Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 148

"L-Lady Diela. The weather is quite n-nice today. For late winter, it's unusually warm—almost cozy already."

"If you have no particular schedule today, perhaps we could share a cup of t-tea at the Ruden family estate?"

"My father, Viscount Croix, has been e-eager to meet you, Lady Diela."

To enter Ravenclaw Academy and become the Baron's direct disciple, one ultimately needed permission from his highest-ranking disciple—Diela Catherine Duplein.

Once this fact became public, Diela's standing in the Rosea Salon skyrocketed to the very top.

The already gradually recovering prestige of House Duplein grew even stronger, to the point where it seemed they might have returned to their status before Valerian got entangled in necromancy.

Naturally, whenever Diela attended the Rosea Salon and simply walked around, she became the center of attention from all the noble ladies.

"No thanks."

Of course, Diela wasn't one to yield so easily.

She knew full well these ladies were fawning over her because they wanted to become Baron Ravenclaw's disciples.

Diela wasn't exactly thrilled about Derek gaining more disciples. She bared her teeth and bristled at those who approached her with transparent motives.

It wouldn't be easy to appease such a beast.

Thus, the salon ladies had to devise another method. If they couldn't win over this girl, they needed to appease someone she couldn't ignore.

As mentioned, there were only two people in Evelstain who could handle Diela.

One was Baron Ravenclaw himself, but since he rarely appeared at Elfontain Hall, discussing him was pointless.

The other, however, was a different story.

There was someone who could definitively control Diela, someone far more reasonable and kind-hearted compared to her.

"It's been a while since you've attended the salon! Ah, Lady Aiselin! H-how have you been? I heard you've been very busy."

When Aiselin, who had been too occupied with House Duplein and Ravenclaw affairs to attend, finally made an appearance in high society, a swarm of noble ladies gathered around her, buzzing like excited fans.

The sight was almost reminiscent of a fan meet.

Aiselin had always commanded much respect, but lately, the fervor had reached near-fanatical levels, leaving her bewildered.

'It... wasn't this extreme before...'

Aiselin had returned to the salon to gauge opinions about the academy being built in Duplein Territory, accept applications from prospective students, and assess various changes.

But seeing such an enthusiastic reception made her realize just how high Diela's standing in the salon had risen.

Perhaps she had reached a level comparable to Aiselin in her prime.

With that thought, Aiselin offered a polite smile and made her way through the salon's attendees.

The three ladies traditionally considered the most noble in Rosea Salon were Aiselin, Elente, and Denise.

When these three sat together, an unapproachable aura of elegance surrounded them. However, due to recent incidents in their respective families, they rarely gathered anymore.

Now, with Aiselin making a long-awaited appearance, the trio sat at the head table, their atmosphere noticeably different from before.

"It's been a while since we met at Elfontain Hall. Lady Denise, Lady Elente."

As Aiselin—the one who'd undergone the most changes—sat at one end of the round table with a faint smile, Elente and Denise exchanged glances from across the table.

Elente still let her classic red hair cascade down, her fiery eyes making her seem like a personification of flames.

While her appearance hadn't changed much, her demeanor had softened considerably. Sharing the same master seemed to have lowered her guard.

However, beneath that softness flowed a peculiar tension—partly because their relationship had shifted from allies to something closer to rivals.

Of course, none of them would openly display such sentiments.

"Lady Aiselin, you've been well, I hope? I heard you've had much to deal with."

"I've had time to settle most matters, so I'm fine now. More importantly..."

She hesitated, cautious about what to say next.

Aiselin discreetly studied Denise's expression.

Her silver-white hair seemed paler than before.

Her slightly hollowed eyes looked uneasy, though it seemed more from exhaustion than despair.

Denise, who once epitomized the perfect noble lady at the salon, had recently shed some of that pretense... revealing more of her true self. Strangely, this suited her better.

Aiselin could guess why. With so much happening internally and externally, masks inevitably began to slip.

