Free Web NovelChapter 5: Leona Voss
’Huh?’
[Profile Appraisal complete.]
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[Name: Leona Voss]
[Lineage: Human]
[Role: Blacksmith]
[Affiliation: House of Voss]
[Relationship: Fiancée]
[Entanglement: Friction Link (Unstable)]
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[Traits]
Improve Entanglement to get traits details.
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[Notes]
– A smithing fanatic who is currently unable to smith due to her upcoming marriage.
– Detected anomaly: Suppressed Origin Path (Forge-type)
– Emotional state: Observant, restrained.
– Physical state: Untainted, stable.
– Beware of lying to her.
[Live Feed]
– Leona Voss is observing the host.
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’Eh? Fiancée!?’ Vincent’s hands shook and he almost spilled his drink.
"Careful, young master." Anastasia took the drink from his hand and gave him a handkerchief.
’I am engaged with someone?’
’Wait...’
’Does this mean I am not maidenless anymore!?!
The shock was too big for the virgin Vincent.
No interaction with the opposite sex had led to a crippling porn addiction, the result of which was death by dehydration.
He had hopes of starting a family in this life but it would come served on a platter wasn’t something he imagined!
While Vincent was busy letting his imagination of his future run wild, a tall young man in soft red attire entered the ball with a blue-haired young lady in his arms.
Vincent was close to the entrance as he hadn’t moved much after his first interaction. Other nobles approached him and rotated, not giving much of a chance to move.
The tall young man’s gaze fell on Vincent, and found him to be the center of the ball’s attention.
’Huh?’ The young man in red thought he was seeing things and moved around, approaching a nearby noble in yellow attire to confirm his suspicions.
"My lord, why is that young lord being surrounded there?" The tall young man asked the slightly fat noble in yellow.
The noble in yellow stroked his mustache and said, "Ho. Ho. You’ve only just arrived so you don’t know. But that young man was personally escorted by the guards. Can you imagine?"
"A personal escort?" The young man frowned. "Personal escort by the guards for... him of all people?"
"Hm?" The noble in yellow glanced at the young man seriously, figuring out the underlying meaning behind his words. "Young lord, might you know who he is?"
"Of course I do!" The young man responded almost instinctively, not putting much thought behind it and catching the nearby nobles’ attention.
The young lady beside him nudged her elbow, signaling him to look around.
"Ho. Ho. My lord here is acquainted with that lord there?" The noble in yellow let out his signature dry laugh and said.
"Huh?" The tall young man turned back to the noble in yellow. "No, why would I be acquainted with him? I’d much rather stay ten feet away."
The noble in yellow knitted his brows but still kept an amicable smile.
The ones nearby were now too interested to not overhear the conversation.
Many groups inched closer while chatting amongst each other, trying to eavesdrop properly.
The tall young man did not notice the subtle shift and kept his conversation with the fat noble in yellow going.
"Young lord, might you know of him?"
"Who doesn’t?" The young man in red turned to the noble in yellow. "That’s Vincent D’Arc."
The noble in yellow gasped, his fat belly getting sucked in and bouncing back.
A few nobles nearby froze mid-sip.
Someone took a step back from approaching Vincent while someone nearby exclaimed in a whisper: "D’Arc?"
Like a drop falling in water, the ripples of gossip immediately spread within the ballroom.
"Vincent D’Arc?"
"That wastrel heir?"
"That wastrel heir!"
"Now that I see clearly..."
"Oh no... it’s indeed him..."
"The one who harassed the young lady of the Joanne House..."
The nobles were in an uproar as the curtains to Vincent’s act fell.
It eventually reached the ears of people talking to Vincent and finally in Vincent’s ears.
"Aha... my apologies, young lord. I need to use the restroom." The nobles made an excuse and left Vincent alone.
Vincent found himself isolated and standing away from all groups, getting avoided like a plague instantly.
What crossed his mind after this wasn’t sadness. Rather...
’So this is my reputation. Interesting...’
Approaching footsteps resounded in Vincent’s ears and broke his thoughts.
A burly figure with black-gold eye mask was coming in his direction.
’Count Hall?’
The figure stopped a step before Vincent, casting a towering shadow.
"Boy..." Count Hall dropped all formalities and rules of the ball.
Vincent looked up at him and saw a pair of serious black eyes.
The nobles nearby slowly sipped their drinks and conversed with each other casually, as if they weren’t entirely listening in on Vincent’s conversation.
"...so it really is you."
Vincent’s eyes were calm and detached, as if he expected such a response.
"Congrats on figuring it out. Do you perhaps need a reward for it now?"
Count Hall frowned.
Vincent smiled. "Will the coal mine do?"
