CH 73

Chapter 73

Translator: Yonnee

RP: Haebaragi_syk

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CRASH!

Upon entering the room, Lehman flung the vase that had been on a table. The brilliant glass shattered at once, hurling shards in all directions. As water started spreading on the floor, the rich fragrance of roses also wafted in the air.

“Reina.”

Lehman’s heavy breathing filled the room.

“Oh, but I hope you’re not offended, Lehman. I’m only being honest.”

“It’s only because it’s such a difficult concept… And I’m just being honest, you know. But sometimes, I get misunderstood and people think that I’m looking down on them.”

What flashed in the forefront of his mind just now was the image of Reina as she was brushing a finger on the rim of her glass of juice. As if she was provoking him.

Lehman clenched his hands into fists, tight enough to bring out blood. He stared at one corner of his room.

Before going on that trip to Cressen, Reina always got defeated in a play of words, even if it was subtle. Of course, he knew she also reacted unexpectedly at times, but he didn’t know she would retaliate like that.

“She changed a little, and she even came up with the silver exchange standard.”

Reina was nothing but an incompetent kid who knew nothing else but to wield her poison. And yet, she had that kind of economical breakthrough?

“I thought she was much… much too easy.”

Of course, there was no real reason for them to be so at odds.

However, Lehman loathed Reina to the depths of his soul.

At first, he only hated ‘House Chantra’ and everyone affiliated with that household, but to make it worse, Reina was a direct descendant and an incompetent halfwit.

Besides that, he lost face to a severe degree because she was so terribly against getting engaged to him.

How could he not despise her?

So, Lehman set off on a plan to ostracize her.

However, everything was ruined because of the trip to Cressen, to which Lehman had arrived late.

“Paul… that cunning scoundrel… It’s all because of him.”

Lehman grinded his molars, then shouted as if he was about to rip everything around him to shreds.

“AAAARGH…! Just because you’ve been born into families with established connections?! And I… I…! UUUUUGH!”

Letting out all of the anger simmering inside him ever since the debate at Cressen, Lehman shouted and yelled over and over.

“Just how much… how much must I try… Annoying! SO ANNOYING!!”

Perhaps all that venting for a long time cooled down his anger somewhat, but his face gradually returned to its original expression from before.

“Repulsive pricks. Arrogant punks who have nothing else but what they’re born with.”

Spitting out such acidic criticism, Lehman eventually swept back his disheveled hair.

“Huu. Whatever. Nothing worth getting worked up over.”

He breathed deeply again and again.

He had the confidence that he could seduce any man or woman. It was exactly like that with Jeremy—Lehman gave him just one glance, and Jeremy went crazy for him right away.

“It’s not them who matter.”

The most important thing was to establish a foothold so he could rise up. That’s all.

Therefore, he did not need all successors of the nine households to come over to his side. All he needed to do was to build a relationship with one of them for him to get connected with the rest of the others.

“In any case, I need only one member of the nine households to be completely mine.”

Barely calming down, he slowly picked up the white rose that was on the floor.

“…Still, I wanted to pick the flower that I wanted the most.”

But Ethan just refused to come over to his side or even get close to him. Then, with the case of Fran who had an unmarried sister, he was kind to Lehman, but that was all. And Paul was already perfectly situated on Reina’s side.

“It’s okay. I’m already sure of Jeremy and Douglas, so it’s okay. Elijah is a little unexpected, but… Letis is still in favor of me.”

Lehman put on his constructed, natural smile again—hiding just how much the look in his eyes had been eroded by anxiety.

“It’s okay. Reina is nothing.”

He muttered the same words over and over again.

* * *

After the short vacation break, Lehman returned to the academy and immediately took action.

“Lehman, did you have a good break? I heard you went to Cressen!”

“Right, right. It’s a place where only members of the Imperial Family and the nine households can go, but as expected, you’re of a different league, Lehman.”

During the said break when he returned to his family’s estate, Lehman sent a few correspondences to his followers and mentioned tidbits of his visit to Cressen. That’s why everyone knew and was on board.

Lehman gave a gentle smile to the people who brought up Cressen.

“Mm-hmm. It was really fun.”

“Oh? But why is your expression like that?”

“Yeah. You look a bit down.”

As expected, Lehman’s followers were keenly aware of every change of his disposition.

In response, Lehman smiled and lowered his gaze. And they immediately reacted.

“Lehman, something happened again, huh?”

“No, I had a good time.”

“Don’t lie. Your expression always changes like that whenever you’re upset. Last time it happened was during the lab incident with Reina, so… Wait a second. No way, is it Reina again?”

Any mention of Reina was a sensitive affair. Their eyes instantly went sharp.

Recognizing the signal, Lehman exhaled ever so slightly, though it looked more like a vague sigh of resignation.

“Ah, seriously! What the hell is that girl Reina’s problem!”

“Back then, I thought that the lab incident was just a mistake on her part. But I can see now that she must have done it on purpose to put Lehman in trouble.”

“And whenever you try to talk to any of the members of the nine households, she’s always bothering and interrupting you all the time, right, Lehman? …Wow, she’s seriously doing a lot of things.”

As a matter of fact, Reina did none of those things.

Before Cressen, the other members of the nine households only ever regarded her with indifference—all except Paul—so how could she ever have interfered with Lehman’s interactions with them?

However, these people’s judgment had already been thoroughly clouded by their bias towards Lehman. And with just a few sparse incidents thrown into the mix, it’s enough to turn Reina into a vicious person in their eyes.