Return of Black Lotus system:Taming Cheating Male Leads

Chapter 424: Chapter-424

Heena looked down at Soram’s bleeding, trembling form with an expression of profound boredom.

”And here I thought you were supposed to be a competent soldier,” Heena sighed, casually tossing the heavy sword from hand to hand. ”I really need to find out which tutor scammed you out of your tuition money.”

Hearing that, Soram trembled violently. He clutched his bleeding shoulder, staring up at her with a face twisted in utter disbelief and pure, venomous hatred. It was entirely baffling to Heena. ’Does this man have an ego so massive and fragile that he completely forgets his own utter lack of skill, and simply defaults to blaming me for his humiliation?’ she wondered, scoffing internally.

She turned away, completely dismissing him, and handed the steel blade back to Samuel.

Samuel sheathed the sword with a crisp ’clack’. But when Heena met his gaze, she nearly flinched. The towering shadow guard’s dark eyes were literally sparkling behind his wooden mask. He was looking at her with such intense, overwhelming admiration that it genuinely gave Heena a wave of disgust.

’What on earth is wrong with this man?’ Heena thought, her brow twitching. ’Aren’t you supposed to be a ruthless, calculating villain? A brilliant scholar? Why are you acting like a lovestruck puppy?’

If it weren’t for Samuel’s deeply ingrained, old-fashioned mindset, Heena would have genuinely suspected that he was another transmigrator—perhaps a modern student who had fallen off a roof, hit his head, and woken up in a villain’s body with a completely broken personality.

Heena took a deep breath, calming her internal exasperation, and turned her attention back to Soram and the stunned audience.

”Well, as per the rules of our duel, you lost,” Heena announced, her voice ringing clearly across the courtyard. ”And since we didn’t officially wager anything—mostly because I know for a fact you have absolutely nothing of value to offer me—I will simply take my prize. ’’From this moment forward, our engagement is officially over.’’”

Hearing his precious arrangement completely dismantled, the Marquis—Heena’s father, who had essentially been a frozen statue of shock this entire time—suddenly snapped back to reality.

Determined to reclaim his authority, the Marquis puffed out his chest and marched forward. He wore expensive, voluminous robes, and as he walked, his long sleeves fluttered dramatically in the wind, making him look every bit the majestic, dignified lord of the estate.

”What type of utterly disrespectful behavior is this—?!” the Marquis bellowed, raising his hand to scold her.

But before he could even finish his sentence, a massive hand clamped onto his shoulder and violently shoved him aside.

The Marquis stumbled, his majestic aura instantly shattered. ”Who the hell—?!” he snarled, spinning around.

He found himself staring directly into the terrifying, bloodthirsty eyes of the Old Marquis.

”You’re dead,” the Grandfather whispered dangerously.

The Marquis instantly snapped his mouth shut, visibly shrinking into himself.

Having effortlessly cleared the trash out of the way, the Grandfather’s terrifying aura vanished. He rushed over to Heena, his eyes scanning her up and down as if she were a literal mountain of solid gold.

”Are you completely unhurt, my child?” the old man asked frantically.

”I am perfectly fine, Grandpa,” Heena nodded smoothly.

Hearing her confirmation, the Old Marquis practically melted. He threw his massive arms around her, hugging her tightly. ”Oh, my brilliant granddaughter! How are you so amazing?!”

’SMACK!’

A sharp, resounding slap landed squarely on the back of the legendary war god’s head.

The Grandfather groaned in pain, stumbling forward slightly. He grabbed the back of his head, his terrifying military instincts flaring up. ”Who the hell did that?!” he roared, spinning around.

He froze. Standing right behind him, glaring daggers with her hand still raised, was the Grand Madam.

”I did, you loud buffoon,” the grandmother snapped.

The towering war general instantly trembled. ”S-Sorry, wife,” he mumbled, hurriedly taking a step back.

”You may be a commanding general, but you still act exactly like the lowly servant you used to be!” the grandmother scolded, her eyes flashing. ”At least try to act like a dignified noble in front of the staff!”

Normally, any nobleman—let alone a legendary military commander—who was publicly slapped and scolded by his wife in front of an entire courtyard of servants would have flown into a violent rage. But the Old Marquis merely dropped his head and pouted on the sidelines like a chastised toddler.

Heena genuinely wanted to step in and save her grandfather’s dignity, but she honestly had no idea what to even say to defuse the situation.

Ignoring her pouting husband, the Grand Madam stepped up to Heena. Her strict expression completely softened into one of deep, grandmotherly concern.

”Oh, my poor child, are you truly okay?” the grandmother cooed softly, reaching out to gently take both of Heena’s hands in her own. She began to affectionately rub Heena’s palms and fingers.

Anyone else in the courtyard watching this scene would simply think the grandmother was deeply worried, trying to comfort her traumatized granddaughter after a stressful physical altercation.

But Heena’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’This old woman is absolutely terrifying.’

Heena knew exactly what was happening. The grandmother wasn’t just holding her hands for comfort; her thumbs were discreetly but firmly pressing into Heena’s knuckles, calluses, and palm muscles.

As the wife of a supreme general, the Grand Madam had spent decades surrounded by elite soldiers. She knew exactly what the hands of a trained swordsman felt like. She was subtly, expertly checking Heena’s hands to see if she had secretly been wielding a sword for years, or if that flawless strike had truly been a fluke of ”family genetics.”

’She is checking my muscle development without anyone even noticing,’ Heena realized, her respect for the old woman skyrocketing.

No wonder the Grandfather had never managed to win a single argument against this woman in his entire life. The Grand Madam wasn’t just smart; she was a tactical genius wrapped in the guise of a doting grandmother.

Heena looked at the Grand Madam with a flawless, perfectly sweet smile. ”I am perfectly fine, Grandma,” she reassured her, gently pulling her hands back. ”After all, have you forgotten whose genetics I inherited?”

Hearing that, the grandmother beamed. She affectionately patted Heena’s shoulder, her chest swelling with pride. ”Of course! You are my precious granddaughter. You definitely got your brilliant genes from me.”

Standing on the sidelines, the Grandfather grumbled under his breath. ’”But you don’t even know how to wield a sword properly...”’

The grandmother’s head snapped around. She shot her husband a death glare so intensely cold it could have frozen a volcano. ”Did you say something, you old man?”

The legendary war god instantly straightened his posture, snapping his mouth shut. ”Nothing, wife. Absolutely nothing.”

Heena casually glanced at the surrounding servants and guards. Every single one of them had their eyes glued firmly to the cobblestones, absolutely terrified to even breathe too loudly. Just by observing the sheer, uncompromising discipline of the estate staff, Heena could guess exactly how much absolute power her grandmother wielded.

’I know, I know. I have said it a hundred times already,’ Heena sighed in her mind, preemptively shutting down her System’s incoming mockery. ’But I am still completely dazed. This old woman is a literal titan.’