Although he had shown an embarrassing skill as ´Fascination´, Leto had to admit that at least the outcome of the battle was not bad. He did not have to use his mana to fight and given how prolonged this tournament would be, this was a favorable result considering his problem about excessive mana use, his livid. By not using his mana, Leto wouldn't have to worry about dealing with that problematic condition.

The tournament continued with normality; the impression left by Leto's match could not be erased from the public's mind by anyone else.

"Kevia Carles" —Kristin uttered a name-bearing a famous surname.

A young woman with blond hair stood showing some ferocity in her gaze as she advanced towards the platform.

Level four, thirteen skills. This was the information that was displayed above Kevia Carles's head once she set foot on the combat platform.

"Is this someone from the Marquis Carles House?"

"That's right, Kevia-sama is the youngest daughter of the current head of the Carles House"

Leto and Nadyia heard that coming from a close conversation.

In the empire, there were ten noble houses that carried a unique hereditary skill and that had ancestral foundations so ancient as to have existed since times before the appearance of the Calamities. The Imperial House, three Dukes Houses, and six Marquises Houses, and Lyndell and Carles were two of these six Marquises Houses.

"What is she doing?"

To everyone's surprise, after climbing the combat platform, Kevia Carles walked to stop in front of Kristin Lyndell.

"It's been a long time, Kristin-oneesama," —Kevia exclaimed such words in a defiant tone.

"Oneesama?" —Kevia's words quickly aroused the curiosity of much of those present.

Kristin showed no change in her expression and only watched Kevia silently for a pair of seconds and then pronounced the names of the other three fighters.

Having not been able to cause any reaction in Kristin, Kevia snapped her tongue with anger as she crossed her arms.

Nadyia took her gaze to Leto, and with surprise, she observed how her roommate seemed as surprised as the vast majority of those present.

"So, it's true, I had heard the rumor that Kristin-sama had the skill Doppelganger of the Carles House..."

Leto's body shuddered slightly as he heard someone mutter that.

Because of his mother's full approach to combat and etiquette training on him, Leto didn't really know much about the noble families of the empire, he was only aware of the existence of three powerful Dukes Houses and six Marquises Houses, but he did not even know the names of these Noble Houses.

However, Leto knew that his older sister carried that skill, Doppelganger.

"Why does Kristin-sama carry the skill of the Carles House?"

Someone else asked those in the minds of many people, not so in Leto's mind, for somehow, he could already imagine the answer.

"Since the Lyndell House has been on the rise since the previous generation, the emperor imposed on the two men with which Jilliana Lyndell-sama would beget her two daughters. Kristin-sama's father is Riz Carles, the current leader of Carles House"

Many people held their breath when they heard that.

Because of some crime committed by a member of the Lyndell House centuries ago, the Lyndells were subject to brutal impositions. However, regarding the imposition that prevented Lyndell women from marrying, they had always had freedom in choosing the men with which they would beget the next generation of their family.

With Jilliana Lyndell, the emperor himself had chosen the men who would help the Lyndell House to beget the next generation, and the reason behind this was Irena Lyndell, the former leader of the Lyndell House.

Irena Lyndell had significantly strengthened the decadent Lyndell family with no one's help, and similarly, had fathered two monstrous geniuses who were unfortunately not chosen by any of the sacred swords, Jilliana Lyndell and her late younger sister, Hadria Lyndell.

With such a background, the emperor considered that by providing the Lyndell House with the blood of the Carles House, Jilliana Lyndell would engender a new generation who would surpass her and her mother. As for what the emperor was looking for with this, in reality, it was not some intricate conspiracy that enveloped dark plans or suspicious plots, the current emperor considered that the impositions on the Lyndell House were absurd, and since he could not change this because of the influence of the three Dukes Houses, he expected the Lyndells to free themselves from such impositions by turning one of their descendants into a Holy Maiden.

Leto was significantly shocked, he didn't really know who his sister's father was, let alone knew his own father's name, the truth was he never expected his sister's father to turn out to be someone as important as one of the six Marquises.

"In that case, who is Leto-sama's father?" — pushed by curiosity, one girl completely forgot about Leto's close presence and asked that question.

"T-the combat is about to begin..." —with great nervousness, the girl who seemed informed ended the subject using the start of combat as a pretext.

Leto could not help but be affected by all that. No doubt Kevia Carles was not the only sibling who had her older sister, Marquis Carles should have more children, in that case, was his existence unnecessary for his older sister? On Leto's mind echoed his sister's harsh words after he told her about what he secretly practiced with Gabriel; "pervert".

Nadyia ignored the fight and took her gaze to Leto, the lovely girl was a slightly hunched, her face looked down and her little body trembled slightly, it was as if Leto was striving to avoid raising her legs to hide her face between her knees.