The Beltus family's internal affairs were in utter chaos. Seeing Denise's weary state reminded Aiselin of her own past, making her sigh inwardly.

"Don't worry too much about me. Somehow, things keep moving forward... You know how it is, Lady Aiselin."

Denise spoke lightly, but her exhaustion was undeniable.

The three pillars of Rosea Salon, reunited after so long.

Though their status and positions had changed considerably, the aura they projected when together remained as formidable as ever.

There was a reason these traditional powerhouses held their positions.

Just as they were catching up, something unexpected happened.

- Creak, thud

The head table of the salon gathering—reserved only for the most influential figures.

Someone casually walked up, pulled out a chair, and sat down without hesitation.

"Mind if I join?"

Though phrased as a question, she didn't wait for an answer. Arms crossed, her haughty yet elegant demeanor struck a perfect balance.

For anyone else, such audacity would be madness—an act that would brand them as socially inept outliers.

But when they realized it was Diela... no one dared object.

And the person following her was even more remarkable.

"I'll sit here too."

The large round table now had almost no empty seats.

Sirine, daughter of House Rochester and Melberot's prized 6-star mage apprentice, took the last seat and leaned back.

Despite two petite girls boldly claiming the remaining spots, no one in the room batted an eye.

When asked who sat at the pinnacle of Rosea Salon, most would name three ladies.

But since House Ravenclaw's rise in noble circles, the salon's hierarchy had shifted... now accommodating two additional figures at the top.

Five.

Four of these five shared one thing in common: they served the same master.

In other words, Rosea Salon—the most prestigious academic circle in Evelstain's high society—had effectively fallen under Ravenclaw's influence.

Moreover, looking at their lineup... each was a figure of such authority that no one could control them.

The only person capable of reigning them all in... certainly didn't exist within Elfontain Hall.

Yet Diela placed an official document from Ravenclaw Manor on the table and declared:

"Baron Derek Raidof Ravenclaw, overseeing Ravenclaw Academy, has granted me direct authority over his disciples."

Denise, Elente, and Sirine all glanced sideways at Diela.

The weight in their gazes felt like they were shouldering an entire continent.

Each was someone you'd need to prepare to have your entire family crushed if you made an enemy of them.

Yet Diela showed no concern, puffing out her chest confidently. When it came to such matters, Diela never cowered or backed down.

"Of course, I can't dictate matters related to your families or daily lives. But regarding disciple hierarchy, I rank highest and should always be respected accordingly."

It was rare for Diela to address anyone with formal honorifics first.

Even Denise had been headbutted upon their first meeting. That Diela now spoke with such courtesy had its reasons.

She was implying: I'll extend basic courtesy, so you'd better reciprocate.

And she declared this boldly before ladies from families whose names were indispensable in southwestern continental politics.

Just witnessing this made the surrounding noble ladies break into cold sweat.

Maintaining such composure before such heavyweights required innate talent. Only Diela could pull this off.

Depending on interpretation, her declaration could be seen as a proclamation of war.

Yet the round table remained silent.

Derek had officially recognized Diela's authority.

Everyone seated here understood exactly what that meant.

"If there are no objections, we'll proceed accordingly."

With that, Diela left the documents on the table and strode away.

As she walked through the crowd, people instinctively parted.

By pure family prestige, the top seat should belong to Elente of Belmierd or Sirine of Rochester.

But among Derek's disciples, Diela was undeniably number one. Today, that fact had been confirmed.

Rank 4: Sirine.

Rank 3: Denise.

Rank 2: Elente.

Rank 1: Diela.

Surveying these members, the noble ladies could only swallow dryly.

They needed to seriously consider what it meant to join this group as the youngest...

"The Hergis family has sent a letter offering to return part of the mining rights they took from Rodel Mountain. In exchange, they request priority enrollment at the under-construction Ravenclaw Academy."

