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At the Sword Hawk Tavern, a group of common folk sat huddled around a table.

Their mugs of ale were mostly untouched as they talked and traded gossip about the latest news.

"Can you believe it? A friggin\' woman leading Gladius City? That\'s unheard of!"

"Aye, what\'s next? They\'ll have us bowing to a queen?"

The men burst into laughter, while some of the women nearby shared knowing glances with each other.

"Hrmm, you lot are always noisy… It\'s about time one of us was given a shot at real power."

A blacksmith\'s wife whispered to herself, but there was a clear tension in her voice.

The thought of Katherine being in charge had split the city, not just along gender lines, but also by tradition and social status.

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile, in the noble circles, the reactions were even more intense.

The grand ballroom of the Redwood Estate sparkled with glittering chandeliers, lively music, and the sound of clinking wine glasses.

Still furious about being overlooked, Lord Edmond made no effort to hide his disdain. His sneer was clear for anyone who bothered to pay attention.

"Katherine? The High Marquis? A scandal waiting to happen, if you ask me. I bet she\'s only in that position because she caught Vritra\'s eye. You know how these things go."

Edmond murmured to a small group of like-minded nobles.

Lady Wilma, one of the more influential aristocrats, raised an eyebrow at these words.

"Are you suggesting she\'s… compromised? I didn\'t think God Vritra cared for women like that."

"Hm? I didn\'t say that…"

Edmond smirked while swirling his wine.

"But a woman can find many ways to be persuasive when she\'s desperate enough."

The nobles chuckled softly, each one making a mental note of the suggestion for later gossip.

Before long, rumors about Katherine\'s supposed relationship with Vritra spread through high society like a toxic vine.

━ ━ ━ ━

At the same time, Katherine\'s past ties to her ex-husband, who had tried to be an assassin, were brought back into the spotlight.

"Didn\'t her ex-husband try to kill the princess? And now she\'s trusted to lead us? I don\'t know about this…"

An old merchant clucked his tongue.

"They say she\'s still in love with him, you know. That she\'s only taking this position so she can keep her enemies close."

For every doubter and gossip, there were also people who saw Katherine\'s appointment as progress.

At the Glass Gardens, an upscale tea house where the more progressive nobles met, Lady Juliana, famous for her open-minded views, sipped her tea with a sly smile.

Presently, she was discussing with her companions.

"This is exactly what Gladius City needs. A woman\'s touch. Lady Katherine is intelligent, well-read, and far more capable than half the lords in this city. Let them gossip. It won\'t change the fact that she was the best choice."

"Perhaps… but, Juliana, how long do you think she\'ll last? The public is brutal, and the nobles… well, we can be worse."

"Long enough. She\'s very capable, but only if we give her the time and support she needs."

"I don\'t know, Juliana. That sounds…"

"Impossible? Trust me, I know."

…

Katherine\'s new role had some supporters, but most people in the city were skeptical. The Marketplace rang with rumors, ranging from wild stories to paranoid whispers.

"They say God Vritra picked her because she knows dark magic!"

Today, it was an old woman spreading the rumors to a group of younger vendors.

"Oh, come on!"

A grocer replied, rolling his eyes.

"It\'s just politics. God Vritra and the princess don\'t want to deal with it, so they passed it off to her. It\'s really that simple."

"But what if she\'s not strong enough?"

A young boy piped up, his eyes wide with worry.

"What if she lets the other cities take over?"

He was just hoping for food.

But, he knew a safer city mattered more.

━ ━ ━ ━

There was also a strong sense of fear about Katherine\'s perceived weakness in a male-dominated world. Some people worried that her appointment might attract attacks from rival lords or make Gladius City seem vulnerable.

Back at her estate, Katherine could sense the heaviness of every whispered word around her. She knew what they were saying… murmurs of doubt, speculations of betrayal, and rumors of manipulation.

She had gotten herself ready for this, but the reality of it all still felt heavier than she had anticipated.

…

The streets buzzed with gossip, like a hive of bees disturbed by a new queen. Even the city guards stationed at the gatehouse had their own thoughts on the matter.

"So, we\'re taking orders from a woman now…" one guard grumbled.

"Does it matter?" his partner replied with a shrug. "If she can do the job, who cares?"

"Tch, of course you\'d say that. Well, I care if the nobles care. And they don\'t seem too pleased."

"Meh, I just wanna touch a woman…"

But while the city kept murmuring and judging, a quiet wave of change began to spread among the people.

Slowly and quietly, some of the more open-minded citizens started to speak up.

