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During those times, Jeffrey awakened as a Swordmaster when he once again put his life on the line to protect the Crown Prince from one of the assassination attempts to his life and because of his awakening, the tides of the battle had turned around in their favor.
This brought shock and honor because Jeffrey hadn't reached adulthood and yet, he awakened as the youngest Swordmaster in history.
After the four-year battle and had won, the Emperor is delighted and grateful for his sacrifices and not only that, but he also congratulate the young Knight Captain for his awakening as a Swordmaster and because of that, he rose from the ranks and promoted as a Commander at the age of 21 years old.
His noble rank status rose from Baron to Marquis and the Emperor gave him the rights for his own marriage as the Silveria Emperor didn't want to pressure the revered Marquis and a War Hero of their Empire for this kind of matter.
Because of this, Jeffrey is no longer part of the Viscount Middleton household as he had his own noble title, he moved out from the household together with his mother as he didn't want his mother to stay at that household any longer and he feared for her safety, knowing the Viscountess' attitude.
Also, because of his contribution, his mother have been granted the title of Grand Marchioness by the Emperor as she is the birth mother of the revered Marquis, much to the dismay of the people from the Viscount Middleton household.
The revered Marquis and the respected Grand Marchioness are now residing in one of the mansions that His Majesty the Emperor bestowed upon him.
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"Hey, my dear Scarlette! Are you listening to me?"
Scarlette snapped from her thoughts as she looked at her side when she saw the face of the revered Marquis of their Empire and just looked away and ignored his ramblings.
The crimson-haired woman knew about the story of the revered Marquis Jeffrey Zenon Middleton of Silveria Empire as his life story spread around within the whole Empire and because of his life story, it gives inspiration for those who experience the same situation as his.
'From what I know… this guy's other siblings also sought-after different careers for their own path and most of them had left the Viscount Middleton household, together with their mothers. I heard that Jeffrey intervene when the Viscount tried to stop his other half-siblings from leaving but because of Jeffrey's status, Viscount Middleton have no choice but to seethe his teeth and let them go.'
The crimson-haired woman wasn't fond of any gossips but this information, she had heard this from the person on her side who keeps on rambling other things that he could talk about.
Besides, this young gentleman is a sought-after bachelor within the noble society since he hasn't taken a wife yet.
'Sometimes I would suspect that this b*stard is an impotent or something…'
"My dear Scarlette. Would you do me a favor and look at me? Your poor best friend is aching for you since it's been years since the last time, we saw each other!"
Scarlette snapped from her thoughts when she heard that absurd statement of his and if others had heard it, they would misunderstand this b*stard's words.
'And who is your f*cking best friend?! Also, would you stop calling me that endearment of yours, please?!'
Scarlette thought and she sighed in frustration because of this absurd man and if others had recognized him and heard what he said earlier, there would be gossips once more and the crimson-haired woman had enough of her name being associated with this man.
Also, his attitude is completely different whenever he is with the others.
'Well, he is the revered Marquis, and he needs to be cautious within his surroundings in order to protect himself and his loved ones.'
She remembered that one time when this man ask for a favor to be his partner for the banquet hosted by the Royal family. In reality, the crimson-haired woman shouldn't be allowed to attend this kind of gathering since she wasn't a noble at birth, to begin with.
She is a commoner with a humble background. Even if she is the only SSS-Rank Adventurer with a vast reputation on her name but in the presence of those who were in power and authority, Scarlette was still nothing to them.
However, because of Silveria's Emperor, Scarlette managed to attend the banquet and become this man's partner for the rest of the event.
'I just hope that I won't be invited to that kind of event once more. Tsk! Sometimes, I have a feeling that it won't happened even if I wished for.'
"Three weeks ago, Zenon. So dramatic."
Scarlette flatly said and Jeffrey knew that the crimson-haired woman is not much of a talker, and he knows her better than anyone else and besides, he can understand those few words of hers.
"You know how much I cared about you, my dear Scarlette! Hey, I already improved my sword skills! How about a rematch?"
Jeffrey said as he grinned, and Scarlette felt like her veins were going to pop out because of this b*stard.
She snorted as she said coldly; "You, rematch? Tsk. You're a Swordmaster, for Nexus' sake."
"What about it? You're a Swordmaster as well! Although, a hidden one since you went into hiding after that incident from three years ago and you should be thankful that His Majesty, the Emperor and His Highness, the Crown Prince managed to cover that incident for you."
At the sudden reminder of that incident, the crimson-haired woman had the urge to smack this person, but she refrained herself as this person is not just a Commander of the Imperial Army of this Empire but also a Marquis, a noble, on top of that.
'I don't want to be accused of harming a noble in broad daylight. Tsk!'
Scarlette thought as she looked at the young gentleman beside her, walking side by side as he rambles once more, and the crimson-haired woman could only sigh because of how she ended up meeting this kind of person.
Well, that all started from three years ago…
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