"Oho? An interesting claim. I suppose it has a certain plausibility on the face of things. Someone brought you down, and it could have been through their cleverness and your stupidity, more than their might and your weakness. No young hero aspiring to Dukedom has stepped forth to claim your defeat, after all."
"But be it clear, young lady, this is not a place for idle bragging. You will be tested. If you claim to have slain counts without much contest, you are claiming at least a duke's power. That is worth a little trouble from one of us. But if you lied and so waste the time of the highest nobles of this Bleak court, you will be found out very quickly. And your future will not be as pleasant as it couldd have been, for we will not be amused."