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Chapter 73……………….
At that moment, Etisha appeared before the ladies.
“Good day, ladies.”
“……!”
“What are you discussing so seriously?”
Etisha smiled as she looked at the noblewomen. They each tried to compose their expressions in their own way, but several of them still showed signs of embarrassment.
“It was nothing important, Lady Wintel. We were just saying that in this hunt as well, Duke Cayenne would surely claim the honorable title again.”
“That’s right. The title Sword of the North belongs to the Duke, after all. Each time he hunts down the biggest and cleverest wolf.”
“It must surely be the leader of the ash-gray wolf pack.”
Etisha carefully observed the noblewomen gathered around Lady Mongmad, taking note of each of their faces and family names, making sure not to forget a single one.
“I see. So you were speaking of the Duke. No wonder I kept hearing his name from earlier.”
She probed lightly, testing the waters.
As expected, Lady Miril showed a flustered expression and asked back,
“Oh my, did you hear us……?”
In truth, she had only heard Cayenne’s name a few times, but Miril’s reaction confirmed Etisha’s suspicion—these women had been speaking of something she was not meant to hear.
“Well……”
Etisha’s smile deepened, her blue eyes curving beautifully.
“The voices carried by the wind sounded like wolf howls. For a moment, I thought a pack of wolves must be nearby.”
“……”
“If I tell the Duke, I’m sure he will hunt them down cleanly, don’t you think?”
She turned her head and looked directly at Countess Mongmad standing at the center of the group. The woman’s hair, tied up neatly, was neither black nor white but an indistinct shade of gray.
“Of course, the Duke never fails to bring down the leader of the pack.”
At those words, the noblewomen fell silent. Some seemed startled, others frightened.
But the one most shaken was none other than Countess Mongmad.
What? Did she just say she would hunt me?
As far as Mongmad knew, Etisha was a young lady who had never properly appeared in society.
A nobody, with a terrible reputation, who hadn’t even had a proper debutante ball—someone of such a small fry level could never be her opponent.
I thought she was just a minnow… Has she lost her sense of fear simply because she carries the Wintel name on her back?
Beside her stood several of the most influential ladies of northern society, each from distinguished houses.
Yet Etisha had just likened them all to a pack of wolves.
Does she not care if she turns every last one of us into her enemies?
Mongmad’s eyes twitched. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought Etisha would come at her like this.
Anyone with even a moderately strong heart would tread carefully in such a situation.
One against many.
Etisha stood alone against several.
And she wasn’t even a formally debuted lady of society yet.
Though she had become Duchess Wintel, it had only been a few days since her marriage. Her habits as the daughter of Baron Heinz should still be clinging to her.
And yet… she looks completely unfazed.
Despite standing against many, Etisha appeared calm. No—she even looked as though she were used to such situations.
“Ah… but then again, when you think about it, wolves themselves can’t really be blamed. Each has its own circumstances. Life is harsh, so they trespass into Wintel lands to survive.”
“……”
“If the leader is hunted down, the rest of the pack will live quietly. They wouldn’t dare covet the territory again.”
“……”
“When that time comes, peace will return to us all.”
Etisha looked into each of their eyes in turn.
Reluctantly, the noblewomen spoke one by one.
“Yes… perhaps so.”
“We were only talking about wolves, after all.”
“That’s right. We should only pray that the hunt ends safely.”
Just like during the spring festival, Countess Mongmad had overlooked one crucial fact.
For Etisha, standing alone against a hostile group of nobles was nothing new.
Being surrounded by enemies had been her life itself.
The nobles of society always hated me.
Not just nobles.
When she lived in the capital, everyone she knew was as good as her enemy—Larienne’s followers, the designers, the maids and servants of the Heinz household.
Each had their own reason to look down on and belittle her.
I’m used to being hated. I can handle it better than anyone.
That was why neither Countess Mongmad nor her faction frightened her in the slightest.
She didn’t cower before them, nor lose her composure.
She would simply endure—and overcome.
Countess Mongmad, however, did not like how things were going. She didn’t mind Etisha’s appearance, but the fact she was dismantling the carefully built consensus was bothersome.
She stepped forward and addressed Etisha directly.
“Lady Wintel.”
“Yes, Lady Mongmad.”
