selina, a count's daughter, who made the mistake, in other people's eyes I was being merciful towards her as the only heir of the Steeline family by only reprimanding her with words.
"Let me tell you that even the princess of the royal family would dare not speak to me in that tone, let alone you, a spoiled brat of the count's family. Now get away from me if you have nothing to do, and don't disturb my meal."
However, to Selina, my words were the sharpest of swords that stabbed her sore spot one after another, making her emotions take control over her judgement.
"Y--you... Luke Steeline, how dare you, apologise to me right now." Pointing at me once again with a face that was almost flushed red like a tomato because of the heat from her anger, she shouted loudly, disregarding everything and everyone else.
"What did you say?"
This time even I didn't try to suppress the volume of my voice, and the commotion instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.
Even Stacey and my mother turned their heads towards this place.
And when Stacey saw the expressions on her daughter's face while also noticing that her daughter was pointing her finger at me, she realised that things had somehow developed in a way that was entirely different from what she had imagined they would.
Her irises contracted, and she felt a sickening sense of dread seize hold of her heart.
However, unaware of what was going on in her mother's heart, Selina was having her own internal struggle.
Why?!
She screamed in her heart, and then, one after another, she continued to question herself.
Why is it only happening to her?
Why was she still being scolded in front of so many people even after she completed her task and made me drink the potion?
Didn't her mother assure her that everything would be fine as long as I drank the potion and that I would be obsessed with her?
Then why isn't anything like that happening now?
She didn't know, and she couldn't figure out what went wrong.
In such desperation, with her anger clouding her judgement, the final thread of sanity in her mind broke, and she blamed everything on me, deeming me the cause of all her problems in her mind.
All these thoughts in Selina's head only took a second of the outside world.
And in the hall, it didn't take long before Stacey realised that her bad premonition had come true when she saw the hand of her daughter, who was mad with rage, moving in the air towards my face.
"SELINA!"
Everything happened so suddenly within the blink of an eye that no one had the time to react; even Stacey was only able to shout to stop her daughter's actions.
which, nonetheless, didn't stop as Selina's hand almost instantly reached near my face.
However, just as Selina's palm was about to get in touch with my face, it suddenly stopped midway.
With an unbelievable look on her face, Selina noticed that my left arm was holding her wrist midair, making it almost immobile, and that no matter how she tried to struggle, her hand didn't bulge from its place.
Instantly after that, when she looked up and saw my ice-cold, piercing gaze, her anger immediately vanished and was then replaced by fear.
Resulting in her sanity coming back and eventually making her realise what she had done in a fit of rage.
However, before she or anyone else in the audience could react to the situation,
Smack!!!
The sound of a crisp slap reverberated throughout the hall.
Thud!
And Selina, who had been the recipient of the slap, immediately fell to the ground, covering the left side of her face, which had my whole palm printed in red on it.
'Take that, you b*tch. HAHAHAH'
Inwardly, I laughed hysterically with a sense of satisfaction as I finally got to slap this b*tch in front of everyone.
Nevertheless, on the outside, I still had a serious and furious look on my face.
"Luke!"
My mother came running towards me as soon as she came to her senses and realised what was happening, with my father following her, and he was also taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
Stacey and other members of the Greenberg family ran towards Selina and helped her from the ground.
"What happened here?"
Furious, my mother asked me while checking my body for any injuries or anything amiss.
While she checked my body, I checked Stacey, who was looking at Selina with fire in her eyes.
My mother's anger was directed not at me but rather at Selina, who had the audacity to yell at me and even raise her hands in my direction.
"Mother, she was trying to hit me, so I hit her back." I spoke innocently, like I didn't understand her question clearly.
"Okay, you did well, and I noticed that as well; however, could you explain what transpired from the very beginning?"
"Of course, it happens like this..."
After that, I explained what happened in these few minutes: how I was eating my food and how I lost myself in thought while thinking about how to train and use my new aura sword.
which was, of course, all a lie.
But hey, it's all inside my head, so who knows?
Then I told everyone about Selina's rude and arrogant words, how she was acting like a b*tch as if I was her servant, and about my attitude of ignoring her when I couldn't take her anymore.
And how, because she was Stacey's daughter, I didn't say anything rude to her; I simply ignored her after she spoke ill of me; and how, finally, she became enraged, threatened me for ignoring her, and then attempted to slap me, which was witnessed by everyone.
The more I spoke, the paler the faces of the Greenberg family members got, because they all knew about Selina's personality.
Coupled with my superb acting and the fact that Selina wasn't rejecting my words, even Stacey believed more than 90% of what I said.
During this whole explanation, I pretended to be innocent and didn't mention that Selina had offered me a drink.
Instead, I blamed Selina's haughty attitude and poor upbringing for everything.
It wasn't yet time to make Greenberg's family's deed public, so I didn't mention the fact about the drink; otherwise, with how clever the people present here are, I was sure they would instantly identify the problem.
When everyone heard my words, some of them nodded their heads and showed their agreement with my words while describing how they also saw the whole thing and that all I was saying was true.
