MLIIWTFL Chapter 140

 

 

 

“Nowadays, many young people wear ties instead of cravats with their work suits. How about giving one to Sir Averil or Sir Achilles as a gift? They aren’t as expensive as cufflinks, so they should fit within your budget, Lady.”

 

“Oh, now that I think about it, I have seen many people wearing ties at work. That should be perfect!”

 

Seeing Ariette’s expression brighten again, Lenard discreetly sighed in relief.

 

When selling goods to the Averil Ducal House, the most important person to please was not the Duke but Ariette. The primary purpose of their shopping was to get Ariette the best possible items.

 

If she wasn’t satisfied, then even if the Duke or Alexander seemed content, it would still be a failure in the end.

 

‘If that happens, I might be able to sell a lot at once, but it would be difficult to turn them into regular customers.’

 

Lenard’s goal was to replace Aner Jewelry, the Averil family’s current jeweler, with Sharon Jewelry as their preferred choice.

 

Of course, competing with Aner, a high-end luxury brand, was no easy task. However, considering the emotions Ariette had subtly revealed during their shopping, he saw a chance.

 

“Then, would you like to choose from these options first? Gold is always a steady seller, but for those who value sophistication, platinum is also—”

 

Just as Lenard was about to start his sales pitch in earnest, there was a knock at the door.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

At the sound of three knocks, Lenard instinctively knew what was coming.

 

“My Lady, I believe we must end our consultation here for today.”

 

“Huh?”

 

As Ariette looked confused, a voice from outside the room interrupted.

 

“Deputy Manager, Lady Averil’s party has arrived.”

 

“Please show them in.”

 

Lenard responded to the staff outside before swiftly pulling out another catalog and flipping it open to a random page.

 

He made sure the page displayed information about birthstones, placed it where Ariette could see, and then rose from his seat.

 

“Welcome, Sir Averil, Sir Achilles.”

 

“It has been two weeks, Lord Sharon.”

 

“Where are Ariette’s maid and escort?”

 

Unlike Alexander, who responded formally, Achilles swept his gaze sharply around the room, noticing that Ariette was alone.

 

“They are waiting in the adjoining room connected to this one. The Lady expressed a desire to shop alone.”

 

“…So you’re telling me that you were alone in this room with my sister?”

 

Achilles’s expression turned deadly. Even though Lenard could feel the killing intent radiating from the trained knight’s body, he deliberately maintained a calm demeanor and confidently responded.

 

“Yes, since all our other staff members were busy today, I had to handle the consultation alone. I had no intention of neglecting the Lady.”

 

“…Sharon Jewelry’s service is well-renowned, so I won’t doubt that.”

 

Alexander looked at Lenard with pressure in his gaze. Though the corners of his lips were curved in a smile, his eyes were far from friendly—just as menacing as his younger brother’s.

 

“But I’d appreciate it if you refrained from being alone with my sister in the future. I don’t want my grown sister left alone with an unrelated man.”

 

“I understand your concerns. Today was an unusual case, but next time, I’ll make sure another staff member is present as well.”

 

“Is that so? That’s the kind of consideration I’d expect from a prestigious establishment like Sharon Jewelry.”

 

Hearing Alexander’s words—essentially stating that he would never allow his sister to be alone with another man, no matter the circumstances—Lenard clenched his fist tightly to hide his irritation.

 

‘Do they think I’m some kind of opportunist trying to seduce my customers?’

 

Lenard was the heir to the Sharon family, known for strictly separating business and personal matters to the extent that even family members addressed each other by their titles in professional settings.

 

No matter how many customers were drawn to his looks and tried to flirt with him, he had never once responded. Even the women who visited the jewelry store solely to catch his attention were treated purely as customers.

 

For Lenard, work was work—Sharon Jewelry was a place of business, not romance.

 

To him, this kind of misunderstanding was as absurd as someone handing him a polo stick and saying, ‘Please, just hit me with it.’

 

‘For once, I completely understand why Letty always says she wants to set things on fire.’

 

Had Ariette not looked so upset and apologized, he might have already started planning how to burn down the Duke’s residence in his head.

 

“I’m sorry, Lord Sharon. It’s my fault for insisting on shopping alone…”

 

Seeming embarrassed by her brothers’ behavior, Ariette lowered her head in shame.

 

Seeing her apologize when she had done nothing wrong made Lenard even more irritated. He hid his frustration and responded gently.

 

“There’s no need to apologize, Lady. Even though I’m a staff member, I should have considered that being alone with a man might be uncomfortable for you. That was my mistake.”

 

“Not at all! This was the most enjoyable shopping experience I’ve ever had, and it’s all thanks to you, Lord Sharon!”

