Hack...
After the coughing fit, the girl took a long, deep breath, the sound of her inhalation like a bellows.
After that breath, the deathly pallor on the girl's face instantly faded, and she burst into tears with a wail.
"Grandfather!" The girl immediately reached out toward Duke Miller ahead of her.
"Rita! Grandfather is here. It's all right now, it's all right!" Duke Miller instantly rushed forward, scooping the girl into his arms and repeatedly rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Ah... th-this actually worked!"
"Yeah, it's too incredible. That young noble seemed to just grab the girl and shake her around wildly. How did that force out the fruit she was choking on?"
"Do you think that young noble just stepped in dog shit and got lucky..."
"Shh, keep your voice down. That young noble just saved Miss Rita. Watch out, or Duke Miller might come looking for trouble with you..."
Only when Duke Miller and his granddaughter embraced did the surrounding nobles finally come back to their senses.
Yet even if they racked their brains, they could not understand how Nalant's seemingly reckless method—one that looked as though it could easily injure the girl—had actually worked.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Kadi, who had just been smugly waiting to see how Duke Miller would deal with Nalant, now had a drastic change of expression. He muttered as though he had seen a ghost.
A moment ago, he had thought the brat was in for a miserable time. Yet the next moment, he had become Duke Miller's benefactor.
This was an enormous favor, and it had happened before a host of nobles from the very highest ranks of the Nock Empire.
As such, whether Duke Miller wished to or not, his gratitude toward Nalant had to be properly expressed. Otherwise, if