“Duel? Wasn’t that before it got banned?”
When Kenneth looked shocked, Camilla also shook her head disapprovingly.
“Of course, it was after it was banned. But shouting to challenge someone in public and even throwing gloves caused the knights to drag him away. He even had to go to trial for proposing an illegal duel.”
“What? He challenged knowing it was illegal? And then he said, ‘If I win, you’ll marry me’? What kind of idea is that?”
Not even romance fantasy novels come up with things like that. It’s too ridiculous because it would make the man look utterly pathetic.
Kenneth answered Letticia, who was dumbfounded.
“Some men mistakenly think showing off their strength will captivate women. But no woman would fall for a man who knocked down her fiancé.”
“Moreover, the engagement was already announced, and the wedding was just around the corner. And yet, he pulled such a stunt.”
“He’s completely insane.”
The world is full of all sorts of crazy people. Avoiding the male leads of the original story wasn’t enough.
“Are there other ways to disrupt a marriage besides a duel?”
“Of course. If you have power, anything is possible.”
“If you really take it to the extreme, there’s a way to prevent His Majesty the Emperor from granting approval. Although that would probably never happen in reality.”
Under the laws of the Ponteon Empire, noble marriages required the Emperor’s approval. This was more of a formality to keep track of noble marriages for political, social, and legal reasons, so unless there was a significant issue, approval was usually granted quickly.
Unless the Emperor was insane or personally had strong objections to the marriage, it was unlikely to happen. The Duke of Averil wouldn’t be foolish enough to request something so outrageous.
‘They could just oppose the marriage outright instead of taking such unnecessary risks.’
If they acted crazy enough to pretend to be a good family to Ariette while secretly asking the Emperor to block the approval, then the original author either wrote this brainlessly, or those characters were hypocritical sociopaths with dual personalities.
To clear her mind from constantly linking the original story to her current situation, Letticia munched on the remaining cookies and drank tea. However, the sight of cookies reminded her of Ezkhiel, making her mood sink again.
***
After finishing his busy work, Lenard returned home in the evening and entered his study. Five minutes later…
Holding a stack of papers, Lenard stormed into Letticia’s room, shouting.
“Hey, Letticia Sharon!”
“What? Why?”
Letticia lazily replied, lying on her bed reading novels she hadn’t had the chance to catch up on. Lenard threw the stack of self-composed poetry papers onto her bed.
The papers were filled with sentimental lines like ‘My soul is bound to you,’ expressing his love for his sister, written in a moment of emotional vulnerability. Lenard’s action was his way of venting his frustration after being forced to repeatedly confront such cringe-worthy writings.
“Did you seriously slip this kind of garbage between my documents? My eyes are ruined!”
“Why? They say pain lessens when shared, dear brother.”
“What nonsense. That would just mean there are two people in pain.”
“Then, handle it so no one else ends up in pain. Brother Ken suggested throwing it into the fireplace.”
“Honestly…”
Bickering like children again, Letticia and Lenard sighed as Lenard gathered the poetry papers and threw them all into the fireplace. It was a small gesture of sympathy for his sister, who had to endure listening to all those poems.
“Do I have to see this kind of cringeworthy stuff every visiting season until you get married? How annoying.”
“At least you just read the words. Brother Ken, Mother, and I had to see the gestures along with them.”
“How did he even read them…”
Lenard’s face contorted with genuine disgust. Considering how much he hated exaggerated expressions, like those in plays, it was surprising the suitors weren’t kicked out mid-recital if he had been there.
“Just think of it as an overly dramatic amateur poet indulging in their emotions and performing a little play.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever been glad not to be the one receiving marriage proposals. When I propose, I will never bring poetry. I’d sooner cut off my own wrist than write such nonsense.”
Letticia looked at Lenard, who declared he wouldn’t do the same, and teased him.
“What are you even saying? First, try meeting a woman. All you ever do is hang out at gentlemen’s clubs and skip social dances.”
“Work comes first for now. By the way, has Ezkhiel arrived?”
“If he had, do you think I’d have stuffed that into your documents?”
Her admission that it was an act of petty revenge made Lenard silently blame his friend. Why didn’t he show up?
