Chapter 174

Chapter 174

‘Considering our last encounter, it’s highly likely that the Viscountess will come looking for me.’

Viscount Ida appeared alone, without his family, in a rush to greet his guest.

While this meant he lost the chance to naturally accompany the Viscountess to the training grounds, it didn’t matter much to him.

Just as he was assessing the other party, the other party was observing him closely.

Even without leaving any obvious hints, the Viscountess would likely show up at the appropriate moment on her own accord.

After exchanging pleasantries with Viscount Ida, Iona parted ways with the group and headed toward the training grounds.

Jonas and Fin stayed by Leroy’s side, while two knights and Yulia followed behind Iona.

At the front was a servant of the Ida household, tasked with guiding them by the Viscount’s order.

Glancing at the distance between them, Yulia leaned toward Iona and whispered softly, “Are you really planning to teach the Viscount’s son?”

“I’ll put on a show, at least.”

“Even that’s a more than generous act of kindness. It’s been rumored for ages that Dieter only roams about, relying on his inheritance.”

So the Viscount’s son was named Dieter.

She’d been introduced to him once, but had almost forgotten due to her lack of interest.

At least now, she wouldn’t have to awkwardly address him with vague terms like ‘hey you’ or ‘that guy.’

“A person who avoids studying and only pretends to be a knight-in-training... says it all, doesn’t it?”

Yulia scoffed, offering a scathing critique.

Though her words carried a tinge of bias, Yulia wasn’t the type to report falsehoods just to blind Iona to the truth.

Iona judged that her words were probably not far from reality.

After all, she hadn’t seen much promise in Dieter either.

‘In a way, that’s fortunate.’

It was a relief that the Viscount’s son was an unremarkable wanderer.

If he’d been more capable, he might’ve tried to correct his father’s poor decisions.

And that would’ve been an unwelcome complication for Iona.

“We’ve arrived, Duchess. If you’ll wait here for a moment, I’ll fetch Lord Dieter.”

While they discussed the Viscount’s failed parenting, they had reached their destination.

The outdoor training grounds were wide open, allowing a full view of the area, yet the Viscount’s son was nowhere to be seen.

Yulia’s assessment that Dieter was just pretending to be a knight seemed spot-on.

Iona gave a slight nod to the poor servant who would now have to wander the large estate in search of the young lord.

It was only polite to pretend not to notice such flaws.

“I’ll look around here while you take your time.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

The servant bowed deeply to Iona before hurrying off.

With their intended meeting partner absent, Iona and her companions were left with nothing to do but wait.

As she watched the servant disappear into the distance, Iona used the excuse of wanting to be alone and began to stroll along the outskirts of the training grounds.

Half of Iona's intention in distancing herself was to avoid Yulia, who had begun to rant furiously about Dieter’s rude behavior.

With her hands behind her back, Iona slowly walked away from the group, lost in thought.

‘The Viscount’s son can be handled easily enough, I’ll just work him to the bone. As for the Viscountess...’

“Anyway, man... she’s a total demon. The other instructors aren’t that bad, but whenever she’s around during training, it’s always hell.”

“What did she do?”

“You know, stuff like drills and formations. If even one person was out of line, she made everyone redo it. They once had to repeat it for four hours straight. How can anyone do the same move for four hours? Seriously, does that even make sense to you?”

“You don’t think she’ll make the young master do the same, do you...?”

“Nah, not that bad, probably. But she’s not just going to overlook sloppy stances either... What if she tells my dad I have no talent?”

“What are you saying, young master? No talent? You? Our idol? That can’t be!”

An idol to druggies, maybe. They were really making a mess of themselves.

Then again, given who was likely funding this little gathering, it wasn’t hard to understand.

“Y-You think so?”

“Of course! What could she possibly teach you? She should be learning from you!”

“Exactly! I mean, remember the rumors before she got married? People were saying she was the Crown Prince’s lover. Always sticking by his side, even on her days off. She probably only got promoted because of that connection, don’t you think?”

The idea that it might be true soured Iona’s mood even more.

A cold smile crept onto her lips.

“Yeah, screw it! I’ll beat that worthless bitch, just you watch.”

“Of course, young master!”

“Show her what you’re made of!”

Their slurred words of encouragement, as they rallied each other in their inebriated state, were almost too pitiful for her to watch.

Iona sighed deeply and stepped directly into the window’s view, arms resting on the frame.

The sight of these fools, sprawled about and raising their fists in some drunken show of solidarity, was now plain to see.

“What time is it, anyway?” one of them asked.

“Huh, no idea. How long have we even been here...?”

“Crap, am I late?”

They still hadn’t noticed Iona, too wrapped up in their conversation to pay attention to their surroundings.

It looked like she would have to make the first move.

Leaning casually against the window frame, she spoke, her voice cutting through the air like a bucket of cold water.

“You’re already late.”

“What? What time is i—"

Dieter turned reflexively toward the sound of her voice, only to freeze in place.

His companions, lips parted in shock, stared blankly at Iona as well.

Iona gave them a small wave, her tone dripping with mock sympathy.

“Too bad. Now you’ll have to come run drills with that ‘worthless bitch.’ Ready?”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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