My Lover Isn't Interested With The Female lead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ball began with a traditional dance sequence, starting with the quadrille and followed by the gavotte, cotillion, and waltz in succession.

 

After dancing with Eustace, the Duke of Dinever, Count Freke, and several other high-ranking nobles, Letticia felt more exhausted than usual.

 

Since Letticia was in charge of the desserts, she had to check the tea room during every break to ensure everything was running smoothly.

 

Moreover, the newly hired temporary staff could only handle simple tasks like serving guests, so Letticia could only give instructions to a few senior staff members.

 

Although it was annoying to go around finding them one by one, she had no choice due to the risk of spies from rival companies among the temporary staff.

 

“Do we still have any Southern-style ice cream tarts left?”

 

“Almost all gone, my lady. They were more popular than expected….”

 

At a ball where dancing was the focus, cold desserts like ice cream were always the first to run out.

 

Additionally, the desserts from the House of Sharon were famous because they were made by a pastry chef from Faymont, so the tea room was always full of people.

 

Letticia, after checking the time, decided to bring out some other snacks to avoid disappointing the guests.

 

“We mustn’t run out of cold desserts. Do we have anything else?”

 

“Miss Chelsea has prepared some frozen strawberry cakes.”

 

“Then cut those up and serve them. Is the cold magic tool working properly?”

 

“No problems at all.”

 

After going back and forth between the ballroom and the tea room, dancing and giving instructions, Letticia finally managed to catch her breath when the tea room closed at half past midnight and dinner preparations began.

 

Camilla was in charge of the dinner, so Letticia could focus on dancing.

 

The next dance was the last one before dinner, making it the tenth dance of the night.

 

‘Fifteen dances seem too much, so I’ll stop at thirteen. Or maybe just ten.’

 

After some persistent pleading, Letticia decided to settle for thirteen dances, which would count the same as fifteen rounds in the end.

 

Under normal circumstances, she could have danced all fifteen, but today, with all the responsibilities as the host, it seemed too exhausting.

 

As Letticia leisurely returned to the ballroom, having decided to use a little trick, she noticed Kenneth, who was standing by the drinks, waving at her.

 

“Big brother Ken, what dance is next?”

 

“A waltz.”

 

“Again? There are so many waltzes.”

 

“Waltzes are all the rage right now. At some balls, almost half of the dances are waltzes.”

 

Taking a brief rest while sipping lemonade, Letticia glanced at Kenneth as she noticed men approaching her from across the room.

 

It was to ask if there was a man on Kenneth’s list.

 

But before Kenneth could respond, someone approached Letticia.

 

“Letty, here you are.”

 

Lenard, dressed in a formal suit, approached Letticia confidently and stood beside her.

 

Letticia, who was initially uninterested and thought he came to check how many dances she had completed, immediately brightened up when she saw the person following him.

 

“Sir Bright, welcome!”

 

“Ah… Lady Sharon. It’s been a while. The last time we met was at Sharon Jewelry.”

 

Ezkhiel, dressed in a navy blue suit, appeared flustered by Letticia’s warm welcome but responded politely, not wanting to embarrass her.

 

Meanwhile, Lenard and Kenneth were barely managing to keep their expressions neutral, though they both looked as if their faces were about to sour.

 

However, Letticia ignored her brothers’ expressions and immediately approached Ezkhiel with a friendly tone.

 

“I thought I’d only see you again at Countess Freke’s ball, but I’m so glad to see you so soon. Have you been well?”

 

“Yes, yes. I’ve been quite busy, but I finally wrapped everything up yesterday. Thanks to that, I’m able to attend the ball.”

 

“That’s good to hear. You must have gotten some rest too, right? You look much better.”

 

“I slept like the dead.”

 

Thanks to Letticia’s friendly attitude, Ezkhiel seemed to speak more comfortably than before.

 

Moreover, his complexion looked much brighter today, with no signs of dark circles, suggesting he hadn’t overworked himself this time.

 

“…I brought you here because Letty said she wanted to see you, but it seems like you two have become quite close.”

 

Lenard remarked with a displeased look, which made Ezkhiel flustered, but Letticia shamelessly responded.

 

“Saying that is impolite to the lady, Lenard.”

 

“Yes, we’re close. So close that I’d like to get even closer. So what?”

 

Both answered simultaneously, prompting Kenneth to sigh and shake his head at Lenard.

 

“Brother, just leave them be. Letty’s love life is her own business.”

 

“Love life?! Sir Kenneth, hold on-”

 

“Yeah. Letty, if you want to dance, go ahead. We’ll be at the east terrace, so join us there when you’re done.”