Finally, after hearing my words and understanding the details of the situation, they couldn't help but look down at Selina with disdain in their eyes, who was standing by Stacey.
As a result, anyone who was close to the Greenbergs immediately distanced themselves from them.
"Mother, did I do right?" I asked innocently while tugging at my mother's dress, as if asking if I had done anything wrong, since, according to my persona as a gentle, cute child, the chaotic situation also involved some of my actions.
"Yes, my dear, you did the right thing. How dare someone try to hurt my son?"
My mother's eyes got instantly filled with a murderous aura, and as she turned her head to look at Selina, all the tenderness and love she had on her face while facing me instantly vanished away.
Instead, a cold, ruthless expression appeared on her face, almost as if she would tear Selina into pieces here and now.
"Presumptuous!"
The loud yell and appearance of a group of people wearing white religious attire, however, stopped my mother before she could say or do anything.
"Not Good!"
Recognizing who had appeared, Stacey's heart sank to the bottom, and she instantly came in front of her daughter, trying to protect her, because she understood that at the moment things had gone so insanely wrong that they even had the risk of losing their lives here today.
"Stacey Greenberg! We want an explanation for your daughter's actions, who not only insulted but also tried to hurt our holy son, and if your family can't give a satisfactory explanation to us today, then we will judge the whole Greenberg family with the holy law, and you lot of people then forget going back to your estate on your two legs."
Hiss!
F*ck!
Almost everyone sucked in a deep, cold breath when they heard those words, because no one doubted whether the archbishop had the capability of doing what he said.
If the Archbishop or the Church of Light really wants to do it, then even a Duke or some members of the Royal Family wouldn't be able to resist the onslaught of these lunatics of Light.
In fact, they were so shocked that the Archbishop took part in a matter related to the nobles, but when they remembered my S rank title and that the Archbishop referred to me as the Holy Son, they instantly understood everything.
When they finally calmed down, they looked pitifully at the Greenberg family, thinking that a spoiled child was to blame for their bad luck.
Some of the nobles even made a resolution to themselves that when they go back home tonight, they must teach the kids of their family some discipline and not let them be so spoiled like Selina, lest they also bring some calamity to their family with their foolish behaviour.
Everyone present here understands what it means to be judged by the holy law; it is the cruellest law, even crueller than the royal law.
Because according to the holy law, those who broke the law are all considered heretics, and in the eyes of these lunatics of the Church of Light, any heretic is the most heinous person.
You can only imagine the kind of calamity that awaits those who are subject to the holy law, where even the mildest punishment entails breaking their limbs and feeding them to the fish.
However, do I feel merciful towards the Greenberg family?
Absolutely not!
Instead, I was happy and praising this old man for being so cool, which almost made the whole Greenberg family pee their pants out of fear.
'Damn! archbishop oldie. Awesome! thumbs up!'
─ It's no wonder that this happened. I heard that the Greenberg's little girl is too spoiled, doesn't see people as people, and is over the top with her behaviour, thinking everyone as her servants.
─ At such a young age, an attitude like that is really a shame for our aristocrats.
─ No humbleness and manners; even if you're at a higher status, you must respect and treat everyone with courtesy and respect, let alone when your own status is lower and you act as if you own the world?
─ Yeah, it can't be defined even as a mistake anymore; now either it was intentional or this girl has a serious mental illness.
─ I thinking it's all the parents' fault for not properly educating their children.
─ I agree!
The more people around us continued to gossip, the more Greenberg family members' faces turned paler and paler when they heard about such a thing and witnessed their reputation being trampled on live in front of their eyes.
Even Selina had a face full of faeces, with one side swollen like a balloon.
I had to say that a sage once gave me the correct advice: "A slap on the face keeps a bitch in place."
HAHAHAH!
