“Even so, wasn't that going too far?” Dezra asked, exasperated.

From dawn, her day had been bustling. Though she rarely participated in combat and held a low rank, Dezra was also a gladiator registered with Shimuin. In four days, a battle that seemed an assured victory awaited her. She typically would have attended it, but having agreed to join the Pirate Empress’ subjugation, she had to rearrange her match schedule.

That was why she and Carmen visited the Mador Coliseum’s owner at the crack of dawn to cancel the scheduled duel.

However, by afternoon, when she returned to her mansion, she wasn’t sure what had transpired in her absence? Dezra glared at Eugene, genuinely flabbergasted and angry.

“You know of Lady Ciel's nickname, right? It’s the White Rose. The White Rose! Even after more than thirty battles, not a scratch nor even a speck of dust tarnished the immaculate White Rose!” Dezra shouted.

“Uh... well….”

“Umm, what? What’s with the hesitation? Speak, Eugene Lionheart! Even if you and Lady Ciel are siblings, even if it was a mere spar, how could you hurl the White Rose to the ground? And on her back, no less!”

“Um….”

“An ordinary person would have died from such a fall. If not death, their spine would have shattered, leaving them confined to the bed for life—”

“Hold on,” Eugene interrupted Dezra with a grave expression. While he acknowledged the bulk of her claims, something simply didn't sit right with him.

“Why do you address Ciel with honorifics yet speak informally to me?” he asked.

He wasn’t trying to change the topic but instead was genuinely curious.

Dezra paused momentarily in her fervent attempt to make her point. In that brief instant, her thoughts raced back to nearly a decade ago, back to the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, where she first met Eugene Lionheart. She remembered speaking informally back then as well...