Now, Go Ahead and Stamp It - Chapter 27

Time passed, and today was the day before the imperial equestrian tournament.

The seventeen-year-old Elsier ran out of the academy at first light.

He had heard something at the academy.

“Sister!”

“El, Lady Cheshire doesn’t like noise in the house.”

Elsier, who had been running, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“More importantly, sister, is it true about the divorce I heard?”

“Father was worried that you were swinging your fists at your classmates. Is that true?”

As Ellen asked her question at the same time, the seventeen-year-old Elsier flared up and shouted.

“No, sister. They aren’t classmates. Should I respect those who only belittle others without any intention of learning at the academy?”

“You don’t need to respect them, but you should endure it.”

Father is the one who cleans up after your messes.

She chided her immature younger brother.

“No, they dared to mention Father with their pathetic skills first. Do you expect me to just listen to them insult Father?”

Elsier quickly got worked up and shouted, breathing heavily.

Sister, you’re supposed to be on my side!

He was hurt by his sister’s lack of understanding, typical of someone going through the stormy period of adolescence.

“Running wild like a thunderclap is also a disgrace to Father. So use your head, El.”

Ellen sighed and continued speaking gently.

“If you want to use a sword, properly request a duel with a witness from the professor. If that’s not feasible, use something other than a sword.”

“Something else?”

“I heard you beat up the young master of Periwinkle. With Periwinkle, there’s plenty to use against him. Oh, by the way, are you acquainted with Lady Sorbon?”

“I’m not particularly acquainted… but I know who she is. Why do you ask, sister?”

“I heard there was a not-so-honorable duel between the two. If it were me, I would use that.”

Miller Periwinkle.

The young master who fought with Elsier was a notorious playboy known to Ellen as well.

His name was so infamous that it even shut the mouth of Countess Periwinkle when his antics were mentioned at a recent imperial banquet.

Dueling over women, speaking without thinking, always causing incidents and accidents, and the matter involving Lady Sorbon was rumored to have occurred while he was at the academy.

How the incident began was trivial.

Lady Sorbon was in the same class he attended, and she was quite a prominent student, especially in the fencing class.

Miller Periwinkle, known for occupying the lowest ranks at the academy, also received low grades in all his classes.

In other words, even in the fencing class, where males generally had an advantage, he was ranked below Lady Sorbon.

Teenage boys at that age are often driven by pride.

He mocked her, saying, “You’re just here to find a husband since you can’t work as an official, and you’re stealing the academy’s grades,” and Lady Sorbon challenged him to a duel to defend her honor.

Of course, the result was Miller Periwinkle’s defeat.

The fencing class used small swords, and the quick first-blood rule duel was Lady Sorbon’s specialty.

But such incidents rarely end with just the individuals involved.

What followed was harassment using the power dynamics between families.

It became very difficult for her to continue her studies.

Bad rumors followed her, and her grades dropped.

The decisive event occurred a few months later.

Lady Sorbon was intentionally injured during a fencing practice.

She received an indelible scar on her left cheek, and half of her face could no longer see the light of day.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if a conflict had erupted between the two families.

But Sorbon didn’t retaliate.

The Count, who judged that complaining to the powerful Periwinkle would only earn ridicule, focused on solving the immediate issue of his daughter’s marriage prospects, which were now blocked, rather than on the pride he might lose.

Of course, Lady Sorbon expressed her desire to serve the family for life instead of marrying.

But the Count did not accept it.

In their society, no family would take it literally if a woman said she would remain unmarried and serve the family.

Meanwhile, Periwinkle, who didn’t want noisy rumors to spread, offered to arrange her marriage as an apology.

Their proposal was this:

Would you quietly resolve the matter by switching to the noble faction, or would you stay in the neutral faction and hold onto a daughter who couldn’t be presented in the marriage market?

And Count Sorbon, who chose to be the head of the family rather than just a father, decided to take Periwinkle’s hand.

Thus, the incident was buried.

May Sorbon’s name disappeared from the academy and social circles, leaving only the praise for the Periwinkle family, who ‘took responsibility for the marriage of a presumptuous girl.’

And Ellen knew a man who was deeply outraged by that outcome.

“Oh, that duel? How do you know about it, sister?”

“Because it’s me. By the way, does Lady Sorbon still attend the academy?”

