Chapter 134
A loud noise rang out, followed by a furious shout.
Seated on the throne, Siren lazily turned her gaze toward the commotion—only to find Nicoletta sprawled on the floor, her expression one of shock.
Before her stood Count Brienne, face flushed with rage, while the Countess stood beside him, deathly pale.
Daphne clutched her mother’s hand tightly, frozen, unable to act or speak.
“Filthy disgrace! If you had been taken, you should have ended your own life for the honor of the family! And yet, you dare return after living among barbarians? Look at yourself! Do you still call yourself a daughter of House Brienne? You have utterly disgraced us!”
What had enraged him so?
Nicoletta had always been his proud daughter.
With her striking appearance and respectable education, she had been considered the most eligible bride in Wilkeron. She was intelligent enough to align herself well, even growing close to Angelique.
From Nicoletta’s perspective, this had to feel utterly unjust.
“Father… how, how could you do this to me?”
“Who are you calling your father? Filthy thing! How did you even survive…!”
“H-How did I survive…? What do you mean, what are you saying…?”
Shaken by the immense shock, Nicoletta trembled as she looked around.
The southern warriors had no reason to help her, and the nobles of Wilkeron chuckled with dark amusement.
Though Nicoletta had suffered the most, there were still others who did not welcome their returned daughters.
At least Daphne was fortunate that her mother cherished her.
“My daughter is already dead, so be gone! You are no longer my daughter. Return to the South!”
“Father, Father!!! No, no! I am your daughter, I am your daughter! Fatherrrrr!!!”
Nicoletta lost herself completely, screaming in despair. As Siren watched the pitiful scene unfold, she soon glanced at Eltan.
“…Haah. Understood. You there, take her to the resting chamber.”
As Nicoletta was dragged away by the southern warriors, an eerie silence settled over the banquet hall.
There was no music, no laughter. No one spoke.
Amid the oppressive quiet, Yasamin slowly rose from his seat.
“I understand that the old nobility of Wilkeron must have many concerns.”
His words, spoken in an informal tone from the outset, caused the nobles’ expressions to shift rapidly.
Some scowled, while others barely managed to maintain their composed masks.
Yasamin paid them no mind and continued.
“Those with sharp ears may have already heard the rumors. The Kalik clan, bearing my decree, has been established as a new ducal house and has settled in the western territories of the kingdom. As for the fertile lands in the East, part will belong to the Nu clan, and part will be owned by the queen. Know this well.”
It was a simple statement, yet one that could not be ignored.
The faces of the nobles with land in those regions twisted in dismay.
“How dare you decide such matters on your own!”
“At the very least, there should have been a discussion… You barbaric—aghh…!”
At that moment—
Schk!
Two heads rolled to the floor. No one even realized when they had been severed, but crimson blood splattered vividly.
Stepping on one of the fallen heads, Yasamin tilted his head slightly and smirked.
“Well then, who else wishes to object?”
“……”
“You seem to be under a misconception. I could kill every last one of you here, right now, and it wouldn’t matter. Not a single commoner would be harmed. If that happened… would I truly be called a tyrant?”
No one in the banquet hall had even seen Yasamin move.
Faster than a blink. A mere instant, and his opponents were already incapacitated.
Such overwhelming skill was beyond human comprehension—it was terror itself.
“If you wish to keep even half of what you have now, it would be wise to obey. The only reason I’m showing any mercy is because of the queen.”
His words were ruthless and unbearably arrogant.
But with power to back them, no one could utter a word in protest.
Betrayal meant death, and so did resistance.
Now that the king had returned to this land, there was no path left for Wilkeron’s rebels to emerge victorious.
That primal fear crept up from their toes to the crown of their heads, pressing down on them.
“Urk…”
“Ueek…!”
Elegantly dressed noblewomen began retching or fainting one by one, while the elder nobles trembled with fury.
But not a single one dared to speak out.
After all, wasn’t one’s own neck the most precious thing?
There was only one, after all.
Having watched everything unfold in silence, Siren finally rose from her seat.
“Yasamin.”
At the sound of her calling his name, he withdrew his oppressive aura and turned to her.
As if a spell had been broken, the suffocating air dissipated instantly, allowing those present to finally exhale their ragged breaths—like people who had only just learned how to breathe.
“That is enough.”
“Shall I stop here?”
“Two examples will suffice. By now, they should all clearly understand who the true ruler of this kingdom is.”
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