Because it’s a mistake?

Nobility.

Why do they receive special treatment when they are just like any other human?

Evan never found the answer to that question in his lifetime. And he probably never will.

But there is one thing he can say for sure.

‘They are idiots.’

In his 15 years of life, Evan has encountered hundreds of nobles.

They all have different faces, names, cultures, and lineages, but they are all idiots in unison.

Honestly, Evan didn’t have high expectations from the start.

Just look at the medieval web novels, where the despicable behavior of nobles is blatantly portrayed.

As long as they fill their bellies and are willing to kill their own family members without hesitation, those crazy psychopaths.

To Evan, nobles were considered heartless, bloodthirsty individuals.

However, after encountering some nobles repeatedly, a slight change occurred.

Well, not really a change. Just a few layers added on top of his existing perception.

‘Incompetent idiots.’

So nobles were not just cruel.

They were stupid to the point of arrogance, cowardly yet greedy for what they desire.

Even idiots don’t have such idiots. Pathetic beyond belief.

And Evan was once again realizing his thoughts.

“What am I doing right now?”

Paulo Laurent’s eyes were bloodshot.

Why is he getting so angry again? He started the argument himself.

‘Noble fights are exhausting.’

Evan couldn’t understand why nobles keep picking on others in circles.

Are they pretending to be noble just by appearance?

How satisfying it would be to curse each other directly.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, right?

Evan adopted Paulo’s style and responded accordingly.

With a poker face and shamelessly bold words.

“What’s wrong?”

With a fake smile, the laughter embedded in the corners of his mouth was evident in his voice.

On the other hand, Paulo’s voice was on the verge of bursting.

“All those remarks just now, are they about me?”

“No?”

“Ha! Are you mocking me?”

His fingers trembled like a leaf, looking like an old man on the brink of death.

Amused by such a sight, Evan burst into a hearty laugh.

“Hmm. Where did my bread go on my plate? Oh, it’s stuck in the earl’s ear, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“No? I thought you didn’t understand my words because they went into your ear.”

Unintentionally, Paulo let out a hollow laugh with his mouth wide open.

Of course, his eyes still pierced Evan fiercely.

“I clearly reprimanded Charlotte. Why are you angry at me?”

“Are you joking?”

“Why are you talking nonsense? How old are you this year, Earl? There’s a generation gap between us, we’ll just get tired of each other.”

“…Haha. When will that nagging mouth of yours quiet down?”

“Should I pull out at least two teeth for it to be quiet? I did that to someone I fixed a while ago.”

Paulo took a deep breath as if enduring something.

There are many eyes watching. He must endure.

Should he lose his temper and grab that guy by the collar? It wouldn’t be dignified as a noble.

Evan didn’t say anything more.

The awkward atmosphere, along with Zite’s scrutinizing gaze, was too unsettling.

“…Haha.”

A faint laugh escaped from Paulo’s mouth, which had only been spitting venom.

He continued the conversation after a couple of laughs.

“You’ve changed, Evan. You’ve become quite manly.”

“Thank you.”

“However, arrogance must be tempered as one observes people. Certainly, a man’s courage deserves praise, but if it exceeds the limits, then a price must be paid.”

“Of course. I share the same sentiment.”

“Hmph. Who in the world… believes in what and acts so recklessly?”

“Well, I naturally trust the Marquis. He is not someone who would overlook my mistakes without correcting them.”

“…Quite audacious.”

After exhaling a sigh, Paulo added, “Family education is the mother’s role. But I am not unaware of your circumstances, so I will personally try to understand.”

At his words, Zait held his breath and studied Evan’s expression.

His stepmother, Olivia, also watched Evan anxiously.

After a brief moment, Evan spoke up.

“Is that so? Then, are those who received good education under their mothers’ guidance in such a state?”

Evan glanced at Damian, Erika, and finally Rebecca.

Then, he bluntly remarked, “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to have nothing at all? It’s all the same, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“And I receive education under a wonderful mother’s guidance separately.”

Whack!

Olivia, who had been observing the scene, suddenly interrupted, “…Ha ha.”

“Is the conversation over? Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, how about we eat? It’s impolite to chat while food is in front of us—”

Swish!

Suddenly, a silver object darted towards Evan.

Despite the unexpected attack, Evan effortlessly dodged it.

Ping!

The knife that was supposed to graze Evan’s cheek ended up hitting the wall with a loud thud.

The clang of metal echoed briefly before stopping, followed by the sound of a chair being pushed back.

“E-Evan!”

“What are you doing! Evan! Are you okay?”

Zait urgently got up and checked Evan’s face.

Evan brushed off Zait’s hand that was holding him and looked towards Rebecca.

“Sorry?”

She shrugged with a sly smile, “I slipped too. My mistake?”

Even if she hadn’t dodged, she would have left only a shallow scratch.

