Chapter 23
“A boy, you say? What are you talking about?”
“I met a boy my age at the banquet yesterday! He’s the grandson of Marquess Lafrande. His name is Kai!”
“…Kai?”
The Duke’s brow furrowed.
“I don’t care what his name is. Are you saying that young man approached a lady first, without any formal introduction?”
“A lady?”
“No matter the age, a lady is still a lady.”
Oof. That was not a friendly response.
“Uh… was I not supposed to…? I just felt so awkward at the banquet! But thanks to him, I even learned how to dance!”
“You learned to dance?”
The Duke’s gaze grew sharper. Was learning to dance a mistake too? Crap, if I bring up the invitation, things will get even worse!
As I floundered, an unexpected savior intervened.
“Hoho, the young lady doesn’t look so happy.”
“Ah, Lord Lafrande!”
Marquess Lafrande had joined our conversation.
Just looking at his warm smile and snow-white beard brought me comfort. He really looked like Santa Claus.
But our resident villain, Duke Schlieger, clearly had no such sentimental notions.
“Lord Lafrande, heading off now?”
“Yes, I just stopped by to say farewell before the long journey. You weren’t going to come see me first anyway, were you?”
“…I can’t deny that. But I was thinking of paying you a visit.”
“Oh? What for?”
“I heard that your grandson escorted my daughter yesterday. And apparently, they even danced, without any formal introduction.”
“…What?”
“I’d like to laugh it off as children being children, but as a father, it left me rather uncomfortable.”
Though his tone was calm, his eyes grew sharper and colder.
I was about to think how rude, scowling at a grandfather like that… but then I realized why the Duke was acting this way.
Ah, right. He’s playing the doting dad again! He’s doing just fine without me coaching him.
Lord Lafrande looked incredulous at first, but then he burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Good grief, that’s some overprotectiveness! So your daughter met a boy while you weren’t watching, and now you’re on edge?”
“Yes.”
“…”
You’re really gonna say that here?
The old man chuckled again.
“It’s natural to feel drawn to someone who seems like fate. I understand that. But isn’t it a bit much to meddle in her friendships?”
“They’re not friends yet.”
“Hoho, still. Overprotection is one thing, but raising her with no friends might backfire. She could go wild when she enters society.”
Agreed.
I lightly stepped on the Duke’s shoe to signal him to tone it down. A doting dad is fine, but go too far and you just look like a controlling tyrant!
And just then, the culprit himself, Kai, came running up.
“Sol! Are you feeling better?”
“Oh, Kai!”
Seeing him in daylight, he looked even more dazzling than yesterday. Sunlight shimmered off his golden hair as he ran. He looked like the very embodiment of summer’s warmth.
He bowed gracefully in front of the Duke.
“Good day, Your Grace Schlieger. I am Kai Lafrande, who had the honor of escorting Lady Sol yesterday.”
Wow, is this the same boy who babbled at me yesterday without a care? Now he’s all princely.
The Duke reluctantly gave a small nod.
“…Nice to meet you. I heard my daughter owes you.”
“It was a delightful time! So, if you permit it, I would love to visit Lady Sol this summer—”
“Absolutely not.”
Excuse me? At least pretend to consider it!
Worried Kai might feel embarrassed, I tugged on the Duke’s sleeve.
“Can’t we invite him? Lord Lafrande said I could visit their estate, so why not the other way around?”
“You’ve yet to even learn the basics of etiquette. I can’t allow you to travel far, nor can I let you host guests.”
“Ugh…”
Here we go again with the etiquette excuse. Sounds reasonable enough that I can’t even argue.
Then the old man proposed a compromise.
“Then how about exchanging letters?”
“Letters?”
“Yes. Writing letters would be a good way for them to gradually become friends. And it’ll help Sol get accustomed to noble customs.”
The Duke still looked displeased, but since he’d already denied the invitation, he couldn’t very well reject letter-writing in front of the elder. After some hesitation, he nodded.
A servant from the Marquess’s house quickly brought writing materials. We exchanged slips of paper with each other’s estate addresses written on them.
Hmm… The black is ink, the white is paper.
