Chapter 19: Realization of Justice

After Olivia left, only Duke Ashtar and the battle maid protecting the Ashtar family remained.

The Duke clasped his hands behind his back and mumbled while pacing.

“I never imagined my daughter would turn out to be such a person. But you know… I find myself wondering about something.”

There was something he hadn’t had time to confront Olivia about, as there had been little time.

“They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Judging by the complaints from the other families, what Olivia did must be true.”

The children had been expelled because of Olivia.

They were now facing the threat of expulsion. This happened just as the second year of Atlerina Academy was beginning.

“When did she gain such power? Especially that white hair of hers… it’s unusual. But still…”

The fact that her hair turned white probably meant she had undergone some sort of magical awakening.

Such physical changes were not uncommon among mages.

But that wasn’t the main issue.

The Duke glanced at the black-haired maid standing dutifully by his side.

“She resembles you quite a bit, you know.”

“Has it been discovered?” The black-haired maid smiled faintly.

She was none other than Katarina, Duke Ashtar’s wife.

The woman who had helped stabilize the faltering position of the Ashtar family.

In the past, she had assumed various identities and roles, deceiving the world while performing all sorts of tasks.

She had even led an assassin’s guild from the shadows of the Empire.

Now, the elite battle maids of the Ashtar family were former members of that assassin’s guild, and Katarina had disguised herself as a maid to follow the Duke and observe Olivia.

“Didn’t you despise her, claiming she couldn’t possibly be your daughter? And yet, here you are, disguised as a maid just to see her. What noblewoman does that?”

The Duke mocked his wife, Katarina, who had scorned their daughter, Olivia, so much that she’d even questioned whether she was truly their child.

It was understandable.

The engagement with the Crown Prince had been a mere political arrangement, nothing more.

It was only for the sake of the family, as the Ashtar family had a long, storied history that could rival the imperial family.

There was no reason for Olivia to cling so desperately to such a marriage.

Katarina had expected Olivia to be more like herself, especially since their eldest son was set to inherit the family, and their second son had a promising future in the military.

She had hoped Olivia would take over the assassin’s guild.

It was only natural that she’d find Olivia’s blind devotion to a man who didn’t even love her to be distasteful.

When Olivia lost the Crown Prince to Lily and even attempted a suicide show, Katarina had begun to wonder if Olivia was the child of some other man she had dallied with, rather than the Duke’s.

“If she wasn’t like me, she should at least have taken after her father, but she didn’t even have that.”

Yet something had changed in Olivia.

“Still, isn’t she your flesh and blood?” Katarina asked.

Indeed, despite being her own daughter, Katarina had never treated Olivia kindly.

“What do you think of her now?” the Duke asked.

“She’s surpassed me. Who would have thought she could even deceive me?” Katarina replied, a hint of admiration in her voice.

“When had Olivia started acting?”

“She had always been a bright child, but at some point, she claimed to have fallen in love with the Crown Prince. “

“It seemed she had changed after the engagement. Had she been pretending all along just to avoid marriage?”

In that case, giving her control of the guild might be easier now. If the Crown Princess were secretly leading an assassin’s guild, it would surely cause trouble in the future. But if Olivia relinquished the Crown Prince to Lily and focused on her true calling, she had already fulfilled her role.

“It’s surprising to hear you, once known as the Black Reaper, say such things,” the Duke remarked, intrigued by Katarina’s words.

“So, can we truly trust Olivia?”

“Whether her actions will benefit the Ashtar family remains to be seen,” Katarina replied.

“That’s true.”

Still, it had been a while since he had seen his daughter’s eyes so full of life.

Perhaps it was worth trusting her—just this once.

***

As soon as Olivia left her meeting with the Duke, she was greeted by the student council.

More precisely, the Crown Prince himself had come to see her.

And for some reason, Yuria was grinning as if she had achieved something remarkable, even though this wasn’t her concern.

Olivia sighed internally. ‘Ridiculous.’

“What brings you here, Your Highness?” Olivia asked, her tone respectful but distant.

“I heard you’ve already met with the Duke,” the Crown Prince replied.

“Yes, I have. But what is your business here?”

“Surely, you’ve decided to release the noble students? Why not just let this whole matter slide? It would be good for your reputation, and I’ll make sure those nobles are kept in line.”

‘Where does he get this ridiculous idea?’ Olivia thought, amused by the audacity of his request.

Unfortunately for him…

“I refuse,” Olivia said flatly.

“What?”

The Crown Prince’s expression looked like he had just been slapped.

His cold gaze bore into her, but it didn’t change a thing.

“The Duke has also agreed to let me handle this matter as I see fit,” Olivia added.

“What?” The Crown Prince seemed even more incredulous.

‘Oh my, keep glaring at me like that, and you might burn a hole through my face,’ Olivia thought, rolling her eyes.

Did he really think she’d let all the nobles off the hook so easily? Despite appearances, Olivia had a kind heart. After all, she had endured the miserable conditions of that so-called “hero party” for so long.

“Of course, I’m not a demon. I could consider leniency under certain conditions,” Olivia said with a smile.

“Conditions? What conditions?” the Crown Prince asked, narrowing his eyes.

Olivia repeated the conditions she had already stated before.

“First, they need to lick my shoes, followed by a sincere apology, and finally, they’ll have to repeat the year.”

“That’s too much, don’t you think?” the Crown Prince protested.

“Is it too much for you?” Olivia retorted.

‘Should I just refuse forgiveness altogether then?’ she thought, smirking.

“Is there no room for compromise?” the Crown Prince asked.

“No.”

“Don’t you have any loyalty to your betrothed?”

At times like this, looking for loyalty from a fiancé makes no sense.

