Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 6 (section)

=== V ===
There was one individual who had managed to infiltrate Uraniborg far more stealthily than the boisterous members of the Blaze Flag Army. It was not a pirate or a veteran soldier, but a young woman.

Nineteen-year-old Francia Tytania, dressed in a form-fitting pair of overalls, leapt from the autocapsule and disappeared into the chaos of the crowd.

Even with the Tytania surname, she was neither a noble nor a public figure. There was no one there who could observe her beauty with any sense of composure. As the majority of the crowd surged towards the spaceport, Francia, running in the opposite direction, was frequently shoved, knocked aside, and showered with angry shouts. Although she was healthy, she was not particularly robust, and she had to pause many times to catch her breath and rest her feet, yet she never ceased her forward progress towards her destination.

“Lord Jouslain!”

Francia had wanted to cry out with enough force to empty her lungs, but she restrained herself. Even amidst such chaos, calling Jouslain’s name would undoubtedly draw the attention and suspicion of the crowd. In a state of such excitement and fear, she could not allow a vent for that energy to arise that might bring harm to Jouslain.

Francia steadied her breathing once more and ran with as much speed as possible, weaving through the crowd with fluid movements. Jouslain had infiltrated Uraniborg to confront Clanner Ajman. Naturally, he would be heading for the Clanner’s manor. Consequently, Francia set her destination for the Clanner’s manor as well. If this simple, straightforward principle of action proved to be incorrect, nothing but despair would remain for her.

With a modest privilege—a card permitted only to those bearing the Tytania surname—she managed to gain entry to the Clanner’s manor. In a wide corridor beneath a skylight, she encountered an obstruction. It was a noblewoman.

“Your face looks familiar.”

Countess Theodora’s gaze felt as though it were planting invisible needles into every part of Francia’s body. By this stage, Theodora was clad in a lavender dress that could only be described as extravagant.

“I remember now. You are Duke Jouslain’s mistress.”

“I’m his lady-in-waiting.”

“What is the use of dressing up your words at this late stage? What a foolish girl. In such an unseemly state, I don’t even need to ask what you’ve come here for…”

Since she had been told there was no need to ask, there was no need to answer. Prepared to fire her weapon should it become necessary, Francia stared back at Theodora. The Countess looked up towards the skylight.

“Don’t you ever wish to make those clusters of light that fill the universe your own?”

“I do not. They are of no use to me.”

“So, you are saying that all you require is the favour of Duke Jouslain?”

When Francia replied with silence, Theodora thrust the needles of her gaze and voice into her opponent.

“You have no right to claim the glorious name of Tytania. Even if one is a mere fringe member of the clan, even if one is born a woman, one must crave the greatest power, the highest status, and the greatest wealth. To seek the shortest path and devise the best strategy for that purpose is the divine destiny of a Tytanian. To be devoid of ambition is simply unacceptable.”

Theodora’s fierce tone disturbed her own breathing. In that brief moment, Francia retorted.

“And yet, you shall meet the worst possible consequences, Countess.”

Theodora’s sneer vanished, and as the hem of her dress rippled, she closed the distance towards Francia.

“Stop chirping such clever little remarks, girl. I cannot abide a woman of my own kind. If you had truly intended to do so, you had countless opportunities to manipulate Duke Jouslain from behind the scenes and seize actual power, yet you let them all pass you by.”

Any weaker woman would have cowered under her intensity. Francia, however, did not flinch.

“I do not intend to criticise your values, Countess. I am well aware that I cannot match your brilliance or strategy. Therefore, I ask that you grant me leniency for this small degree of independent action.”

A sneer once again graced Theodora’s lips.

“Always a retort. I wonder if this is Duke Jouslain’s influence. Unfortunately, I cannot grant such leniency. Should your meddling have even one in a million chance of making Duke Jouslain survive, it would be most unpleasant for me.”

“I know this is the height of rudeness, but I have no more time to continue this conversation. Please excuse me.”

As Francia bowed and prepared to walk away with haste, Theodora thrust her right hand into the waist of her dress. What she withdrew was a pistol with a black sheen. Reflexively, Francia pointed her charged particle gun at her. Neither of them fired.

The reason Theodora had hesitated was because the pistol in her hand was a model that fired gunpowder-based bullets. Naturally, such a weapon would produce a gunshot. The purpose of a gunshot is to alert others to danger and call for help. However, Theodora did not want anyone else to know she was confronting Francia. If others were to rush to the scene, they would, of course, find it suspicious that she was involved in such an encounter and wonder why she was holding a pistol.

Francia had surmised Theodora’s psychological state in an instant. Therefore, she acted without hesitation. She simply took off at full speed. Slighting past Theodora’s side, she moved away like a youthful doe.

“Wait!”

Theodora let out a furious cry. A mere girl, younger than herself and a mere-to-be relative with no title whatsoever, had disobeyed a command from a Countess of the highest order. It was a sin worthy of ten thousand deaths.

At that moment, Theodora had clearly lost her composure. It mattered not if the gunshot rang out and the guards came rushing to the scene. She could simply explain that she had retaliated because Francia had shot at her. Since the guards were also lacking in calm amidst the bewilderment and confusion, they should have had no leisure to doubt Theodora’s excuses.

Letting Francia escape right before her eyes, Theodora clicked her tongue at her own carelessness and drew a heat gun from the left side of her dress. Had she presented it first, she could have incinerated the brat to a rare or even a medium grade, but because she was right-handed, she had missed her chance.

Theodora had been taught, and had firmly believed, that fencing and marksmanship were as essential to a Tytania lady’s refinement as dancing, piano, or horse riding. Her exceptional nature lay in the fact that she never neglected such training. Had it come to a direct shootout, Theodora might have been able to bring not only Francia but even Jouslain and Fan Hyulick to their knees.

At that moment, a shift occurred in Theodora’s psyche. The sharp edge of the fury that had been directed at her suddenly veered away.

Duke Jouslain Tytania.

That insolent little girl had wandered into the Clanner estate seeking her master. In other words, Duke Jouslain was somewhere within this dinosaur-like massive palace. Once she had rushed to his side, she would burn them both to death together.

At the same time? No, the correct order would be to make Duke Jouslain prey to the intense heat before her very eyes and then proceed with the girl. It was the mercy of a noble to grant her a few seconds of overwhelming shock and sorrow.

For Theodora, who aimed to become the first female Clanner in Tytania’s history, Jouslain was an entity that had to be absolutely eliminated. She had no intention of dirtying her own hands to remove him. However, the situation had changed. She needed to deal with it flexibly and achieve results swiftly.

With a freezing smile upon her face, the Countess began to walk.

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