“He said he’d come after the ball. Do you think he might have misunderstood about Lucinella?”
“Maybe he was just busy today, or he’s completely knocked out. There’s still one day left of the visiting period.”
Trying to console him, Letticia set aside the novel she had been reading, The Secret of the Clock Tower, and questioned Lenard.
“Brother, did you get a letter from Lord Bright? Or did you send one?”
“Hey, it’s only been one day of the visiting period. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“It’s only one day left! Lord Bright has to come tomorrow. Otherwise, people will gossip about why he’s proposing so late!”
During the courting season, it was customary to visit during the allotted time to seek approval. Arriving late or switching marriage candidates was frowned upon and considered disrespectful.
This tiresome rule made Letticia wonder why the royalty hadn’t bothered to change it.
“Fine, I’ll send a note. Happy?”
“Yes! Thank you, Brother!”
“Ugh, gross. Get off me!”
Letticia gave Lenard a big, generous hug, ignoring his attempts to push her away.
***
“Sir Bright, a note for you.”
“…Just leave it there.”
Sitting at a desk piled high with paperwork, Ezkhiel gulped down strong tea and picked up the note brought by the servant.
The overwhelming stack of documents, which would shock most people, was only slightly more than the usual workload for an aide to the Crown Prince.
Some had quit, unable to handle the sight of endless papers covered in text, even developing neuroses. Thankfully, Ezkhiel found this type of work suited his personality, allowing him to read the note calmly.
But as he read the sender’s name and the content of the note, faint wrinkles formed around Ezkhiel’s dark circle-laden eyes.
“…Lady Sharon. Was she waiting for me?”
Recalling Letticia’s face from the boating outing, where she had kindly asked him to visit, Ezkhiel sighed with guilt.
He had planned to take a half-day off this morning to visit, but last night, Matthias returned early from the ball hosted by the Countess of Freke and resumed work. As a result, Ezkhiel had to stay late, postponing his visit.
Writing a reply promising to take a half-day tomorrow, he handed it to the servant. At that moment, he overheard the complaints of his fellow aides reviewing documents nearby.
“Isn’t it supposed to be less busy after the conference? I just want to go home…”
“The trade negotiations with San Severo are incredibly complicated, so there’s no choice. I’ve been working overtime for four days straight.”
“If only His Highness fell in love or something. Maybe then we’d have a little less work.”
At the youngest aide’s hopeful remark, the senior aide responded.
“It wouldn’t make much difference. Do you think His Highness would prioritize love over work?”
“You never know. Someone like His Highness could turn out to be a true romantic if he fell in love!”
“I’m not even sure His Highness is capable of falling in love. He’s so meticulous. By the way, what do you think, Sir Bright?”
“…I can’t really imagine it. I’ve hardly ever seen His Highness in a personal light.”
Perhaps the aides wanted a break from work-related discussions, as they suddenly began gossiping about Matthias’s love life. Ezkhiel chuckled bitterly. Even here, where they struggled with their workloads, the chosen topic for small talk was their superior’s romantic prospects.
“By the way, why did His Highness leave the Countess of Freke’s ball early last night?”
“Exactly. I was hoping to finally go home and sleep, but if His Highness returns, how are we supposed to leave? It’s exhausting.”
“At this rate, we won’t even get the chance to date this season. Tomorrow is the last day of the visiting period, and I haven’t gone anywhere. Haaa.”
When the youngest aide sighed, someone teased.
“Why? Did you have someone you liked? You said you only went to two balls this season.”
“I didn’t even get to go. And I didn’t even get the chance to ask the person I liked for a dance.”
“Oh, so you did have someone in mind? Who is it?”
“…Lady Letticia Sharon.”
At that moment, Ezkhiel’s pen slipped from his hand. Fortunately, the other aides were too engrossed in their conversation to notice. They laughed at the youngest aide’s response.
“You should aim for someone within your reach. Do you think Lady Sharon would notice you? The lowest-ranked suitor she has is probably a Viscount, and even they’re from old nobility.”
“Who’s expecting anything grand? I just wanted to try asking her for a dance, or at least offer her lemonade and have a small conversation.”
The youngest aide defended himself, but another quickly countered.
