Chapter 37

Lucas's prelude to despair. This is the chapter about the Demon King's descent...

It might continue for another one or two episodes... the Lucas arc.

Lena cried, her tears streaming down her face. Lucas asked her the reason.

An unknown woman had come and looked down on Kistaria and Micaelis, who were serving her, with a terribly frightening face. She had come to complain, but it seemed that the woman was favored by the two, and she could do nothing about it.

Lucas was enraged. Surely, Lena had gone to invite them to a tea party again, making the effort to go herself instead of sending a servant. On one hand, he found her earnestness endearing, but on the other, he was irritated that she seemed to be leaning towards them.

The woman had apparently been touring the school, and it was difficult to find her.

The headmaster was busy with a certain guest, and as a result, the teachers and staff were also tense and busy. The students of the academy seemed to be either pretending not to know or genuinely unaware, so little information was gathered.

However, they finally managed to track down a rather grand carriage with a formidable escort, in which a young lady matching the description was said to be.

The impolite woman should have prostrated herself before Lena and begged for mercy, but she was trying to leave quickly.

Lucas's knights, led by Wolrieg, had repeatedly tried to stop the magnificent four-horse carriage and the accompanying knights.

But Lucas, consumed by anger, paid no heed.

"Can't you follow orders!? There's a wicked woman who made Lena cry! If we don't punish her here, when will we!?

If you defy me, you are no longer needed! Think about never being able to call yourselves knights again! Your entire family will not be safe! If you still can't do it, I will burn the woman in the carriage right here and now!"

Lucas was skilled in fire magic. The royal family's signature barrier magic was only a basic shield, but his instantaneous firepower rivaled that of the magic prodigy Cain.

Seeing Lena sobbing, not only Lucas but also Graham, Leord, and Cain were moved by a sense of righteous indignation. Joshua, who had not been invited to Lena's tea parties recently, was not there. He used to be, but lately Lena's interest has been focused on Kistaria and Micaelis, which is regrettable.

Cain's face tensed for a moment, thinking he might have to set the carriage on fire, but he remained silent.

Graham, who seemed to have concerns, spoke up.

"Shouldn't we confirm first? This is an academy for noble young ladies and gentlemen.

It's not unusual for influential nobles or powerful merchants to be here, and it would be difficult to identify the body after it's burned."

"…There's no choice. Well, there are other ways to stop her, I suppose."

Though he clearly didn't want to confirm the charred body, Lucas still seemed determined to proceed. The knights, who had turned pale, finally began to move. They should have done so from the beginning.

They stopped the carriage heading for the exit gate, and the guard knights looked puzzled. But upon seeing the armor, they recognized them as royal knights and did not openly resist. When ordered to bring out the woman inside, their attitude stiffened, and they showed a refusal.

The Lucas's knights and the carriage's guard knights were discussing something. Finally, one of the guard knights, with a heavy step, went to the carriage to relay the message.

After a while, a maid in a tailored uniform came out. She had brown hair and brown eyes, a common and unremarkable appearance. Upon hearing the knights' words, her expression turned stern, and she retorted. The knights' faces grew increasingly grim.

"You're too slow, you guys. I'll do it myself!"

As he tried to step onto the carriage's footboard, the maid turned pale and rushed over. Her persistent attempts to stop him were annoying, and when he pushed her shoulder, she fell to the ground but was caught by a knight below. The knights' shocked and disappointed gazes pierced Lucas, but he pretended not to notice. The maid, undeterred, continued to approach Lucas—was the woman inside that important to her?

He forced open the entrance and found a woman in a white dress inside.

She was in the back, so it was hard to see, but she was a young woman.

The dress, with its delicate and elegant embroidery and lace, was not flashy but clearly a high-end couture piece. The brooch and earrings she wore, though understated, were of the highest quality. There was almost no exposure, but her womanly figure was clearly visible.

She had light brown hair and wore glasses. Her face was pale and small, and her eyes, reflecting the light, were hard to see, but he felt a sense of familiarity in her face, except for her eyes. But his anger overpowered that feeling. He roughly grabbed the arm of the woman, who was trembling in the back, and dragged her out. Her wrist was surprisingly thin, and she offered no resistance as she was dragged out.

She let out a small, tearful "Father…" in a trembling voice, which made the surrounding knights momentarily flinch, but he glared at them to silence them. A sneer escaped him at the woman's foolishness for hurting Lena despite her powerlessness.

He stepped on the hem of the woman's dress to prevent her from escaping. When the maid tried to rush over with a scream, he glared at her, and a knight stopped her. The maid, who had fallen to the ground, was stopped by a knight, her face turning even paler.

The woman, now covered in mud on her high-end white dress, hands, and shoes, looked down, and it felt good to look down on her.