“Not that it matters much now, but by that logic, Your Highness, you are to become the son-in-law of the Ashtar family. With such a strong backing, are you really afraid of these petty minor nobles?”

“You there.”

It wasn’t even worth responding. This fool needs to get his head straight.

“The Little Empire.”

“What?”

“The Empire calls Atlerina the Crown Prince’s ‘Little Empire.’ If you can’t use that to your advantage, then what’s the point?”

The Little Empire.

A small world with nobles and commoners.

What should be done with that world, especially when the Crown Prince wants to govern for the commoners?

Appeasing the disgruntled nobles?

Helping commoners advance in society?

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

But could a Crown Prince who doesn’t even understand that be worthy of becoming Emperor?

It’s not my job to teach him.

He should figure that out on his own.

“This time, the Duke left me the authority to deal with them for precisely that reason. Anyway, regardless, I am firm in my conditions. A sincere apology, licking my shoes, and one year suspension. I will accept nothing less.”

“Lady Ashtar! We are talking about the foundation of the Empire, the nobles. How could you be so harsh?”

Lily, my new fiancée, just stood there, unable to grasp the situation.

It’s amusing that only Yuria, who’s merely treated as a close aide, is protesting.

“Well, as the nobles fall, commoners with talent will take their place. Being a commoner doesn’t mean they lack skill, does it?”

If you dig into it, you’ll find plenty of idiots among the nobles too.

The only reason they have any basic intelligence is because they’ve had private tutors from a young age in a privileged environment.

But even they can’t compete with Ashtar.

“If you’re that upset, why don’t you go ahead and challenge Ashtar?”

Looking at the student council officers, their faces were still filled with discontent.

Especially Ryla, who would have to kneel with them this time.

By now, they should have heard the news from Berta Fortress.

Do they still not understand the situation?

“If you’re still not convinced, Your Highness, may I speak bluntly?”

“Go ahead.”

Since the Crown Prince gave his permission, let’s see.

“As we speak, the iron fortress of the kingdom, Berta, has fallen, exposing the entire defense to the assault of the Four Heavenly Kings. The hero is weak, and the Empire and Kingdom’s champion, Noah, has disappeared. In other words, the Empire could fall at any moment. But here in Atlerina, there are still idiots clinging to their noble status.”

So, to sum up:

“I crushed them under Ashtar’s authority, so what’s the problem?”

Moreover, the Duke himself has given his tacit approval this time.

I’ve drawn a clear line with a maximum one-year suspension.

“Sister! Your language is so vulgar!”

Finally, the dainty princess protested against me.

“Vulgar, you say? The only vulgar thing here is your body playing queen bee.”

Honestly, it still amazes me.

How did she manage to captivate the nobles with a body that couldn’t even seduce an orc?

“What?”

“Never mind. Anyway, I’ve made myself clear. That’s all for now.”

Even the Crown Prince couldn’t overturn my firm stance.

***

Somehow, word spread throughout Atelina about my firm position.

The eldest daughter of Ashtar will not forgive nobles who rebel against Ashtar.

And, more importantly, the Duke of Ashtar has given his approval.

The other noble houses probably raised objections, but the Duke must have smoothed things over.

By now, even the noble students at the academy knew.

‘Olivia Rafa Ashtar is no one to mess with.’

As a result, the nobles were tearfully apologizing to me.

Even though the men didn’t seem fully convinced, whether it was family orders or otherwise, they eventually came to apologize, so I decided to let the shoe-licking slide.

“I—I’m sorry.”

After accepting the last student’s apology, I decided to forgive them.

“If you’d done this from the start, wouldn’t things have been easier? You pathetic little nobles, boasting over a single estate and daring to touch the eldest daughter of Ashtar? Ridiculous.”

I shrugged and provoked them as much as I wanted.

I’m sure it stings.

It must really hurt.

But what can they do?

That’s what ordinary nobles are like.

They used to look down on commoners.

So I treated them the same way.

“One more thing, let me be clear. I have the right to be arrogant, but you do not. Do you know why? Because your families can’t even hope to look up to the Ashtar family.”

In other words, bow your heads.

I intend to use my position as much as possible.

Noah is dead, and Olivia is dead.

The dead Noah now inhabits Olivia’s body.

Don’t worry, Olivia the First.

You will go down in history as a great sage.

Since I’m already being scorned, should I take this to the end?

Honestly, there’s something exhilarating about crushing them like this.

Now I understand why Siriana and Ella enjoyed looking down on others.

“And you’re weaker than me. Even if you all came at me together, you couldn’t defeat me. That’s the difference between you and me. So from now on, bow your heads when you’re in front of me. Oh, wait, that’s what you should have been doing all along. You’re first years, aren’t you?”

As first years, you should behave like first years and respect your seniors.

The first-year students wore incredibly frustrated expressions.

Ryla’s face, in particular, was hilarious.

“Grr…”

“What are Atlerina’s rules again? Social status is equal, but seniors must be treated with respect, right? So, going forward, you’ll need to fix your attitudes.”

If you’re so mad, why don’t you become third-years already?

Watching the nobles head back to the first-year classroom, I chuckled.

“This is just too much fun.”

That red-haired idiot’s twisted expression was priceless.

He even called me “senior.”

I must really be influenced by Olivia.

Why does crushing them feel so enjoyable?

And it’s not just them.

I didn’t have much time to think due to the student council, but even Duke Ashtar feels different.

Who would have thought my father would take such a stance?

From his letters, I thought he was just someone who wouldn’t listen.

But in his own way, he and I actually communicated.

Is it because I’ve proven my worth?

If I were useless, would he have discarded me?

To be honest, it’s the truth.

From the moment the Crown Prince broke off our engagement and cast me aside, my life as a noble lady was over.

Still, I managed to hold on to my position.

Now, I need to adjust my strategy a little.