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My Lover Isn’t Interested With The Female lead!
✽ CHAPTER 42✽
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“If we’re talking about this season’s diamond, does that mean I’m a candidate for the crown princess?”
Letticia asked, hoping Camilla would deny it, but the response was harsh.
“If it wasn’t the case, why would I even bring it up?”
“Damn it!!!”
Letticia cursed and banged her head on the table. Camilla wanted to scold her for her rude behavior, but Letticia was too distressed to notice.
‘But Ariette hasn’t even debuted yet! So as long as Matthias doesn’t fall for me, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
Of course, Matthias is 22 this year, so it’s not surprising he’s under pressure to marry. Royalty tends to marry earlier than other nobles.
But isn’t he supposed to just ignore that kind of pressure if he’s the male lead in a romance novel?
“One dance was enough, why would I be a candidate for the crown princess? What did I do in a past life to deserve this mess?”
“Well, if you consider your family’s status, your own abilities, and the connections between your parents, it’s stranger that you’re not being considered.”
“Even if it’s strange, tell them to exclude me! I don’t want that position!”
Despite enduring his terrible manners and pretending to be friendly to avoid getting involved with Matthias, now she was a candidate for crown princess?
“But I’m a new noble! How can I be a candidate for crown princess? Even if my mother is from the Marquess of Wade, there are plenty of nobles who look down on me as a nouveau riche!”
“That might be true in the academy. But outside the academy, it’s different.”
Instead of scolding her, Camilla began to explain.
“It’s been decades since new nobles started rising. Thanks to marriages like mine and your father’s, and the marriage of Duke Averil’s couple, it’s been over 20 years since marriages between high nobles and new nobles have been possible.”
“Furthermore, now 30% of all noble families are new nobles. They hold a significant number of seats in the parliament and have a much greater impact on the empire’s economy. So it’s reasonable to expect a crown princess from the new nobles soon.”
Letticia was so overwhelmed that she felt dizzy. She had only thought about debuting as the diamond of the social world, not the political implications, so she felt completely blindsided.
“But why does it have to be me? Our family isn’t the only new noble family that’s at least a count!”
“That might be true, but you’re the only one whose maternal family is a major lord in the west.”
“If we’re talking about maternal family conditions, Lady Eskis is a better fit. She’s the eldest daughter of a major lord’s marquess family in the west.”
“The eldest daughter of a major lord’s marquess family?”
Surprised by the grander title than she expected, Letticia asked, and Kenneth explained instead of Camilla.
“Marquess Eskis, like Marquess Wade, ruled the west before the empire was established. Their territory, Clarence, is the center of western social circles.”
“…Ah!”
Hearing Kenneth’s explanation, Letticia recalled more details from the original story.
Seraphina Eskis. The villainess in Ariette’s social debut arc, who saw Ariette as a threat to her position as a crown princess candidate and harassed her.
She comes from one of the few families comparable to the Duke of Averil, and her beauty rivals Ariette’s, making even the Duke’s family wary of her.
‘Why is a villainess showing up here?!’
It was bad enough to be considered for the crown princess position, but now a villainess from the original story was appearing. It felt like a sign that Letticia should set the temple on fire.
‘No, wait. In recent romance novels, there are rarely true villainesses, right? Many of them become villainesses due to circumstances, or they’re just labeled as villainesses but are actually saints or just normal girls. This one must be like that.’
She tried to rationalize it desperately, but the information she recalled was not hopeful.
‘The crown prince falls for Ariette and doesn’t even glance at her, so she becomes desperate and mocks Ariette’s lineage, only to be countered by her brothers and eliminated quickly…’
It was such a typical third-rate villainess route that she had no words.
While Letticia was groaning, Kenneth and Camilla started talking among themselves.
“I thought the person we should worry about most was Lady Wallace, but I never expected Lady Eskis to come to the capital. I heard western nobles look down on the capital’s social circles, but the position of crown princess must be tempting.”
“The previous western empress not leaving an heir during the late emperor’s reign was significant. And only the two major lord families are considered qualified to produce a crown princess. Since my brother only has sons, Eskis must have seen this as their chance.”
“So the old nobles will support Lady Eskis, right? I heard she’s staying at Count Wallace’s residence. If Wallace supports her, we can consider their faction definitely against us.”
“It’s better to think that way. They already see Letticia as a thorn in their side, so they would welcome anyone they could put forward as a focal point.”