Her lustrous hair, shining in the sun, reminded him of the hateful Kistaria and the Duke, which might have been why he felt a sense of satisfaction.

The woman, trembling with fear and confusion, her cheeks wet with tears, was pitiful. The original guard was arrested as an accomplice, and those who resisted were not killed but knocked unconscious.

Reproachful gazes were directed at Lucas, but he ignored them.

"But, Your Highness... Isn't this going too far?"

"Too far? This woman made Lena cry! I can't forgive Kistaria and Micaelis for rudely rejecting Lena's invitation, but this woman, who doesn't know her place and clings to them, is the root of all evil!"

He ordered the woman, who didn't know her place, to be held in a room at the academy.

She should have been put in a cell, but unfortunately, the academy had no such place.

Since he had successfully captured the woman who had hurt Lena, he decided to publicly condemn her in front of the academy's grand hall and make her kneel and apologize to Lena. Lucas, feeling triumphant, returned with Graham and the others. Some looked at the woman with pity, but no one helped her, which showed the extent of their feelings.

Instead of dragging her, Wolrieg Carreras, perhaps because she was a young lady, knelt to speak to her. It was a polite gesture, but the king and queen seemed to value him, and Lucas thought he should be executed—such a guard would tarnish the royal family's prestige.

If they had stayed just a few more minutes, or even seconds, the worst could have been avoided.

It was decided to gather people in the dance hall and publicly condemn the woman.

She would never be able to enter society again. The woman who had shown disrespect to Lucas would have to beg for mercy from Lena. But her humiliation would be in front of the young ladies and gentlemen who would shape the future of society. This academy was a microcosm of the future social world.

A laugh escaped from the back of his throat.

That powerless woman would likely break easily. How would Kistaria and Micaelis, who seemed to care for her, react?

Lena, happy that the wicked woman had been captured, clung to Lucas's arm.

"Prince Lucas, you must be tired. I'll prepare some tea! I have some new pastries ready!"

Lena, with her dark chestnut hair swaying and her blue eyes sparkling, looked even more delicate. Her smile showed no trace of tears.

She headed eagerly to the room with the tea set.

But noisy footsteps approached. They came straight to Lucas's room, and Wolrieg and the others, who were usually strict about etiquette, approached without greeting, their faces pale.

"What is it?"

"Prince Lucas, this is an urgent matter. This could be an irreparable blunder—immediately, you must apologize to that young lady. Ideally, right now, but she has fainted. So, first, you must apologize to Duke Kistaria. Then, when she regains consciousness, you must arrange a meeting to apologize to her.

The situation is urgent. We can no longer cover for you. We must seek the will of King Lauses."

"…What are you talking about? Apologize to that foolish woman? You're being ridiculous."

"That lady is the daughter of the House of Latzche! The daughter of Duke Grail von Latzche! As a member of the royal family, you must have heard of the Duke's doting on his daughter?"

Lucas's breath made an odd sound. His heart felt as if it were reversing, throbbing painfully.

Grail von Latzche. The Duke of the Demon King and the Monster Duke, revered both domestically and internationally, a pillar of the Sandis Kingdom. When he goes to war, ice spears and lightning rain from the sky, and enemy forces vanish in an instant. His political acumen is renowned, and he wields significant influence in various fields. The royal family cannot ignore him, and it is even said that the current king is on the throne because he is favored by Duke Latzche.

A monster in human form, but he has a unique and beloved existence.

His only daughter with his beloved wife, who died over ten years ago. The only heir, Albertina.

Lena had mentioned her before. Though she had never met her, she described her as extremely arrogant and cruel—a demon incarnate.

That woman?

The image of the woman cowering in the corner of the carriage, worrying about her maid, and trembling throughout the one-sided condemnation did not match Lena's description.

She seemed so frail and ephemeral—like a deep-secluded young lady, pitifully looking down and trembling. If Lena hadn't cried first, even the enraged Lucas might have been intimidated by her helplessness.

"That woman... is the rumored Albertina!? She had no injuries or burns on her face!

The Duke's daughter is famous for never leaving her estate, let alone her mansion! Why is she at the academy!?"

"…Your Highness, with all due respect. Kistaria is her younger brother. And she has a relationship with the siblings of the Dometrius family as childhood friends..."

"But that's impossible! A young lady like that alone!?"

"She's not alone! I hear the Duke himself accompanied her as a guard! The Duke went to the castle for urgent business, but when she returned, the carriage was accompanied by skilled knights! It was as strict as a prince's incognito visit! Those were not ordinary knights but high-ranking knights! Ten of them! They were skilled in both swordsmanship and magic!"

Wolrieg's usually neatly combed dull green hair was frayed. Ignoring it, he spoke to Lucas. He was clearly flustered but was desperately trying to improve the situation, which could shake the country.

The guards accompanying the carriage knew Lucas was a royal and did