“…So, since you and Mother each need to promote different jewels, make sure to discuss that with her. But since it’s good to use birthstones, make sure to put sapphire in for you and ruby for Mother, and then differentiate them…”
“Hey, Lenny. I understand, but could you slow down a bit? If you say everything at once, I won’t remember it later.”
Letticia, tired of the long explanation, interrupted midway. When she said she couldn’t remember everything, Lenoa fell silent and turned back to selecting the jewelry chain.
“Then let me just pick a few for you. Your hair color is too vibrant, so we’ll have to exclude anything too big. It’ll be better to combine several smaller pieces.”
It was a scene of an ideal designer fully committed to her work.
But it was so ideal that it was almost exhausting, so Letticia decided to just talk to Lenard.
“…If Mother and I go out to the ball wearing those jewelry chains, it’ll basically be a showcase for the prototypes, right?”
“Yeah. We haven’t invited any of the Canotia VIPs anyway.”
“You didn’t invite them at all? Are you sure that’s okay?”
“No problem. There will be plenty of people at CountSharon’s ball. Besides, His Highness the Prince is also coming, so people will be more desperate to get an invitation.”
It’s impossible for all the countless gatherings in high society to avoid overlapping in schedule. Balls held at night are no exception.
Since attending every ball is physically impossible, people inevitably rank which ones are worth attending.
Usually, it’s decided based on who the host is and who the guests are.
So even those unfamiliar with high society can guess how high the attendance will be at a ball hosted by Countess Sharon with the Prince in attendance.
“Today is the showcase for our new product. We can’t let the spotlight be taken by a jewel dress. We need to focus all attention on the jewelry chains. So wear that chain and keep dancing until the very end tonight.”
“Are you crazy? Do you know how many dances that would be until the end?”
There are usually about 20 dance numbers at a ball. Asking Letticia to dance through all of them is like telling her to have a nonstop dance party until 4 AM.
Of course, there will be a meal break, giving her about an hour of rest, but there’s still a limit to one’s stamina.
No matter how important promotion is, this was going too far.
“If you’re going to make me do it, then you should wear the jewelry chain too, big brother. If you want us both to wake up together in a coffin tomorrow, let’s dance all 20 numbers together.”
“…Yeah, now that I think about it, that might be a bit too much.”
“Not just a bit, but way too much, big brother. You should ask people to do things they can actually manage.”
Even Lenoa stopped focusing on the jewelry chain and criticized Lenard.
Getting rebuked by both his sisters, Lenard reconsidered and adjusted his proposal to be more realistic.
“Then how about 15 dances? Can you manage that?”
“Big brother, you know I have to play the host alongside Mother, right? Resting isn’t really resting. When I’m not dancing, I have to monitor the ballroom and talk to people, and now you want me to dance 15 songs? That means even after the meal, I still have to dance at least five more songs!”
It’s not that Letticia couldn’t physically manage 15 dances, but that was only possible when she was participating as a guest.
If she had to check that everything at the ball was running smoothly while also keeping track of any issues, that would be impossible.
Letticia would probably kill Lenard before that happened.
As she stared at her brother with a glare full of murderous intent, Lenard thought for a moment before speaking.
“…I wasn’t sure if I should say this, but I think it might help motivate you.”
“What? What could possibly make me want to dance 15 songs without proper rest?”
Letticia asked cynically. Wealth, honor, power—whatever Lenard could offer was predictable. And money? Letticia had plenty of that herself.
But what Lenard said next was enough to catch Letticia’s full attention.
“Actually, I sent an invitation to Ezkhiel for this ball.”
“What?”
Letticia grabbed Lenard by the collar as she asked. The sight of her brother gasping for breath didn’t register in her mind at all.
“You sent one to Sir Bright too? Did he reply? Is he coming? What did he say?”
“Letty, let go me first, come on!”
“Sis, if you want to hear an answer, you should ease up a little. If big brother passes out, you won’t get any answers.”
The Sharon siblings were not the type to let go easily.
Following her sister’s advice, Letticia loosened her grip slightly, allowing for a more peaceful sibling conversation. Lenard, finally able to breathe, gave his answer.
