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My Lover Isn’t Interested With The Female lead!
✽ CHAPTER 17✽
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“Since I promised to provide you with the daily experience of our gathering, I must keep my word. Is it acceptable for me to brew the tea, Lady?”
“Oh, yes! I’d be grateful if Lady Sharon could demonstrate.”
Nodding in agreement, Ariette promptly dismissed the maids. With Ariette’s consent, Letticia, following her mother’s teachings, measured two spoonfuls of tea leaves and poured hot water into the teapot.
Although Camilla had only tried the Eflor once, she clearly remembered how much to brew for the best flavor.
“I’ve heard that Eflor is best steeped for about 5 minutes. Do you usually add milk to your black tea, Lady Averil?”
“Oh, yes. I add a little milk and about two spoons of sugar.”
Responding to Ariette’s innocent question, Letticia shifted the milk bottle to the side and answered.
“You don’t have to worry about mentioning sugar; you can add it to your liking. If you let me know about the milk, I’ll steep it accordingly, so that’s all you need to tell me.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. It seems impolite to provide more information than necessary for brewing the tea.”
As Ariette looked flustered by the advice, she sensed a gaze from a distant maid.
‘Whether family or servants, Ariette is quite an idealist.’
Silently rolling her eyes, Letticia continued. She had no intention of letting Ariette join the gathering, but at least she needed to cover the cost of the tea they were about to enjoy.
“And do you happen to know what type of food people usually have with Eflore?”
“Hmm… I used to enjoy it with fruits like strawberries. In the East, people often pair fruits with black tea.”
“Indeed. However, Eflore is such a rare tea that people usually enjoy its aroma without adding anything. If they choose to pair it with something, it’s often plain biscuits.”
“It’s that precious?”
Ariette stared at the Epflore tea in surprise. Letticia sighed at her ignorance, wondering what the Duke had taught his daughter.
“Extremely precious. Even with money, it’s hard to find, to the point of being unattainable.”
“… My father and brothers just told me to drink it freely, so I had no idea.”
Observing the wide-eyed Ariette, Letticia gracefully tilted the teapot, pouring Eflore into Ariette’s cup.
“Pouring it this way in a thin stream supposedly makes the taste smoother. I can’t confirm if it’s true, but professors give higher scores for this technique, so I recommend practicing it.”
After explaining the technique and even sharing a trick, Ariette nodded with fascination. She poured sugar and milk into her tea, took a sip, and widened her eyes in amazement.
“It’s really delicious! Lady Sharon, your tea skills are impeccable.”
“I’ve seen my mother do it many times. Before entering the academy, she advised me to learn and practice.”
A glance of envy came from Ariette. It wasn’t clear whether she envied Letticia’s mother or her early education.
“I’m not very skilled at such etiquette… I haven’t had many opportunities to learn.”
“Well, you’re in the right place now. The academy is where you can learn all those things.”
“… So, if I practice, could I become as skilled as you, Lady?”
Letticia wondered why Ariette asked such a question.
According to the setting, Ariette likely learned etiquette by observing her father’s and brothers’ manners without a tutor. To reach Letticia’s level, who had been following dining etiquette since the age of six, would require extraordinary effort.
However, considering her personality, complaining about the irritating class distinction and dealing with the doting trio of Duke and his sons seemed more troublesome.
“If Lady practices with enthusiasm regularly, you can undoubtedly master etiquette to a level you won’t be embarrassed about.”
Letticia responded with an encouragement so kind that it seemed unprecedented. Given the treat of Eflore, such lip service wasn’t too much to ask.
‘It’s not exactly my taste, though.’
Eflore, with its complex blend of orchid, fruit, smokiness, and various other flavors, was challenging. Nonetheless, Letticia emptied her cup, then extended the teapot toward Ariette.
“Now, Lady, try brewing the tea yourself this time. Empty the tea leaves here and add fresh leaves when you’re ready.”
Ariette, with a puzzled expression, followed Letticia’s instructions, filling the teapot with water. However, she seemed uncertain about the exact amount of water needed and glanced between Letticia and the teapot.
“Stop if you want a concentration similar to what we had earlier.”
“Oh, yes!”
Ariette earnestly followed Letticia’s guidance. Although her movements were still somewhat shaky, she seemed to remember the instructions quite well.
