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Join the Server“Oh? The Duke Alençon’s son?” Alice’s eyes widened upon hearing the name. “Are you…?”
Pierre couldn’t help but let a smirk play on his lips. *Good, it seems this new student has some discerning taste after all.* As the heir to the Northern Duchy, very few girls failed to fall for his charm.
However, Alice’s next words nearly made him spray out the wine he had just swallowed. “Are you Senior Sister Jeanne’s adopted brother?”
Pierre froze, utterly bewildered.
‘Jeanne? How could that damned adopted daughter be brought into this?’ The implication was infuriating: as the esteemed heir to the Northern Duchy, was he truly only recognizable through his association with a mere village girl?
“Um, you know Jeanne Decker?” Pierre managed a strained smile.
“Yes, she’s quite a renowned figure. I even met her once,” Alice replied, nodding with a gentle smile. Jeanne Decker had never mentioned this adopted brother, so Alice was unsure of their relationship and maintained a polite demeanor.
“Then, you haven’t heard of me directly?” Pierre asked, forcing a dry chuckle.
Alice pondered for a moment, then shook her head apologetically. “I’m truly sorry; Senior Sister Jeanne never mentioned you to me.”
‘Who asked her to mention me?!’ Pierre nearly lost his composure. His mood plummeted, and his expression twisted slightly.
Wearing that unpleasant look, he let out two dry laughs. “I am Pierre Alençon, the sole legitimate heir to the Duke Alençon of the Northern Lands. Surely you must have heard of me, right?”
This offered her a chance to correct herself, implying that even feigning a look of sudden realization and nodding would allow her to associate with a nobleman of his standing.
“Uh…” Alice sensed trouble brewing as she observed his aggressive demeanor. ‘Is this guy drunk?’
“You must have heard of me, right?” Pierre repeated, his tone laced with a hint of menace.
This instantly irritated Alice. She never tolerated such behavior. Even during her time at the Southwestern Sacred Academy, she had never bowed her head to Camilla, who had bullied her.
“Stop asking. I truly don’t know you,” Alice replied, her brows furrowed.
Pierre felt his cheek twitch subtly.
“Excuse me, I have matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving now,” Alice declared, no longer wishing to entangle herself with this inexplicable individual.
“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave!” Pierre was unwilling to abandon his chosen prey. He persistently reached out to grab Alice’s arm, only for her to deftly evade his grasp.
Alice agilely dodged him.
“Touching a lady without reason is hardly the behavior of a gentleman. What exactly do you want?” Alice asked, her displeasure evident as she scrutinized him.
“Our society, the Masked Brotherhood — surely you’ve heard of it? We’re hosting an event and inviting some new students. Miss, you’re very fortunate; such an opportunity doesn’t come often,” Pierre stated, staring into Alice’s eyes.
“The Masked Brotherhood? I have indeed heard of that,” Alice finally offered the answer Pierre desired. However, her next words left him frozen in place. “If I recall correctly, someone told me that this society doesn’t have a very good reputation. It’s supposedly a group of scoundrels who flirt with and harm young women everywhere. I wonder if you’re part of a different society with the same name?”
Caught entirely off guard, Pierre was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Before leaving, the Duchess Liddell had gathered a great deal of information about the academy for Alice, including details about this notorious clique of dissolute young men.
It was unexpected that the Duke Alençon’s son was also a member.
In truth, Alice had already subtly discerned what kind of person he was when she first noticed him drinking heavily in the academy.
Given such character, Alice found it hard to believe that Jeanne Decker could get along well with him. ‘Could Jeanne Decker really have to deal with this kind of idiot adopted brother every day?’
Yet, Pierre relentlessly pursued her, blocking her path once more. “Wait a moment, you! Speaking so carelessly will have consequences! You probably don’t realize how many people you’ve just offended, do you? Most of the brothers in our society are heirs to prominent families. Your future in this academy… no, in this country, will be very difficult. I’ll give you a chance: come to our reception, have a drink with us as an apology, and this matter will be settled!”
‘Settled your head! Right now, I really want to smash a wine bottle over your face,’ Alice thought.
“Brother, what are you doing here?” At that moment, a voice Alice knew well emanated from behind Pierre.
Alice’s eyes instantly widened, and she turned her head to look in that direction.
Jeanne Decker had appeared on the path at some point and was striding purposefully toward them.
“Jeanne Decker? How could you…?” Pierre turned, initially startled, but quickly adopted a fierce expression. “This is none of your business. Get out of here!”
‘Hm?’ Alice frowned immediately.
