“Episode 18”
“Red thread?”
The maids were surprised, thinking it was human hair, but I was rather indifferent.
Perhaps it was because it felt so surreal, or because it seemed like something that would only happen in novels or comics.
“Maybe they’re just clueless, or they don’t know any better.”
More out of curiosity than shock, I started tearing open other letters one by one.
I usually received only a few letters a week, mostly from Rosina or my brother. Occasionally, Prince Joshua also sent letters, but since his whereabouts kept changing, it was difficult to reply separately.
“When I sent a spirit to check, they said he was aggressively suppressing the rebellion.”
I thought it was just talk, but Prince Joshua’s promise to return quickly wasn’t just a casual remark.
Anyway, I rarely received letters to that extent.
“Other than that, are they just the customary letters from the Blante Viscount’s family, who are connected to the Medlerikes?”
Tap, tap, tap.
Each time I opened a letter, various torment tools that noble ladies would send fell out.
“Even among these, there’s a bug.”
They were kind of cute.
The phrases written in red ink were polite, like “Go back, as a viscountess!” or “You’re overstepping your bounds!”
The maids were slower to react than I expected.
“Oh, miss. Please don’t look at these!”
“We thought they were letters sent to exchange pleasantries with our miss!”
I smiled and shook my head at the maids who were trying to collect the letters right away.
“Don’t do that.”
“…Pardon?”
“They all sent these letters so kindly, I should reciprocate.”
Why are they so naive and foolish?
They even wrote their signatures so meticulously on torment letters.
“I really underestimated them.”
And there was a need to find out.
I summoned the spirits and told the maids, “Bring me the past newspapers I haven’t checked yet.”
The investigation ended easily.
Just by investigating the tea parties in the capital over the past few days, the words flowed out like twisted eels.
“Isn’t she the Blante Viscountess? She’s not in the Viscount’s realm, but she’s not in the capital!”
“Yes, she’s from the Spirit Mage family, but does she dare to block Prince Lucas’s path without any power?”
“Her Highness won’t refuse if His Highness shows a little deeper affection towards other ladies!”
“Prince, out of genuine affection, wouldn’t reject it because of long-standing friendship!”
It seemed so exaggerated that I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Really, Lucas Medlerike, you’re something else. Are you using my name without even listening to me? Selling my name like this?”
A chuckle escaped me.
Even my maids, who may have heard something, looked at me with eager eyes when I tried to check the newspapers.
“Do you really have to see it, miss?”
“It’ll quiet down soon, since the junior viscount will come. But if you must…”
I lightly laughed at their words.
“I have to handle my own affairs.”
To think my brother would let me handle this and even entrust it to me?
It was horrifying just to think about it.
When my brother got angry, he just kept glaring at me silently.
I’d rather call him and admit my mistakes. At least then I’d have some peace of mind!
“I’ll just have to solve it quickly.”
Moreover, this wasn’t my problem to begin with.
All the credit so far had been attributed to Lucas’s achievements, but I had truly done everything.
“Miss…”
The maids sent me strange looks mixed with admiration and sympathy.
“I have to see it. For you, miss?”
“His Highness is not thinking of anything else right now, except for the woman in the picture, isn’t he?”
The love-struck ladies were just using me as bait, hoping to get something in return.
Thanks to them, my affection for them was dwindling away like water.
“The way they’re treating my favorite is the same. Lucas!”
Thanks to him, my affection for them was dwindling away like water!
The appearance of the women in the photos changed repeatedly over the past few days.
Each time, the media talked about who was the likely fiancée of Prince Lucas, and among them, my name came up more often than not.
“Lucas, you’ve really outdone yourself. Since you sold me out…”
That girl was not thinking about anything other than mailing the woman in the picture.
The ladies who couldn’t openly say how they felt about me would surely pick a fight with me.
“Well, these ladies aren’t exactly hateful, they just feel a little sorry for me.”
“Still, I can provide them with a good social experience this time.”
