Chapter 88…
Quite the Strategist.
“Then, may I go first today?”
It seems Lady Leticia is the first to share her love story.
“As usual, when I went to the royal palace to meet Lord Noble, I heard his voice in the corridor and went toward it, and there stood the daughter of the baron’s family.”
—Wow.
Everyone among the nobility knows about the engagement between Lady Leticia and Lord Noble.
If she had approached him solely for a connection to royalty, that would be a very serious matter.
“From what I could hear, she was explaining her own story and the relationship between her family’s lands and the royal family in a very clear, self-serving way… Lord Noble seemed troubled, yet she showed no sign of stopping.”
—Yikes.
A baron holds the lowest rank of nobility.
Their connection to royalty is minimal, and objectively, their power is not strong.
Moreover, it seems that particular baronial family has recently been in financial trouble.
By engaging with royalty, they could secure wealth and stability for both their family and lands—so approaching him was essentially a gamble.
“That frustration got the better of me, and I couldn’t help but stand in front of her and say, ‘Do you have business with my fiancé?’”
That line sounds like she struggled to hold back her anger.
“And then, do you know what she said? — ‘Don’t interfere with my time with Lord Noble!’ I couldn’t help but laugh.”
—S-cary. Her eyes weren’t laughing.
Lady Leticia clearly adores Lord Noble.
When I go to the royal palace library, I’m even told to dress in men’s clothing to avoid being seen or approached by Lord Noble and also as a precaution against Bright.
It’s good that she’s cautious, but I wish she would relax a little… though I can’t say that out loud.
“Lady Leticia, did the young lady back down after that?”
“She was quite persistent… She was truly ignorant and pitiable, so much so that I doubted she was the same nobility as us.”
—Translation: ‘As a fellow noble, I find her pitifully foolish.’
I assumed Lady Leticia pushed back with her immense knowledge… but then—
“The young lady’s words gradually became sharp and disrespectful, and she even said, ‘You are not worthy of Lord Noble!’ Then—”
‘Step back. If you insult her, I cannot remain silent,’
Lord Noble supposedly stood in front of Lady Leticia and said.
“Wow… Lord Noble is too cool…”
“Anyone cannot overlook words that hurt someone important. This shows how much Lady Leticia means to Lord Noble.”
As expected, Lord Noble is impressive.
“And then? After that, what happened with Lord Noble?”
“Fufu. He apologized for making me uncomfortable. Even though it was the baron’s daughter who was offensive, he took responsibility for not handling it properly… As a gesture of thanks, we promised to go out alone together next time. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Wow! That’s wonderful, Lady Leticia.”
“Yes, truly.”
—Subtly emphasizing the ‘alone together’ part is so typical of Lady Leticia.
The baron’s daughter’s family might soon lose their title.
Crossing Lady Leticia—or, including Lord Noble, anyone—requires a serious reckoning.
At worst:
Lady Leticia is not worthy of Lord Noble → Engagement with royalty is mismatched → Disrespect to the future royal → Crime of disrespect toward royalty.
“What about you, Eliana? Any progress with Bright?”
“Hmm… no real progress…”
—Good. No need for progress.
I don’t want her to get involved in a lovey-dovey situation with that awful prince. Honestly, I’d like her to break off the engagement, but that would be awkward for Elly. I want Elly to be happy, not treated like a marked “divorcee.”
“Oh! The other day, when I went to the palace, I was talking with people from a marquis family that has relations with the Lindol family. Then Bright appeared—”
‘Do you have business with my fiancée?’
He supposedly said it with a dazzling smile.
“…Isn’t that a normal reaction?”
“Fufu. There’s more. When Bright said, ‘Do you have business with my fiancée?’ do you know what he did to that marquis’ son?”
—I know that sly prince… Ah! I get it!
“He protected Elly with his right arm, gripped the marquis son’s arm tightly with his left, and pressed him with that shiny but subtly sinister black smile!!”
“…I have a lot to say, but yes, that’s correct, Yulie.”
“Yay!”
If that prince liked Elly and disliked the marquis son, he would maintain the public image of a proper prince while secretly attacking behind the scenes.
Bright could definitely do that.
—The way he protects someone shows how important they are. Holding her arm means ‘No one else may touch her.’ Even if he said sweet words, a strong grip shows protective intent rather than aggression.
That’s Bright. Everything he does is calculated.
—Quite the strategist.
It would’ve been even more interesting if he stepped on his foot too… but there were probably a few people watching, so that’s unlikely.
“I’m so jealous of Eliana… Any girl would want to be protected by someone they love at least once.”
“He was probably smiling fearlessly. What happened to the young men?”
“They didn’t persist, so I just gave them a warning.”
—Elly is so kind! Truly an angel!
Listening to their love stories, I wondered:
—Do personality and dialogue relate to hair color?
When there are only two princes, one tends to be like Bright with a dazzling smile, and the other serious and practical like Noble.
There are muscle-heads, intellectuals, or scheming princes aiming for the throne, but most are idealized imaginations.
This is when there are only two princes.
—With three or more princes, candidates tend to be spoiled, possessive, or experienced charmer types.
Yes. In women-targeted stories, the classic archetype remains, but there are also popular, extraordinary personalities—little devils, fallen types, rebels, etc.
In fact, in this world, there is an underworld where people like Eva gather, where Lua was.
—Considering all this, Bright and Noble are very classic princes.
A kingdom with two competent princes like Anriiril is likely to be stable for some time.
“Next is Lady Liz.”
“T-today there isn’t much…”
“But there must be something, right?”
“Y-yes…”
Come to think of it, this is a tea party, essentially a time for mysterious love stories.
It seems it’s now Lady Liz’s turn. But…
“Elly?”
I whispered to Eliana.
“Has Lady Liz gotten engaged?”
If my knowledge is correct, Lady Liz is not yet engaged.
If royalty gets engaged, the information spreads immediately. Ignorance would be a failure as a noble.
“Ah… Yulie, um…”
“At some point, it will be announced, but Lady Cloris has already been engaged to Lord Ramao Grantild.”
“Eh! Grantild, you mean…”
Official name: the Grantild Empire.
A powerful nation with strong military might, arguably the most influential in this world.
Notes / Footnote:
Eliana speaks more casually here because she feels safe enough to show her true self. Around other nobles, she properly uses formal speech.
In this world, noble tea parties involve proper discussions or indirect gossip. That’s why Yulie wondered why it became a love story sharing session.