To whoever threw me into this world—if you gave me the ability to speak, you should’ve given me the ability to write too! If I don’t learn fast, I’ll have to ask someone to write letters for me.
The Duke, quick on the uptake, leaned in and whispered.
“Can you read it? If not, I can help—”
“O-of course I can!”
…I’ll just ask Elbert later. He’s kind. I’m sure he’d help me write.
Unaware of my predicament, Kai smiled brightly and rode off in the Lafrande family’s white carriage with his grandfather. I got into the Duke’s carriage with Ratiger.
Pen pals, huh? That’s such an old-school, boarding school vibe. Will I actually be writing with ink and quill? Maybe we’ll even seal the envelopes with wax like in the movies?
The thought alone made me giddy, and I started swinging my legs in the carriage. I wasn’t even touching the Duke, but he still frowned.
“Is it that exciting?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
I quickly folded my legs. But the Duke’s sharp tone didn’t stop.
“When did you and that Lafrande boy get so close?”
“We just exchanged greetings and danced once.”
“Impressive, considering no one taught you. Did he teach you the dance?”
“Not really. We just spun around a bit.”
“At this rate, there’ll be rumors at the next ball that you’re engaged.”
His tone had completely soured. Good, he’s on track.
I clapped my hands.
“Perfect! You pass!”
“…What?”
“Yes! Being prickly toward the boys your daughter meets? Classic doting dad behavior! You’re doing great. But do it in front of others—what’s the point if it’s just between us?”
“…”
“But you should be careful. Go too far, and it just looks like you think your daughter is your property. Like she can only do what you allow. That rubs people the wrong way.”
I glanced at the Duke to check his reaction. Was I being too blunt? Was he annoyed?
Hmm… he still looked like a strict teacher. That’s fine, I guess.
“If you’re too controlling, people might start whispering, ‘He treats that girl like a possession. I bet he adopted her for some hidden scheme.’”
“They probably already think that.”
“Well, it’s my job to break that assumption.”
I smiled and added casually,
“If we were still going by your old methods, people might be saying, ‘Did he adopt Sol just to use her as a scapegoat?’”
“A scapegoat?”
“Like… I get murdered one day, and you claim, ‘My political enemy killed my daughter!’ and use it to wipe them out. When really, you were the one who did it.”
That’s how it went in the original story, after all. Did the Duke plan that from the start? I said it as a subtle jab, just to gauge his reaction…
He only furrowed his brow. No sign of surprise. Doesn’t seem like a caught red-handed situation.
Rather—
“…Sol, just how dark is that little mind of yours?”
“Sorry?”
“Even I wouldn’t go that far with a child.”
“Y-yes! Of course not!”
What’s the point of denying it now? We both know you did it. His expression practically screamed utter disgust.
Hmm… Elbert might be sweet now, but he eventually grows bitter over time.
Could Duke Schlieger be on a similar downward spiral? Not that he’s got a sunny personality now either.
As I pondered, the Duke unfolded the address paper and muttered.
“Such an impudent boy. Even during introductions, he gave a nickname instead of his full name.”
“Oh, ‘Kai’ is a nickname?”
“Yes. His full name is Alkaios Lafrande. When you write, use his full name. Don’t use nicknames—it might give people the wrong impression.”
…Alkaios? Wait a sec—wasn’t that in the original?
Alkaios was the blonde, green-eyed sub-male lead, a gentle knight who had a crush on the heroine.
But when you pit a sunny blonde against a brooding dark-haired male lead, the dark one always wins. The sub eventually faded into the background. In the epilogue, he just “inherited his grandfather’s title and returned home.” One line.
But that also means… he was the kind of character who survived quietly to the end!
And he had a righteous nature, too. Becoming friends with him might be a good idea. Anything that boosts my survival chances is a win.
“Sol, why are you grinning like that?”
“Because I’m happy to go home! Ugh, the Godell estate was all showy and so ugly!”
“…Yes. Our estate is aesthetically superior.”
The Duke turned his head with a blank expression. But I definitely saw the corners of his mouth twitch upward.
Alright then, what should I write in my first letter?
