That devilish smile..."
The image of Leo's cold grin still lingered in the air.
Both Duke Drake and David remained frozen for a moment, unable to believe the sudden change in Leo.
Because they knew that in this world the only person Leo loved the most was Evelyn.
So now Leo saying this about Evelyn surprised both of them.
Duke Drake asked, "You liked her so much... why are you acting like this in front of me?" he said with a cold authoritative voice.
"I liked her because she was my fiancé and my lover, and we knew each other from little. That means if she dumped me and goes for another man, should I lock up my room and cry, hide behind the door?
I would rather die than do something that pathetic. My name is Leo Rosard.
In my veins flows the blood of House Rosard," Leo said.
(Heh, you foolish son already died because of this foolish reason.) Leo thought to himself.
"I don't care if she goes out with a prince and marries him and has his child," Leo said with a smirk.
Duke Drake just stared at him, then asked Butler David, "Go and call the Eiden."
Butler David nodded and left.
Then Duke Drake looked at Leo and said, "She left you because you are weak and miserable compared to the people she met there, and she thinks you can't give her a hand to walk together on her growing path. You are also an heir to the Duke like your four siblings, but your strength is less than a gardener's work in Rosard. So if you don't work well, you will be removed from the heir to the Duke."
Leo looked at duke and said, "Who says I am weaker?"
"Oh, you're strong? Then let's test it. If you do a task I assign to you, I will not kick you from the Duke's heirs," Duke Drake said.
Leo said with a mocking smile, "You can just kick me out from there. I am not interested in becoming a Duke in this family."
Duke Drake's eyes turned cold. "You disrespect the family name," then he released a powerful aura.
"Aah..." Leo suddenly felt pressure. He sat on one knee.
As the Duke released the crushing aura, the system flickered again.
System: External aura pressure detected. Do you want to endure using system support?
Leo whispered, "Yes."
A wave of strength flowed inside Leo—not a shield, not protection, just raw endurance increase.
Slowly Leo straightened his back and stood tall again.
The Duke froze.
He looked Duke in the eye. "Didn't I tell you? I'm not weak."
The Duke's surprise was obvious.
With a cold smile, he pushed out even more aura. The ground started to shake.
But Leo didn't fall. He didn't even step back.
He just stood there... staring at the Duke without blinking.
The Duke muttered, "...You endured even that?"
Leo breathed out softly, "System, release my aura."
The system replied,
Warning: your body is in a weakened state. Full aura release is impossible. Maximum release available: 10%.
Release 10% aura: Yes/No
Leo smirked. "Release it."
A surge of aura erupted from Leo. Even 10% was strong enough to shake the air. The Duke's eyes widened again, unable to hide the shock.
His eyes fixed on the swirling aura around Leo.
The Duke withdrew his aura; the pressure vanished instantly. He felt it and stopped his aura release as well, letting the air settle.
The Duke slowly stood from his chair.
His massive figure (twice his height) cast a long shadow over the room as he walked toward Leo.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
---
Duke stopped in front of him, towering over him like a giant.
Without warning, the Duke grabbed Leo's hand and checked. Then his eyes widened.
"Your mana is full."
A beat of silence.
The Duke looked directly into Leo's eyes, shocked.
"How did you recover?"
Because only minutes ago Leo's mana was near empty, and yet now....
The Duke's voice wasn't angry – it was confused, almost disbelieving.
The Duke couldn't sense a single drop missing.
He released Leo's wrist.
"How?" he asked again.
Leo talked to the system, "They can't see my mana when they see me?"
System: No, they can't see your mana. If they see you, I turn it off.
Leo smiled and said, "Good job," to the system.
Then he said to the Duke, "It's a secret."
Duke Drake's eyes turned cold, then he asked, "When did you awaken?"
Leo said, "A while ago."
The Duke just looked at him and said in a colder tone,
"If you restored your mana, where did you get the strength to talk about the family heir? It means you disrespect the family name."
Leo looked at him and said,
"I don't want to become just a Duke, and I don't have a dream like my siblings to become a Duke. It's just a kid's dream to follow father's path."
The Duke asked coldly,
"Then what? Do you want to be the King?"
"above that"
Why would I chase the title of Duke or King... when the entire world will kneel before me.
The Duke asked, "You want to dominate the world?"
Leo nodded and said, "Yes."
Duke Drake looked at him and said,
"You are just a frog in a well who doesn't see the full sky."
Then Leo said with a confident smile,
"You see a frog... but I see a sealed dragon. Once the seal is broken, it will rise from the well and soar beyond the heavens—beyond even your sight."
The Duke stared at Leo in silence.
Then slowly... a low chuckle escaped from his mouth.
It grew.
And it grew
Until the hall shook with his booming laughter.
No one ever dared to speak to him like this.
"Hahahahaha... interesting, truly interesting."
Leo stood firm, unflinching.
The Duke's laughter echoed through the hall, marking the first time someone had ever challenged him so boldly.
For the first time, the air felt different-charged, expectant, almost alive.
And in that silence, in that unspoken acknowledgment, one truth became clear:
The balance had shifted.
The challenge had been made.
And Leo... had stood tall.