MLIIWTFL Chapter 196

 196

Letticia silently stared at Seraphina for a moment. If it hadn’t been her in this position, someone else might have been shocked and screamed.

“…That’s quite a radical viewpoint. If the old nobles heard that, they’d faint.”

“But isn’t it the natural conclusion? If the number of new nobles is increasing not only in the South but also in the capital, and if that trend began in the previous generation, then it’s simply an irreversible flow of the times. No matter how much the West denies it, they can’t change that.”

Letticia was impressed by how calmly and clearly she pointed out reality. Despite speaking with a very idealistic tone about the duties of nobility, she actually saw the world far more clearly than most of the old aristocrats.

“So, if I become the Crown Princess, I intended to call the young ladies of the key families in the West—those with close ties to our family—to the capital and show them the reality of the Empire. I believed that would help the West start changing with the next generation.”

“So you want to become Crown Princess because you want to change the West?”

Now that she thought about it, Letticia had never actually asked why Seraphina wanted to become Crown Princess. Nor had she been curious.

When Letticia asked with wide eyes, Seraphina gave a small nod.

“Yes. And also because I believe we must teach the other nobles what it truly means to uphold the duties and spirit of nobility.”

“Ah…”

Letticia trailed off, glancing away. So that’s what’s been missing from this conversation.

“There are far too many of the old nobles in the capital who are no different from the ones in the West, even if their way of speaking and acting might differ slightly. And even the new nobles are so focused on building connections in high society that they end up neglecting the dignity and conduct a noble should possess. That’s why we must teach them—clearly—what true nobility is supposed to look like.”

“Do you really have to teach them? Whether they live in ignorance or ruin themselves because they can’t face reality… it’s their lives, isn’t it?”

As an individualist, Letticia couldn’t fully understand Seraphina’s philosophy—but Seraphina was firm.

“As the daughter of a high noble house, it’s something I absolutely must do. It’s my responsibility. I can’t just let people continue living with a distorted sense of nobility.”

It sounded almost like she was reaffirming her own conviction to herself.

Letticia sighed and asked her.

“…Then, do you think His Highness the Crown Prince would agree with your way of thinking?”

“…That part, I’m not so sure about. Thinking back on what His Highness said at the music recital… I get the feeling I might’ve disappointed him.”

With her eyes lowered, Seraphina spoke in a subdued voice, her expression clouded.

“Please be honest with me, Lady. Do I really seem so out of touch with reality? Like I’m only clinging to morals and lacking the power to actually move people?”

Perhaps it had been weighing on her that she couldn’t answer Matthias’ question—whether she could persuade the audit committee—or maybe it was the impact of Audrey’s betrayal.

Seraphina, who had seemed to be holding herself together earlier despite the sadness, now looked even more sorrowful. Seeing her eyes filled with such deep gloom, Letticia decided to answer honestly.

“It’s not that you don’t see reality—but it’s true that your solutions rely too heavily on morality and principles. You seem to understand the problems very precisely, but… you haven’t been able to present clear, concrete ways to solve them that others would find convincing.”

Even when it came to the orphanage issue, Seraphina had rightly pointed out significant problems.

However, since she wasn’t well-versed in practical matters—like which organizations should be given which powers—she couldn’t answer Matthias’ questions.

‘Demanding something of a woman just because she attends social events and then dismissing her when she can’t answer? What a charming personality…’

Letticia cursed Matthias inwardly and then tried to speak more warmly.

“But what you’ve done so far wasn’t wrong either. Because you visited the orphanages yourself, people paid attention to the situation there and the issue gained proper publicity. Dayna and Lady Maynard were also persuaded.”

“That was thanks to you, Lady Sharon, for mediating… I couldn’t even convince Lady Wallace, Lady Mortimer, or Lady Norton properly.”

Seraphina spoke with a rare expression of self-blame and regret.

That look on her face strangely reminded Letticia of Ezkhiel, and she couldn’t help but frown.

