(Arin's Perspective)
The air in the cafeteria, previously warm and filled with the aroma of roasted meat, suddenly grew heavy. It was as if invisible lead weights were pressing down on our shoulders.
Karl Benzzi stood before our table. With an arrogant posture, he folded his arms across his chest. He looked me up and down with a gaze of pure disgust, as if he had just stepped in filth and refused to share oxygen with a lowly creature like me.
However, when his eyes shifted to Elena, that look transformed into a complicated mix of obsession and disappointment.
"Ah, Elena. What a... repulsive sight. It feels like seeing a beautiful rose growing thriving next to a pile of horse manure," Karl remarked with a feigned tone of concern.
Elena let out a long sigh, making no effort to hide her exhaustion. It seemed this wasn't the first time she had to deal with Karl's cheap drama.
"Karl, if you came just to insult Arin, please leave. I am enjoying lunch with my research colleague."
"Insult? Oh, for Heaven's sake, no. I am merely worried about your social hygiene standards, My Dear."
"You need not worry, Karl. My standards remain the same. I simply spare my time for men who are 'interesting'. So could you leave? My appetite was quite good before you arrived."
Karl's brow twitched. The word 'interesting' seemed to bruise his ego.
"Oh... an interesting man? Him?" Karl looked back at me, this time with a sneer. "Tell me, Trash. Did you wash your hands before touching that silver spoon? Or did you just finish dissecting a monster carcass for your lunch menu?"
Damn it. Why did nobles always demand unreasonable things? Ignoring him wouldn't solve the problem, but engaging him was full of risks. I decided to lower my head and prepare to move tables. Yielding to win; that was the safer thought.
But suddenly, the harsh sound of a chair scraping against the floor rang out. Erika stood up beside me.
"Lord Karl, Lady Elena already said she wants to eat with us and doesn't want to deal with you. So please leave!"
Erika's voice trembled, but her eyes stared straight ahead.
Karl looked surprised. His eyebrows shot up, as if in disbelief that a commoner dared to look him in the eye. "A commoner dares to order me? Do you know the consequences of speaking impudently to a future Duke?"
Erika fell silent. Her hands, clenched at her sides, shook violently, showing just how terrified she was. But she didn't back down. She stood there, becoming a shield for me.
"I don't care! You insult Arin as if he were trash, but you know nothing. Arin saved Lady Elena's life! That is a thousand times more noble than you, who only knows how to disturb other people's peace!"
Erika's words were like molten lead dropped into the eye. That sentence pierced Karl's pride as a noble right in his most vital spot. His lackeys gasped, some even holding their breath.
Karl's face turned a deep shade of crimson. A vein in his temple bulged, throbbing as he held back rage and the remnants of his dignity torn apart in public.
"More noble, you say?" Karl hissed in a dangerously low voice.
He stepped forward, bringing his face close to Erika. An aura of intimidation poured off him.
"You are Erika, right? I heard you refused the offer to become my subordinate before. Because you are pretty, I will give you one last chance. Become my mistress tonight. If you refuse, tomorrow morning you will be thrown into the dungeon on charges of insulting a noble."
Shit!
That wasn't a choice. It was a dead end. If Erika accepted, she would have to spend her life as the plaything of a depraved noble. If she refused, her future would be destroyed behind bars. Whatever the choice, it was a death sentence for her soul.
The threat struck deep. Erika's face went pale as a sheet, her lips turning blue. Her eyes widened in terror. She seemed paralyzed, unable to choose.
If this continued, I worried Erika's mind would shatter. She might choose suicide rather than determine her fate at the hands of this cursed Duke's son.
That could not be allowed.
I immediately glanced at Elena, only to find the most complicated expression on the Princess's face. Cold sweat trickled down her beautiful forehead. It was clear she was also confused and hesitant. Opposing Karl meant triggering an open conflict between two of the largest Duke families.
The atmosphere in the corner of the cafeteria tightened to a breaking point. Everyone watching fell silent, waiting for the execution.
So this is it. This was political power. Terrifying and disgusting.
Was I scared? Yes, I was scared to death. My legs trembled under the table. Did I want to run? Yes, I wanted to run and hide behind an anatomy book. But if I ran now and let Erika be sacrificed, I didn't deserve to dream of being a Knight.
To me, being a coward was the same as being dead.
"Haha..."
My small laugh, dry and out of place, cut through the tension.
All eyes instantly shifted to me.
"Why is this trash laughing? Has he gone mad from fear?" Karl sneered, shifting his gaze from Erika.
I lifted my face, wearing the most polite yet most condescending smile I could muster.
"Lord Karl, are you familiar with the biological term called 'Genealogical Stagnation'?" I asked calmly.
"What do you mean, Trash?" Karl stared at me sharply, confused by the sudden change of topic.
I leaned back in my chair, acting casual like a lecturer lecturing a stupid student.
"In biology, when a pure bloodline is inbred continuously to maintain racial 'purity', the result is not perfection as you glorify. Instead, it results in cognitive defects and severe emotional instability."
I paused for a moment, letting the words sink in.
"Seeing how slow you are to process the simple situation that Lady Elena is eating and does not wish to be disturbed, as well as your uncontrolled emotional outburst at a girl... I diagnose you with symptoms of acute inbreeding. Your brain lacks oxygen supply and logic, Young Master. If you let it be, eventually your cognitive ability will be equivalent to an Ape. No, forgive me. Equating you with an Ape is an insult to the Ape species itself."
