The ducal offspring, hands in his trousers pockets, looked down at her. Remesis frowned, anticipating nothing good from this meeting. She slowly rose, brushing the dirt from her skirt.

  "What do you want?"

  The gaze of the boy's brown eyes narrowed.

  "Since when did you start addressing me informally?" he inquired.

  "From now on," the girl replied without hesitation. "Any problems?"

  Michel, grinning, came closer. Remesis tensed slightly but didn't move. Under no circumstances should she show this idiot her agitation.

  "I haven't seen you for just a couple of months, but it seems you've already forgotten your place. Do you think that just because you've left the family, you don't need to show respect?"

  Remesis stared at her brother with an expressionless face.

  In truth, she couldn't hide that deep in her subconscious, fear still lived. For the first time in two lifetimes, the girl had dared to stand up against her relatives. Before this, she had addressed even her own brothers and sister formally, groveling before them. But now her patience had run out.

  Since, as Michel noted, she no longer belonged to the Carter family, she had nothing left to lose.

  "Respect should be shown to those who deserve it. What have you done for me to respect you?"

  Knowing how hot-tempered and arrogant her elder brother was, Remesis thought that a few words would be enough to wound his pride and make him lose his temper. But Michel, surprisingly, still wasn't angry. He only squinted, as if trying to discern something in her face.

  Then the Duke's successor smirked, as if he understood something amusing.

  "Ah, now I get it. You're a princess now. A big shot, huh?"

  "Good that you understand."

  Michel burst out laughing.

  "Indeed, where you are and where I am. I envy you, Sis," the teenager mocked. "It must be hard being a lousy princess. That rabble you rule over isn't even worthy of polishing my shoes. But it suits you perfectly."

  "What did you say?"

  "Lousy princess."

  "…"

  "Oh, right. I completely forgot my manners," the youth sneered, bowing his head mockingly before her. "I have the honor of greeting you, Your Lousy Highness."

  Remesis silently looked at him. But Michel didn't think of stopping. As in the old days at the mansion, he perceived his younger sister as nothing more than an object for bullying, his by birthright. Compared to them, the rightful members of the ducal family, Remesis was just a shameful stain. She was lucky she hadn't ended up in an orphanage at all.

  "By the way, how's your little wife doing? Why didn't she come? Ah, right. Dogs don't know how to walk on two legs. Maybe she even barks?" Michel chuckled. "I must say, the heavens are just. You're perfect for each other."

  "Not a dog, but a wolf who could bite your head off," Remesis calmly retorted.

  "What?"

  "I'm not to blame for you being so deaf."

  Michel slowly began to lose patience. For someone who had silently endured any insults her whole life and never reacted to them, the younger sister was now behaving unusually insolently. The young man decided it was time to put her in her place.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Hey, brat," Michel poked his finger at her forehead. "You'd better watch your tongue. Otherwise, I can put the bitch you married on a leash anytime."

  "Take your hand away."

  "What?"

  "Didn't you hear?" Remesis snorted irritably. "You know, maybe I know how to bark too now."

  Michel frowned.

  "What nonsense are you talking? Have you completely lost your mind?" he snapped. "Come on, apologize while I'm still being nice. It'll be better for you if father doesn't find out. Do you really think he'll let you get away with insulting me? You're nobody and nothing. Do you hope that now you have this pathetic status, it'll change anything? You're just a cursed spawn."

  Her brother's words made Remesis bite her lip in anger. It felt as if some rod inside her had cracked.

  Meanwhile, Michel continued to laugh and poke his finger at her.

  "Get on your knees and beg me," the youth grinned. "Then maybe I'll change my mind." "…"

  "Come on, even for a dimwit like you, it's not that hard. 'Oh, noble young master, please show mercy to this nobody...'"

  Michel didn't have time to finish as the small body suddenly lunged at him. Remesis sank her teeth into his hand, like a hound attacking its prey.

  Michel squealed in pain.

  "What are you doing?!"

