“Why does it have to be Lady Eskis? As if there wasn’t already a rivalry set up.”
“To be precise, you’re slightly ahead. You alone have already danced the minuet with His Highness the Crown Prince and hold the title ‘Queen of Roses.’ Not to mention, you have the advantage of the jewel chain from Sharon Jewelry and Aunt’s influence.”
“Is it enough to beat the White Swan, the eldest daughter of the High Lord’s family?”
“In the capital, it’s more than enough. Count Wallace has to support both Lady Eskis and her own daughter, so her influence is divided. And compared to Aunt’s influence, Countess Wallace’s is lacking.”
Unlike the era of Countess Freke and Duchess Dinever, in Camilla’s generation, she held a uniquely dominant position.
Although Countess Wallace was quite powerful among the old nobility, it was impossible to surpass Camilla, often referred to as the queen of social circles.
“Perhaps that’s why Lady Eskis bought a diamond dress.”
“Is she trying to gain popularity with the diamond dress? Is the Marquess of Eskis that wealthy?”
“They are a High Lord’s family; they can’t be poor, right? Although not as wealthy as the mining regions like Wade, they still rank in the top five in the West. The tourism in Clarence, as well as their wine, honey, and candles, are renowned across the continent.”
Letticia, hearing these details from Kenneth, clicked her tongue.
She felt like she was once again reminded of the powerful background that Seraphina had in the original story.
‘Well, as the High Lord’s family, it would be hard for even Averil to do anything.’
Out of all the noble families in the empire, only Wade and Eskis are regarded as High Lord families.
This title is a tribute to their heritage as descendants of two royal families who ruled the north and south of the western region before the empire was established.
Although the title itself was reduced to Marquess, due to checks and balances, their long history, even older than the imperial family, and their former status as ruling houses mean they are treated as equals to the imperial family in official settings.
In name only, they’re Marquesses, but in reality, they’re practically no different from a Duke.
Thus, even the powerful Duke of Averil found it difficult to attack Seraphina casually. It was only after Seraphina mocked his wife’s bloodline that he could counter her.
In other words, unless someone resorts to such extreme behavior, it’s hard to strike at Seraphina.
“A direct confrontation with someone like that… I don’t feel good about it.”
“But you have no choice. A clash between the diamond dress and the jewel chain is inevitable, especially since both Diamonds will be at the same ball. It would be stranger if they weren’t compared.”
“I understand, but…”
Letticia’s mind felt like it would explode from dealing with not just the original female lead’s family and the Crown Prince but also with the villainess.
She wanted to just throw everything aside and enjoy a peaceful date with Ezkhiel, but duty wouldn’t let her.
“…Do you know what the design of the diamond dress looks like?”
“I don’t know the exact design, but it’s probably dark green.”
“Dark green? With diamonds embedded? It won’t be a flashy style, then.”
Kenneth nodded at Letticia’s prediction.
“Lenny mentioned the same thing. Green is generally a calming color, so to create a glamorous effect, a brighter green would have been used. With dark green, it seems the design is meant to emphasize the diamonds.”
“So, it’s more sophisticated than flashy. And what about Lady Wallace’s dress?”
“It’s purple. This one has diamonds only on the lower part.”
“From fourth place and down, they’re only on the lower part?”
“Yes. After all, there has to be a slight distinction, even among the VIPs.”
After hearing the rough description, Letticia started to get a sense of how they would be styled.
It seemed that both Seraphina and Lady Wallace were focused on creating an elegant image.
“For now, I’ve decided on a chiffon dress with a chain to highlight my sense of fashion, adding it to my hair as well. But, to ensure I don’t lose out, what else should I do? Would dancing with lots of men help?”
“That might not be a bad idea. If the debutantes themselves generate more attention than the diamond dress or the jewel chain, we might actually have the upper hand as latecomers. Plus, since you’ll be using the chain as a hair accessory, if you catch people’s attention, more of them will want to buy the chain to copy your style.”
In other words, she had to keep the attention on herself throughout the ball.
With this in mind, Letticia resolved to dance until she could barely stand.
***
“Lady Sharon, may I have the honor of a second dance with you?”
…Though the thought of dancing with Matthias again was a bit exhausting.
As Letticia prepared for the quadrille, Matthias noticed her and walked over, inviting her to dance.
While her friends let out small squeals, Letticia calmly calculated the price of the jewelry in her head to keep her composure.
