MLIIWTFL Chapter 142

 

 

 

“Lady Hailey, as I mentioned earlier, the most important purpose of this concert is to raise awareness about the orphanages in the capital and emphasize the need for donations. If we become the center of attention, it will undermine the essence of the event. Don’t you see that?”

 

“And what’s wrong with that? The more attention we draw, the more donations we can collect, right?”

 

“That kind of donation will only be a one-time thing. Our goal isn’t just to end it here. We need to make sure our guests feel compelled to continue supporting this orphanage in the future as well.”

 

Seraphina’s tone had risen slightly, but despite that, she maintained her composure. As expected from someone known as the ‘Swan,’ the embodiment of grace—she neither raised her voice excessively nor lost her poise.

 

“Is there really a need to go that far? A single successful donation drive should be enough to keep the orphanage running for years.”

 

“Lady Hailey, have you ever actually visited the orphanage we plan to support? Have you seen how outdated the facilities are and what kind of meals the children are given?”

 

“No, but that’s not something we necessarily have to do, is it?”

 

“No, it is. True charity means providing help to those who genuinely need it. Instead of focusing on what dress we’ll wear to the concert and notifying reporters, what we should be doing is seeing the orphanage’s actual conditions with our own eyes.”

 

‘Wow… Is she serious?’

 

Letticia was genuinely shocked by Seraphina’s words. She had never met anyone who sincerely spoke in such a way—like a saint straight out of a romance novel.

 

Apparently, Vanessa felt the same. She repeated Seraphina’s words under her breath, almost in disbelief.

 

“…Who actually does that…?”

 

Nobles often spoke of duty and responsibility, but few genuinely lived by those principles. The Duke of Averil’s family probably engaged in charitable donations on paper, but none of the three—father and sons—were the type to carry out such acts with true sincerity.

 

‘Well… maybe Ariette would, but even in the original story, there was never a scene where she participated in charity work or volunteer activities.’

 

Letticia shook her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts. The priority right now was to mediate between these two, not to analyze Ariette’s history of good deeds.

 

“Excuse me, Lady Eskis. Would you mind calming down for a moment? Both of you are getting too worked up.”

 

“…Yes, you’re right. I did lose my composure. Thank you for pointing it out, Lady Sharon.”

 

At Letticia’s words, Seraphina’s voice returned to normal, but her face still showed traces of anger. Dayna, too, was clearly holding back her frustration—unable to accept the argument but forcing herself to endure it.

 

‘If I let this slide, the entire concert might fall apart.’

 

Letticia crossed her arms, her mind racing.

 

Since her public relationship with Ezkhiel had been delayed, she needed an excuse to turn down dates from other noblemen. For now, the concert would serve that purpose.

 

With that thought in mind, Letticia decided she had to mediate between the two and somehow bridge their differing opinions to set a clear direction.

 

“So, Lady Eskis, what you ultimately want is continuous donations to the orphanages, correct?”

 

“Yes. The ten orphanages we chose to support are all far below average in terms of hygiene and the children’s nutrition. Even if we receive a large one-time donation, it won’t be enough in the long run. Without consistent support, there will be no lasting improvement.”

 

“I understand that. And Dayna, you believe we need media coverage to attract attention, right?”

 

“Of course! Do you think we’ll ever get another opportunity to gain this much attention? Wasting such a chance would be absolutely ridiculous!”

 

As Dayna spoke passionately, Letticia quickly formulated a compromise. Normally, she found thinking about such matters tedious, but in situations like this, her mind worked sharply.

 

Though she had never personally handled such matters, she had observed how Sharon Jewelry managed its branding and promotions. The solution came to her surprisingly easily.

 

“Then let’s do this: We allow the media coverage, but we focus our statements on the reality of the orphanages. We’ll avoid talking about dresses or fashion and instead present ourselves as kind-hearted debutantes taking action for a cause. We shape our image accordingly.”

 

“Image?”

 

At the mention of ‘image,’ Seraphina’s expression flickered with unease, as if she associated the word with something negative. But before she could object, Letticia swiftly continued.

 

“Yes. Let’s be honest—noble obligations and morals? Not everyone genuinely holds those values. Lady Eskis, among the people you know, are there more who genuinely uphold such ideals, or more who don’t?”

