MLIIWTFL Chapter 134

 

 

 

“I actually imagined that the Count might suggest we just remain friends. But since he has given us his approval, we can’t disappoint him, can we?”

 

“I’ve watched you for years—why would I not approve? Besides, in our family, we always give people the right to make their own choices. We rarely oppose anything.”

 

“Even so, he might worry that she’s just mistaking this for love.”

 

“Hah! That’s ridiculous. You might as well say a fish drowned in water.”*

 

Lenard looked at him as if to say, ‘Don’t be absurd.’ Ezkhiel reconsidered and realized that, knowing Letticia’s personality, such concerns were unnecessary. He felt a little embarrassed for even thinking that way.

 

“…I’m sorry, Lady. My thoughts always tend to lean toward the negative.”

 

“Then let’s start replacing those negative thoughts with positive experiences. Now that we have my parents’ approval, why don’t we start using nickname?”

 

“Nickname?”

 

Ezkhiel instinctively leaned back at the unexpected suggestion, skipping several steps ahead of what he had imagined. However, Letticia had the determined look of a predator who had spotted its prey. She firmly grabbed his hand and refused to let go.

 

“My family calls me ‘Letty.’ You should call me that too.”

 

“N-Nickname? That seems a bit too soon…”

 

“Too soon? We’re dating now, so why shouldn’t we use them? Just try calling me ‘Letty.’ Okay?”

 

“…Le…tty…”

 

Ezkhiel barely managed to whisper the name, his voice almost inaudible. Letticia’s face immediately lit up with a bright smile.

 

Seeing that smile, Ezkhiel couldn’t help but think that even a fully bloomed rose couldn’t be more beautiful.

 

“Then I’ll call you by a nickname too. What should I use? For Ezkhiel… maybe ‘Ez’?”

 

“M-My brother calls me that…”

 

“Then I’ll call you that too. From now on, you’re ‘Ez.’”

 

“…My heart might burst, so please… use it sparingly…”

 

His ears turned red as he averted his gaze, unable to handle the intensity of the moment. Letticia, on the other hand, looked utterly pleased, her expression melting with affection.

 

“Could you two at least wait until I leave? Who told you to confess in front of me and make me suffer through this?”

 

Meanwhile, Lenard looked nauseated by his sister and friend’s public display of affection. The coffee he had just drunk seemed to be rising back up his throat.

 

“Oh…”

 

Ezkhiel turned crimson with embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about Lenard’s presence.

 

However, Letticia, being more shameless than his friend, seized the opportunity. She waved Lenard away dismissively.

 

“Well, you should leave now. You have work, don’t you?”

 

“Are you kicking me out like an unwelcome guest? Have you already forgotten how much I helped you?”

 

“Oh, right! We still have three dates left that you arranged. But now, Ez and I can plan our own dates. Can’t we swap your help for something else?”

 

“Stop talking nonsense. Once the conditions were set, they couldn’t be changed.”

 

Lenard, who had been casually chatting with his sister, suddenly remembered something he had to do before leaving. He looked down at Ezkhiel and spoke.

 

“I don’t know if I really need to say this, but as her older brother, I suppose it’s my duty. I apologize for having such a troublesome sister, but please take good care of—ugh!”

 

“Is that really something you should say in front of your sister’s boyfriend, you damn brother?”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Lenard was abruptly cut off. Ezkhiel wasn’t sure what had happened, but Letticia had stepped on his foot under the table.

 

Despite his sister’s sharp glare, Lenard didn’t back down. Enduring the pain, he continued.

 

“As you can see, this is the kind of sister she is, so I feel a bit guilty, like I’m tricking you. But I’ll be counting on you. That said, she’ll probably put on a proper act in front of you, so if she ever slips up like this, just let it slide. And if she says something crazy, like setting a fire, don’t take it seriously—it’s just talk, so there’s no need to report her to the guards. And one more thi—”

 

“Oh, I said stop it already!”

 

Letticia shot up from her seat and, annoyed, began smacking Lenard’s shoulder.

 

Ezkhiel, startled by the sudden sibling fight, quickly reached for Letticia’s hands to stop her.

 

“Lady—no, Letty. That’s enough. Lenard, you should go now.”

 

“But Ez, he keeps badmouthing me in front of you!”

 

“Even so, just use your words. Your hands will only get sore.”

 

“Hey, my shoulder hurts more!”

 

Lenard complained about being hit, but Ezkhiel, hopelessly in love, was only concerned about Letticia’s hands. He carefully examined them, unaware that, unlike other noble ladies who rarely lifted anything heavier than a teacup, Letticia’s hands were quite strong from handling heavy books.

