‘Why are these people coming to propose to me? They should go to Ariette next season!’
Seeing the people who had been courting Ariette now visiting Letticia made her uneasy, wondering if the cliché of the original heroine’s destiny transferring to the possessor was taking effect.
Already on edge from an article written by Lucinella that morning, the situation became more frustrating as the dialogue between those two mirrored scenes from the original story.
The scene where Lord Carmen captivates Ariette with his travel tales, only for Viscount Plumfetter to interject and try to belittle Lord Carmen, ends with Ariette delivering a sharp retort.
In the original story, this moment highlighted Ariette’s charm while educating the foolish suitor, which was often praised as ‘refreshing.’ But to Letticia, it was nothing but annoying and unsettling.
‘No, men can stay in social circles for over three years. They must have courted someone before Ariette debuted in the fall season, and now it’s my turn. Yes, that must be it. If you’re a bride-to-be hailed as a diamond with a generous dowry, of course you’d attract proposals.’
Letticia rationalized and comforted herself with a seemingly objective analysis, which slightly calmed her anxious heart.
After justifying herself, Letticia began to let Carmen’s adventure tales go in one ear and out the other, silently wishing for the suitors to leave quickly. But just then, the butler subtly signaled three fingers to Letticia without others noticing.
‘Three people… Please, let that be the end.’
However, betraying Letticia’s hopes, the suitors continued to visit. After the second wave of proposals following Lord Carmen’s storytelling, a third group of three arrived, then another three, and finally two more, making a total of 13 visitors.
***
Only when the last visitor left did it finally end. Checking the time to confirm visiting hours were over, Letticia kicked off her indoor shoes and collapsed onto the sofa.
“Finally, freedom!”
“Letty, what about those handwritten poems? Should we burn them? Yes, let’s burn them right away. That’s the only way to give those wasted papers a new purpose.”
Kenneth, whose eyes were lifeless as he looked at the handwritten poems left by the suitors, made the suggestion.
Kenneth, who rarely disregarded others’ sincerity, seemed to find it impossible to endure those poems.
No wonder—over the course of an hour, they had listened to five handwritten poems, two regular poems, three songs, and two piano performances.
While the music and songs were somewhat bearable, the poems were filled with ornate language discussing love in such cringe-inducing ways that listening to them was torture.
“Alright, burn… Wait, no. I have a use for them.”
“A use? What on earth could you use them for?”
“I’ll find one.”
As Letticia, weighed down by accumulated stress, began to entertain a slightly cruel idea, Camilla sipped her now-cold tea and scolded her.
“At least you’re better off. Poems end quickly. Self-praise, on the other hand, goes on for minutes! And it’s not just one person—several of them at once!”
“That’s true. Actually, the one who endured the most must be Aunt. Someone pour Aunt another cup of tea.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Phew…”
Camilla, having calmed herself with another sip of tea, straightened her back as usual. Yet, the fatigue was still evident on her face.
Suitors were fundamentally required to seek permission from the parents of their desired partner. Regardless of how well they captivated the lady’s heart, without the parents’ consent, marriage could not proceed.
Thus, suitors would first present Letticia with gifts and showcase their talents through poetry or songs to leave an impression before turning their attention to winning over Camilla.
However, declarations of their esteemed lineage or claims of excellent upbringing quickly began to sound repetitive after hearing them only a few times.
From Letticia’s perspective, it seemed that Camilla, after about the sixth time, wasn’t really paying attention anymore and just humored them with superficial responses. Whether it was due to sheer boredom or because she already knew her daughter’s heart belonged to someone else was unclear.
“How is it that suitors haven’t changed at all, whether in the past or now? It’s always handwritten poems, music performances, and bragging about how well they were educated. It’s so dull.”
“Did they also bring handwritten poems during your time, Mother?”
“Yes. Back then, words like ‘angel’ and ‘pure’ were trendy, so I heard endless speeches about pure you this, angelic you that. It was unbearable.”