While the two discussed their future strategy, Letticia barely recovered her composure and regained the strength to participate in the conversation.
“Mother, Ken, I really don’t want to become the crown princess. Isn’t there a way for me to avoid it? Can’t I just declare that I won’t do it?”
No matter how much she thought about it, Letticia couldn’t find a way to navigate this dilemma on her own.
According to the original story, Matthias chooses Ariette out of love. If Letticia were to get engaged to Matthias, he would break the engagement to marry Ariette.
In that case, Matthias would try to get rid of Letticia. It would be a blessing if she were only removed from the capital; she would have to pray not to be removed from this world entirely.
And if the story doesn’t follow the original plot, that’s even more dreadful.
‘If Matthias says something crazy like he can’t run away from me, I’ll really kill him.’
However, Kenneth, unaware of these concerns, assessed the situation coldly and responded.
“Declaring right now that you won’t become the crown princess would be too risky. First, the new nobles would object, and the press might speculate that there’s something wrong with you.”
“Why? I’m just saying I don’t want to do it. Are they going to take responsibility for my life? Besides, there’s nothing wrong with me. They should look for faults in the crown prince instead!”
“Letty!”
Kenneth reprimanded her, but Letticia believed she had maintained her manners and stood her ground.
After all, she had addressed him respectfully as ‘His Highness.’
“Letty, I understand that you don’t want to become the crown princess, but you need to think practically. Consider the benefits of being recognized as a debutante of such high standing. Do you know how many inquiries we received about the necklace, earrings, and hairpin you wore from Sharon Jewelry yesterday?”
“…Did we receive a lot?”
“Over 30 inquiries just this morning. Plus, given the news coverage, off-shoulder chiffon dresses are likely to become the trend this season.”
Letticia hung her head low.
Sadly, the crown prince was still the crown prince. While he would certainly be harmful in the future, associating with him was more beneficial for now.
And her family, who were meticulous about profit and loss calculations, would never permit Letticia to antagonize the crown prince over her personal feelings. Letticia felt too guilty to even consider that.
“So what should I do? If the royal family decides I’m suitable for the crown princess, do I have to marry him?”
“We wouldn’t sacrifice your life to that extent. We would welcome it if you loved His Highness and wanted to marry him.”
“That will never happen unless I’m reborn.”
When Letticia spoke firmly, Kenneth muttered with a slightly anxious expression.
“People who say that often end up marrying them later…”
“Oh, there’s no way! Becoming the crown princess involves so much politics and economics. You know I hate studying that stuff, Ken.”
She had wanted to enter society to avoid such studies, but becoming the crown princess would render that meaningless. It was the worst choice not only for her emotions but also for her career.
“Can’t Mother tell the Empress that I have no knowledge of politics or economics, that I find ancient languages and history tedious, and that I only know dance and etiquette?”
“Even if we say that, it won’t matter. How many crown princesses has the royal family trained? The skills required for an empress include managing the palace and social events, charity work, and hosting diplomatic missions. They’ll say you can learn it quickly.”
“Then tell them this: if I become the crown princess, I dream of placing gold statues encrusted with jewels modeled after myself in every city, where people must chant, ‘In the beginning, there was Lady Letticia, whose beauty transcends the world and saves the universe!’”
“…Letty, you’re not serious, right?”
“…Forget it, big brother. It was nonsense.”
Kenneth, whose eyes were usually squinted, opened them wide in shock, breaking into a cold sweat. Letticia felt humiliated, realizing she had just spewed the most dreadful, bizarre nonsense.
Camilla, on the other hand, looked at her daughter with pity for her meaningless outburst.
“The Empress has known you for a while and wouldn’t believe that. Besides, she thinks you’re very humble and well-mannered because you refused to visit the palace until you mastered etiquette. If you’re going to lie, make it believable.”
God is dead. Letticia had just confirmed that in her heart.
“During this season, focus on promoting yourself, meeting people, and solidifying your position in society. They won’t choose a crown princess in just one season. If you find someone to love by the end of the season, they won’t force you, considering our family’s principles.”
Camilla’s attempt to console her gave Letticia a firm resolution. She would find a romantic partner this season no matter what.
If things didn’t go her way, she would buy a villa abroad and escape.
‘I’d rather leave the empire than get engaged to that guy!’
Whether she ended up as the original male lead’s fiancée who gets dumped for true love or someone Matthias obsesses over against the original story, it would only lead to an unhappy ending.
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To Be Continued…
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