Since It's My First Time Being a Lady, I'll Cause Some Trouble - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Lady Does This for the First Time — Episode 6
“You want me to tell you about the duel with the Duke?”
“Yes!”
“Well… I don’t mind, but…”
I glanced sideways at my parents, worried they might scold me for gossiping carelessly with the other noble ladies.
“Why hesitate? Everyone wants to hear it.”
“We’ll step away so you can enjoy yourselves.”
The moment our guardians vanished, the ladies pelted me with questions without restraint.
“Is it true that Duke Penri really called Count Ujfina’s father a lackey?”
“Weren’t you frightened when the Duke wielded his sword?”
“When did you learn to shoot?”
Easy now, ladies, easy. I’ll tell you the whole story—what happened and what didn’t.
My mood lifted once the misunderstanding cleared, so I began recounting events in order from the moment I first met Duke Penri. Naturally, I embellished a bit for entertainment.
“And then the Duke called my father a minion of Count Batory.”
“Good heavens! No matter how noble one is, there are things one simply does not say!”
“So that’s why you challenged him to a duel?”
“Weren’t you terrified?”
I lowered my gaze and nodded with a pitiful expression.
“Of course I was terrified. But hearing the parents I respect insulted right before me was more painful than I could bear.”
Perhaps I should shed a tear here for effect.
Ah, no—my eyes are too dry today.
As the story reached its climax, more listeners crept closer.
Some approached openly, while others pretended to study the wallpaper nearby, though their attention never wavered from me.
When I described the moment the Duke cried out “Die!” and lunged for my throat, everyone gasped in horror.
“How absolutely dreadful.”
“Not even an apology, and to do such a thing to a lady… I never knew the Duke could be so cruel.”
When I mentioned punishing such a Duke with a Revolver, some of the nobles gazed at me with admiration.
“I had no idea Lady Ulfina possessed such marksmanship.”
“Well, every lady ought to have one mysterious secret or another, don’t you think?”
I’d worried that this morning’s incident would brand me as violent, but it seemed I’d been mistaken.
‘If anything, I’m sensing goodwill.’
From the nobles’ reactions, it was clear Duke Penri had earned considerable disdain from others besides me. The Emperor had prevented them from voicing their grievances openly, but today’s events had given them an outlet.
We nobles and I were united in gossip about Duke Penri when—
“His Imperial Majesty, Her Imperial Majesty, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have arrived.”
Grand doors swung open, and the Emperor and Empress entered the Ballroom arm in arm, the tall Crown Prince following in their wake.
As the assembled courtiers bowed in greeting, the Emperor gazed down upon them with haughty eyes—the bearing of one who believed himself naturally superior to all and deemed that privilege wholly justified.
As the Imperial couple drew near during their circuit of the hall, I found myself holding my breath.
Though the duel had been fair and proper, I feared the Emperor might rebuke me for injuring his son.
He regarded my parents and me for a moment with indifferent eyes, exhaled sharply through his nose, and resumed walking with the Empress.
“The rumors must be true after all. That His Majesty has cast out Duke Penri.”
“He used to strut about relying solely on the Emperor’s favor. I wonder if he’ll be banished to the countryside.”
“Society and the Imperial Palace will be much more pleasant for a while.”
The nobles were remarkably perceptive, reading the entire political climate from that brief gesture.
“By the way, who do you suppose the Crown Prince will ask for the first dance?”
Even as the Emperor and Empress were still dancing, several ladies lost themselves in speculation, whispering excitedly.
“Perhaps Lady Lehender, like last year?”
“Or possibly the Duke Clarence’s daughter—the new Debutante, you know…”
“Isn’t she rather young? She’s only fourteen.”
“Maybe.”
When I spoke, the ladies turned to me with intrigued expressions.
“Maybe it’ll be me. ‘You defeated my half-sister! I’ve never met a woman like you before!’ Something like that.”
The ladies burst into delighted laughter at my quip.
“What are you all finding so amusing?”
A deep, measured voice startled us all.
“Your Royal Highness!”
The sudden appearance of the Crown Prince sent the ladies scrambling to compose themselves.
“I’m pleased to see you all enjoying the ball. As the host, it brings me satisfaction.”
“It is an honor, Your Highness.”
The ladies’ eyes sparkled with anticipation—I could see them wondering, ‘Which of us will he ask for the first dance?’—it was rather endearing.
“Lady Ulfina, would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
“Pardon?”
I was barely processing what was happening when the ladies surrounding me grew even more excited, their voices dropping to urgent whispers.
“The Crown Prince himself asked you to dance! This is an incredible opportunity!”
“Go, quickly!”
I didn’t even think to refuse—I found myself taking his hand almost without meaning to.
And in that moment, I was thrilled by the fact that all eyes were on me.
See? This is the kind of person I am.
Up close, the Crown Prince was breathtakingly handsome—so striking it actually hurt to look at him. The ladies’ squealing suddenly made perfect sense.
“Speaking of which, something rather amusing happened between Lady Ulfina and Marquis Penri this morning, or so I heard.”
‘This is bad. It’s a trap.’
Of course the royal family wouldn’t let it slide.
With so many eyes watching, the Emperor couldn’t openly humiliate me, so he was using his son to intimidate me instead—a calculated move.
“Aha, ha, ha……”
I laughed awkwardly.
Whether I admitted something amusing had happened or denied it, neither answer felt like a good choice.
“Ah, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not blaming you. On the contrary, I owe you an apology.”
“An apology?”
“Marquis Penri, my half-brother, has had everything he wanted since childhood. The Emperor raised him without discrimination, despite his being born outside wedlock.”
Yes, that was true.
“But that kindness became his poison. Someone should have guided him onto the right path, but instead we indulged his every whim and let him run wild. That’s why today happened.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“If he’d been properly taught, he would never have spoken so carelessly. I apologize on behalf of the Emperor.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you for accepting it.”
His smile held such genuine warmth that my resistance melted away entirely.
* * *
Exhausted from the endless chatter and dancing that followed, I excused myself to the Ballroom for some fresh air.
I pushed open the large glass doors and stepped out onto the Balcony. Cool night air brushed against my flushed cheeks, soothing them.
The music drifted out distantly. Unlike the war zone of the Ballroom, the world outside was peaceful.
The Milky Way stretched across the black sky like scattered diamonds, and a golden full moon gazed down upon the earth with a gentle eye. Leaves whispered around me, and the scent of flowers drifted on the breeze.
I was wandering through the scenery like a dream, my eyes following wherever they wished to go.
When a pale hand suddenly emerged from the darkness and gripped the Balcony’s edge.
Then a black shadow rose smoothly upward.
A man landed on the railing with surprising lightness, his long coat fluttering in the night wind.
The movement was so fluid that it seemed he had always been there, as if he’d materialized from the darkness itself.
Finely sculpted features, burning red hair, silver eyes that gleamed even in shadow.
A face so breathtakingly beautiful it stopped the heart.
But that was beside the point.
“Who in blazes are you?”
Without hesitation, I threw a punch straight at the intruder.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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