 

“…There are more who don’t. It’s honestly quite sad.”

 

Seraphina replied, looking truly frustrated. Seeing that the conversation was shifting in her favor, Letticia turned to Dayna next.

 

“Dayna, don’t you think that discussing which dress or jewelry someone wore is getting old? There’s no uniqueness to it anymore. If we want to make headlines, we need something different.”

 

“Charity events are just as overdone. Remember how our art exhibition barely made an impact?”

 

Dayna responded indifferently, but Letticia persisted, determined to win her over.

 

“Right, that’s true. But this time, the situation is completely different. Compared to back then, how many more media requests have we received?”

 

“…At least four times more.”

 

“Exactly. And do you really think those reporters are only interested in what dresses we’ll be wearing or which pieces we’ll perform?”

 

“Then what else would they be curious about? When it comes to debutantes, isn’t it always about fashion, who they danced with, or who they’ll marry?”

 

“Usually, yes. But not this time.”

 

Letticia shook her head and refuted the idea.

 

“Think about it—noble young ladies, organizing a charity concert for orphans? Doesn’t that sound heartwarming? The media will eat it up. They’ll call us kind-hearted, generous, and noble inside and out. They’ll write articles about us being compassionate and virtuous, painting us as angelic figures. This kind of image will naturally fall into our laps.”

 

“You really think that will make the news?”

 

“Of course. Even newspapers that thrive on negative press sometimes publish feel-good stories about someone’s achievements or acts of kindness. It’s all part of media strategy. We just need to ride that wave and use it to our advantage.”

 

“……….”

 

Dayna fell silent, seemingly convinced by Letticia’s argument. However, Seraphina still looked uncomfortable, as if she disliked the idea of shaping their image.

 

“It’s definitely better than just flaunting dresses, but if that happens, won’t the focus shift from the orphanages to us?”

 

“That’s why we make sure to talk about the orphanages ourselves. If we fill our interviews with details about the orphanages rather than ourselves, people will pay attention to them just as much as they do to us.”

 

“But will they really care about the orphanages? What if they just dismiss our words as naive young ladies who don’t understand the real world?”

 

Vanessa, who had been listening quietly, voiced her concern. Letticia, wanting to reassure her, spoke confidently.

 

“Lady Eskis already mentioned it earlier, didn’t she? She asked if we had actually seen how run-down the facilities were or how the children were living. That means she went and saw it herself, right?”

 

“Yes. Before deciding which orphanages to support, I visited them in person to assess their conditions.”

 

When Seraphina confirmed it, Vanessa let out a small ‘Wow’ in admiration. Even Letticia was taken aback, looking at her in surprise.

 

‘I just said that as an example… but she actually went there?’

 

Up until recently, Seraphina hadn’t even realized how offensive words like ‘nouveau riche’ or ‘half-breed’ could be. Yet, she had no hesitation about visiting an orphanage—especially one in poor condition.

 

However, Letticia didn’t have the time to dwell on Seraphina’s contradictions. She quickly moved on to the next step.

 

“Then Lady Eskis, you can explain everything to the reporters. And we’ll say that after hearing your words and sympathizing with your cause, we decided to join the concert. That way, we maintain a positive image, attract attention to the orphanage, and everything falls into place.”

 

“That sounds good in theory… but will it really work that smoothly?”

 

“If it doesn’t, we’ll adjust when the time comes. Do you really think there will be only one round of media coverage before the concert?”

 

“…….….”

 

Vanessa still looked uneasy, Seraphina seemed slightly dissatisfied, and Dayna was deep in thought.

 

Letticia would have preferred if they could decide right away, but she understood that they needed time to think it over.

 

“Well, this is just my suggestion. How about we all think it over and discuss it again at the next meeting? We’ll need to talk to the others about it too.”

 

“You’re right. This isn’t something we can decide on our own.”

 

“Yeah, I need some time to think as well.”

 

“Me too.”

 

Though the final decision was postponed, the atmosphere had become noticeably lighter.

 

Dayna saw the benefits in Letticia’s plan, since it aligned with her interests. Seraphina was satisfied because their ultimate goal—raising awareness for the orphanages—remained unchanged. And Vanessa, though she didn’t have a strong opinion, seemed relieved that the tension had eased.