“If someone had dropped out, there would have been rumors. Since there weren’t any… I guess she still does, sister.”

“Was there any accident during the class or anything?”

“No. There was no such notice.”

“That’s a relief. When you return after the tournament, secure witnesses who know about Lady Sorbon and Young Master Periwinkle’s story. You can befriend Lady Sorbon, or if that’s difficult, find students who took the class with them or her dormitory roommate.”

“Yes, I understand, sister. But what are you going to do with that information?”

“What else?”

Marquis Avalanche, May Sorbon’s uncle, was the only marquis without an heir and was known for his immense love for his niece, especially May Sorbon.

There was no way Marquis Avalanche knew what had happened at the boys’ academy.

He became suspicious when he thought her marriage was progressing unusually quickly and strangely.

But by the time he learned of all the events, everything had already been settled.

Ellen was quite pleased with the fortuitous circumstances and said.

“I’ll personally teach you how to use something else.”

At her words, Elsier excitedly shouted, forgetting the original purpose of his visit.

“So, you also think that guy needs to be dealt with, right, sister?”

“If you use such words one more time, you’ll be included in that target list, El.”

Ellen scolded him.

* * *

The day of the imperial equestrian tournament arrived.

Ellen arrived at the venue with Terriard, who claimed to be her guardian. Of course, her excitedly chattering brother Elsier was with her.

Kaiden, the person responsible for hosting the event, welcomed her as she entered with her horse.

“Ah, Lady Crient. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Your Highness. Have you been well?”

“I have, indeed. But…”

He gestured with his head to a distant spot.

“Stay with me today if possible. If not, at least keep Sir Cheshire by your side.”

He pointed to where the tents of the dukes and marquises, including Krembell, were gathered.

In essence, he was offering to help prevent Gillian from barging in.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Oh, this is my younger brother Elsier. He is attending the academy.”

She lightly tapped Elsier’s back as she spoke.

“El, greet him.”

“Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Elsier of Crient.”

“You resemble your sister a lot.”

Two faces, both with light blonde hair and violet eyes, looked at him side by side.

“Father said we look exactly like our late mother.”

“The Countess must have been quite a beauty.”

“I saw her portrait, and she certainly was. But more importantly, isn’t the evidence right here?”

Ellen lightly placed her hand on her chest.

Kaiden looked at her with an incredulous expression before finally laughing.

Seeing this, Terriard, who had been watching, interjected with a grumpy face.

“Your Highness, am I invisible?”

“Ah, yes. Have a good time.”

“That’s really too much!”

“What’s too much is your voice!”

Kaiden furrowed his brows, grumbling that his eardrums might burst.

Behind them, people from the Cheshire family began to enter.

They must have followed in another carriage and arrived now.

“Sweeney! You’re here.”

“Yes. Oh, Your Highness. Sweeney of Cheshire greets you.”

“It’s been a while, Miss. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you for your words.”

As Kaiden distanced himself to speak with the Count and Countess, Sweeney subtly approached Ellen.

“I saw Periwinkle over there. And Oseman too.”

“Really?”

“After causing that ruckus at the imperial banquet, to shamelessly show their faces here, in a way, it’s impressive.”

“What’s new?”

When Ellen brushed it off without much reaction, Sweeney remarked that she was too nonchalant.

Then, suddenly, she called out to Elsier.

“El, you have to completely flatten Periwinkle’s nose. Got it?”

“Sweeney, that guy is no match for me.”

He’s clumsy, after all!

Elsier boasted, saying it was an insult to compare him to such a guy.

“Don’t worry about either of them. More importantly, how do I look today?”

Ellen turned halfway around, showing her front and back.

“You look great. Even though I don’t ride, I feel like getting a set tailored for myself.”

“Do I stand out?”

“Of course. Red on the meadow, it’s very distinctive. Personally, I’d love for you to win today wearing that, and gift me that riding outfit. I’d love to keep it.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible.”

While the two were joking around, a commotion started outside, and Terriard looked out and said.

“Duke Krembell is here.”

No wonder it was noisy. It seemed Gillian had arrived at the venue.

He was walking towards them to greet the Crown Prince.

As Gillian approached, his eyes met Ellen’s.

The eyes, which she expected to be filled with coldness and anger, began to flicker with a different intense light.