Chapter 16: A Turnaround, Only in an Instant
“Loka, have I given you too much mercy?”
The Duke’s killing intent surged forward, and the surroundings, at some unknown point, had become so silent that a pin drop would echo.
His sharp gaze met Loka’s seemingly amused yet calm expression, which only heightened his irritation.
“I granted you the identity of an unknown illegitimate daughter, and that alone should have made you eternally grateful. Now you’re pushing your luck—aren’t you being a bit too presumptuous toward me?”
Victor waved his hand slightly, and a group of black-robed, masked figures appeared around the attic.
Wearing cold iron masks and gripping blood-stained daggers, they stared menacingly at Loka below, quickly surrounding the hall.
“Your life has always been nothing more than a stepping stone to pave the way for the Duke’s mansion’s glory. I gave you some rewards, and you really thought yourself a noble? You filthy—”
In the next second, a dagger grazed Victor’s cheek, leaving a bloody mark.
Loka toyed with the dagger in her hand, her scornful gaze mocking his disheveled appearance.
“Watch your mouth, Duke, or the next dagger will aim for your throat.”
Loka’s icy stare seemed to deliver another mocking blow to the Duke.
He trembled with rage, his hands clenching tightly.
“Kill him!”
Touching the wound on his face, the Duke, in a fit of fury, waved his hand grandly.
All the assassins rushed forward, their sharp daggers thrusting toward Loka with the intent to kill her.
With the sound of a pigeon whistle, the door was instantly smashed open, and the assassins near Loka were sent crashing into the wall.
A burly young man swung his fists, glaring fiercely at the assassins struggling to get up.
“Now, the tables have turned, haven’t they?”
Lycan grabbed a stubbornly resisting assassin, tightly choking his throat, watching as the man’s desperate, struggling eyes gradually turned white.
He tossed him aside like a broken toy.
Another figure tried to take advantage of Lycan’s distraction to attack Loka, but a fierce punch sent him flying out the window.
At Loka’s signaled glance, Lycan slowly approached Victor.
His blood-red eyes flickered with a beast’s killing instinct, as if a ferocious wolf would tear him apart in the next moment.
Victor instinctively stepped back, but it was futile.
He was lifted up in the same manner and slammed onto the table.
“Now, can we talk properly, Father?”
Loka leaned back leisurely in the chair, smiling broadly as she watched Victor struggle desperately.
“Your Excellency, what’s happened?”
“Nothing! Don’t let anyone come here!”
Hearing the commotion, the butler upstairs hurriedly tried to come down to investigate, but after being scolded by the Duke, he retreated.
Only then did Lycan lower the dagger at Victor’s neck, slowly releasing his throat.
Victor finally let out a long breath, but in the next second, Lycan’s hand pinned him firmly to the seat.
Loka still casually toyed with the gleaming dagger, which could slip and cut his face if she wasn’t careful.
“What… what exactly do you want?”
“Didn’t I say? I want to clear my mother’s name.”
“She was just—fine, I understand…”
As Loka’s dagger pierced Victor’s palm, blood splattered on the table.
Victor reluctantly agreed to Loka’s demand, struggling to grip the quill with his injured hand and signing his name on the parchment.
“Your sincerity seems lacking. Lycan, press his hand down.”
Amidst struggling and pained screams, even the servants upstairs thought it was some stray cat yowling in the night, never imagining it was the master of the mansion’s agonized cries.
As a bright red handprint landed on the parchment, Loka, satisfied, tucked it away.
She then had Lycan release him, provocatively handing him the blood-stained dagger.
“From now on, let’s get along well, Father.”
Loka’s small, girlish frame somehow instilled a faint sense of fear in Victor.
His hand, still holding the dagger, didn’t lower, only staring blankly as Loka’s figure ascended the stairs and disappeared.
Then came a roar that echoed through the entire mansion.
When the beautiful woman timidly followed the butler downstairs and saw the furious Duke Victor sitting before the chair, frantically stabbing the table with the dagger, making loud noises.
“Your Excellency…”
Seeing the assassins collapse around and the blood dripping from the Duke’s palm, the beautiful woman was too shocked to speak.
What had that illegitimate daughter done to the Duke?
“Tonight’s events—nobody speaks of them.”
The Duke coldly stared at the bewildered pair, clutching his bleeding palm as he slowly left.
The next day, an unremarkable parchment and a routine royal morning assembly set the entire empire’s news industry abuzz.
The renowned Duke Victor announced the identity of his daughter, Loka Alva.
As the precious treasure left by his beloved deceased wife, lost among the common folk and finally retrieved with great effort, Loka Alva, the Duke’s cherished daughter, would become a rightful member of the Duke’s mansion under the empire’s witness.
Though some nobles had already guessed Loka’s illegitimate status at banquets, this sudden change left them stunned, only able to smile and bring congratulatory gifts as usual.
Perhaps because of the Sixth Princess or other reasons, Emperor Miles unexpectedly held a recognition ceremony for this “deeply bonded” father and daughter in the palace hall, personally vouching for Loka’s identity.
Hearing this news, the beautiful woman, incredulous, wanted to confront the Duke but was driven out of his office by a grim-faced Victor.
Even seeking the Empress was met with cold rejection, as was Balesha.
Because the First Prince saw the favor bestowed upon the sixth princess, he harshly reprimanded Balesha, especially after seeing Loka, Balesha’s sister, become the study companion of the sixth princess, Yiwen, making him increasingly displeased with Balesha.
“Miss, on my way back, everyone was talking about you! These past few days, you’ve become a big figure in their mouths!”
Lina, returning from visiting family in the countryside, heard of her lady’s deeds and excitedly rushed back to the mansion with a newspaper, eagerly asking Loka all sorts of questions.
“Well… in short, I’m now the lady of the Duke’s mansion. Lina, as my personal maid, no one will dare bully you again.”
After Lina began serving Loka, the mansion’s servants often tripped her up or spoke rudely, but the simple and kind Lina didn’t seem to mind much.
But Loka never intended to let those people off.
Thus, when Loka’s status changed, the servants, fearing retaliation, greeted Lina with expressions as warm as blooming flowers, while the beautiful woman could only watch in frustration.
“Lina, I’m off to play with Her Highness, the Princess. If anything comes up, blow this.”
Loka handed Lina a delicate little whistle, then boarded the royal carriage with the waiting servant Kafu.
Lina, puzzled, tucked the whistle into the bottom of her pouch.
“Miss Loka, Her Highness is napping now.”
“Perfect timing!”