LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 3
Episode 3: The Savage Lady is Rumored
There existed an unspoken rule that those of lower rank should enter an official party first. Fortunately, only low- to mid-ranking nobles were present at the moment, as no high-ranking nobles or royalty had taken their seats yet.
—We must quickly put an end to this commotion before we invoke the ire of the royal family.
“Matthias! This is not the time for revelry. We need to leave this place quickly before the royal family or the high-ranking nobles notice us…”
As Luke reprimanded him, Matthias, still elated and waving around, made a face that was clearly displeased.
“What are you talking about? It’s unbecoming to be jealous of my popularity, brother.”
“That’s not what I meant! What in the world are we doing here—?”
Just as Luke was about to explain how outrageous their behavior was and urge them to retreat, an endearingly cruel gaze fell upon him—it was from Natalia.
“Luke, please stop bearing a grudge against Matthias just because I turned you down. It’s quite unbecoming for someone of lowly blood to act in such a petty manner.”
Matthias, acting all suave, tossed his long bangs to the side.
“Natalia, please forgive my brother. He’s just a pitiful man who can’t normally be recognized as a noble.”
“Matthias, you’re truly kind…”
Natalia wore a look of love-struck intoxication as she whispered sweet nothings and shamelessly flirted with Matthias.
“They really are a handsome couple…”
“Yes, they look perfect together…”
“They’re the very definition of an ideal pair!”
Matthias and Natalia had completely stolen the spotlight and were being showered with applause and praise from the gathered crowd.
The two seemed firmly resolved not to relinquish this delightful moment. If anything, they appeared eager to soak it all in for as long as possible, playfully showering good humor and geniality upon those eager to flatter them.
The spacious banquet hall buzzed with the lively voices of people congratulating the newly engaged couple.
No one here seemed to care about Luke’s feelings. Nary a soul showed concern, let alone offered sympathy.
The fact that he was the one discarded did play a significant role. If it had been a young lady whose engagement was broken off, people would sympathize with her plight, pitying the poor girl and criticizing the brute who’d rejected her.
However, when the roles were reversed, the rejected nobleman would become a figure of ridicule.
—“He’s a fool to have let his fiancée slip away.” They would look down on him, viewing him as a dim-witted loser, devoid of charm and ambition.
Though the reality of the broken engagement was the same, it struck Luke as wholly unfair that men and women were evaluated so differently. Still, there was little point in lamenting the absurdity of it all.
“Oppressing Lord Matthias is nothing but a sign that you’re utterly clueless about your station as a ‘low-ranking son.’”
“Do you still not understand that it’s futile attempting to separate them at this point?”
Giggles erupted among the women, their mouths artfully concealed behind fans. The prickle of scorn was evident in their mocking comments.
“There surely aren’t any curious young ladies still lingering in high society who’d want to be engaged to Lord Luke.”
“Indeed. Every notable noble is attending this banquet today.”
This extravaganza was a grand affair, held once a year to celebrate the summer solstice. Hosted by the royal family, it welcomed every house with a title in the realm.
Especially for the unmarried youth, this represented a rare chance to find a suitable partner, so nearly all young men and women of various households were in attendance.
Thus, the saga of the recent broken engagement had spread like wildfire through the gossiping mouths of all the youth present.
“Oh dear! Some are yet to arrive. Look, over there in that remote area…”
“Ah, the ‘Barbarian Lady of the Frontier!’”
In the kingdom’s northern reaches, near the border with a neighboring country, a treacherous mountain range lay sprawled out.
This perilous terrain had been overseen by the Margrave of Rietberg for generations.
The current Margrave has an only daughter who should be of marrying age, but she decided against attending today’s party, citing the vast distance of her territory.
This young lady, seldom seen in high society, had been raised in a wild, unrefined part of the land, far less cultured than the royal capital. Thus, she was widely rumored to embody all manner of roughness and vulgarity, lacking even a thread of genteel elegance.
“Word has it that the Rietberg daughter not only rides horses, but also takes a fancy to archery and swordplay!”
“Women riding horses and practicing martial arts? How barbaric can it get!”
The refined noble ladies, dressed splendidly, grimaced at the thought of the disreputable “barbaric young lady.”
“It’s no wonder no gentleman would approach such a crude woman.”
The Rietberg family, with a lineage steeped in history since the nation’s founding, held the noble blood connecting them to the royal family, yet their scandalous reputation kept them at arm’s length from the central nobles.
Though the young lady had already passed the age of marriageability, she had never even been engaged, let alone married, and remained entirely devoid of romantic prospects.
The ideal of a modest and genteel woman couldn’t be further from the truth of this untamed and coarse “barbaric lady.”
The day of the banquet buzzed with prying whispers and enticing rumors.
Both the despicable “low-ranking son” who oppressed his younger brother and the wild “barbaric young lady” were viewed without hesitation as deserving condemnation.
Luke rolled his eyes in disbelief.
(…It’s them who are lacking in class…)
Not only did the nobles shamelessly gossip about Luke behind his back, but they also freely disparaged the absent Margrave’s daughter based on mere hearsay.
Which one of them truly lacked dignity?
(It’s probably best if I made my exit…)
If Luke disappeared from the scene, it stood to reason the audience’s excitement would dissipate more rapidly.
Having reached that conclusion, he turned to leave, but alas, it was already too late.
Regrettably, he found that slipping away was not an option.
The dreaded situation he had feared was drawing alarmingly close, ready to deliver yet another blow to Luke, who had already endured enough misery.
thud