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Contrary to Noelle’s expectations, however, the elders were quite forthcoming with their words in front of the crowd.
Not only did they praise Noelle for being a once in a lifetime genius that their clan was lucky to have, but they also made it very clear what their intentions were when it came to her future.
“Let’s be frank. With how disappointing her predecessors have been, there is no doubt that Noelle would do excellently in comparison. And even if that were not a matter of concern, we believe that she has the potential to lead our clan to great heights in the future.”
If the gray-haired girl hadn’t known better, she would have thought that these old geezers somehow found out that she was spying on them with Emilia’s help, and were purposefully trying to lead her on!
The grand elder coughed. “Although this is a decision we have already made, our hope is for everyone to support her to the best of their ability. So long as you do so, I’m sure that we can overcome this crisis together.”
There was no need for him to elaborate what this ‘crisis’ was, as even the usually reclusive members of the Nightingale clan were well aware of it by now.
Naturally, when a ray of hope burst forth towards people who were being chased by darkness all around, they wouldn’t hesitate to grasp it with both hands, not even stopping for a moment to consider that it could be a mirage, and the Nightingale clan was no exception.
With outside forces chipping away at their strength while the government watched them like a predator waiting for the right moment to pounce, and parasites like their previous clan leader and his ex-wife fracturing their clan from within at such a moment, Noelle was exactly the kind of pillar that these people needed to unite around.
Under the smiling eyes of the elders, the conviction they saw in their clan’s men and women started growing rapidly, and before long, they stepped forward one after another to volunteer themselves to Noelle’s side.
“I don’t want to the clan to break apart into two, and then be ground to dust under the hands of outsiders.”
“Right! We can’t remain neutral and watch these wolves tear us apart!”
“If Noelle is the one leading, I’m sure we can teach those two a lesson they’ll remember for life!”
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Even if Emilia had ensured that the news wouldn’t leak to her girlfriend’s parents too quickly, with so many eyes on the training ground, it was impossible to truly prevent it for too long.
After all, there were quite a few people who joined Narcissa and Gildroy openly, and more still who did it without letting anyone know.
Unless the two of them were willing to be truly radical and obvious in their actions, it was expected that the news would be leaked to the other side by the end of the day.
However, once the elders were done recruiting people on Noelle’s behalf, they unexpectedly went one step further to check for anyone who hadn’t yet joined in, and even took them into custody!
Those who weren’t interested in joining Noelle’s side but thought it would be too conspicuous to leave without listening to what the elders had to say first couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
Detaining them without a good reason… weren’t these people breaking the very rules that they were supposed to protect in the first place?
“N-No, wait—!”
“For what reason are we being taken away?!”
“Listen to me!”
“Aren’t you people breaking the very rules you are supposed to be enforcing at this very moment?!”
The grand elder just scoffed in response. “Disrespecting and undermining the elder council openly… there, that reason is good enough, isn’t it?”
“W-What…?”
“That’s not fair!”
Unfortunately, in front of superior strength, there was little they could do other than cry about it while being dragged away. And to add insult to injury, some of the elders even chuckled as they left.
If nothing else, Noelle had to commend the elders for being thorough in their execution.
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Even with many of their supporters being put into confinement, Narcissa and Gildroy naturally learned about the news of the ‘intruder’ and their ‘daughter’ getting together from others.
Of course, since it came from people who were mostly already on Noelle’s side, many details inevitably ended up being omitted or altered in her favor.
At first, they were a little frustrated at having missed the opportunity to drum up more support for themselves using this unruly intruder, but soon their attention was attracted to something else entirely.
“… Is that supposed to be a joke? There’s no way she’s going to do that!”
“Uh, well, I’m not quite sure myself, but I don’t think she was joking.”
Narcissa didn’t even care if the girl that the man was referring to was Noelle or the intruder at this point. “You can’t just marry someone you just met!”
“Tell that to her, not me!”
Even though the man was supposed to be from her own branch, Narcissa couldn’t help but stare at him as if she was looking at walking garbage. “Are you sure it wasn’t just you hallucinating and making things up according to your own fantasies?”
“…” The man just gave her a pissed-off smile in return. ‘If I hadn’t been entrusted with this task by the elders, do you think I would be wasting my breath on a traitor like you?’
The situation at Gildroy’s side wasn’t much different, and both of them fell into contemplation after the ‘informants’ left.𝑜𝓋𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
Since they didn’t have any affection for this so-called ‘daughter’ who suddenly appeared years after she was supposed to have died, usually neither of them would be too concerned about whom she decided to marry.
However, if her choice of marriage partner ended up affecting their own future, it was impossible for them to remain silent.
Gildroy couldn’t help but curse. “If Emilia finds out about her infidelity, there’s no way she will keep her side of the deal!”
Naturally, the possibility of the strange intruder who came looking for a ‘husband’ being Emilia herself never crossed his mind. After all, it was too absurd.
Meanwhile, Narcissa’s expression was even more grim. “Even though she said all that nonsense before, aren’t her actions just going to drag me down now? If she violates our clan’s rules like this, how am I supposed to win everyone’s approval?!”
Regardless of their past, so long as people learned that she was the mother of someone who indulged in openly breaking the clan’s traditions, there was no way they could continue trusting her.
While the ‘worries’ they had were vastly different, the conclusion they arrived at was the same.
“I can’t let this go on!”
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