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My Lover Isn’t Interested With The Female lead!
✽ CHAPTER 16✽
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Letticia knows because of the original information, but in fact, no nobles in the capital would know that Ariette lacks education due to the trauma of her tutor when she was young.
Because Duke Averil will not let others know about his daughter’s weaknesses.
‘At most, they might know about the harassment from the Machioness Irma during private tutoring sessions. The parties involved won’t be able to speak about it.’
In the original work, after being expelled, Machioness Irma practically became a recluse in a rural village mansion, and the private tutor ended up becoming a vagabond, wandering through the impoverished neighborhoods. As for the employees, well, whether they were expelled or not, they would have likely sought revenge in some way.
“Lady Sharon always presents well during class and often demonstrates during etiquette lessons. Especially during tea time, the professor praised you for doing things like this. If I could study with such a lady, I think I could improve a lot!”
Speaking with a bright face without a hint of deception, Ariette seemed genuinely innocent. Most extras would have gladly accepted the praise and felt good about it.
‘You’re the first one to show me the perfect way to make tea, it’s not something trivial.’
But Letticia wasn’t like that. Just a few compliments weren’t enough for her; she was too pragmatic and realistic.
“Um, thank you for the praise, Lady Averil, but…”
“Lady Averil!”
Just at the perfect timing, Josephine and Sofia came running. Letticia, who was about to politely refuse, felt she could offer a kind smile to the people who came to her on their own pretext today.
“Lady Averil, what are you talking about? It’s unacceptable for someone of your noble status to join gatherings of new nobles!”
“That’s right, Lady. It’s absurd for someone as esteemed as you to associate with upstarts.”
Even though Letticia was glad that she might have a reason to refuse after hearing a few more words from the two who were actively giving reasons for her dismissal, she wondered who Ariette thought she was. Isn’t she the typical isekai heroine who prioritizes what she wants over the class system?
“I just want to be with the people I want to be with. Is that a problem?”
When Ariette glared at the two with an uncomfortable expression, Josephine and Sofia raised their voices in frustration.
“Of course, it’s a problem! How could it not be? You should think about how much the lady’s prestige will be damaged.”
“Right. A newly formed gathering of new nobles? It’s absurd.”
“Why would that lower my prestige? The March Blossoms purpose is quite noble. Where else can you find a gathering as excellent as this one for reviewing lessons and studying etiquette?”
In response to Ariette’s rebuttal, Josephine smirked with a contemptuous expression, glancing mockingly at Letticia.
“Just a bunch of commoners gathering to desperately learn etiquette. What’s so impressive about that?”
“Exactly. Those without noble blood trying to learn etiquette won’t amount to much. No matter how hard they try, they can’t reach the level of true nobility like us.”
“You two!”
“The Viscount and Baron must be very upset.”
Letticia’s sarcastic tone completely changed the atmosphere.
When their respective uncles and fathers were mentioned, the eyes of the two people who had tried to ignore Letticia turned towards her.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, speaking informally again. Well, forget it. Your guardians must be disappointed, with a niece and daughter like you who are all unfilial.”
“Unfilial? What a nonsense is that?”
Whether Sofia shouted or not, Letticia responded nonchalantly.
“At most, your parents or elder relatives spent money on tutoring and educating you well since you were young, but neither of you even thought about the grace and are only grateful for the hundred-year-old blood that flows through your body. What could be more unfilial than that? Is there one?”
“When did we forget that grace? How dare you insult someone you know nothing about?”
“Then you should be proud of your good guardians, not your lineage. From what you just said, it sounds like you are only proud of your lineage, not your family. Well, that’s none of my business.”
With a touch of exaggeration, the focus quickly shifted.
As Sofia and Josephine’s faces turned red with anger at the accusation of being ungrateful, Letticia shrugged and turned to Ariette.
“I understand Lady’s feelings, but as you can see, if Lady joins our gathering, there will be strong opposition from the surroundings. Lady might not be comfortable with the constant gossip.”
“I’m fine! As I said, I need to learn a lot, so studying is my top priority. I don’t care much about the rest.”
You might not care, but I find it annoying.
Letticia wanted to retort like that, but she held back, taking a deep breath. It seemed a simple rejection wouldn’t be enough.
If that’s the case, she had to persuade properly.
“… Then, let’s discuss this after you experience our group activities.”