“He replied, and he said he’s coming. Fortunately, he managed to clear his schedule.”
“Really? Yes!”
With two weeks still left until Countess Freke’s ball, Letticia had expected to wait longer, but this opportunity came sooner than expected, bringing a broad smile to her face.
Seeing his sister’s reaction, Lenard sighed and quietly asked.
“You know you need to find a partner soon, right? Are you seriously thinking about dating Ezkhiel?”
“To be honest, I think he’s the best option right now. So, I’m going to meet him a few more times before making a decision.”
“Being the best option isn’t enough. You know you have to really like him, right?”
“I know. That’s why I asked Mother when she fell in love with Father.”
Letticia then told her brother and sister what Camilla had said: that she decided to marry him because their conversations just clicked.
Hearing this, Lenard nodded vigorously in agreement.
However, Lenoa looked confused.
“Conversation, huh… That’s definitely important. Just thinking about living with someone you can’t communicate with is suffocating.”
“If you can’t communicate, you might as well just have kids and spend time separately. Honestly, the thought of a husband asking for my time while I’m working seems annoying.”
“What do you even think marriage is, Lenny?”
“Living with someone is different from living with family, Lenny. But then again, you don’t even spend time with family.”
Even when Lenoa was at home, she was too busy with her own work to spend time with her family outside of meal times.
It was surprising that she still maintained her friendship with the Prince and Princess despite this.
“Well, I like good conversations, but I also love going on dates. I want to get married to someone who will join me for things like going to the theater, attending concerts, horseback riding, shopping, or visiting dessert cafes together.”
As Letticia enthusiastically listed her ideal traits, Lenard pointed out,
“Well, horseback riding aside, there aren’t many men who enjoy shopping or touring dessert cafes. Art can also be tricky if tastes differ.”
“We can work those things out. By the way, do you think Sir Bright would enjoy those things? Horseback riding, shopping, and the like?”
“…Not sure about horseback riding, but he’d probably go shopping if you asked, and he’d definitely like the dessert cafes.”
“Okay, then I’ll have to invite him to Faymont again. What excuse should I use this time?”
Resigned, Lenard quietly continued looking through the jewelry chains.
According to Kenneth, Letticia seemed to have a stronger interest in Ezkhiel than she realized. If that were the case, Lenard had no reason to interfere further.
After all, Letticia, who enjoyed having fun but wasn’t particularly keen on meeting new people, had gone out of her way to arrange another shopping trip with Ezkhiel after only meeting him twice. That was as good as saying the game was already over.
“Big brother, I’ll dance 15 songs, but in return, you have to invite Sir Bright to visit us at home, or take him out somewhere. And I’ll be there too, of course.”
“…Letty.”
“What? You don’t want to?”
As Letticia glared at him for just saying her name without answering, Lenard raised four fingers and began to negotiate.
“Every four songs, I’ll do it once. The rest can be written off.”
“That’s not fair! Make it every two songs and no writing off—add them up instead!”
“Where’s your conscience? Then even if you only danced one song, it would count as two!”
“Can’t you do that much for your beloved sister?”
“Since when have you been my beloved sister?”
“From now on!”
“Stop talking nonsense. Four songs it is, but I’ll add them up.”
“Three songs! And you’ll add them up!”
“…Big brother, just listen to her. She’s the one attending the party, so you should try to keep her happy.”
Lenoa, tired of watching her brother and sister’s comedy routine, sided with Letticia, bringing the matter to a close.
Delighted with the outcome of the negotiation, Letticia cheerfully went back to deciding where to place the chain on her dress. Meanwhile, Lenard began to wonder if he should ask his friend to dance with Letticia.
‘…No, they can handle their romance on their own.’
It’s best not to interfere in other people’s love affairs—especially when it involves your sister and your friend.
Lenard, deciding it was best to just set the stage and then step back, turned his thoughts back to work.
He had too much on his plate to get involved in his sister and friend’s romantic matters.
Can’t wait to get more Ezkhial 🥰
She’s making moves!!