Looking down at the fallen Jerome, I caught my breath.
Though I showed no outward sign, my entire body ached as if it might collapse at any moment.
This pain was partly due to his wind magic.
It was also a consequence of the risks inherent in the Primordial Divine Art (TL Note: ‘Giwon Singong,’ a martial art or cultivation technique that draws upon fundamental or primordial energies.).
It was a power that gathered and unleashed energy that should not, could not, exist.
Such power placed an immense strain on the physical body.
Moreover, this wasn’t even my original body, but that of a young lady deemed utterly useless.
‘It’s a relief it ended here. That was a close call. I still have a long way to go!’
Of course, I endured it.
I would have no choice but to grow stronger, to master my own power.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
People, one by one, began to grasp the reality of the situation.
How quickly they caught on.
“Uh, wait? Queen just won, didn’t she…?”
“Hold on, is this right? She can’t even use a single spell, yet she defeated a 3rd-Circle mage? With martial arts?”
“It must have been a trick, obviously.”
“But Queen clearly overwhelmed him with a barrage of attacks….”
Reactions split between doubt and admiration.
Some truly gasped in awe, even applauding.
Others glared, like detectives desperate to build a case.
“My sonnnnnnnnnnn!”
Miranda shrieked, rushing forward in horror.
She clutched Jerome to her and then glared at me.
Even a saintess protecting a hero from the Demon King could not have been more dramatic.
“You goddamn b*tch, are you out of your mind? Trying to kill my son? This is invalid, Queen loses! You filthy murderer!”
“What do you mean, I lose?”
“You absolutely lose! How dare you try to kill someone in a spar? Are you a Croze (TL Note: A fictional race, likely depicted as barbaric or savage.) or something? You’re done for, you slut. You’re disqualified and out of the family, OUT!”
It was utterly ridiculous.
Who was it that first showed murderous intent?
Yet, several members of the family were nodding in agreement.
They must have known I had won; I had already demonstrated it.
But they likely wished to reject me, viewing me as a woman who would only tarnish the family’s prestige.
It was a laughable display of cognitive dissonance.
I surveyed my surroundings, offering them a sneer.
“Are you truly this foolish, or are you just pretending?”
“Sister, what do you mean by that?”
Holland stepped forward, glaring at me.
“Oh, come on. You’re trying to disqualify me because *I* tried to kill him? But you all saw and heard it, didn’t you? The one who first showed murderous intent and tried to kill was that self-proclaimed genius, Jerome, sprawled out over there. What’s more, he actually rampaged on his own and damaged our family’s main residence. See that?!”
I immediately pointed to the main residence.
Its state was beyond description.
All the windows were shattered, and the building itself was so deeply gouged it looked as if some long-armed, white dinosaur had clawed its way through.
Everyone who had been loudly insulting me fell silent.
The quiet was rather pleasant.
I pointed at Miranda.
“Hey, Auntie Grandma (TL Note: A disrespectful term for an older female relative, implying she’s old enough to be a great-aunt and is overstepping her bounds.). You seem to be mistaken about something.”
“What, you ill-mannered murderer!”
“If you threw your body into another family and became an ‘exogamous’ (TL Note: ‘Chulgaoein,’ referring to a woman who marries into another family and is thus no longer considered a full member of her birth family.) member, shouldn’t you be using *their* family name? Why do you keep using ours and cosplaying as the real power? Are you a ‘black-haired foreigner’ (TL Note: ‘Geommeowoe,’ a derogatory term for a Korean person who has adopted foreign customs or attitudes, implying they have abandoned their heritage while still looking Korean.)? Do you have nothing better to do? Or are you getting bullied there?”
I asked her directly.
Miranda trembled, looking as if she might pounce at any moment.
Of course, she didn’t.
Isn’t it said that the weakest dogs bark the loudest?
“Queen, do not cross the line!”
The family head and my father, Blaken, rose and shouted.