"The Riventeil family similarly apologizes for forcibly seizing partial taxation rights over the Lebels Plains and requests renegotiation. However, they demand priority academy enrollment rights and... bargaining privileges with Baron Ravenclaw."

Senior retainers, the head butler, and other servants gathered to report to Raeg, current head of House Duplein.

Raeg was already overwhelmed monitoring construction progress in their territory and tracking movements of neighboring nobles and central aristocracy.

Adding household management to this made his head spin.

"Lady Miriela has also sent word. She'll soon conclude her family visit and return to House Duplein... She seems to have regained much health."

"Distant relatives who'd lost contact are also reaching out. With House Duplein's recovery looking promising, they're turning their heads back."

"Many relatives in central politics have expressed support. With proper negotiations, we might soon overcome our cash shortage."

"...."

Yet recently, things had started miraculously falling into place.

As the seemingly doomed House Duplein showed signs of revival, relatives who'd abandoned ship were awkwardly reestablishing contact.

News from Evelstain's high society had also surged.

"Gifts arrived from House Rodel. They sent... 600 Adeltun gold coins..."

"..."

"House Belmierd sent senior retainers to inquire after our wellbeing. We received loads of local specialties. The territory's magistrate personally visited, startling our staff."

"......."

"Senior Beltus retainers sent separate commendations. They're apparently thanking factions that assisted during the recent incident."

"House Renuel sent regards..."

"Viscount Calist's family offered academy construction funds..."

"An invitation to Viscount Sidmer's banquet..."

"The eldest son of House Klemtain is coming of age and requests attendance..."

"Letters from northern Houses Feldrix and Rochester..."

"I-it's difficult to handle everything at once... We'll need to prioritize..."

"....."

Raeg paused mid-report to wipe his face.

Then muttered to himself.

What the hell is this? I'm scared.

There were limits to how abruptly situations could reverse.

Just months ago, when Duplein's name was in the mud, Raeg had to personally run around to scrape together a few coins.

However sincerely high nobles valued their children's magical education, he never expected them to flip-flop so dramatically.

Amidst this earth-shaking upheaval, how was one supposed to keep their sanity?

As a young lord, Raeg couldn't help sweating buckets.

Just as he tried organizing his retainers'reports—

- Creak

"Ah, my apologies. You're in a meeting."

Derek, who'd only come to ask about construction progress, bowed upon seeing the gathering.

"I'll return later."

"No, no! What brings you? Please, come in. Sit. Here, prepare the guest sofa! Head butler! Make space for Baron Ravenclaw."

"Y-yes!"

Startled, Raeg called Derek back and urgently ordered his retainers.

Reading the room, the retainers promptly lined up against the wall. The household meeting would pause until Derek concluded his business.

'...'

Derek had only come to casually ask about construction timelines.

Stopping an official household meeting led by the family head for something so trivial made him uncomfortable as retainers nervously cleared the way.

This was beyond awkward.

Yet Raeg, sweating profusely, quickly ordered maids to bring premium herbal tea.

"R-right. If Baron Ravenclaw has business, I should attend to it first."

"...The meeting agenda seemed quite important. You should handle that first—"

"No, no. The retainers usually reach conclusions quickly. Right, head butler?"

"Y-yes. We'll organize key items promptly."

The retainers responded briskly, visibly tense.

"There, see... What did you wish to discuss, my lord? Speak freely."

Though Raeg said this, Derek's stoic face couldn't hide his discomfort as sweat trickled down.

"I wanted to confirm the construction schedule..."

"The schedule! Extremely important! Head butler! Administrator! Bring the documents!"

"No need. A verbal update suffices. I'll verify with my staff—"

"Nonsense! Verification requires thoroughness! Head butler! Move!"

"Yes, right away!"

As Duplein's head and heir to the ducal title, Raeg's secular authority still carried weight under noble law.

Thus, despite feeling dazed by this excessive deference, Derek could only stay silent.

He felt strangely lightheaded.