I Was the Hero, But She Turned Me Into the Villain

«It will be decided as our tradition dictates: with a duel. The loser will be left with nothing. The winner takes all.»

The marquis’ words echoed solemnly in the room, the echo dragging along the walls and permeating the air around us. Then, as if struck by lightning, everything suddenly fell into place: Frederick’s twisted smile, his sudden visit, his miserable provocation...

A slight curve formed on my lips, barely perceptible.

"... After all, you’re still very young," I thought.

There was no bitterness, no surprise. Rather, I was eagerly awaiting it.

The source of thɪs content is Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt

The marquis leaned back in his seat with a slight sigh, as if concluding a minor business deal. Without taking his eyes off the papers piled on his desk, he spoke indifferently.

—The duel will take place in two weeks.

At one point, those words might have terrified me. Now, however, I expected it.

—Perfect —I replied, my tone stripped of all reverence, almost as if commenting on something trivial...

He didn’t even care. He simply raised his hand in a brief, almost disdainful gesture.

—You may leave.

I inclined my head slightly, then left the study without looking back.