Chapter 250 - 249: Kurudo’s Visit (2)

Chapter 250: Chapter 249: Kurudo’s Visit (2)

She, on the other hand, was so scared her face had gone white.

The moment Duane stepped into the reception hall, he felt a faint, oppressive aura.

His expression was calm as his gaze swept over the three individuals. It finally came to rest on the young man in the center who bore a slight resemblance to His Majesty Eric. He knew this must be the Crown Prince.

Facing the future heir of the Kingdom, Duane knew he should be polite.

He strode forward, bowing in greeting. "I am honored to meet you, Your Highness!"

Sigmund remained seated, smiling and nodding. He sized Duane up as he spoke, "Duane. You’re here."

"My apologies for keeping you waiting!"

Sigmund nodded to himself. ’No wonder His Majesty said Duane was different. In just this short exchange, I can already see his composure.’

’He hasn’t even glanced at Count Kudro this whole time, and he shows no trace of fear. This is far beyond my expectations.’

Sigmund raised his hand slightly, gesturing for Duane to sit, then glanced at Kudro beside him.

Before Duane could even sit, Kudro let out a cold snort.

"Can’t you see your companions are all standing? Heh. You think there’s a seat for you here?"

Duane froze for a moment, hesitating just as he was about to sit.

’I don’t get it,’ he thought. ’The Crown Prince told me to sit, but Count Kudro is openly objecting. Isn’t that a slap in the face to Sigmund?’

Sure enough, the Crown Prince looked rather embarrassed.

But he didn’t want to say much to an unreasonable man like Kudro.

Duane only hesitated for a moment before sitting down anyway. He retorted:

"We are both vassals of the Kingdom. If the Count can sit, why can’t I?"

This retort earned a look of new appreciation from Sigmund, and his embarrassment faded.

Count Kudro sneered, "A Baron from some deserted island dares to compare himself to me, a Border Count?"

Duane ignored Kudro completely and turned to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, is there an urgent matter that brings you here so late at night?"

Sigmund cleared his throat. "It is mainly concerning your painting."

He paused before continuing, "Count Kudro believes the painting displayed outside has damaged the Hassa Clan’s reputation and has already lodged a protest with His Majesty. I am here on His Majesty’s orders to act as a mediator between the two of you, in hopes of settling this dispute."

’Just as I suspected,’ Duane thought.

He immediately put on an innocent expression. "There must be some misunderstanding. I never mentioned the Hassa Clan in the painting!"

Sigmund was taken aback, finding himself at a loss for a rebuttal.

’After all, I can’t just say that the bear in the painting is Kudro and the she-wolf is Tara, can I?’

’The two of them have nothing to do with bears or wolves.’

This was precisely the genius of Duane’s painting.

If Kudro were to protest publicly, people would say it was because he had a guilty conscience.

But if he did nothing and let it be, more and more people would come to ridicule the Hassa Clan.

CRASH!

Kudro slammed his hand down, shattering the table and chair beside him. This made Martin, who was standing nearby, flinch in pain—hundreds of Gold Coins, gone just like that.

"Duane, I’m not going to beat around the bush!"

He roared in fury, "Take down that painting at once, get on your knees and apologize, and we’ll call this matter finished!"

’This guy really is a brainless brute,’ Duane thought to himself.

He sneered. "As a vassal to His Majesty, I kneel only to him. Am I to take your words to mean you wish to be His Majesty’s equal? Or perhaps you mean to betray him and become King yourself?"

These words stunned everyone present.

Duane’s angle of attack was so... unique. In the blink of an eye, he had accused Kudro of treason.

GRIND!

Kudro’s rage erupted, and the oppressive aura of a Silver Moon Level expert caused the expressions of everyone present to change drastically.

The Crown Prince immediately moved to block him. "Count, calm yourself!"

But while he stopped Kudro, he failed to stop his daughter.

A black shadow shot out and appeared before Duane. Tara had raised her fist, aiming a punch straight for his face.

Duane didn’t fight back, nor did he dodge. He didn’t even blink.

WHOOSH!

The powerful gust of wind from the punch sent a rapid airflow stirring through Duane’s short, golden hair.

The fist stopped just an inch from the tip of his nose.

Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. Thankfully, Tara had pulled her punch in time and avoided a tragedy.

Kudro, however, just chuckled. "I thought you were supposed to be so tough, but it turns out you’re just all talk! What, were you too scared by that punch to even remember how to dodge?"

Duane chuckled mockingly in return. "I’m more curious why that punch didn’t land. Could it be that you didn’t dare?"

As he spoke, he extended two fingers and pushed Tara’s fist aside.

She tried to resist, but even with all her might, she couldn’t overcome the Strength of his two fingers.

Tara’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe his Strength was greater than hers, and that he could do it so effortlessly!

"If you don’t have the guts to follow through, don’t throw punches!" Duane sneered.

"That’s enough, Duane! And you, Count Kudro, and Lady Tara!"

His Highness Sigmund finally spoke up. "Violence will not solve this problem. Let’s all sit down and talk this through properly!"

Duane withdrew his hand, shot Tara a cold glance, and then took his seat.

"I respect Your Highness’s opinion. However, if this father and daughter continue to disregard your authority, then I see no point in further discussion."

The elegant man beside Sigmund couldn’t help but smile to himself. With just a few sentences, Duane was either pushing Kudro into opposition with the Kingdom or driving a wedge between the Count and His Highness.