“Ugh….…”
Letticia and Kenneth both shook their heads in disgust as if feeling a shiver, prompting a sigh from Camilla.
“Back then, I thought Mother handled it all so well. Now that it’s my turn, it’s an absolute nightmare.”
“Tomorrow is still ahead. Do you think they’ll bring more handwritten poems?”
Recalling the suitors’ recitations, Letticia felt like crying. The thought of enduring another torturous session was pure hell.
“They probably will. But if as many come tomorrow as today, it seems the title of this season’s most desirable bride is yours.”
At least 13 suitors had stopped their carriages at the gates of Count Sharon’s estate, ranging from Viscount at minimum to Dukes’ heirs at best, all bearing gifts.
Needless to say, all the flower vases in the room were filled to the brim with roses.
‘I’m already sick of the scent of roses…’
Letticia sighed as she counted the vases that the maids had brought in from other rooms. All the while, she kept waiting, but Ezkhiel never showed up.
‘Is he really that busy… Or did he misunderstand something from Lucinella’s article?’
“Do you think today’s article in Lucinella had an impact? The one suggesting that the Crown Prince attended the ball to dance with Letty?”
Right at that moment, Kenneth asked Camilla about the Lucinella article from that morning. His query was contrary to Letticia’s thoughts.
“It must have had an effect. If the Diamond, vaguely considered a potential Crown Princess candidate, might truly become one, wouldn’t that make her even more desirable?”
“Oh, come on! It’s not like I’m some trophy handed out for first place!”
Letticia fumed, and Camilla corrected her.
“In my opinion, about four of them think that way. Six seem genuinely smitten with you, and three are likely drawn to your favorable circumstances.”
“Who are those four? I won’t even dance with them.”
Letticia detested those kinds of men, even more than obsessive male leads like Matthias.
They were the kind of people who wanted to marry ‘the Diamond of the social scene,’ caring only about looks and status rather than the person herself.
“That’s just my observation. It might not be true, so don’t judge them yet. Besides, they might genuinely fall for you after getting to know you.”
“Honestly, aren’t these courting traditions just a waste of time and money? I already have someone I like, yet I still have to entertain these visits. They spend their money, time, and effort, while I have to accept their gifts even though I have no intention of marrying them.”
Suitors had to spend money on gifts and flowers just to visit Letticia. Meanwhile, Letticia had to waste time on suitors who weren’t Ezkhiel, the one she truly cared for, while accepting gifts she would never reciprocate. To her, it all seemed like a pointless waste of resources.
“That’s because you’ve already set your sights on someone and can’t even imagine things not working out with him. Other young ladies would envy your position.”
“Why? Don’t men also court only one person per season?”
“Well, yes, but some visit and even go on dates without proposing. They might decide after a few meetings that you’re not the one.”
“Isn’t that incredibly rude? I’ve heard of such cases, but still…”
“It’s not just a rare case—it happens quite often. Especially for noblewomen who are beautiful but lack favorable conditions.”
As Kenneth explained, Camilla added her perspective.
“In your case, you should be more cautious of persistent visitors. Some men might insist on meeting you even after being told you’re not at home.”
“Are there really such brazen people?”
In polite society, if a butler says, ‘The lady is not available,’ guests are expected to accept it without question. However, it seemed that men blinded by their pursuit of a bride-to-be disregarded such etiquette.
“Yes. There are plenty of men in the world who throw a tantrum over being rejected, demanding to know why. It’s as if they think a woman must accept their proposal.”
Coming from Camilla, who had once been dubbed ‘Ruby’ in her youth, her words didn’t sound like a joke. And the trembling in her voice suggested it was based on personal experience.
“Mother, you must have had a tough time getting married. Didn’t they relent even after you got engaged to Father?”
“Don’t even get me started. There was a man, after being rejected, challenged your father to a duel, claiming that if he won, I should marry him instead.”
