Rosen Theater was one of the most famous theaters in the capital. Unlike the Imperial Theater, which staged solemn and artistically valuable performances, Rosen focused on more popular shows, making it particularly loved by young people.
Because of this, during the theater’s season, it was packed to the point where tickets were impossible to get, with crowds lining up daily. Although theaters are generally popular dating venues, Rosen stood out as servants queued up from early morning in front of the theater, waiting for it to open to secure tickets.
However, those who owned box seats did not have to face such inconveniences, as they had priority in reserving tickets.
This was the same for the House of Count Sharon. As soon as the decision was made to attend a play, tickets were immediately reserved. Thus, three days after Ezkhiel visited the Count’s residence, the entire group attended the play together.
But a problem arose. Originally, the plan was for Lenard, Letticia, Kenneth, and Ezkhiel to watch the play together. However, Kenneth unexpectedly suggested inviting the Count of Selburne.
Though adding one more person to the box seat was not an issue since it was the owner’s choice, the purpose of the outing was to allow Letticia and Ezkhiel to spend time together. Why would they bring along another suitor?
To make matters worse, Letticia ended up sharing a carriage with Kenneth and Count Selburne due to Kenneth’s request. Letticia had to make an enormous effort not to glare at the Count sitting across from her.
If it weren’t for the Count’s claim that he had something important to discuss with her, and Kenneth’s promise that she could sit alone with Ezkhiel at the theater, Letticia would have ignored Kenneth’s plea outright.
The heartache Letticia felt while boarding the carriage, sensing Ezkhiel’s sorrowful gaze behind her, was almost unbearable. She could recount the pain in such detail that anyone would be tired of hearing it.
When Letticia glared at Kenneth, sitting next to Count Selburne, with eyes full of emotion, Kenneth sighed, narrowing his eyes, and gestured to his friend to hurry up and explain.
“Hurry and explain. I went through a lot for this.”
“I know it was a lot to ask. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
The Count of Selburne grinned playfully before switching to a serious expression and lowering his voice.
“I apologize for intruding so suddenly today, Lady Sharon. However, this time, I am here not as your suitor but as Kenneth’s friend, and I will remain so in the future.”
“If that’s how you feel, does that mean I should treat you merely as a friend of my cousin as well?”
“Yes. To be honest, that’s how I intended to interact with you from the beginning.”
At the unexpected remark, Letticia furrowed her eyebrows. Count Selburne’s words clearly meant he never had any intention of courting Letticia.
‘Now that I think about it, it was a bit strange that he even came during the visiting season.’
Unlike other suitors, Count Selburne had never acted overly familiar with Letticia. While he adhered to proper etiquette by giving her gifts and compliments, he made no attempt to use his friendship with Kenneth to get closer to her.
Although it wasn’t uncommon among nobles to court someone they had never met, if he only intended to maintain the level of interaction one would have as a cousin’s friend, why did he come during the visiting season at all?
When the question was written all over Letticia’s face, Count Selburne let out a bitter smile and slumped his shoulders.
“It’s my fault for causing this misunderstanding, so I can’t really say anything. Do you know the circumstances behind how I became the Count?”
“I heard that the late Count and his son both passed away suddenly.”
The current Count Selburne was said to be the child of the late Count’s younger brother and a woman from a new noble family. His parents died when he was young, and he had been studying business under the sponsorship of his uncle, the Count. However, after the Count and his heir, who was also his cousin, died consecutively, he abruptly became the heir.
That was all Kenneth had mentioned, and Letticia hadn’t asked for further details as she wasn’t particularly interested.
Without showing any signs of sadness, Count Selburne began to explain calmly.
“Yes, so somehow, I ended up becoming the Count. However, since I was studying business, I have no idea how to live as an Count. While I’ve been managing the eastern estates, I’ve had to rely entirely on the Dowager Countess for household matters and social activities.”
“So, this visit was also at the Dowager Countess’s request?”
“Partially, yes.”
Count Selburne nodded readily at Letticia’s remark.
It wasn’t uncommon for the spouse of the previous titleholder to hold more influence than the new titleholder, especially when the latter had not grown up as the heir.
