Chapter 6: Marriage? Not in This Life

Meanwhile, Lord Cromwell quickly turned his attention to the remaining guests, apologizing for the inconvenience and the unpleasant scene they had witnessed before dismissing them. He maintained his composure until the last guest had left the mansion, but the moment the banquet hall was cleared, the anger he had been suppressing finally erupted.

After some time, Lord Cromwell was left alone with his wife and daughter.

He turned towards his wife, his face expressionless despite the fury burning in his eyes. “Explain the meaning of the nonsense that just happened today.”

“I... I...” Leena stuttered, unsure of what to say.

“Father, Mother didn't do—”

“Quiet!” Lord Cromwell roared, his anger exploding as his mana leaked out in one fluid motion. A powerful force swept through the room, slamming into both Lady Cromwell and Mira and flinging them across the hall.

Mira couldn't defend herself as her body rolled uncontrollably across the floor before colliding with a chair, which finally stopped her from moving any farther. The impact sent pain shooting through her body, but she forced herself to remain conscious as she struggled to understand what had just happened.

In her previous life, she had always obeyed her father. That was what her mother had taught her from childhood, and because of her unquestioning obedience, she had never incurred his wrath. She had always believed that as long as she followed his instructions, she would remain safe under his protection. Yet today, a single release of his mana had sent her hurtling several metres away, making her painfully aware of the difference between the daughter she had once been and the woman she had become.

'My father is a Tier 3 Warrior. If he had directed that attack at me, I would be dead by now. I also reached Tier 3 in my previous life, but it seems that returning to the past has stripped me of the power I once possessed. I have to direct his attention towards me. I can't let him touch my mother.'

Despite the pain spreading through her body, Mira refused to succumb to it. What she was experiencing now was nothing compared to the suffering she had endured in her previous life, and she wasn't about to allow her father's anger to make her cower as she once would have done.

She pushed herself to her feet before her father could take another step, surprising even Lord Cromwell with her sudden defiance.

“Father, are you really going to let me marry a murderer? For what? Political influence?” Mira shouted, her voice rising as she confronted him.

“And do you think making an enemy of the Stone family is worth it?” Lord Cromwell retorted angrily. “What do you know? You're just a woman! I wish your elder brother were here. Then I wouldn't have to deal with two pathetic fools!”

With those words, he turned away from her, his face twisted with disgust.

“Leena, you should prepare your daughter. I'm marrying her off to the Lavinsta family.”

“I'm not marrying anyone.”

Mira's declaration made Lord Cromwell stop in his tracks.

“What did you say?”

“I'm not getting married. I want to go to Bluemoon Academy and become a Warrior,” Mira replied, finally revealing her true intentions.

Lord Cromwell turned fully towards her, his expression growing serious as he studied her face. When he realised that she was genuinely determined and wasn't joking, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha!”

The laughter came from deep within him as he found his daughter's declaration genuinely amusing. To him, the idea of Mira becoming a Warrior was so ridiculous that he could hardly believe she had said it with a straight face.

“Leena, I wonder what you've been teaching your daughter. She seems to have lost a few screws in her head. Her actions today have certainly confirmed that.”

Lord Cromwell directed the words at his wife, who was only just getting up from the floor.

“Mira, apologize to your father and tell him you're only joking,” her mother pleaded, hoping to put an end to the confrontation before things became even worse.

“No, Mother. I'm not joking. I'm not marrying anyone. I want to become a Warrior.”

Leena stared at her daughter in disbelief before walking towards her and delivering a hard slap across her face.

“Listen to your parents and stop spouting nonsense! Only men become Warriors. As a lady, your duty is to protect the household and produce a fine heir for your husband. That's the life you were born into, and no amount of stubbornness will change it!”

Mira's face reddened from the slap as she looked at her mother, but there was no hatred in her heart. She understood why her mother had reacted that way, because this was how the world they lived in had always functioned. It was a world where men were respected for their strength and women were treated as though their only purpose was to serve their families and produce heirs. Her mother had grown up under the same rules and had learned to accept them as the natural order of things, just as Mira herself had done in her previous life.

Back then, she had surrendered to the system, believing that obedience would protect her and that the men around her would always be there to defend her. But when the great calamity arrived, that belief had shattered. With the men petrified and the world plunged into chaos, women and children had been left to face the Dark Beasts without the strength or training needed to survive. Mira had struggled desperately to stay alive, fighting against a world that had never prepared her for battle, until she eventually reached Tier 3 and lost her life at the hands of the Demon Dragon.

This time would be different. She would no longer surrender to the rules that had contributed to humanity's downfall. She would break the system, become strong enough to defend herself and her loved ones, and prepare for the calamity that was yet to come.

“Father... Mother...” Mira looked at both of them, her expression unwavering despite the pain on her face. “I'm going to become a Warrior, whether you approve of it or not.”

She made the declaration without batting an eye, knowing that the road ahead would be far from easy. Her father would oppose her, her mother would try to change her mind, and the world would never willingly accept a woman who dared to challenge its traditions. But Mira had already lived through the consequences of accepting those traditions, and she would rather face their anger now than watch the world fall into ruin again.

The Strongest Female Warrior was about to take the first step towards rewriting her fate.