“But who are these people?” 

 Voltu opened his mouth, jerking his chin toward me and brother Rubert.

His behavior made me frown in displeasure. 

 “Ah, this is my younger brother Rubert. And this is…… Rowenloa.” 

 The three idiots made an ‘Ah!’ expression upon hearing my name, then immediately scanned me with interested looks. 

 “Ah– That Rowenloa?”

“Oh, nice to meet you. You look much…… more delicate than expected.”

“Yeah. I heard you had such a fierce personality, thought you’d look like a tomboy but you’re quite pretty.” 

 Hearing their words, I deliberately began observing them from head to toe. 

 “Brother’s friends?” 

 When I asked, brother Bershua looked at me with a displeased expression before nodding. 

 “Hmm…… you match well, you do……” 

 Hearing my words, brother Bershua glared at me. 

 “What do you mean?” 

 I smiled brightly at such a brother. 

 “Just that they match well with you, brother. Those three.” 

 Hearing my words, the three idiots laughed at me, saying a girl was talking nonsense. 

 “But what brings you here? It’s rare for women to attend this gathering. Even those who do leave crying. Crying to their dads saying ‘those kids are bullying me……'”

“That’s because they’re all stupid. But Bershua…… your sister seems especially stupid compared to the others? It’s kind of funny how she can’t say a word while hearing everything.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t understand what we’re saying? You need to educate your sister more.” 

 Hearing those words, brother Bershua looked at me while raising one corner of his mouth into a sneer.

And I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at their behavior. 

 “I don’t think your bullying would have much impact.” 

 Next to me, brother Rubert kept poking my side as if telling me to take it easy, but I just asked him “Why?” 

 “What?”

“Well, it only hurts when people with something in their heads bully you…… When someone inferior to me bullies me, I just think they must be jealous, don’t you?”

And then I opened my mouth once more while looking at brother Bershua sitting at their center.

“Besides, teaching someone…… is only possible when that person is superior, right? I wonder who needs to teach whom……” 

 Hearing my words, Belsanne and Signet jumped up from their seats.

Though their following actions were stopped by brother Bershua’s intervention. 

 “Rowenloa. Don’t you think you should be more careful with your words and actions when there are so many people around?”

“Oh my, I was just talking to myself, sorry if you heard. But…… shouldn’t the people sitting next to brother be the ones careful with their words and actions?” 

 With that, I got up from my seat, took a book from a nearby bookshelf, and sat back down on the sofa.

When brother Bershua waved his hand as if telling them to ignore me, the three idiots stared at me with angry eyes before turning their heads away. 

 However, as if they couldn’t have a conversation without me, the topic of conversation returned to stories about me.

No, more precisely, it was about the next head of House Masipacius. 

 “Hey, he’ll obviously give it to you.”

“Right. There’s no way he’d pass it on to the not-so-bright second son Rembro or the timid Rubert.”

“And he definitely won’t give it to girls who have to change their family name when they marry.” 

 Hearing those words, my personality twisted once again and I deliberately put down the book in my hands on the table with a loud noise.

They glared at me again with expressions that said ‘what are you going to do about it?’ 

 “See that? Women just don’t have the patience to study or do anything for long anyway.” 

 Haah……

They really have no sense…… 

 I immediately shouted in a very innocent expression and voice loud enough for everyone in the reception room to hear. 

 “What? Women don’t have the patience to study or do anything for long, so they’re not qualified to be the head of the family?” 

 Then the young ladies in the reception room and the children of noble families with female heads of household looked at us with fire in their eyes. 

 I just maintained an even more pitiful and hurt expression. 

 When many people’s attention focused on us due to my words, the three idiots seemed restless, while Bershua picked up the book placed on the table again as if it wasn’t his business.

People’s gazes didn’t subside, and they continued to fidget before finally shouting at me as if whatever happens, happens. 

 “Isn’t it obvious? The next Marquis Masipacius will obviously be Bershua, not you!” 

 Hearing those words, I tilted my head. 

 “Why did that suddenly come up? I’ve never once said I wanted to become the head of House Masipacius.” 

 Hearing my words, brother Rubert nodded beside me.

Then brother Bershua glared at him fiercely. 

 “That…… that’s…… because we heard you were coveting the Marquis position……”

“Hmm? From whom? I’ve never once in my life coveted the position of next Marquis of Masipacius. I have no talent for business.” 

 Hearing my words, they were now busy watching other people’s reactions while sweating profusely. 