 

“It’s an honor to hear that.”

 

Just as Ariette’s smile returned, Achilles interjected into their conversation.

 

“Arie, how much longer will you be shopping? We have dinner reservations—should I reschedule?”

 

“Oh, I’m done now. Let’s go, Brother.”

 

“You haven’t been here long. Are you sure you want to leave already?”

 

“Yes, I only intended to consult today anyway…”

 

Hearing her response, Alexander turned to Lenard.

 

“Lord Sharon, could you show me the items Ariette was considering? I’d like to purchase all of them.”

 

“B-Brother…!”

 

At Alexander’s words, Ariette hesitated, glancing nervously at Lenard. Catching her gaze, Lenard subtly reassured her with his eyes before responding smoothly.

 

“As the Lady mentioned, today was only a consultation appointment, so she didn’t actually view any products. She simply wanted to learn more about gemstones, so I was explaining birthstones. In fact, I was just about to discuss her own birthstone, aquamarine.”

 

Alexander glanced at the open catalog page in front of Lenard, nodded in understanding, and turned away.

 

As the staff member, who had been silently standing in the background, opened the adjoining room to bring in Ariette’s escort and maid, Alexander’s icy gaze landed on the knight.

 

“Sir Bio, I distinctly told you not to take your eyes off Ariette.”

 

“My apologies.”

 

“Brother, please don’t blame Sir Bio. I was the one who insisted.”

 

When Ariette defended her escort, Alexander clicked his tongue slightly before changing the subject.

 

“Well then, since we’re done shopping, shall we go to dinner? I booked that Eastern-style restaurant you said you liked last time.”

 

“You rented out the entire place again? I told you not to do that!”

 

“For a date with my dear sister, renting out a restaurant is the least I can do.”

 

“What kind of ‘date’ is this? You stole the reservation I made to take Arie out myself!”

 

Bickering over Ariette, the two brothers disappeared beyond the doorway, leaving her flustered between them.

 

Now finally freed from them, Lenard quickly wrapped up the remaining work and, for the first time in a while, left work on time.

 

***

 

After hearing the story, Letticia’s expression twisted into something beyond disgust. It was so extreme that, for once, Lenard didn’t bother to scold her about her facial expressions.

 

“Have those lunatics lost their minds? How dare they say something so outrageous to my brother!”

 

“You know, I was kind of jealous when you hit that guy with a book back then. I wanted to smack him with a polo stick myself.”

 

“If you ever get the chance to play polo together, just go for it. Aim for somewhere like the backside instead of the bones—it shouldn’t break anything.”

 

“Are you seriously encouraging assault? No way. Too much trouble to deal with afterward.”

 

Lenard shook his head and popped a walnut into his mouth instead of taking another sip of his drink.

 

Feeling sorry for her brother after everything he had endured, Letticia decided to bring him a dessert that paired well with coffee from Faymont tomorrow.

 

“They’ll probably book another appointment soon, but if her brothers tag along again, it’ll be annoying. Should I suggest that Lady Averil schedule her visit on a day when only she has a holiday? I doubt they’d skip work just to follow her during business hours.”

 

“…Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

 

Given their personalities, there was a high chance they’d just take a day off to match Ariette’s schedule. A workaholic prime minister’s aide and a knight with an intense workload taking personal leave? It sounded absurd, but with those two, anything was possible.

 

“Still, if this goes well, Lady Averil will likely buy all her fall season jewelry from us. From what I can tell, Sharon Jewelry is the first store she’s ever personally booked an appointment with.”

 

“You’re really something, brother. After going through all that, you’re still thinking about business while out on a boat ride with the Duke?”

 

“The Averil family is a massive client. Besides, Lady Averil hasn’t even debuted in society yet. If we secure her as a regular customer, she could end up purchasing all her debut, engagement, and wedding jewelry from us. I can’t afford to let personal feelings get in the way of a business opportunity like that.”

 

“Yeah, I guess. That family does have money. It’d be a shame to lose out on that.”

 

Letticia had to admit that much. She might dislike the people in the Duke’s household, but their wealth and reputation weren’t things one could ignore out of personal dislike.

 

‘Well, it’s not like I have to deal with them personally. My brother can handle it. He must have done a great job last time if Lady Ariette went out of her way to make another reservation.’

 

Trusting in Lenard’s business skills and relieved that she wouldn’t have to get involved herself, Letticia shook off her frustration and changed her mindset.

 

She was still annoyed that the announcement of her relationship with Ezkhiel was being delayed, but she could fix that by making sure they were seen on as many public dates as possible.