That image brought to Nadyia's mind the memory of one of his younger brothers, who used to strive not to cry when he was disturbed by other children. That clumsy younger brother did not want to be a burden to his already busy older siblings.

Leto was taken by surprise when Nadyia hugged him from the side.

"N-Nadyia?"

"I-I'm sorry" —Nadyia quickly departed from Leto. "My little brother usually does the same thing, so, my body moved on its own..." —Nadyia's face had reddened because of shame.

Leto let out a slight but bewitching laugh, which caused Nadyia to feel even more ashamed.

Suddenly Nadyia's hands were taken by Leto.

"Thank you, I feel better"

Seeing Leto's radiant smile and feeling the warmth of her little hands caused Nadyia's heart to turn a big overturn.

For Leto, Nadyia's doing was something he had never experienced.

No matter what Leto's mood, Gabriel would never touch him without first asking him for permission. This caused there to be an uncomfortable distance between them, Leto believed that everything Gabriel did for him, she did as part of her duty as his personal maid, otherwise, why would that beautiful girl do all that things for someone like Leto, a boy who wore women's clothes and who carried three curses?

The rest of the servants of the Lyndell family would never dare touch Leto, all these women considered Leto a living treasure, and they would not dare stain her with their hands if 'she' didn't order them.

As for Jilliana, although she used to hug Leto without qualms every time she wanted, since Leto could not understand her mother, he could not regard that as a sign of affection.

The only person who showed genuine affection for Leto was now a cold person who seemed to repudiate him, Kristin Lyndell.

Therefore, that Nadyia had embraced him to comfort him at a bad time and without asking his permission, this had a profound meaning for Leto, he felt that he recovered a little of how much he had lost when things with his older sister had become so complicated.

On the platform, the match ended with a resounding victory from Kevia Carles' team.

Kevia came down from the platform not without first directing an angry glance at Kristin.

For Kevia, Kristin Lyndell's existence was offensive. Her father had been forced by the emperor to assist Jilliana Lyndell in the conception of that arrogant white-haired and unexpressive-faced girl, and this had destroyed the happiness of Kevia's family.

At the time Riz Carles was forced by circumstances to betray his wife, this had no consequence to Kevia´s family at being Kevia's mother a compressive woman. But things didn't take too long to change.

Kevia was born two years after that, her conception was an obvious attempt by her parents to settle any kind of damage caused in their relationship by that event, and therefore, although Kevia used to see her mother showing bitterness a few times, she grew happily. However, the Carles' situation changed.

When Kevia's mother met Jilliana Lyndell in person, she couldn't help but be jealous, Jilliana Lyndell was a beautiful and attractive woman, had her husband only had sex with that woman once? Wasn't he still seeing her behind his back? Doubts about whether her husband had been totally captivated by Jilliana's beauty grew in the heart of Kevia's mother, and on this did not help at all when Kristin Lyndell was presented to noble society as the next leader of the Lyndell House.

Kevia remembered that event with angry, as it was an important event related to one of the six Marquis Houses of the empire, the Carles House had to attend to offer its congratulations.

At the time Kevia did not yet know that Kristin Lyndell was actually her half-sister, for which she did not understand why her mother practically lost her mind in the middle of the celebration when her father approached Jilliana and Kristin Lyndell to congratulate them.

Kevia's mother had performed a whole show that led her to reveal to all the attendees of that celebration that Kristin Lyndell was her husband's daughter.

After that, Kevia finally understood the reason behind the bitterness that suffocated her mother, and from that day on, the Carles' family relationship collapsed completely and Kevia blamed on a single person for this, Kristin Lyndell.

"Kristin-san, you have a pair of lovely and interesting younger sisters" –as Kevia returned to her seat, Aspyn made that comment to Kristin.

Kristin ignored Aspyn's comment and turned her attention to Raynelle, who stood up to go to the urn to get the names of the following contenders.

"Kevia Carles aside, once it is known that Leto-san possesses nineteen skills, the nobles of the entire empire will go mad and try to get her for their sons" –Inis added this.

Inis did not exaggerate, a young woman who carried nineteen skills just upon entering the academy would attract the ambition of nobles throughout the empire, how many skills would a child carry at birth born from that girl's womb? Leto Lyndell's beauty alone just was enough for men to attempt to obtain her.

The problem for Leto Lyndell was that because of imperial impositions on Lyndell House, she not could become a wife, her destiny was to become the personal incubator of the nobleman to which the emperor surrendered her.

“Something like that will never happen”

Inis was surprised to hear Kristin respond to her words, something she did not expect to happen.

Kristin stood up to go receive the names of the next fighters from Raynelle's hands.

"In the worst-case scenario, I will kill Leto Lyndell as my mother did at the time with Hadria Lyndell"—Kristin muttered this to herself while her gaze showed a much more marked cold than normal.