They’re naive opponents who don’t even need strategies. How do they plan to survive in this harsh world?
I sighed inwardly but instructed the maids to call the dressmaker.
The Autumn Equinox Celebration Ball was approaching soon.
“I’ll take care of it as a parting gift, Lucas.”
And that will be the end of you and me.
A few months of relatively relaxed vacation came to an end.
I called the dressmaker to tailor a new dress and started meticulously checking newspapers and magazines again.
Gerald looked very uneasy about my actions.
He wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of me associating with Lucas.
“He feels like I’m taking too much of a loss.”
So seeing me delve into checking information like when I helped Lucas made him uneasy.
“Jerry, I won’t help Prince Lucas anymore. So relax a bit. It’s hard to eat with that expression on your face.”
“Is that true, miss? But you’re still reading newspapers during meals! I wish you would focus on eating.”
Haha, it’s become a habit.
Even in my previous life, I used to leave my tablet or smartphone aside while eating, and even here, since I often eat alone, it became a habit to watch something.
“But I’m eating better than before.”
“Yes, yes. The chef is very pleased too. He was worried that you were too thin, but now he’s relieved that you’ve gained some weight.”
That blunt chef…?
She’s a typical Blante Viscountess and hardly expresses any emotions.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Gerald confidently patted his chest as if he could assure me and said,
“It’s true! Everyone is happy even though their expressions don’t change.”
The maids nodded in agreement, displaying emotions rare in this mansion as if they were in agreement with Gerald’s words.
“Yes, we can’t wait to see how beautiful you’ll be in the dress you’ve prepared!”
“We can finally properly assist Miss Alicia with her dressing!”
The maids clenched their fists and seemed to plead for our trust.
I smiled faintly at their appearance and pushed another piece of steak into my mouth.
Thanks to the long absence, I was now eating a little more than half of what a normal person would, but I felt quite good about it.
It’s definitely easier to wake up in the morning with a bit of weight on me.
And perhaps, a little lighter in spirit…
[I’ll make sure you can return to your own ways at the National Ball. If it’s okay with you, may I ask for a positive response to my partner request for that day?]
Maybe it’s because I heard the news that Prince Joshua is coming back.
I’ve barely met him a few times since I came to the capital, but I feel surprisingly comfortable enough to…
But instead of analyzing my feelings, I decided to just accept them comfortably.
The fact that this ordinary fondness is lacking in our relationship was also true.
I now realized that blindly following affection doesn’t always lead to a good ending.
“Thank you so much for calling me, miss!”
On the day of the National Ball, Rosina visited the townhouse, jumping with joy at the invitation to go together.
While respecting the maids, she had been quite helpful with my dressing, and thanks to her, I had the most perfect appearance since I was born as Alicia Blante.
“No, I’m the one who should thank you for coming. I didn’t have anyone else to go with.”
“It’s nothing! You should have asked Prince Joshua to come earlier.”
He who had promised to come to the National Ball had not yet arrived in the capital.
However, I wasn’t too disappointed because I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“Later, be sure to ask Prince Joshua for some kind of reward.”
“Is it okay to speak like that even though you’re in charge?”
“Of course, if you had been more modest, I would have given up a long time ago! Do you know how talented I am?”
Rosina shrugged, puffing out her chest with pride.
Her appearance was so cute that a smile naturally spread across my lips.
“So don’t worry too much today, I’m good at dealing with stupid people.”
Rosina also seemed to know about the rumors about me circulating in the capital these days as she clenched her fists and spoke.
“While our house is a noble one, my mother is very good at business, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
I was very grateful for her kindness, but I shook my head at her.
“I’ll just take your kindness to heart.”
“…Miss, are you really going to tolerate those frivolous people?”
Rosina asked in shock.
“No, I’m not that kind. It’s just…”
I showed Rosina the letters I had saved for today and said,
“I can handle this much easily.”
Just showing them the bitter taste of society, to opponents who don’t even need tactics.
It’s too simple.