In the poorer districts, where Katherine had been known for her charity and efforts to help the less fortunate, a few brave voices began to challenge the ongoing gossip.

"She\'s always looked out for us!"

"Maybe it\'s about time we had someone in charge who actually understands what it\'s like to struggle."

"No disrespect to Late Lord Cedric, but never had he come here to visit us before! Lady Katherine has!"

From single mothers holding their children with hope to orphans bravely beating their chests, everyone felt free to speak their minds!

As Katherine got ready to take on her new role, the City of Gladius found itself at a crossroads.

For every critic and rumor, there was also a quiet supporter… someone willing to look beyond the gossip and give her a chance.

However, whether Katherine could change public opinion and prove she deserved her new title was still uncertain.

All she could do now was move forward with her head held high and show the city that a woman could lead just as fiercely as any man—if not more!

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Vritra had mostly stayed quiet during the chaos in Gladius City. Even though Lord Edmond was one of the many nobles adding fuel to the fire, that wasn\'t Vritra\'s concern for now.

Presently, the young lord was busy wrapping up his reports to Demon King Rohan.

"That\'s mostly what happened…"

"Grr, the task I gave you was to take control of Gladius City so we could establish our own civilization there. This would let us use our full powers without worrying about those Duranzia pigs! Are you out of your mind?!"

Rohan\'s voice was powerful, like a storm.

It felt so heavy that it seemed like it was about to crush Vritra, but the young lord stood his ground and stayed strong.

In fact, he was even calm.

"No, Father. Not at all. It seems Felmus doesn\'t trust me enough to give me control of Gladius City. But I suppose that makes sense, considering they\'re using the [Passover Law], which originated from this continent. Besides, I seriously doubt Felmus would choose me over his daughter… let\'s just say she has a lot of fortune on her side."

Rohan reduced the pressure of his aura.

"Hmm, whatever… does that mean you plan to return to the Hell Continent sooner rather than later?"

"Does Father miss me, perhaps?"

"…"

"I still believe there\'s a chance for me to secure some of the cities in the Red Desert. They\'re small, but if I can gain a significant portion of them, it could work in our favor. I plan to go there with my wife very soo—"

"That white pig is not your wife. She\'s just a stuffed piece of meat who satisfies your desires and is the main link our family has to Duranzia. Watch your words, boy."

"My apologies, Father…"

"Whatever. Just get to work…"

The transmission portal disappeared, and Rohan\'s voice quickly faded away.

"Son of a bitch…"

Vritra clenched his fists tightly.

"Always so fucking proud!"

Just thinking about him made his blood boil.

He could picture himself smashing his fists into the arrogant demon king\'s face without any regret.

Still, the young lord somehow managed to hold back his anger and put on a bright smile.

… Ahaann~

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"I wonder if Luciana\'s still awake…"

━ ━ ━ ━

Vritra returned to his temporary chambers.

"Welcome back, husband ♡♡!"

Lying in his bed was Princess Luciana, wearing her usual cute and innocent angel face.

When he saw her, his anger eased a bit.

She was dressed in a long white nightdress that covered most of her body, which told him she wasn\'t looking for anything more tonight. He could always tell the difference based on how conservative her nightdresses were: when they were short, it meant she was in the mood for something, and when they were long, it meant she just wanted to cuddle.

『What an easy woman to read…』

He chuckled to himself.

The princess raised an eyebrow at him.

"I-, Is something funny?"

Her pretty blue eyes grew more curious as she crawled a little closer on the bed.

"Come on, tell me… please?"

"Not in a million years."

"Come ooooon, tell me, husband…"

"What would be the point of that?"

"Well…"

Luciana knelt on the bed and carefully pulled her arms in closer, which made her weighty breasts press together and push out a bit. With a shy, flushed face, she playfully twiddled her fingers and glanced to the side.

"I\'m your wife, aren\'t I? So… I should know stuff…"

She then stared up at him with puppy-like eyes.

Prince Vritra sighed inwardly.

"Alright, I\'ll tell you…"

"REALLY──?! ♡♡"

"HA! YOU WISH!"

"Awww…"

Luciana\'s cheeks puffed up and she sulked.

Vritra sat next to her on the bed and gently placed a hand on her small head as he smiled at her.

"Worry not, I\'ll let you know some other day, alright?"

When Luciana heard those words, she felt something shift in her heart—it was like what was genuine became even more genuine.

"O-, Okay…"

What she didn\'t realize was that this was Vritra\'s way of saying that as long as he was alive, she would be too.