But the important thing was that she threw the knife. Evan immediately got up and approached Rebecca.

Ignoring Zait’s attempts to stop him, Evan walked confidently towards her.

“Heh heh. A mistake, you say?”

Rebecca taunted Evan mockingly.

And her taunt was met with a satisfying response.

Crack!

In an instant, Evan’s hand moved and covered her.

Rebecca tried to react in that moment but was a step too late.

Crash!

Her head hit the table and stayed there.

Rebecca didn’t even flinch.

The shock had crossed the line and stopped the accident.

“Do you enjoy it that much? Eating it all in one go?”

“…Let go?”

Rebecca, belatedly realizing the situation, shouted, “Let go of me—!”

“Eat as much as you want.”

Thud!

She was slammed back onto the table.

Rebecca struggled to grab Evan’s arm and squeezed it with all her might.

“Stop!”

A powerful shout filled the restaurant.

That should be enough, Evan thought, tousling Rebecca’s hair before retracting his hand.

“Acting up, huh. Is smearing it on your face while eating your family’s dining etiquette? You’re acting like a possessed bastard.”

“…Do you really want to die?”

Rebecca had no intention of stopping here.

She felt she needed to repay the humiliation she received five times, no, ten times over.

But with Paulo restraining her, she couldn’t act recklessly.

“Back off! Now!”

Zaite’s words made Evan return to his place with a sullen expression.

Rebecca sent a glance to Paulo, but he firmly shook his head.

“Sigh. Tsk.”

Rebecca was someone who tried to resolve conflicts to foster future harmony.

The servants took care of the mess the children had caused.

“I apologize, Lord Paulo. It was my mistake.”

“It’s alright. These kinds of frictions are common among noble families. I won’t dwell on it as it’s a usual occurrence.”

“I appreciate your understanding. However, it seems the atmosphere for dinner is not suitable as before. Let’s finish the meal here, and postpone the meeting to tomorrow morning breakfast.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

With those words, the two nobles stood up from their seats. The onlookers who had been watching them also rose to their feet.

#

Lorenz and his group left the restaurant.

Among them, Damian and Erika were at a loss, only paying attention to Rebecca’s mood.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Paulo’s voice echoed in the silence, as if muttering to himself, but it was directed at someone.

Soon, Rebecca replied.

“…Next time we meet, I’ll kill you.”

“You endured well. Thank you for saving my father’s dignity.”

“This time only. If you provoke me like that again, I won’t stay quiet.”

“Well, don’t be too disappointed. Opportunities will come again. For example, the upcoming friendly competition is another chance.”

An annual event where noble families compete to prove their swordsmanship.

It’s just a week away now.

“At that time, you can do as you please. Break an arm or a leg, I won’t intervene at all.”

Paulo chuckled.

“Duels are meant to be like that.”

“Well, I think so too. In a duel, injuries are nobody’s fault.”

There’s a pretext for a duel. How can one point fingers at an assault that happened during a duel?

Like that incident from the past.

“But don’t let your guard down.”

Paulo called for Harold, the knight waiting outside the restaurant.

After Harold bowed his head in acknowledgment, he followed along.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Temporarily suspend training with Damian. Instead, I’ll have you under Rebecca’s guidance.”

In terms of sheer strength, Rebecca was several steps above Harold.

However, what Paulo wanted to teach was not swordsmanship.

Since there was no knight in the family to teach Rebecca the sword, he planned to expose her to other experiences.

It’s better to be prepared and prevent any harm.

“Understood.”

“I’m counting on you.”

While Rebecca wore a sullen expression, Harold’s face was somewhat stern.

Shortly after, everyone went their separate ways to attend to their own business.

Rebecca went alone to train with her sword, and Harold followed behind her.

“…Miss.”

Rebecca turned around slowly at the call.

An expression of discontent. What, are you going to teach me something? Her face seemed to say.

“I’m saying this out of concern, but don’t interfere with my training.”

“….”

“You know you’re just getting in the way, right? Just stand there quietly like you used to.”

“It might be better to be careful…”

“What?”

Harold had sparred with Rebecca many times before.

Although he had won many victories in the past, he had started experiencing bitter defeats at some point.

The turning point was when Rebecca was barely an adult. It was at that time when he suffered a defeat that he became convinced of her genius.

A prodigy sent by the heavens. It was unimaginable for her to lose with a sword in hand.

But for some reason, he kept feeling uneasy.

“Lord Evan also seems different from before.”

“….”

“It’s risky to say this, but… if you underestimate her―”

“Stop right there.”

Out of the blue, Harold’s lips tightened as if his breath was being cut off.

Before he could even continue his interrupted words, a warning was issued.

“Do I look like I’m in a foul mood right now? If you dare speak out of turn, you might end up dead.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Get lost.”

After that, Rebecca left without even a glance.

Harold watched her retreating figure with an uneasy gaze.