‘In the original work, it was said that he had trauma from her tutor, but is that okay?’
I expected her to feel burdened by one-on-one instruction if she came to the academy through the proper channels, but her reaction was surprisingly subdued.
If anything, it seemed like she enjoyed Letticia’s teachings, making me doubt whether the trauma of her tutor was accurate.
“… Thank you, Lady Sharon.”
“Yes?”
Lost in thought, Letticia, who had been staring at the teapot, raised her head. Instead of her usual bright smile, her sky-blue eyes seemed slightly shadowed.
“You didn’t really ask about my circumstances. Why the Duke’s daughter is so inept at etiquette or anything like that…”
“Oh, well. I’m not very curious. It doesn’t concern me, after all.”
In truth, she already knew everything due to her knowledge from the original work. However, even if that weren’t the case, Letticia was genuinely uninterested and answered honestly.
Nevertheless, Ariette took Letticia’s response as an invitation to open up further.
“Lady Kairon and Lady Hillmarin always insist that, as the Duke’s daughters, I must exude dignity as the Duke’s daughter. Honestly, it’s uncomfortable for me. I lack confidence in etiquette, and I don’t want to assert my dignity like them or gossip about others.”
“Then do as you please. They do it for their own sakes, not for the Lady. They’re trying to build their own standing.”
“Yes, I know that. So…”
Ariette lifted her head, gazing directly at Letticia. Unfortunately, her expression was resolute.
“If possible, I want to join the March Blossoms. I think that if I join the Lady’s gathering, those two won’t try to pick a fight with me or the Lady.”
“You might as well reject those two. It would be more realistic.”
“Huh?”
Ariette was taken aback by Letticia’s prompt response. However, Letticia had a reason why she couldn’t welcome Ariette.
“I don’t intend to take sides with those two, but it does not make sense for the daughter of the Duke’s family to join the group that I, the Count’s daughter, have created.”
“Is that true? Isn’t that just an excuse they made to stop you?”
“Yes. It might be misunderstood, but it’s the truth.”
Letticia wasn’t opposing Ariette simply because she was the protagonist of the original work.
In a world where the difference in status between a Duke and a Count wasn’t just in words, but had a significant impact, especially when one was an established noble from the East while the other was a newcomer.
“Among our classmates, the only ones who have the status of a count or higher and inherited the bloodline of a historic old noble family from at least one of their parents are me and the princess, and… I don’t remember who it was. Anyway, there is one more person. Everyone says that if we debut like this, two out of three of us will probably become social diamonds.”
“Two out of three of us…?”
“Yes. If another one debuts in a different season, all three of us might become diamonds, but that’s not certain.”
Letticia casually replied as she took a sip of tea. Though its taste was somewhat mild compared to the high-end teas, it was still enjoyable.
“So, the three of us are expected to control different factions. The lady from the opposing faction seems to be from an old nobility, so she’ll focus on the old nobility. I’ll focus on the new nobility, and Lady Averil will handle things in between.”
She conveniently omitted Ariette’s affiliation with the neutral faction. The neutrals were considered a minority compared to the new and old nobilities, and their consciousness of being from the same faction was generally lower.
“Somewhere in between… I don’t want fights because of me. I’m not particularly interested in a diamond seat…”
Ariette fidgeted with her teacup, looking perplexed.
Even in the original work, Ariette wasn’t fond of power struggles, and she didn’t actively create factions; followers naturally gathered around her.
‘You came to the Liberal Arts Department, all the while, thinking only about learning etiquette?’
Letticia, thinking a bit cynically, spoke as if seeking more honesty.
“I don’t particularly enjoy fighting for power. Even when other people argue, I deal with it because if I, the representative of the new nobles, gets pushed down, it will affect the new nobles’ position.”
“Considering that, you speak very well…”
“They’re not good at it. Their words are just that, nothing more.”
In response to Letticia’s words, Ariette tilted her head with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Is that so?’ Ignoring her, Letticia continued with her intended message.
“In any case, it is not easy for a lady to join other people’s circles. As long as she is from a duke family, she has no choice but to occupy a high position in the social world.”
“… My mother, even though she was a duchess, her standing in the capital’s society was not good.”
With this statement finally out in the open, Letticia felt an overwhelming desire to leave the room immediately. Why did this topic have to come up now?
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To Be Continued…
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