MLIIWTFL Chapter 141

 

 

 

Today was the day Letticia, Seraphina, Dayna, and Vanessa had planned to practice their quartet.

 

Since it was an unspoken agreement that any practice involving Letticia would be held at the Count Sharon’s estate, the music room in the mansion resonated with the sounds of a cello, violin, harp, and piano.

 

As it was their first rehearsal, the performance was far from harmonious. About halfway through, a discordant note rang out with a sharp plink. It was clearly not from the cello or violin, so everyone instinctively turned toward Dayna.

 

Having plucked the wrong harp string, Dayna’s face turned bright red as she bowed her head. Seeing this, Seraphina cautiously asked.

 

“Lady Hailey, have you been busy lately?”

 

“…I’ve had a lot of personal matters to attend to, so I haven’t been able to practice enough. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

 

“Oh, it’s not that much of an issue. But compared to last time, your fingers seem a little stiff. If you’re too busy, maybe some of your workload could be delegated to others?”

 

“That won’t be necessary. I shouldn’t let my lack of practice disrupt our rehearsals. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again next time.”

 

Dayna responded with a smile. However, no one present was naïve enough to believe it was a genuine one.

 

‘Something feels off between these two…’

 

Seraphina probably meant well, genuinely wanting to help Dayna find more time to practice. But in this situation, her words sounded more like criticism.

 

Standing beside Letticia, Vanessa fidgeted anxiously, gauging the atmosphere. As someone who remained neutral, she had grown quite close to Dayna. However, she still found it difficult to interact with Letticia and Seraphina, and this moment was no exception.

 

Realizing it was up to her to step in, Letticia spoke up.

 

“No, Dayna. It’s true that we’ve been pushing too much work onto you.”

 

“Letticia.”

 

As Dayna turned to look at her, Letticia continued, her expression unchanged.

 

“Things like writing letters or calculating how much should be donated to each orphanage—if there’s anything I can do, let me know. Since I only have rehearsals, I have plenty of free time. It wouldn’t look good if you were working while I just sat around.”

 

“Ah! Me too! I mean, I can help too, Lady Hailey! Please give me more work.”

 

Vanessa quickly chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically. Seeing this, Seraphina smiled.

 

“Everyone is quite passionate. In that case, Lady Hailey, how about redistributing the administrative tasks? It wouldn’t be fair for one person to bear too much burden.”

 

“…Since everyone insists, I suppose that would be best.”

 

With Dayna’s agreement, the previously tense atmosphere softened again. Since the workload she had been handling was quite substantial, redistributing it was a logical decision.

 

‘If the atmosphere turns this awkward every time someone speaks, this is going to be a pain. Maybe I should have a separate talk with Dayna.’

 

After having tea with Seraphina last time, Letticia had more or less figured her out—Seraphina genuinely seemed concerned that Dayna’s workload had been interfering with her practice.

 

If that was the case, then there was no need to twist her words like someone like Evelyn would. If Dayna could understand that, perhaps she’d lower her guard a little.

 

‘I don’t like social gatherings, but I can kind of see why they exist.’

 

Practicing together without knowing much about each other was bound to lead to minor conflicts. Letticia briefly considered buying a bunch of desserts from Faymont and inviting everyone for tea to smooth things over.

 

But before she could bring it up, another potentially tense question was raised.

 

“Since this opportunity has come up, there’s something I’d like to ask. Lady Eskis, what made you decide to perform with the three of us?”

 

At Dayna’s question, Vanessa flinched and glanced at Seraphina for guidance. Dayna herself seemed to have mustered some courage, sitting up straight as she spoke.

 

However, Seraphina simply furrowed her brows slightly.

 

“Our group is one of the rare few in high society that includes members from old nobility, new nobility, and neutral factions. Wouldn’t it make sense to have a musical performance that represents all three factions together?”

 

“That is a fair point, but what I’m asking is why you personally chose to take on that role. Since the Diamonds are already set to perform together with Letticia, wouldn’t it be unfair for you to also participate in this piece? Lady Wallace, Lady Norton, and Lady Mortimer might feel left out, don’t you think? The attention would be skewed toward us.”