This was due to the difference in experience managing the household, and because the household staff tended to trust and feel more familiar with someone they had long served rather than the new head of the family.
Of course, there were those who ignored such traditions and outright dismissed the Dowager Countess, but Count Selburne seemed to prefer handling matters peacefully.
“So, I wanted to speak to you honestly and seek your understanding, but since you’ve been busy and unavailable, this was the only way to meet. It didn’t feel appropriate to deliver such an important message through a letter or via Kenneth.”
“Then, Count, you’re not exactly desperate to marry me, are you?”
“The one who’s desperate is the Dowager Countess. I, on the other hand, have no intention of getting married anytime soon. I only went along with it to put her at ease.”
“What if I ended up liking you? What were you planning to do then?”
When Letticia crossed her arms and glared at him, the Count scratched his head awkwardly.
“If that had happened, I would have pursued you properly. After all, spending time together naturally builds bonds and feelings. Fortunately, though, it seems you’ve already given your heart to someone else.”
As he spoke, the Count glanced briefly in the direction of the carriage carrying Ezkhiel. It appeared that Count Selburne had already noticed during the visiting season that Letticia was fond of Ezkhiel.
‘Was I that obvious? Mother said something about it too.’
Letticia, who had tried her best to remain polite even while enduring the chatter of someone as loud as Lord Jarvis, regretted not cutting him off to focus more on conversations about Ezkhiel when she realized how noticeable her feelings must have been.
“In any case, given my circumstances, I’d appreciate it if you could continue to act as if I’m courting you this season. If necessary, I could even help make someone jealous.”
The Count’s joking remark made Letticia respond frankly.
“I’m not really into playing games like that. Besides, trying to make someone jealous by being with another man could lead to misunderstandings and breakups, which would be the worst.”
“Ah, so you’ll only be going on dates with Sir Bright from now on?”
“…Yes.”
Letticia hesitated briefly, wondering if it was okay to reveal this, but when Kenneth nodded, she immediately confirmed it.
And true to his character, the Count—whether as Kenneth’s friend or simply as himself—did not appear disappointed. Instead, he seemed genuinely impressed.
“You made your decision quite early. I’ve heard most people meet others before making such a choice.”
“If you already like someone, what’s the point of meeting others?”
“That’s true. Then, the only help I can offer is distracting other suitors to give you two more time together.”
“…By any chance, was it you who spoke with Lord Jarvis and Marquess Digby at the recent art event?”
The Count smiled brightly and nodded.
It made sense now why those two had analyzed Letticia’s painting so seriously. She realized it was all because of this.
‘He’s a good person.’
Ezkhiel, who wasn’t particularly outgoing, often struggled to speak freely when surrounded by loud and talkative individuals like Lord Jarvis and Marquess Digby.
However, the fact that Count Selburne willingly dealt with those types of people made Letticia feel grateful to the point of wanting to reward him with a month’s supply of Faymont desserts for free.
“Are you sure about this? Both of them are extremely troublesome to deal with if you antagonize them.”
“The Marquess of Digby is too dull to even realize that I’m intentionally engaging him, so it’s fine. As for Lord Jarvis—well, I’m an Count now, so what can he do?”
When Kenneth expressed concern, Count Selburne responded with a confident smile. There was a subtle but satisfying triumph in his expression.
“Speaking of which, to be honest, the other half of the reason I sought out Lady Letticia was because I heard Lord Jarvis bragging about how he planned to propose to her. Fortunately, I was relieved to see that Lady Letticia had already given her heart to Sir Bright without me having to intervene.”
“Why? Do you particularly dislike that person?”
“Yes. I absolutely despise him. He’s probably one of the people I dislike the most in my entire life.”
Both Letticia and Kenneth looked at Count Selburne in surprise at his firm declaration. Unlike his previously friendly demeanor, the Count’s tone was filled with genuine disdain when speaking about Lord Jarvis.
“Lord Jarvis and I have had a bad relationship since childhood. Back when I was merely the nephew of the Count, he used to publicly call me the parasite of the Selburne family.”
