"...Nick?"

Marilyn blinked in disbelief.

"Uh... Well."

Aaron also got up and greeted him slowly.

"Nice to meet you, uncle... I am Aaron Rainfield."

With Oscar and Nick being identical twins, everyone in the capital immediately recognized Nick's identity.

"Marilyn, you've lost a lot of temper. You must be old."

Nick shrugged his shoulders and said bluntly.

"If it was like the old days, there would be no way you could ever stop swearing in front of an noble. Just seeing you put up with it is worth coming to the capital. Maybe, that's Oscar fainted under your feet there?"

He grinned and glanced at Oscar, who looked just like him.

"I'm glad there are things that don't change. He's just as weak as before. Anyway..."

With everyone's attention, Nick slowly looked around him and spoke.

"It was great to see the Duke of Wade behaving well with Annabelle the whole time in my estate. Maybe it was love at first sight? The fluttering light purple hair blah blah blah... He told me all that."

"Well, then you..."

Marquis Abedes stared at Nick and breathed.

Caronda was the only territory where Ian and Annabelle were together.

This was because rumors circulated that the two had come together to destroy the origins of the second black magic in Caronda.

"I am Nick Averson, Lord of Caronda. When I come to the capital, it's naturally exposed to the fact that I bought the title."

Nick shrugged his shoulders once, and went to the Emperor.

"I have been escorting the criminals under the orders of Prince Robert. Rayburn Stropheid and Lanella Ocide using the origin of the second black magic, and..."

At his words about Lanella, Marilyn rubbed the back of her neck once more. Of course, Nick's words continued without her having to intervene.

"Including some knights of the Imperial Knights Templar who were trying to kill criminals they were secretly escorting."

At those words, the surroundings once again became quiet as if cold water had been poured on them.

Even the Emperor could not control his trembling hands.

If it was the Imperial Knights, they were under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince.

Killing a prisoner in escort was a tale of silence, more evidence of Carlon's involvement in black magic.

"Uh, anyway!"

Marquis Abedes shouted with a wistful face.

"That person is also a Rainfield after all! How can you believe that person? Duke of Wade, say something."

Of course, Marquis Abedes had some faith in this.

Because he predicted that the foxy Duke of Wade wouldn't listen to his son being talked about this weirdly.

By his calculations, it was natural for Braden to deny all these voices.

At the very least, if he simply stated that it would not be true, it would inevitably give strength to the Duke of Wade, not the Crown Prince, to make such a claim...

Of course, Braden had no interest in those words of Marquis Abedes.

To be precise, he was completely unaware of how other people looked at Ian.

His only concern was 'how to hand over Ian to Annabelle so that the legacy of the Duke of Wade doesn't end'. (pr/n: fkjshdafkj. Annabelle please f**k my son please don't let the bloodline end)(tl/n: LMAOO)

So Braden was quickly thinking in his head, even as people murmured at Nick's appearance.

This was because it was Braden's main specialty to somehow think of the next move even in such a panicked situation.

After a while, Braden slowly rose from the VIP seat, and everyone who saw him shut their mouths in unison.

Braden politely spoke to the Emperor first.

"I ask your Majesty to speak."

It was a signal that he wanted to say something different from the random assertions that had been sporadic until now.

Even the Marquis of Abedes sat down, blinking his eyes with a rather puzzled expression.

"Duke of Wade."

Even the Emperor looked at him with a slightly nervous expression.

"Is there anything you want to say?"

If Braden asked for a say, he couldn't ignore it, and even in this situation, no one wouldn't be curious about what he had to say.

And the Emperor had a secret belief in Braden.

He was called a 'middle-aged fox', but anyway, Braden wasn't like the Marquis of Abedes, Maiena, or the Nick they had seen for the first time today.

He wasn't the one to turn things into chaos.

If he could sort out this chaotic situation somehow, the Emperor would let him.

The emperor was also unaware of the fact that the Empress and Carlon were the masterminds behind the black magic and should be severely punished for this.

It was just that he didn't want to deal with the crowd now that he was at this place.

So he hoped Braden would somehow end this situation.

"In front of His Majesty the Emperor and the many people who were seated at the award ceremony of the swordsmanship competition, I wanted to make a request to His Majesty, so I stood up like this."

Braden looked at the Emperor and said in a soft voice.