 

“Ah, now that you mention it, it is strange… Why didn’t any of them oppose it?”

 

Vanessa belatedly realized the oddity, while Letticia silently mused to herself.

 

‘Probably because none of them wanted to perform with us.’

 

Giselle and Evelyn were openly hostile toward her, and even Audrey had never spoken to her before.

 

Since Seraphina had been the one leading this initiative, their interaction with the old nobility was practically limited to just her.

 

“Those three have taken on more administrative duties instead, so they didn’t have the time to participate in the performance. As for me, since I’m overseeing the event, I don’t have much administrative work to do, which means I can afford to take on an extra musical piece or two.”

 

Seraphina’s response sounded reasonable, but precisely because of that, it was clear to everyone that it was just a convenient excuse.

 

As the underlying class consciousness of the old nobility became more apparent, both Dayna and Vanessa instinctively frowned. But before the tension could build again, Seraphina continued.

 

“Besides, on a personal level, I wanted to have more conversations with members of the new nobility and neutral factions. That’s why I volunteered for this. Fortunately, all three of you welcomed me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to perform together.”

 

“But are they really fine with having two Diamonds on our side? No matter what, the attention will be uneven, and it’s definitely unfair to the others.”

 

“…They understand how important this concert is. They agreed because they know that for us to fulfill our noble duty, we need to raise enough donations for the orphanages.”

 

Letticia wasn’t so sure about that but kept her thoughts to herself. She was well aware that she wasn’t fond of those who were openly hostile toward her, which made her naturally assume the worst about their intentions.

 

Surprisingly, Dayna didn’t let that slide.

 

“I never expected those three to be so devoted to their noble duties. Back at the academy, they didn’t seem particularly interested in such matters.”

 

“Oh, that reminds me! Last Tuesday, Lady Norton was seen taking a walk in the park with Sir Rigon! And Lady Mortimer danced twice with a gentleman at the ball the day before yesterday.”

 

Vanessa clapped her hands as she spoke, and Dayna nodded as if things were finally making sense.

 

“In that case, at least Lady Norton must truly want this concert to succeed. The Marchioness of Rigon is very passionate about charity events, so she would expect the same from her future daughter-in-law.”

 

At this, Seraphina’s expression turned sharp.

 

“Lady Hailey, charity is an obligation for nobles—to help the poor and weak. But if you speak as if it’s being done in expectation of something in return, how do you think that makes Lady Norton look?”

 

Dayna looked at Seraphina with an incredulous expression.

 

“Then, Lady Eskis, are you saying you expect no benefits from this concert at all?”

 

“I wouldn’t say one must reject any benefits that come from fulfilling one’s duties. However, if one becomes too focused on those benefits, it distorts the purpose. The goal itself could end up shifting.”

 

“…Is that why you’re refusing press coverage for the concert?”

 

Letticia looked at Seraphina in surprise. She hadn’t known about this since the meetings had mostly focused on selecting the music pieces rather than administrative matters.

 

Seraphina’s face twisted slightly at the mere mention of press coverage, as if she found the idea distasteful.

 

“I will have press releases prepared regarding the donations and the concert’s purpose.”

 

“That won’t be enough. Two Diamonds and a debutante with a well-known reputation are all performing together. Not just the high society papers, but even Lucinella will want to cover this! But so far, all that’s been reported is that we’re preparing a concert. There hasn’t been a single detailed article about it.”

 

“And there won’t be. The only thing that needs to be publicized is the purpose of the concert and where the donations are going. What else is there to report?”

 

“Everything! What pieces we’re performing, what dresses we plan to wear, which distinguished guests will be attending—people want to know all of it!”

 

Dayna’s voice rose with frustration. Letticia also agreed with her deep down and almost nodded in support.

 

However, seeing Seraphina’s expression, she stopped.

 

Unlike before, Seraphina was now visibly angry.