A vein bulged above the burly figure’s forehead.
Vincent took a sip of his drink while looking straight into the man’s eyes. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Count Hall’s furrows deepened with Vincent’s obvious provocation.
The nobles nearby felt on edge.
They all knew of the man’s wrath.
This was Count Hall, and he was a man known not for his patience but pettiness over his vast battle records.
Standing behind Vincent, Anastasia echoed the crowd’s thoughts internally. ’What is the young master doing? Count Hall is not the person he should mess with. No, I’m thinking wrong...’
Anastasia fingers pressed against each other as she stood behind Vincent with her head bowed.
’What I should be more concerned about is the young master’s sudden change in behavior in this fifth iteration. He’s a drunk coward through and through, but he’s acting very differently now.’
This time Anastasia frowned, her thoughts unrelated to Vincent and Count Hall’s interaction.
Count Hall leaned down and pointed a finger at Vincent’s chest.
Vincent raised his eyebrows and stared at the man with slight surprise. ’Is he going to hurt me?’
Anastasia woke up from her stupor and was immediately alerted.
’Oh no. Is this bastard going to strike at the young master?’
Anastasia put her hands behind her back and stared straight at Count Hall, readying a needle in her palms.
Contrary to the two’s expectations, Count Hall leaned closer to Vincent’s face and whispered, "The Countess’s weak excuse of a son, watch your words. If it wasn’t for the ball, you would’ve already been on the floor."
Vincent internally heaved a relieved sigh. ’Ah, false alarm. Turns out he just wanted to talk shit and not actually kill me.’
Anastasia relaxed too, noticing there was no need to rescue the useless young master from a needless battle.
Vincent smiled and shook his head at Count Hall’s blatant provocation. He took a step back and patted the man’s shoulder.
Count Hall stepped back almost immediately at this gesture.
Anastasia was slightly startled. ’How bold has he gotten?!’
Vincent did not break eye contact with him and said in a tone louder than before, "So you actually want two coal mines as a reward? Sorry—I can only return the one you gave me."
A noble nearby choked on his wine and broke into fits of cough.
Count Hall, who had his fists clenched trembled in rage at such a sight.
He could hear the crowd nearby break into fits of soft murmur. What they said couldn’t be heard, but he knew his reputation had been sullied!
’This wastrel dared to slander me?’ Blood rushed to Count Hall’s face and made him red like a tomato.
He was doing everything in his power to not strangle Vincent to his death.
Count Hall took a step closer to Vincent.
"Very good. Very good, boy. I’ll make sure that you..."
Before Count Hall could finish his sentence, the rapping of heels filled the ballroom.
Following it were multiple footsteps.
A seductive figure in black dress and red heels walked into the ballroom. Her face was covered in a red eyemask, and she was being escorted by twice the number of guards that escorted Vincent.
All nobles, including Count Hall, paused what they were doing and focused on the newcomer.
The lady’s strides did not stop until she reached a tall young man in red attire standing a few circles away from Vincent.
SLAP—!
A crisp sound echoed, followed by a thud and shrill cry of a young man.
The tall young man’s eyemask fell to the side, revealing his pale face with a red handprint.
"Ah..." The blue-haired young lady beside him staggered in shock.
The lady in black dress ignored the girl and glanced down at the young man in red.
"Openly exposing another attendee’s identity—and a Count-ranked one’s at that—has Marquis Morvell not taught you better?"
"W-what?" The young man couldn’t process what was happening.
The lady in black dress removed the white glove from her left hand and squatted down.
Slap—!
A crisp sound echoed in the room again, making many nobles draw their breaths and unconsciously step back in their places.
The young man almost fainted from the stinging pain on his other cheek.
"My lady, please have mercy!" The blue-haired young lady stood between the young man and the lady in black, pleading while bawling her eyes out.
"Mercy?" The lady in black dress said calmly as she stood up.
"You should be grateful I only used my hand."
She wore her glove back and turned around, not sparing the two another glance.
Her gaze now fell on the burly man with black-gold eye mask and the short young man standing in front of him.
She took slow strides towards them while the guards followed closely behind, the tapping of her heels being the only sound that could be heard for the brief moment.
Vincent stared at her and wondered, ’She seems more unconventional than these gossiping nobles. Who is she?’
The lady stopped before Vincent and Count Hall.
She first turned to Count Hall.
She wasn’t as tall as him, but her demeanor was far more fierce, making Count Hall slightly shrink his back in place.
He clasped his hands and said with slight hesitation, "My lady... how can I help you?"
The ballroom fell silent.
For the first time in that evening—
Count Hall did not look like the most dangerous man in the room.
