After all, those at higher levels were also frightened and dared not stick their necks out again to retaliate.
The Clevner family's business returned to normal and even flourished more than before.
More businessmen are eager to partner with the Clevner family, leading to a resurgence of the industry and smoother cash flow.
Partners that were once hard to find are now readily available.
But now, Lia could see it in the eyes of these merchants.
In their eyes, the pursuit of profit is no longer the sole focus.
Instead, it was mixed with a distinct sense of fear.
At this point, Lia completely abandoned her past gentleness.
Just as Victor said, he would only teach her once.
It only needs to be taught once.
...
Time flows slowly by, and everything progresses gradually along its normal trajectory.
Nine years later,
Du Chloe Estate,
Erica du Chloe, the only daughter of the Imperial Duke, became a second-tier mage at the young age of seventeen.
This achievement is no less remarkable than Victor Clevner's brilliance at the age of fifteen.
Erica was also regarded by the nobles as an extraordinary genius.
At this point, the Duke of Riviera was finally willing to promote his daughter extensively, allowing her to fully emerge in the public eye.
He invited almost all the nobles in the capital to attend Erica's grand birthday banquet.
Its intention is obvious.
This was all to build connections for Erica, who was about to leave the protection of her family, and to help her establish relationships within the aristocratic circle to facilitate her future development.
As the daughter of a duke, coupled with her extraordinary talent of becoming a second-tier mage at the age of seventeen,
She became the talk of the town among the nobles, even more popular than Victor, who became a third-tier mage at the age of twenty.
Everyone longed to get to know this young mage, especially the noble youths who were around Erica's age.
When these young noblemen saw Erica, who was as noble and elegant as the moon, at the banquet...
They were almost completely captivated.
No one expected that the Duke's daughter would be so beautiful.
This further solidified the resolve of the families who had long coveted Duke Rivière's daughter.
If they could marry into the Duke's family, their children's status in the capital would undoubtedly rise significantly.
Many families hoped their children would excel in all aspects to quickly win the favor of the duke's daughter, who rarely left the mansion.
Some nobles even directly ordered their children to flirt with women.
The entire banquet was filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere, with nobles speaking freely and laughing continuously.
The Duke of Reeves also looked on with a broad smile, optimistically observing his daughter.
Watching her perform on the field, both poised and graceful, and her warm greetings to the many nobles, one could see the grace and poise she displayed.
It perfectly showcases the elegant demeanor of a duke's daughter.
Then, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared in the banquet hall.
He was a young man.
Wearing a black trench coat, hands in his pockets, he calmly and composedly entered the banquet hall.
His appearance instantly changed the atmosphere of the entire banquet hall, and even the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
Many nobles froze instantly, their eyes revealing fear and terror.
The entire banquet hall fell silent, and even the melodious music that had been playing in the air came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone's eyes were on him, watching the man who, even without a formal suit, exuded an excessively elegant air.
Finally, the chattering of the discussion subsided to a whisper, like the fluttering of mosquito wings:
"Isn't that Viktor...? Why is he here too?"
"Did the Duke invite Victor? That can't be..."
"It is said that he is now 29 years old and still stuck at the level of a third-tier mage, having long lost his former genius aura."
"To be honest, I really don't know why the Duke invited him."
But in fact, even Duke Reeves himself was somewhat surprised by Victor's appearance.
He was well aware of Victor's background and the various unsavory rumors about him in the capital.
He even investigated the real reasons behind the horrific acts Victor had been involved in, because Victor was the son of Tisnato.
It was eventually discovered that, aside from the fact that the bombing of the count's house and the injury of his son and other nobles were related to their harassment of his fiancée,
The rest of the things he did were all based on doing whatever he wanted.
Yes, there's no logic involved, it's just pure whim.
He can do whatever he wants, however he wants.
This is why all the nobles and commoners alike tried their best to avoid this man.
He was so unpredictable and his behavior so erratic that no one dared to associate with Viktor.
In fact, the Duke of Reeves did send invitations to the Clavner family for their birthday banquet.
But the person he actually invited wasn't Viktor, but Viktor's sister, Lia.
As one of the few merchants among the nobility, Miss Lia was one of the people that Levi was interested in and wanted to get to know.
After all, Reeves himself is a businessman.
He knew all too well how difficult it was for the Clevner family to expand their business from distant Braxton to the capital.
And all of this was done by Leah all by herself.
Compared to Victor, who was merely a figurehead, Lia seemed to be the true head of the Clavenna family.
However... it seems that Lia gave up the invitation and handed it to her brother Victor instead?
Reeve was somewhat puzzled.
But during this period of doubt, a sudden uproar erupted in the banquet hall.
Everyone stared wide-eyed as Victor walked up to Erica.
He reached out a hand and grasped the other person's slender palm.
Even Erica herself was stunned by this sudden action and couldn't react for a moment.
"Miss Erica."
A calm yet magnetic voice called Erica's name.
The next moment, everyone in the room gaped open and fell into a deathly silence.
Because Victor held Erica's hand and invited her to confess her feelings:
"I like you."
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