Chapter 456: Chapter-456
"Is that really the Marcuset heir? She looks like she just walked off a mountain of corpses..." a young viscount muttered, instinctively taking a step back.
Heena didn’t give them a single glance. She stood by the carriage door, her posture perfectly straight, radiating the absolute, unyielding pride of a legendary military family. In a world where noble daughters were raised to be quiet ornaments, she stood out like a lone lioness stepping into a flock of fat sheep.Naya, who had jumped down from the driver’s bench, quickly adjusted her maid uniform and stepped behind Heena. Seeing the absolute awe and terror on the faces of the high society vipers, Naya couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of fierce military pride. ’’Forget looking like a piglet,’’ Naya thought, her eyes gleaming. ’’My lady looks like she’s about to conquer the entire palace.’’
’[Ding!]’ the System chimed inside Heena’s mind, its digital voice practically purring with excitement. ’[Host, the collective shock from the aristocracy is spiking your influence points! You’ve completely shattered their expectations! They are terrified!]’
’’Let them be terrified,’’ Heena thought back, her lips curving into a slow, chillingly beautiful smile as she looked up at the massive, gilded palace doors. ’’The main event hasn’t even started yet.’’
She took her first step forward, her heavy boots clicking rhythmically against the pristine marble stairs. The crowd of nobles instinctively parted before her, creating a wide, untouched path as if they were afraid that getting too close to her bloody-red robes would cut them.
As she crossed the threshold into the grand entrance hall, her sharp eyes immediately scanned the interior. Somewhere inside this glittering maze of gold and glass, a sickly Seventh Prince was waiting, completely unaware that the poisoned wine he had so meticulously prepared for her family was currently being poured into the golden chalices of the Imperial Royal table.
Heena tightened her leather belt slightly, her fingers brushing the hidden hilts of her daggers beneath her black robe.
"Let’s go find our dear Prince," she whispered into the cold palace air.
Heena walked deeper into the glittering hall, her sharp gaze cutting through the crowd until it landed on her grandfather. The old Marquis was standing in the center of a group of high-ranking military officials, and the moment he spotted her in her bloody-red and black robes, his posture shifted instantly. He looked exactly like a proud peacock fluffing out his feathers, his chest puffing out with an undeniable, boastful energy that he was barely trying to control.
"Ah! There she is," the Marquis announced, his booming voice echoing with immense pride as he turned to his companions. "Here is my granddaughter, Seera!"
Heena walked over to his side with a fluid, disciplined stride, acknowledging the circle of powerful generals surrounding him.
The frontmost general, a battle-hardened veteran with silvering hair, looked Heena up and down. A wide, respectful grin broke across his rugged face. "Oh, it’s been a long time since I last saw you, child! You still look so striking and beautiful, just as you did when you were little."
Heena offered a polite, measured bow. When she spoke, her tone struck the perfect, razor-thin balance between elite martial confidence and respectful etiquette—neither too humble nor too proud. "And you are looking just as remarkably strong as my grandfather always told me, General."
The general’s eyes widened, and he let out a loud, booming laugh, heartily slapping his own chest. "Oh my God! Your grandfather actually talks about me, huh? Look at that! I must have done some truly incredible deeds in my past life to be remembered by the great Marquis and a sharp young lady like you!"
Heena stepped a half-inch closer, her phoenix eyes crinkling with a polished, charming smile that completely captivated the surrounding officers. "Why look to a past life, General? The sheer amount of critical work you are doing for the empire right now is shocking enough in this lifetime. May the heavens bless you with hundreds of years of life, so our land never has to look far for a commander of your caliber."
The old Marquis practically beamed, his chest expanding so much he looked like he might burst out of his formal military tunic. He looked around at the other generals with a smirk that clearly said,
Yes, this is my granddaughter. Deal with it.’
"You see that, old friend?" the Marquis chuckled, clapping the silver-haired general on the shoulder. "My Seera doesn’t just know how to handle a blade; she speaks with the precision of a scholar. I told you she was special."
The surrounding officers nodded in deep agreement, their initial skepticism about a young lady raised on the frontier completely evaporating. They were military men; they respected spine, and Heena was currently radiating a fierce, unyielding presence that felt entirely at home among seasoned warlords.
"Indeed, Marquis," another general noted, bowing slightly toward her. "The Marcuset family’s blood runs incredibly thick in Lady Seera. The capital isn’t going to know what hit it."
Heena smiled softly at her grandfather before turning her sharp gaze to the remaining officers. A lieutenant general stepped forward, offering a smooth, practiced bow. "Greetings, my Lord," he addressed the Marquis, before turning to her with a slick smile. "And greetings to you, Lady Seerah."
This man looked to be in his early thirties, with strikingly handsome features, but his eyes never left Heena. She didn’t buy his polite facade for a single second; she had already caught the subtle flash of disgust hidden deep within his gaze.
She knew exactly why it was there. Even though her grandfather had loudly declared her the sole heiress of the Marcuset family, the traditionalists in the capital refused to accept it. In their eyes, a woman had no business standing among seasoned warlords, discussing the state of the empire. To them, a woman’s place was strictly confined to managing household chores—completely ignoring the fact that the Emperor himself had decreed new laws granting women the right to inherit and rule years ago. ’’Small-minded, fragile men,’’ Heena thought, keeping her expression perfectly serene.
As the generals continued to talk, the lieutenant general apparently couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer. He looked at her, gesturing toward the far side of the hall. "My lady, why don’t you move along and join the other ladies over there?"
Heena forced herself to glance toward the area he indicated. A group of noblewomen dressed in lavish, pastel gowns were sipping tea and gossiping among themselves.
Turning back to him, Heena casually looped her arm through her grandfather’s, leaning against him with practiced ease. "I appreciate the thought, my Lord, but you see, I prefer it here. Grandpa actually told me that I should stay by his side to learn a few more things, since managing a massive military household requires a bit more foresight than just choosing dress fabrics."
The lieutenant general let out a soft, condescending scoff. The old Marquis’s expression instantly darkened at the disrespect, but the young officer completely missed the warning sign.
He leaned in slightly, his tone dripping with patronizing arrogance. "Still, my lady, you should leave the war talk to us and go discuss poetry with the others. The battlefield is not a plaything for a young woman."
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