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave and close the door behind me. You two can drink tea or go to the music room and play the piano or something.”

 

Shaking his head at their ridiculous dynamic, Lenard finally left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

 

Ezkhiel, making sure Letticia’s hands weren’t swollen, gently let go of them and asked,

 

“Do you always fight like that with Lenard?”

 

“If you mean the bickering, only sometimes. Not as much lately.”

 

She deliberately left out the part about how, just last year, she used to run around with a rolled-up newspaper, chasing after her brother. Even Letticia had some things she preferred to keep from her boyfriend.

 

“But we never hold grudges. We just argue like this and then move on.”

 

“I think it’s because you two care about each other. Still, if possible, try not to hit him. I don’t want you to hurt your hands.”

 

“Alright, from now on, I’ll hit him with flowers instead.”

 

If anyone in her family heard that, they’d probably wonder why she even worried about such things. But still, she found Ezkhiel’s concern for her endearing, so Letticia accepted it with a cheerful giggle.

 

“So, what should we do now? Do you want to drink more tea, or should we go to the music room?”

 

“I’d like to have a little more tea first. May I prepare it this time?”

 

“You’re going to make tea for me? Yes!”

 

Seeing how excited Letticia was made Ezkhiel’s heart feel warm.

 

“I… I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste. I haven’t made tea for anyone else before.”

 

“But you’ve had tea on your own, right? Brother mentioned that you started drinking tea after graduating from the academy, so it’s been about four years?”

 

“Oh, Lenard told you that, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right.”

 

As he poured hot water over fresh tea leaves, Ezkhiel let out a small, wry smile.

 

He wasn’t sure exactly how much Lenard had told Letticia, but the fact that she already knew things he hadn’t mentioned yet showed that, despite his teasing, Lenard did want things to work out between them.

 

‘…I should be more confident. Letty, Lenard, the Count, and the Countess have all accepted me like this.’

 

He didn’t want to leave a weak impression on his lover’s father after finally meeting him.

 

Firming up his resolve, Ezkhiel carefully prepared the tea and handed a cup to Letticia.

 

To the lover who accepts him as he is, whether he doesn’t drink coffee or heaps sugar into his tea.

 

***

 

The happy morning came to an end, and preparations for the music concert awaited Letticia.

 

Had she known things with Ezkhiel would go so well this quickly, she might not have agreed to the concert at all. But now, she didn’t really have an excuse to back out.

 

Besides, Seraphina had kept her promise so well that, surprisingly, Giselle and Evelyn had stopped making snide remarks during meetings.

 

‘What on earth did she do…?’

 

Letticia had expected a long-winded lecture about noble responsibilities, but Seraphina’s persuasion skills seemed to be more effective than she had assumed.

 

Regardless, the meeting was progressing smoothly. While discussing which pieces to perform, Audrey suddenly brought up an unexpected suggestion.

 

“How about we end the concert with a duet between the Two Diamonds? What do you think?”

 

“A duet between me and Lady Eskis?”

 

Letticia already had a solo piece to prepare, as well as a quartet with Dayna, Vanessa, and Seraphina. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about adding another performance to her plate.

 

However, even Giselle, who had previously opposed giving a solo to only one of the Diamonds, agreed with the idea.

 

“That’s a great idea, Lady Wallace! Since their instruments are piano and violin, we’ll have plenty of options for the piece selection.”

 

“If it’s a stage featuring the Two Diamonds together, it’ll definitely attract attention.”

 

Dayna didn’t object either, and neither did Evelyn or Vanessa.

 

“…What about you, Lady Eskis? You must be busy preparing for the concert already. Won’t this be too much for you?”

 

“I appreciate your concern, but since I practice regularly, adding one more piece shouldn’t be too difficult.”

 

“Well then, it’s decided. The final stage will be a duet between the Two Diamonds.”

 

With even Seraphina agreeing and Audrey making the final announcement, Letticia found her workload increasing once again.

 

Once more, she regretted ever agreeing to this concert.

 

 

 

🍓; ‘You might as well say a fish drowned in water’ is a sarcastic expression used to suggest that something is impossible, absurd, or obviously untrue. Ex: If someone says, ‘She’s not really in love,’ and another person responds with, ‘You might as well say a fish drowned in water,’ they are expressing that her love is so obvious that doubting it is ridiculous.

 

[Such a short but supeeeeer sweet moment of our official couple. ( ´͈ ᵕ `͈ )◞♡ By the way, here are some special updates for this month because this novel has reached the top 10 in the weekly trending list! I’m so glad that many of you love and read this novel. I also really enjoy reading all of your comments—though I can’t reply to them all, I still hope you continue enjoying this story until the end. See you in the next update!]