I merely shrugged, then offered a bright, innocent smile.
“Father, snap out of it. I prevented a major dispute from erupting. And I did it by subduing Jerome, not killing him.”
Miranda and Jerome undeniably belonged to a different family.
Although it occurred during a spar, he had first shown murderous intent and even damaged the mansion.
It was an act that clearly warranted compensation.
But what if I had killed him while trying to stop it?
The situation would have escalated significantly, and our family would have been branded as the aggressors.
That was why I merely subdued him, stopping just short of making him a complete cripple.
Holland tilted his head, confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“Jerome is clearly from the Devilenopp family. If he were a member of *our* family, we could hush this up and cover it. But how dare some brat from another family damage our mansion and try to kill me, a family affiliate?”
“Th-that’s true.”
“If he’d rampaged any further, a lot more people would have been caught in the crossfire, wouldn’t they?”
Upon hearing my words, the family members, now rendered speechless, flinched one by one.
Were they only now realizing the gravity of the situation? Idiots.
This was the problem with medieval nobles.
Well, it was true of Joseon (TL Note: The Joseon Dynasty, a Korean dynastic kingdom that lasted for over 500 years.) as well.
Those who claimed to be family members were often foolish, relying solely on their status.
They were typical incompetent parasites.
“That is a valid point, Queen.”
Blaken nodded.
Feeling emboldened, I continued to speak.
“If that had happened, it would have become an inter-family dispute. Even then, would I still be the murderous b*tch, the utterly despicable whore? You worthless, dog-shit, good-for-nothing bastards?!”
I let out a refreshing outburst.
Perhaps the original Queen had also yearned to rail against them like this, especially against that Miranda woman.
A woman who wasn’t even a family member, yet acted like a family elder.
She played the role of the real power, manipulating things for her personal gain, sowing discord.
A ‘black-haired foreigner’ (TL Note: ‘Geommeowoe,’ a derogatory term for a Korean person who has adopted foreign customs or attitudes, implying they have abandoned their heritage while still looking Korean.)-like b*tch, damn it.
My current demeanor would certainly be seen as crossing a line for a noble.
But so what?
I was going to be the crazy b*tch of this district.
Why should I bother with etiquette or anything else?
‘This is my way, my life.’
Ultimately, Blaken, the family head, intervened.
“The victor of this spar is Queen Wednesday. Queen, it seems you’ve been working hard in secret. Perhaps I… may have misjudged you.”
“You shouldn’t be satisfied so soon.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I have so much more to show and prove; this is just the beginning. Please handle the aftermath. Otherwise, that Miranda woman will truly go berserk, you know?”
Blatantly ignoring Miranda, I descended from the sparring arena.
The surrounding reactions remained boisterous, with arguments erupting everywhere.
Behind me, Miranda was crying out desperately.
“That was a trick, I tell you, a trick! Bring my son back, you won with a trick! You rat-like bitchhhhhhh!”
She was struggling wildly, that ugly harlot.
Returning to my room, I took a leisurely bath and then lay down on my bed.
I truly felt a sense of immense relief.
[Emergency Quest ‘Lawbreaking (TL Note: ‘Chokbeop,’ referring to juvenile offenders who are exempt from criminal punishment due to their age.) Thrashed Legally’ Cleared!]
[Congratulations! You have satisfied the secret condition ‘Avoid Being Hit Directly,’ and your rewards have been doubled!]
[Acquired ‘Lingwoodite’ x4!]
[All stats increased by 20!]
Huh, there was a secret condition too?
I thought those were exclusive to the Protagonist.
Honestly, it’s enough to make me confused whether this is a novel or a game.
‘I’m not complaining, though.’
I had obtained a metal with water-absorbing properties.
This could prove useful later.
In any case, thanks to the generous rewards, my stats had risen considerably.
“Amazing, power is surging through my entire body!”