 

Deciding to leave them alone, Lenard and Kenneth coolly left after giving them space.

 

Of the two who remained, Ezkhiel, frozen by the mention of a love life, stammered, while Letticia, feeling relieved now that the intruders were gone, smiled broadly.

 

“That’s what they said. Now that my brothers are gone, shall we talk?”

 

“…Are you okay with that, milady?”

 

“Okay with what?”

 

Ezkhiel hesitantly asked,

 

“About what those two said earlier… the, uh, ‘love life’…”

 

Seeing how he couldn’t even make proper eye contact, Letticia clicked her tongue. Those damn brothers had gone and said something unnecessary.

 

“Don’t pay too much attention to what those two said. They didn’t mean to tease or anything.”

 

“I understand that, but I was worried it might have made you uncomfortable….”

 

“It didn’t, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, it looks like you liked the brooch I picked for you. It suits you very well.”

 

Letticia shifted the conversation, complimenting the green garnet brooch Ezkhiel was wearing.

 

The deep yet bright and transparent green gem matched Ezekhiel’s eye color as well as she had imagined.

 

Ezekhiel seemed to relax at Letticia’s praise, regaining his composure and thanking her.

 

“It’s all thanks to you for picking out such a fine gem. Even at work, the tie received many compliments. His Highness also praised my choice.”

 

“Then there weren’t any nobles who dismissed it as an expensive piece?”

 

“…Some sneered when I mentioned it was garnet, but someone else stepped in and shut them up. I think that person must have recognized the true value of the gem.”

 

Ezekhiel smiled slightly, appearing somewhat satisfied. Though he had a mild personality and rarely engaged in gossip, it seemed he had been under some stress.

 

“Wow, the person next to them must have been on edge, probably cursing them inwardly for calling such an expensive item cheap.”

 

“Yes, their expression was just like that. I’ve encountered similar situations a few times, but when I mentioned it was my birthstone, most people stopped commenting.”

 

“Come on, you should have told them it’s three times more expensive than emeralds. That would have shut them up right away.”

 

“I’m not fond of boasting like that… but I did mention that it was a precious gem. Though there was someone who rudely asked if I was born in the month of cheap stones.”

 

“There are people that rude?”

 

Letticia was shocked by the unexpected level of rudeness and raised her voice. Ezekhiel nodded, his expression darkening.

 

“There are such people… though they are quite rare.”

 

“Even if they’re rare, it’s still a problem! And what kind of nerve do they have to say something like that to the Crown Prince’s chief aide?”

 

“Even though I’m the chief aide, I’m still from a baron’s family, and not even the heir at that. So it’s inevitable that some people have a problem with following my orders. I expected as much.”

 

Letticia was so taken aback that she was at a loss for words.

 

The House of Sharon might be a newly risen noble family, but its close ties with the royal family meant that even the high-ranking nobles didn’t dare to look down on them.

 

Having such a powerful connection with the royals, how could they dismiss the chief aide of the future emperor just because of his status?

 

“…You’re not just letting them get away with it, right?”

 

“Of course not. I can’t afford to let such people go unchecked, as it would interfere with official duties.”

 

Ezekhiel shook his head with a bitter smile. It seemed he wasn’t so weak after all.

 

“His Highness has allowed me to emphasize that my orders come directly from him in such situations, so I handle those who refuse to cooperate without a valid reason accordingly.”

 

“Still, aren’t there some who just won’t listen? Even at our main store, there are troublesome customers like that.”

 

“In such cases, I sometimes have to rely on the knights for assistance. Although that’s very rare.”

 

Whether it’s difficult customers or unreasonable nobles, they seem to have no chance against the knights or the guards.

 

The saying ‘a fist is closer than the law’ is likely meant for situations like this.

 

“Still, thanks to the gem you picked out for me, the number of uncooperative nobles has decreased recently. I didn’t understand it before, but now I clearly see why it’s important to spend money on maintaining one’s dignity.”

 

As Ezekhiel spoke, he lightly touched the green garnet brooch. It seemed that things were better now, which offered some consolation.

 

“It would be best if there were none at all, but I guess that’s impossible.”

 

“Unfortunately… Ah!”

 

Ezekhiel suddenly widened his eyes and, in the middle of speaking, grabbed Letticia’s hand and pulled her toward him.

 

Before the startled Letticia could shake him off, Ezekhiel’s arm was already around her waist as he quickly pulled her into his embrace and stepped back.

 

“Sir, what are you…!”

 

Just as Letticia was about to demand an explanation, she heard the sound of something splashing onto the spot where she had just been standing.

 

When she turned around, she saw red wine spilled on the floor, and a man holding the glass that had once contained it.