“Weren’t those three hopeless from the start? They’d oppose anything I said just because it came from me. It was inevitable there’d be limits to how much you could persuade them. That’s exactly why we orchestrated things behind the scenes and had you play the mediator, wasn’t it?”

“…Even so, failing to win them over was my fault. Especially with Lady Wallace—I was too complacent. I didn’t think she’d hate me that much.”

“You really didn’t expect that? From their point of view, you stole the diamond seat because you debuted in the capital.”

Letticia looked at her incredulously. Seraphina bit her lip slightly.

“If we’re talking about that, I should start by apologizing. Honestly, I didn’t know much about you at first, Lady Sharon, so I assumed the diamond honors would go to me and Lady Wallace. But after you were introduced and Her Majesty the Empress kissed you on the cheek… that’s when I realized only one of us could be chosen.”

“…Ha…”

“Whatever I say, the truth is that I was shortsighted and rude back then, so I won’t make excuses.”

Thinking back to how she once said, “It must be hard to teach etiquette and refinement to a nouveau riche born of lowly blood,” it was no surprise that Seraphina assumed someone from an old noble line like herself would naturally be more cultured than Letticia, who had mixed blood from a new noble house.

Letticia, reawakened to Seraphina’s elitism, held her tongue. Seraphina, struggling to compose her expression, continued.

“So, I became the Diamond, and Lady Wallace was made into a laughingstock… After that, Count and Countess Wallace’s attitude changed, but I thought it couldn’t be helped.”

“Then, have you not received any help from them this season?”

“No. Not even during the literature gathering—they offered no advice. And… they didn’t say anything about ‘nouveau riche’ or ‘half-breed’ either.”

Letticia let out an unfiltered sigh. She didn’t blame Seraphina.

“Even so, you just stayed there? Why didn’t you move to the marquess’ residence?”

“Since it all started because I came to the capital and took the honor Lady Wallace was supposed to receive, I thought I should be the one to tie up the loose ends. Besides, if I moved to the marquess’ residence, those who follow me might have clashed with Lady Wallace. I didn’t want that.”

Even when things took an unexpected turn, Seraphina clearly didn’t want to fight Audrey. That’s probably why she continued working with her and tried to avoid drawing too much attention.

“…There will be a trial, right?”

“There should be. Even if you forgave them, things have gone too far. I don’t plan to forgive them either.”

Seraphina wasn’t the only victim of attempted murder—Letticia, too, had nearly been framed. And Letticia would never forgive the Wallace family.

Nor would the public be satisfied if the Wallace family went unpunished.

Least of all the Imperial Family.

“I don’t plan on forgiving them either. But… I do want to know if they truly hated me enough to want me dead.”

“If there’s anything you want to say, save it for after the trial. Then you can mock them or curse them all you want. For now, just rest here safely under protection.”

“…I do want to talk with them, at least once.”

Seraphina stirred her tea with a spoon. The liquid swirled wildly in the cup, mirroring her tangled emotions.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. When it opened, Ariette stepped in, wearing a bright smile.

“How’s the room, Lady Eskis? Is there anything uncomfortable about it?”

“It’s lovely. Thank you for preparing such a comfortable room, Lady Averil.”

Though Seraphina’s face had looked drained earlier when speaking to Letticia, it now carried a refined smile.

Still, perhaps because she had finally shared some of her feelings, her voice sounded steadier than before.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Do you enjoy any particular books or instruments?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to play the piano or violin, if that’s possible.”

“I actually have a piano I used to play when I was younger. But… Lady Eskis, you play not only violin but also piano?”

“Well, most people start their music education with the piano. I prefer the violin, but I haven’t been neglecting my piano practice either.”

“…Then, if I were to start learning again, do you think I could play well someday? It’s been so long since I last practiced…”

“Practicing is always better than doing nothing. Start with an easy piece and practice it consistently—that’s the key.”

Watching the original novel’s heroine receiving musical advice from the original villainess, Letticia couldn’t help but find the situation strange.

Given how far the original storyline has veered off course, let’s hope the path where Matthias descends into madness gets altered as well…

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