Jeanne Decker was also slightly surprised to see Alice.
After carefully assessing the situation, she quickly grasped what had transpired—after all, her troublesome brother had entangled himself with girls he fancied more than once or twice.
“Brother, please try to restrain yourself a little,” Jeanne Decker urged, attempting to speak calmly. “This girl is—”
“You scoundrel, have you gotten too big for your britches, daring to meddle in my affairs? Don’t think you can start lecturing me just because the Church favors you as a poster girl! Everything you have was given by the Alençon family, and I am the legitimate heir of the Alençon family!” Pierre, already fuming, saw Jeanne Decker’s intervention as a fresh spark, immediately igniting his resentment and causing him to unleash a barrage of undignified insults.
Seeing him treat Jeanne Decker in such a manner, Alice’s temper flared.
“I never imagined the son of the Alençon family to be such a person—lacking both etiquette and grace. Duke Alençon is quite a figure; to have such a son who brings him shame…” Alice spoke coldly.
‘Shame… shame…?’ These words instantly struck a nerve with Pierre. He began to hear his father’s voice echoing in his mind:
‘I no longer hold much hope for you. At least do something that won’t disgrace the family!’
‘What is there to praise about you besides being my son?’
‘Reflect properly, though I’ve told you countless times—’
‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!’
“Shut up!” Consumed by rage, Pierre shouted his thoughts aloud. He whirled around to glare at Alice, his language turning foul. “Who are you to lecture me? Who do you think you are?”
“I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself yet. My name is Alice Liddell, from the southern province of Coralie,” Alice stated calmly.
“Ah? Liddell?” Pierre vaguely recalled something. “Are you a relative of that southern border lord?” Liddell… he remembered them as nobles from the southern border; though not as prominent as his father, they were still influential grand lords.
“I am the lord myself now.” Alice had no choice but to display her family crest ring once more. Although she disliked using it, Alice had to admit, yet again, that the identity the Duchess Liddell had secured for her was incredibly useful. In a society where status was everything, facing a bully who relied on rank, the best method was to overpower them with an even higher status—fighting magic with magic.
Pierre suddenly sobered, the alcohol’s grip loosening considerably. ‘A Duchess! She’s a Duchess!’ He belatedly realized the trouble he had caused. In his arrogance, he had seen her as a mere new student and thought nothing of it. Her mention of Jeanne Decker had made him lose his temper, leading him to commit so many rude acts in the heat of the moment!
No wonder she wasn’t swayed by his status. He was merely the ‘son of a Duke,’ while she had already inherited her father’s title as a Duchess! If this incident reached his father’s ears, a severe reprimand would certainly be unavoidable.
“I…” He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His alcohol-clouded brain was utterly blank.
“There’s no need to make amends; there’s nothing to mend. I simply ask that you avoid appearing before me in the future. Good day,” Alice said, giving him no opportunity to explain. Then, she turned to Jeanne Decker, her expression swiftly transforming into a genuine smile. “Senior Sister Jeanne, we meet again!”
Jeanne Decker nodded, returning her a gentle smile. “Miss Liddell.”
“So, you’re the lost new student the patrolling knights mentioned?” Pierre asked, looking back and forth between them in surprise. They actually… knew each other?
“Oh, Senior Sister Jeanne, were you perhaps asked to escort me?” Alice asked, surprised.
“I was just using the academy’s training grounds when I heard them say a new student needed an escort. I told them I was heading back anyway and could give them a ride,” Jeanne Decker replied. “But I didn’t expect it to be you.”
“That’s wonderful!” Alice clapped her hands. “With you, I feel much more at ease! Shall we go?”
Jeanne Decker nodded to Alice and gestured for her to proceed, and Alice walked ahead. ‘I never thought I’d meet you here again… Our agreement to meet in this academy has now been fulfilled, I suppose,’ Alice mused wistfully.
As they passed Pierre, who had thoroughly become part of the background, Jeanne Decker finally spoke to him in a low voice. “Brother, please try to drink less often.”
Pierre was uncharacteristically quiet for once, not immediately shouting back at Jeanne Decker. He merely watched blankly as the two walked away. ‘Why is this happening? It’s not just Father who acts this way…’
‘Why does everyone know Jeanne Decker, the adopted daughter of the Alençon family, yet treat me, the legitimate heir of the Alençon family, with cold indifference? When did I fall to this point, to be trampled underfoot by a lowly village girl?’
Pierre stared intently at Jeanne Decker’s retreating back, as if trying to pierce her with his gaze. ‘Ah, if only you weren’t here!’
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