“This is the first time we’ve greeted each other properly since the spring festival, isn’t it? I attended your wedding as a guest, but we had no chance to speak then.”
“That’s right. I was grateful that you graced the occasion with your presence.”
“Think nothing of it. But, Lady Wintel, you must have been terribly distressed. For such an unfortunate incident to occur at your wedding. Who would have thought that poor Dite would suddenly behave in such a way…”
Countess Mongmad did not resort to roundabout insinuations.
She went straight for the attack by bringing up the wedding incident.
“As you may know, Dite and I were close. Such a sincere and pure child she was. For a sweet girl like her to appear at your wedding in such a dreadful state… I’ve been unable to sleep, worried that something must have happened to her.”
“……”
“Surely, you must know something, Lady Etisha Wintel. Would you not enlighten us? What exactly happened at the wedding that day? And why?”
Etisha instantly recognized it for what it was—a trap.
No matter how she answered, it would harm her. Unless she could explain everything perfectly, even mentioning the incident would only add fuel to scandal.
She pressed her lips tightly together.
I must not answer directly. I need to keep things vague and divert the topic.
But all eyes were already fixed on her. She could not simply deflect—it would look like she was backing down before Mongmad.
“Yes… I was very surprised too. I never expected Dite to do such a thing.”
Etisha answered carefully, thinking desperately of a way to turn the situation.
“Dite said… she was sick. She spoke of having sleepwalking, and of hearing strange voices in her head.”
“Are you saying Dite was insane?”
“Well… nothing is certain yet…”
“But she used a magic stone to teleport away. If she were truly insane, could she have made such a rational escape? How do you explain that?”
Etisha’s expression darkened.
The situation was worsening.
I need to end this conversation and change the subject, quickly!
Then suddenly, her chest surged violently.
“……Ugh!”
Her body shuddered as mana erupted inside her like an explosion.
It raged wildly, as though it would tear her apart.
“Ahh… ngh…!”
The curse of mana sickness.
She had endured it alone for so long, yet of all days, it had to strike here, before everyone.
Such misfortune.
Etisha gagged again and again, covering her mouth as she staggered, nearly collapsing.
The noblewomen gasped in shock.
“Wh-what is happening, Lady Wintel…?”
“Are you all right?”
Some women stepped forward to help, but Countess Mongmad stopped them.
“Stand back.”
“……Lady Mongmad?”
“How disappointing. To pretend illness so clumsily. Others might be fooled, but not me. I won’t be deceived by such acting.”
“But… she truly looks unwell…”
“No. She’s using sickness as an excuse to evade an unfavorable question. Well, she acts quite well, I’ll give her that. She must be naturally talented in the arts—her singing was good too, wasn’t it?”
The noblewomen glanced back and forth between Mongmad and Etisha in confusion.
Etisha certainly looked genuinely ill, yet Mongmad denied it flatly, making it hard for them to choose sides.
“Hh-hhuff… ah… nghh.”
Meanwhile, Etisha grew paler and paler. She gasped, choking, unable to vomit out the rampaging mana that burned through her chest and throat.
“Sh-shouldn’t we stop this? She really looks…”
“But… who dares oppose Lady Mongmad…?”
They hesitated, shrinking back.
Just then, from far away, a rider galloped toward them through the snowstorm like a raging tempest.
The horse thundered forward with such ferocity it looked ready to trample anyone in its path.
“Wh-what is that?”
“Move aside!”
“Kyaaah!”
A crimson warhorse bore down on them, scattering the ladies. The beast reared high, neighing wildly. Several women nearly got crushed beneath its hooves.
But the rider did not care in the slightest, leaping nimbly from the saddle after tossing the reins.
“Tisha!”
Larienne rushed to support Etisha.
“Tisha, are you all right? Tisha!”
It was none other than Larienne who had arrived on the red steed.
Ash-gray wolf hunt or not—how could she stay idly at Wintel Castle while Etisha went to such a dangerous outing?
It was far too dangerous.
What if something happened to her?
What if wolves attacked her?
Larienne had been sick with worry.
And so, unable to bear it, she had mounted her horse and ridden out. She had wasted some time scouring the snowy plains without knowing the exact location of the gathering, but at last, she arrived safely.
Only to be met with this sight…
“Tisha, it’s all right. I’m here. I’m right here.”