"As you all know, my son Ian, and Miss Annabelle should have met in the finals of their last swordsmanship competition."

"Right."

"And this was their last swordsmanship competition, and it seems like they didn't attend for the public good."

Of course, Ian didn't run because of the origin of black magic, but anyway, the Empress's secrets could not be exposed publicly, so it was expressed in a lumped way.

"Of course, the winner of the 912th Swordsmanship Competition is Aaron Rainfield, but when the two of them return, how about arranging a friendly match?"

Braden spoke in a flowing tone, and secret excitement began to fill the face of the Emperor, a huge fan of the swordsmanship contest.

"I don't think my son fell in love with Miss Annabelle back then, but during that time, they never looked at each other except when in front of the sword, and have been going back and forth for eight years."

At that, the Marquis of Abedes groaned.

So now Braden was defending Nick's words, 'Ian fell in love with Annabelle at first sight'.

"Actually, Ian's heart, I was vaguely noticing it... I didn't know that he would go so far to ask for a sword at him, instead of a sword at a swordsmanship contest."

At the same time, it meant he was acknowledging all the voices from the Smaho forest.

"Anyways, there is no doubt that the two of them contributed to the peace of the Empire, and as it was a swordsmanship contest that was meaningful to both of them in many ways..."

Braden's calm voice continued.

"I am asking if it would be better to arrange a final official event for the two of them to compete."

"Duke Wade has come up with a very good idea."

The Emperor answered coldly.

"Of course, since it is an individual abstention, it cannot change the result of the swordsmanship contest. However, given the circumstances, it is the right decision to hold such a friendly match with extenuating circumstances."

In fact, the spectators who had come in anticipation of the final between Annabelle and Ian in this swordsmanship competition also murmured and nodded their heads.

"When they get back, it's best to ask the doctor and if they say it's okay, then go ahead with it."

The emperor was excited and continued.

"Even if it's not for a swordsmanship competition medal, I'll ask my magic tower to give the victor a commemorative medal with a small magic stone in it."

Then he smiled and said,

"It's not comparable to the Wade family's huge magic crystal, but it's meant for comfort."

It was a word that contained the expectation that Ian would win.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Braden smiled gently.

"It has been revealed to the world that Ian is a madman in love, but the sword is sincere. Even against Miss Annabelle, he will do his best. It will probably be a meaningful duel."

"...So, this is how this swordsmanship contest will end here. The punishment of the criminals will be after all parties have returned..."

The Emperor's words continued, but Braden couldn't listen to the end.

He offered a friendly match and, as soon as he sat down, Leslie quickly began whispering to Braden.

"Well... Honey, Miss Annabelle could win."

Leslie had taught Annabelle herself.

And she also knew that whenever she destroyed the origin of black magic, her skills would go up exponentially.

She said, given the amount of training she had been through, it was skills that she would already have reached if she had received proper support as a child, but it was a story that no one else knew.

"I don't know the details, but Miss Annabelle's skills have improved by leaps and bounds... Well, maybe now she could really be like Ian or even a little bit stronger..."

If she got rid of that bamboo forest that was said to be the origin of the last black magic, now Ian's victory would be unpredictable...

At Leslie's whisper, Braden smiled.

"It doesn't matter, Leslie. Is it important for Ian to beat Miss Annabelle right now? It's nice to be beaten."

"Then? Why did you make that offer?"

"They have to get involved one more time."

Braden spoke softly to Leslie.

"As soon as he arrives in the capital, Ian will be seen as a madman, and it is not something we can avoid. My son will look fine when he holds a sword, so we have to appeal with that form."

"Hah... Did you think from Annabelle's position? Everything is perfect, and there is Prince Robert, who is about to become the Crown Prince."

Leslie muttered seriously.

"If I were Annabelle, I wouldn't have chosen Ian, the official madman."

"Well."

Braden shrugged his shoulders. And if Leslie's predictions were messed up on the inside, he thought the future was a bit hopeful.

Of course, there was another person who had absolutely nothing to do with the result of the friendly match between Ian and Annabelle.

"Where is she?"

It was Marilyn who rushed through the crowds and rushed in front of Nick while Braden made a request to the Emperor.

"Lanella Ocide, where is she?"

As if she had met a thousand-year-old enemy, her eyes gleamed eerily.