  The youth grabbed her by the hair and tried to pull her away, but the girl clung to him as if her life depended on it. "I said let go, bitch!!!"

  Michel staggered, not giving up trying to throw off his sister, but she hung on his arm. She bit his wrist until blood came.

  Suddenly, such fury flared up in the little girl as she had never experienced before. She suddenly realized she could no longer endure such treatment. Although Remesis had planned to start her revenge much later, when she had gained sufficient power in the North, Michel's vile behavior drove her out of her mind. She decided that she would never tolerate people like him again.

  Although it wasn't the best way, it was the only thing she could do now to somehow stand up for herself. Michel far surpassed her both physically and socially. So the girl simply did the first thing that came to mind.

  "You crazy bitch, have you completely lost your mind?!" the boy blathered with spittle.

  Bam.

  Remesis barely registered the dull thud above her head as Michel started hitting her. Stars swam before her eyes, but she still refused to let go of her offender. She was not ready to give up the fight for her pride. But, in the end, Michel was older than her and twice as big. Finally, after another blow, he managed to push her away.

  The girl lost her balance and crashed to the ground. Disoriented, she tried to get up, but her head was spinning too much. With a crash, Remesis fell onto her back, and Michel began kicking her. After what she had done, he wasn't ready to stop so easily.

  "Take that, you fucking scum!" the boy roared, boiling with rage. "How dare you attack me?!"

  Remesis spat blood.

  Despite the intense pain she was experiencing now, above it was the rage boiling in her small body. Her throat had already been cut once. So why should she be afraid now?

  The girl, like an enraged buffalo, used all her strength to grab her brother by the leg. She wouldn't be able to hold him for long, so seizing the moment, she bit through the flesh through the fabric of his trousers. Michel screamed. For an heir who had been excessively pampered and cherished since infancy, any physical pain was unfamiliar. Even from such small teeth as Remesis's.

  "Aaaa, let me go! I said let go, you beast!!!"

  In the Imperial Palace garden, usually quiet and peaceful, it was now noisier than any market.

  Michel hit her on the head, and Remesis scratched her brother and bit randomly wherever her teeth could reach. The eight-year-old girl attacked with all the ferocity of a bull terrier. The scene resembled a prelude to a real dogfight.

  Her gums tingled, and her front teeth seemed threatening to fall out.

  But be that as it may, at that moment, Remesis didn't care. Maybe one or two teeth would fall out. It didn't matter much to the girl now, because this was a fight for her life.

  "What the... What the hell is going on here?!" Someone's shout suddenly stopped their scuffle.

  Remesis recognized her knight's voice.

  Hannes Wrightly was worried about his little mistress, who had left the meeting and been absent for quite some time. He had gone to search for her, but the scene he ultimately witnessed simply shocked him.

  Such a vile fight, if not a beating, was taking place on the sacred territory of the Imperial Palace. Since the commander had only just arrived here, he had no idea what had happened or how it all started, but he didn't need to. The knight didn't stand there long and instantly rushed to his mistress's aid.

  He grabbed the Duke's successor by the scruff of the neck and literally forcefully pulled the resisting teenager away from the girl. Michel was furious and tried to break free.

  "Filthy commoner, how dare you touch me...?!"

  Hannes frowned, and if it weren't for this boy's high status, he would have taught him a lesson long ago in his own way. But now he just held him to prevent Michel from attacking again.

  The youth's legs flailed in the air, as this time the balance of power was not on his side.

  "Young lord, you have no right to harm our princess."

  "Whaaaat?" Michel screamed like a madman. "How dare you tell me what to do? Do you even know who you're talking to? Let go! Let go, I said!!!"

  "I cannot do that."

  Michel's complexion turned from bright red to the color of chewed shrimp.

  "Vile creatures!!! I'll destroy you all!!!"

  The ducal heir's screams and curses continued until he suddenly fell silent himself. And all because an icy voice nearby inquired:

  "What is happening here?"