Silence.
The silence that occurred this time was different. It wasn't silence out of fear, but mass shock. The entire cafeteria seemed to forget how to breathe. All eyes stared at me with horror, as if they had just witnessed the peak of madness.
Beside me, Erika looked at me with eyes shining full of admiration, as if I were a hero in a romance novel. What fantasy is spinning in this innocent girl's head?
In stark contrast to Elena. The smile on her face froze perfectly. Her eyes bulged in disbelief. Her breath hitched. Her expression screamed one sentence: 'YOU'RE CRAZY! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!'
Sorry, Elena. From the start, you approached me for profit, right? You wanted me to cure you. But sorry, this doctor of yours is indeed a little crazy.
So, if you still want to commit to me, then you must prove your protection right now! Prove that your noble sweet promises aren't just empty talk!
Karl stared in fury. His face turned a reddish-purple. His teeth ground together loudly. His hands began to emit a thin, hot red Aura.
"You... dare to insult the blood of a Duke?!" he screamed hysterically.
Calling a noble "defective due to inbreeding" was the highest level of insult anyone could utter in this kingdom. Moreover, I had lowered him below an animal. Everyone in the cafeteria agreed I would end up on a stake this afternoon.
I did not back down. I turned sharply toward Elena. I stared into her eyes with a piercing, cold, and demanding gaze.
'Protect me, or our deal is off.'
For a split second, Elena seemed to shudder seeing my crazy stare. She stood frozen for a moment, battling her own conscience. Then, slowly, a thin smile curled on her beautiful lips. A smile that seemed to contain a hint of madness.
Apparently, she had been infected by my disease.
Before Karl's aura-coated fist could touch my face, Elena stood up.
WOOSH!
Ice mana exploded from her body in an instant. The temperature in the corner of the cafeteria dropped drastically until the glasses on our table cracked and the water inside froze instantly. The wooden table was coated in white ice crystals.
Elena stared at Karl coldly, like an Ice Queen looking at a pest.
"Touch him, Karl. Touch him, and I will freeze every drop of blood in your body until you become an eternal ice statue in my dormitory garden. Arin is under the absolute protection of House Rhyms."
Karl stepped back, shocked by the explosion of mana that was so powerful.
"Elena, do you realize what you just said? That sentence could be interpreted as a direct death threat to the heir of Duke Benzzi! do you want to trigger a civil war between our families!?" Karl shouted, his voice trembling slightly.
"Certainly, if that is what you want!"
This time there was no diplomatic smile on Elena's face. Her noble mask had cracked, displaying her true emotions.
"Do you know that your obsession has disturbed my life for years? Do you realize that your disgusting possessiveness always causes trouble for me? Know this, Karl, your very existence is a form of harassment to my peace. I should have done this long ago. I was too soft and kept closing my eyes to maintain our fathers' relationship. Unknowingly, that only made you worse, like a pampered parasite."
Elena's emotions exploded in every cold sentence. It seemed Karl had truly placed a massive mental burden on Elena all this time. The girl had reached the limit of her patience.
Karl's eyes bulged, his mouth opening soundlessly. His expression crumpled in despair and shame. He clutched his tight chest, as if Elena's words were physical daggers stabbing his heart.
For a moment, his dignity as a man and a noble was shattered in front of hundreds of witnesses. Rejected outright and insulted by the woman he was crazy about.
Driven by deep heartache, he laughed dryly.
"Haha... it seems my beloved has been infected by the madness disease from that Trash."
Without waiting for anyone's answer, Karl turned away. He left the cafeteria with quick but pathetic steps. His back, usually upright, was now slightly hunched.
His lackeys looked at each other in panic, then hurriedly chased after their master, afraid to confront the Duke's Daughter who was in a rage.
But before reaching the exit, Karl stopped. He turned to me. His gaze was full of deep vengeance.
"Don't get cocky, Trash! You were just lucky to kill that bear! Enjoy your protection while you can, because out there, accidents can happen anytime!"
After satisfying himself by hurling that cliché threat, he disappeared behind the door. His footsteps sounded heavy, signaling a crumbled ego.
The tension in the cafeteria slowly subsided, but no one dared to speak. Silence still enveloped the room. Everyone stared in horror at Elena, who was still shrouded in cold air. They realized one wrong word could make them freeze.
Erika let out a long sigh, so long that her shoulders slumped weakly. The girl fell back into her seat, her legs limp like jelly. It seemed she was grateful to have survived the hell just now. Erika looked at my back with a new gaze.
Meanwhile, Elena sat back down gracefully. She massaged her temples, as if a severe headache had just attacked. Her breath puffed out cold steam and her hands trembled slightly again.
She had just recovered from Mana Hypothermia. Releasing such a massive killing aura to intimidate Karl must have burdened her newly recovered mana circuits.
However, behind her tired face, relief radiated. One of the biggest parasites in her life had finally been removed.
On the other hand, I spooned a piece of tough meat into my mouth casually.
A thin smile curled on my lips. I felt satisfied. This confirmation was what I wanted. Not just sweet promises, but tangible proof in front of the public.
From this day on, I held the commitment of full protection from the Great Noble, Duke Rhyms.