 “Besides, even if I were aiming for the position of next Marquis Masipacius, what does that have to do with me being a woman? I heard many families these days select capable people as their next head.”

“That…… that’s……”

“Don’t tell me you just made statements dismissing such families?” 

 At that, people’s glares toward them grew even stronger.

As an awkward silence circled the reception room, suddenly my head rang once with a ding– and then after a very long time, the gods’ book reviews appeared before my eyes. 

 [Now I’m cheering for Rowenloa…… It seems the protagonist has changed on this side.]

[Eh, is there no possibility they could both be protagonists?]

[Rowenloa, victory through tears~!] 

 ……I wonder how our story appears to them?

And what’s ‘victory through tears’……?

Fruit juice…… something like that? 

 What broke the awkward silence was not any of us, but the sound of the reception room door creaking open.

It seemed the heads of households who had finished their discussion were returning to the reception room. 

 Ah, victory through tears……

First…… if you squeeze…… you definitely win……

Human juice is…… blood…… sweat or tears…… 

 In this situation, it’s tears! 

 So I turned my head toward the three idiots and began crying my best.

I don’t know how many times I dry heaved secretly to make tears come out.

Anyway, I managed to let a teardrop roll down– from my eye just before the heads of households arrived near me. 

 “Rowenloa, are you crying?” 

 And with Rubert’s well-timed words, everyone’s attention focused on me…… no, on my tears. 

 “I’m not crying……” 

 I answered in a voice full of moisture, and Father approached me with surprised eyes.

Then he asked while looking at the three idiots sitting right in front of me. 

 “What happened?” 

 Though Father might be foolish at home obsessing over Leila, he’s still the renowned Marquis Masipacius.

They were overwhelmed by Father’s presence and just looked at Bershua as if grasping at straws. 

 But Bershua just focused on his book pretending not to know. 

 “I asked what happened!” 

 At Father’s shout, the three idiots finally opened their mouths hesitantly. 

 “That…… that……”

“Ro-Rowenloa picked a fight with us first……” 

 Hearing their words, I swallowed an incredulous laugh inside and took a deep breath.

And then…… 

 “Waaaaaah!” 

 I started crying even louder with a sense of injustice.

Then Father’s face filled with anger, and the faces of the three idiots filled with stupidity and bewilderment. 

 Just before Father was about to yell at them, a young lady in a purple dress sitting at the table right next to us, who seemed to have heard our entire conversation, stood up and spoke to Father. 

 “Those three cornered Miss Rowenloa saying she wasn’t qualified to be the next Marquis.” 

 Hearing those words, others who had been glaring at them were emboldened and began speaking up one by one. 

 “Miss Rowenloa never said she wanted to become the next head, but they suddenly shouted at her that women can’t become heads of households.”

“They said women can’t become heads of households, and that even if they attend this gathering, they’re just beings who cry to their dads about being bullied by boys.” 

 The faces of the three idiots hearing those words were a sight to behold, and the faces of their fathers were even more so.

Though Bershua seemed to be trying to avoid this situation through ignorance, I could see him biting his lip anxiously. 

 The heads of households who were fathers to the three idiots hurriedly stood before people trying to salvage the situation. 

 “Let’s…… end this with an apology?”

“Th-that’s right. There’s no need to make a big deal out of children fighting.” 

 Hearing those words, Father glared at them with fierce eyes. 

 “I don’t think you’re in a position to say that.” 

 At Father’s words, they pressed their lips tightly shut.

But Father, I’m sorry but your son is also a perpetrator. 

 So I carefully grabbed Father’s collar and opened my mouth. 

 “It’s okay, Father. Brother Bershua said they’re the people he always hangs out with at the academy. I don’t want to cause trouble for brother, so I think it’s better to just let this go.” 

 Hearing those words, Father turned his angry gaze toward brother Bershua. 

 Ah, of course those angry eyes weren’t directed at brother Bershua who hurt me, but at brother Bershua who tarnished the Masipacius name.

Since Father hated dishonoring the family’s name most of all. 

 Then people who attended the same academy as brother began whispering. 

 “Oh, come to think of it…… Lord Bershua always hung out with those kids at the academy.”

“Hey, so he said such rude things to a noble young lady he hangs out with? That doesn’t make sense!”

“You never know, maybe that brother actually hates his younger sister. They were talking about becoming Marquis and head of household earlier.” 

 The reception room instantly became noisy, and I wracked my brain trying to roll this situation to my advantage.

Should I shield brother Bershua here? 

 Unless I’m crazy, no way.