Unlike before, when I had seemed somewhat lacking in strength, my body now surged with power, as if I had become a peak bodybuilder (TL Note: ‘Helchang,’ a Korean slang term for someone extremely dedicated to weight training and fitness.).
After warming up a bit in the room, I performed a sergeant jump (TL Note: A vertical jump test, often used to measure explosive leg power.).
“Whoa!”
I nearly hit the ceiling, barely pushing myself away with my hands, then spun once before landing.
I felt as light as a cat.
It was as if vitality was flowing back into this body.
Furthermore, I had also gained points from thrashing Jerome.
While I could use them to raise my stats and become even stronger.
‘I have immediate business to attend to.’
I couldn’t be satisfied with this.
I immediately headed towards the office of Blaken, the family head and my father.
*Thump-thump.*
As I left the residence, the servants who had been whispering quickly scattered at the sight of me.
The news must have spread.
That I was the one who had thrashed the esteemed Jerome.
The servants’ bewildered gazes, which I had never seen before, fixated on me from every direction.
I was delighted.
I felt a thrill.
‘There will be many more such moments in the future!’
Knock, knock, knock, *click*.
Blaken, who had been working, looked up and stared at me.
He seemed surprised by my sudden visit.
“Queen, what is it?”
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Please release the seizure on my usable assets.”
Queen had been practically cast out by the family.
As a result, all the assets that should have rightfully belonged to her had been seized.
‘Seized’ was a polite term; in reality, Miranda had arbitrarily taken them to give Jerome pocket money.
“…Do you believe you are worthy?”
I smiled cynically.
“Of course I am (TL Note: ‘Dangyeon bbatttaji,’ a Korean slang phrase meaning ‘obviously’ or ‘of course,’ often used with a defiant or confident tone.).”
“Father, I am simply claiming what is rightfully mine. Do you still see your daughter as a useless, incompetent cripple who can’t even take care of herself?”
I had offered minimal proof.
This much should be obvious.
Blaken cleared his throat and set down his fountain pen.
The pen gleamed coldly.
“Very well, I grant permission. From this moment forth, the seized assets are yours.”
The family head’s permission had been granted, something no one could refuse.
Now, I could finally ‘flex’ (TL Note: A modern slang term meaning to show off one’s wealth or possessions.) like a true noble.
Heh heh, what should I buy first?
“And I felt I should inform you of something in advance, Father.”
“Is there something else you desire?”
I calmly walked over and sat in the chair opposite Blaken.
I had sat down without him explicitly telling me to.
It was undoubtedly disrespectful, but so what?
‘The humiliation I’ve endured in this family has been immense. I’ve been treated as less than human.’
“I plan to leave this family soon.”
“…What? Queen, why would you?”
“Did you see everyone’s reactions? I won fairly, yet they tore into me like goblins in heat. What part of that is noble?”
Blaken sighed softly, leaning back in his chair.
His pale face seemed etched with newfound worries.
“I know there are many in the family who dislike you. But one cannot satisfy everyone…”
“I have no desire to satisfy them, nor do I wish to entertain such low-level trash by pretending they are fellow nobles.”
“Queen, is this a family you can simply leave whenever you wish? You are the eldest daughter of this house, the eldest daughter!”
“When have you ever treated me as the eldest daughter?”
“That’s because you…!”
Because I was incompetent, un-noble in my uselessness.
He must have wanted to say something like that.
But Blaken did not.
He swallowed his words, shaking his head.
This alone showed that he was, at the very least, a person of character.
If it had been Miranda, she would have blabbered about everything, true or false, trying to declare an unfair victory.
I let out a small laugh.
“Of course not. I respect that, but you know that holds no meaning if I were to become the family head myself, don’t you?”
“I have seen your accomplishments. However, being the family head is not something just anyone can achieve, even if they are the eldest.”
“Then why are you trying to stop me when I say I’m leaving? Honestly.”
I yawned nonchalantly.
Unable to comprehend, Blaken asked,