After the initial whispering and unrest that came from the surprise of Selina's misery and the Archbishop's words, the room fell into a heavy silence as everyone processed the weight of the situation.The whole Greenberg family was almost on their knees in fright, and even the arrogant Selina was like a scared cat at this time, hiding in her mother's arms as she looked at the surrounding situation, which was getting worse and worse.She now finally understood the predicament they were in.That is how her arrogance had led to this situation, and she should have listened to her mother's words and behaved more politely.According to her, she did everything correctly, but she messed up afterward because she overestimated the effect of the potion.When such a thought crossed Selina's mind, she couldn't help but resent her mother; she didn't want to believe that everything had happened because of her.Selina's innocence and vulnerability were on full display at the moment, and it was clear
He had a delightful smile on his old face, looking pleased with my decision-making up to this point and waiting to see how I would handle this situation. Inwardly grinning with satisfaction and having successfully built up public anticipation, I nodded to the archbishop and continued speaking. But this time, as I started speaking, I subtly activated my title『Ruler of Light』and a gentle warmth started spreading across the hall, with me as the centre of it all. "Archbishop, according to what my mother always taught me, if someone makes a mistake, then their punishment should be something that not only makes the person genuinely realise their mistakes as to why they did it, but also make them take responsibility for it, all the while striving to improve themselves so that such a situation won't repeat itself." The more I spoke, the brighter the smile on the archbishop's face got. "As it should be, Duchess Steeline has taught you well." He turned to my mother and gave her a nod of ap
The night sky above the castle was a breathtaking sight to behold.The full moon cast a gentle glow upon the landscape, illuminating the dark shadows of the trees and the turrets of the castle.The stars twinkled like diamonds, scattered across the velvet black canvas of the sky, while wispy clouds drifted lazily by, their edges tinged with a soft pink hue.Fairy lights strung along the walls and ceilings of the castle, while the interior of the hall was adorned with delicate flowers.The guests, dressed in their finest attire, laughed and chatted as they sipped on champagne and enjoyed the delectable treats laid out before them.As the night wore on, the stars grew brighter, and the moon seemed to rise higher in the sky.The party continued, spilling out onto the castle's balcony, where guests could marvel at the beauty of the night sky in all its glory.And there I was, aware of the beauty of the night but not able to enjoy its view as I was busy in my thoughts while watching the ba
─ One hour later. In a beautiful, luxurious bedroom fit for the head of the Steeine family, which was in the heart of the castle and had high ceilings and large windows with a stunning view of the castle gardens, a woman cursed loudly and hit the glass table in front of her in rage. Bang! "That b*tch, how dare she? I will kill her!" A piercing smash signalled the initial impact as the glass shards got blasted and scattered across the ground. Shatter! The noise reverberated and echoed throughout the space, heightening the sense of outrage and gravity brought about by my father's report. "To plot against my son, such guts!" My mother, who was sitting on the couch next to me, shouted in an extremely enraged manner while gritting her teeth and clenching her fist. In spite of the fact that she had just shattered a glass table, there was not even a single scratch on her hand, clearly signifying what an insane level of physical strength she possesses. And if it hadn't been for me g
My sudden leap from her lap and question to my father caught my mother's attention, who then also eagerly looked at him to hear the answer.But instead of what we thought he would say, my dad just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders."How would I know who's behind such a thing?"Although he claimed that was the case, his eyes—which I caught gesturing at my mother as though to say, "Don't bring up that subject in front of Luke"—said otherwise."Dad! Why are you trying to hide it from me? I just saw you secretly signalling at my mother."The fact that I saw through his methods and revealed them so directly immediately made his cheeks red and his face embarrassed.Thereafter, helpless, he turned to my mom as though pleading for assistance.But all she did was give him a shake of the head, as if she didn't want to get involved in what was going on between the father and son, though I know she was enjoying it too.Dejected, my father tried to persuade me."It's still not time for you
Next morning, 6:12 A.M. Chirp~! As I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside, I stretched my arms above my head. The sun was peeking through the window of my room, casting a soft glow across the plush rug on the floor and the bed as I felt the sun's warmth on my face. As I sat up, yawned, and rubbed my eyes, the familiar sights, including the large map of the continent of Ardonia on one wall, marked with pins indicating all the places I hoped to one day visit and where some major events of the book took place, came into my sight. My room is spacious but tastefully decorated, though unlike the rooms of kids my age, where toys and books fill the shelves and overflow the toy chest, mine looks more like it belongs to an adult scholar. In this case, I'll give my mom the benefit of the doubt and take the other half of the credit since I share this room with her and we both enjoy it this way. Looking to my side, I noticed that my mother wasn't there by my side, but the bed is s
As I descended the stairs with my mom, I greeted the archbishop and the other paladins and priests from the Church of Light, who were gathered around a large table in the middle of the hall."Good morning, Archbishop, and to everyone else." My mother nodded and also greeted them, and they all stood up and greeted us back."Good morning to you too, holy son, and to you too, Duchess Steeline.""Good morning, Holy Son.""Greetings Duchess.""Holy Son is very kind.""Does the Archbishop sleep comfortably? There weren't any problems, were there?" I approached the table and asked as we exchanged small pleasantries with each other."No worries; everything was good, and we all had a good night's sleep yesterday." He replied with his signature old smile.Then, one by one, following the archbishop, the other paldins and priests also started expressing their thoughts."There's no need for the holy son to worry; Steeline's hospitality was really one of the best we have experienced.""Even the gar
─ December 25, year 1000 Caspara Commercial Road. As a convoy of opulent carriages drawn by horse-like demons passed by the towering trees on either side of the road, the sound of their hooves clopping against the snow-covered asphalt filled the air. A single carriage in the centre was surrounded and escorted by four carriages of Aura users and Paladins of strength equal to "Swordman" and "Sword Master" rank. The carriage in the middle appeared ordinary yet elegant, with its exterior painted in a rich burgundy colour with gold trim that gleamed in the sunlight. However, only upon stepping inside can one realise that this carriage is far from ordinary. The interior of the carriage is a magical space, with a sense of grandeur that far surpasses any five-star hotel room. But what truly sets this carriage apart is the magical bedroom that lies beyond a set of doors. Inside the spacious and opulent room, on a king-sized bed that was covered in silk sheets and plush pillows, I was ly