“It’s always an honor to dance with Your Highness! And a waltz, no less. I must thank the Countess.”
“……..”
At her deliberately cheerful and cute voice, Matthias’ expression turned cold.
Pleased that her intention had landed, Letticia maintained her mask until Matthias left.
Seeing this, her friends looked at her curiously and asked,
“Letticia, why did you suddenly change your voice like that?”
“Yes, it sounded like you were flirting.”
“You haven’t been drinking since the ball started, right?”
“Well, I was thinking of trying a different approach…”
“Don’t. His Highness didn’t seem too pleased.”
“…I have my reasons. Haha.”
Letticia gave a hollow laugh, unable to reveal the truth. He really was no help at times like these.
Fortunately, her friends didn’t press her strange behavior any further, as the quadrille was about to start.
Letticia stepped onto the stage with Kenneth and paired up with Chloe and her partner for the dance.
Occasionally, she glanced over at Matthias, but he seemed to be going through the quadrille without any issues.
As for Seraphina, despite standing close to Matthias, she maintained a calm, elegant smile.
“The combination of diamonds and a green dress is actually quite striking.”
The dark green dress, which seemed to match the color of Seraphina’s eyes, suited her perfectly.
Her distinctive, upright posture accentuated the dress’s fit, and the diamonds densely encrusted on the upper part shone with a dignified brilliance, highlighting the wearer’s charm.
Moreover, dancing in the middle of the crowd ensured that other attendees couldn’t ignore her allure.
“I can’t use the exact same design, but should I consider adding jewels to my dress in collaboration with the atelier?”
As Letticia pondered this, the quadrille ended.
She returned to her friends’ spot, but there was no time for chatter. Men started approaching to ask for a dance.
“Ah, looks like it’s time for everyone to disperse. Best of luck to you all.”
“Yes, we must avoid the courtship season with no visitors at all!”
Courtship season, you could say, was like a midterm report on their social season progress.
The number of suitors one attracts during this time often becomes something people remember, either as a proud accomplishment from one’s debutante days or as a disappointing black mark in their history.
So, if not a single visitor shows up during the courting season, it’s a sign that the season is halfway ruined—and a humiliation in their life as well.
After everyone dispersed, Letticia also found herself receiving countless dance requests from the men.
Since this was the last exploratory period before the courtship began, some were quite persistent. However, as the season had already reached its halfway point, Letticia could easily refuse such men without issue.
“I’m sorry, but I already have prior arrangements at that time.”
“I appreciate the offer, but my schedule is packed before dinner. Could you bring me some lemonade later instead?”
“I probably won’t be around by then. Let’s hope for another opportunity.”
With repeated skillful rejections, the time for the waltz finally arrived.
She would have preferred a minuet if it were a solo dance. But the Countess had arranged the dance exclusively as a waltz for the newer generation, which irritated her a bit.
If only she could have attended with Ezkhiel, she would have gladly danced.
‘Wait a minute, wasn’t it the Count who prevented the Sir Bright from coming? Damn it.’
It was as if the couple gave her both the poison and the remedy, but the timing was so off that the remedy turned into poison.
Resigned, Letticia plastered a professional smile on her face, took Matthias’s arm as he approached her, and stepped onto the dance floor.
They placed their hands on each other’s shoulders and waists, yet the distance between them was the widest Letticia had ever kept while dancing the waltz with any partner.
‘Please let this end quickly…’
The dance hadn’t even started, yet she was already wishing for it to be over.
The song she usually enjoyed was playing, but given her partner, she couldn’t indulge in the music. Instead, she had to focus entirely on ensuring Matthias wouldn’t develop any feelings for her.
She acted like someone who didn’t understand his position and would repeatedly ask why he wasn’t giving her more attention—exactly the type of behavior Matthias disliked most.
“Your Highness, I heard you’ve been quite busy lately. Are things better now?”
“…It’s rare to have free days. I’ll be heading back soon as well.”
“I’m so disappointed you couldn’t attend the ball hosted by my family last time. It was the first time I helped my mother host, and I was hoping you could have been there.”
Letticia’s natural acting talent was truly shining.
If it were someone like Eustace or Judith, who had known her since childhood, they would have found her behavior odd. But for Matthias, who hadn’t interacted with her much until recently, he took her words at face value, entirely untroubled by any suspicions.