“Really? Thank you, Lady Sharon!”
Ariette’s face brightened with conditional approval.
“Are the others already heading to the meeting place?”
“No, today I had horseback riding lessons, so I decided to take it easy. That means we should have the gathering just the two of us.”
“Ah, then, would it be alright to use my room as the location?”
“Lady Averil’s room?”
“Yes! It’s time for tea. Since Lady Sharon is teaching me, I’d like to at least serve some tea.”
With her saying that much, there was no room for refusal.
Letticia, avoiding Ariette’s bright smile, moved towards the dormitory area. Although she heard Sofia and Josephine saying something behind her, she ignored them; it was too bothersome to pay attention.
As long as Ariette was there, she had nothing to worry about.
***
Following Ariette, Letticia stepped into a room on the 5th floor for the first time.
Letticia’s room could easily fit 11 people in the living room, but Ariette’s room seemed to be twice as large.
‘Couldn’t build a separate annex, so it looks like they made a grand deluxe suite instead.’
Still, it was somewhat fortunate that they didn’t take an entire floor.
After scanning the luxurious furniture, Letticia sat down following Ariette’s guidance. Unlike Letticia’s room, Ariette’s room had two maids.
Moreover, judging by their attire, they seemed to be servants of the Averil Duke, not academy maids.
“Marsha, today we’ll have tea with Lady Sharon.”
“Yes, Lady.”
The maid who served beside Ariette was a maid who was close to Ariette in the original work. She couldn’t remember her name, but she did remember that she had been taking care of Arrieta ever since Ariette escaped her abuse, so she was practically a nanny.
Perhaps because of that, the glances Letticia received held a subtle wariness.
Normally, if it were any other aristocrat, they might question why a maid dared to look at them with such disrespectful eyes. However, finding it too bothersome to address, Letticia just brushed it off.
“Shall I bring the usual tea leaves, Lady?”
“Sure. Oh, no, wait. Lady Sharon, do you have a particular type of tea you prefer?”
As Ariette was about to casually nod, she hesitated and asked Letticia. It seemed she realized the importance of not assuming and serving tea without knowing the guest’s preference.
“This time, I’d like to try the tea you enjoy, Lady. Generally, when we talk about black tea, it’s from the East, right?”
This is not just a saying; a lot of black tea is actually produced in the East. White Opera, Letticia’s favorite blended flavored black tea, is also a blend of Brie, a black tea named after the Marquess of Brie, the largest black tea producer in the empire.
Moreover, based on the original setting, the Averil Duke had a close relationship with the Brie Marquess, so if Ariette was drinking black tea, it would at least be of the highest quality.
“Then I’d like to try Eflor. Is that okay?”
“… That Eflor, that’s truly a generous treat.”
Eflor is the best black tea that is said to be impossible to drink because not many people enjoy tea. Among the black teas of the Marquess Brie, it was sold only to a few VIPs, so even great nobles could not easily obtain it.
Whether Ariette had plenty of it or was genuinely looking forward to the teatime was unclear.
When she said she would bring out such an eflor for her, she couldn’t tell if she had that much of it or if she was really looking forward to tea time with Letticia.
“It’s the first time I’m having tea with someone other than my brother, so I feel a bit shy.”
Ariette giggled bashfully. If that laughter was genuine, it was likely the latter.
“I suppose you’re referring to the young lord of Averil, Achilles Averil. Does he visit often?”
“Yes. I’m not used to being alone, so my brother often comes to share tea or work on sketches together. That’s why I’ve been preparing meals for two lately.”
Letticia found the response suspicious, as if the female dormitory had secretly become a co-ed dormitory without her knowledge.
Why on earth would a male student frequent the female dormitory? If that’s the case, what’s the point of having rules?
At that moment, another maid, not Marsha, placed a plate of freshly baked strawberry tart on the table.
The tart emitted warmth as if it had just been taken out of the oven.
“Does the lady pair Eflor with strawberry tart?”
“Yes, I enjoy sweet treats.”
According to Letticia’s knowledge, those who appreciate Eflor usually only drink tea without accompanying it with any food. The reason was to savor the aroma of the tea itself, given its rarity.
While briefly contemplating whether to share this information, the teapot, tea leaves, and water were ready.
As Marsha, who had been waiting, moved to pour the tea, Letticia raised her hand to stop her.
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To Be Continued…
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