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After the trial ended, a gathering for the victims was held at the Sharon Count's residence.
The two Marquesses, who had deliberately delayed their arrival until the morning of the trial to catch Count Wallace off guard, finally began the necessary greetings and discussions, but only after first checking on their respective daughters and nieces.
"I'm truly grateful for what you did to help my daughter, Lady Sharon."
"Please, think nothing of it. It was only the right thing to do."
Letticia thought the Marquess of Eskis delivered the most refined and elegant bow she had ever witnessed, truly worthy of a great noble.
Standing beside him, the Marquess of Wade presented a stark contrast with his more laid-back demeanor.
Still, because his hair color, eye color, and facial features were so similar to Seraphina's, he gave off a strangely familiar feeling.
"There's no need to downplay your actions. If not for you, Lady Sharon, Seraphina would likely still be detained in the Wallace estate. And I, unaware of the truth, would have continued entrusting my daughter to someone who had harmed her."
A crease formed on the Marquess of Eskis's otherwise well-composed forehead.
The disappointment and anger he had restrained in court toward Count Wallace were now fully visible.
"I intend to go to the Imperial Palace and demand severe punishment for the Wallace family's tyranny. It's disgraceful enough that they nearly caused my daughter's death, but to try and pin the blame on an innocent lady just to protect their own daughter, they should be ashamed of themselves."
"Before that, you should at least make an appearance at the gentlemen's club. The Western nobility must be split on this issue. Wouldn't it be good to make our stance known?"
"If possible, please inform any noble families in the capital with whom you have personal ties. What Lady Wallace has done certainly deserves condemnation, but the Count's actions are tied to issues of hereditary office. There may be those who try to quietly cover for him."
Because the three families were perfectly aligned in their stance against the Wallace family, the heads of house quickly reached a decision.
The Marquess of Eskis immediately left for the gentlemen's club, while Patrick said he would go to the club where the newer nobility gathered.
The only one remaining, the Marquess of Wade, took out a pipe, lit it, and offered Letticia some comforting words.
"You've been through a lot. I didn't expect our next meeting to be under these circumstances."
"Me neither. I was actually getting ready to bring you some good news."
When Letticia pouted a little, the Marquess let out a hearty laugh.
"I already heard everything before it came from your mouth. They say you're dating His Highness the Crown Prince's aide, right?"
"The Lucinella side sure has quick gossip, huh? I heard they have printing houses even in the West now."
"Yeah, thanks to that, we're always up to date on the capital's latest drama. Every day something new happens, it's quite entertaining. Though the last bit wasn't entertaining at all."
What he referred to was a recent article: Seraphina had vanished, while Letticia and Audrey were carrying on as usual.
It suggested that perhaps the famous bond between the seven debutantes had been nothing more than a performance.
That article had enraged Dayna just a few days ago.
"It's okay. I'll smooth it over later by visiting the orphanage with Lady Eskis and the other two to hand out donations. Let them see we're doing good work."
"Good idea. You have to maintain the rest of your image. The Sharon family's greatest asset is its public image, especially for someone like you who's active in high society."
The Marquess patted Letticia lightly on the shoulder, then turned his gaze to Camilla.
"Also, once the trial is over, the three families will discuss how to divide up Wallace's remaining holdings. You should coordinate with Patrick and decide what stance you'll take. Even if Eskis takes the largest share, we should secure something for ourselves as well."
"It's not like the Wallace family was running a business or anything, and the position of knight commander will surely be reclaimed by the Imperial family… So the only things we can really gain are lands, estates, properties, or some heirlooms like artwork and jewelry. Is there anything in particular you're interested in?"
"You can never have too much real estate in the capital. I've already said I'd like to secure at least two buildings, and I'll handle the old noble families myself."
Letticia had no idea how much compensation they would be able to extract from the Wallace family.
Since Letticia had been falsely accused again, a fair portion would likely go to her as well.
But the thought of increasing her wealth not through business, but through compensation, honestly left a sour taste.
'Even now, if someone asked me how I earned my money, I'd have to say it was through compensation payouts...'
Wearing a conflicted expression, Letticia shook her head to refocus herself.
Money was money, and it wasn't ill-gotten either, so she might as well use it freely.
It's not like she had staged any sort of injury scam.
She had no reason to feel ashamed.
And besides, once today's events hit the papers, she'd probably be able to return to social gatherings.
So it was best to shake off this uncomfortable feeling as quickly as possible.
"By the way, Letticia, I heard you've grown close to the daughter of the Eskis family?"
The Marquess, who had been talking with Camilla, suddenly asked, and Letticia tilted her head and responded.
"I guess… you could say we've gotten close? She seems to like me quite a bit."
During her break from social events, Letticia mostly spent time with Dayna and Vanessa, or with Seraphina and Ariette.
When she was staying at the ducal household, Seraphina had said she would teach Ariette, and it hadn't just been empty words. Every time they met, she would talk about Ariette's etiquette lessons and seek Letticia's advice.
"If Lady Averil wants to make her debut, I really think she needs proper tutoring from a governess. But she keeps turning me down. At this rate, I'm not even sure she'll be ready for her audience ceremony. I wonder what the Duke is thinking."
"I feel bad saying this, but… I'm starting to worry that the ducal household has lost some of its discipline. Sometimes, even the staff fail to properly observe basic etiquette when greeting guests. And Lady Averil herself doesn't seem equipped to correct them…"
"Um, Lady Sharon... Is it a trend in the capital for grown-ups to still call their fathers 'daddy(appa)'? And do older brothers get called 'brother(oppa)' too?"
Seraphina would ask things like that every time they met, always with a look of cultural shock.
Letticia felt a kind of sisterly sympathy and would comfort her.
Thankfully, though Seraphina often had questions, she was careful not to act rashly or cause unnecessary incidents.
Instead, she brought her concerns to Letticia.
She was aware that the cultures of the western region and the capital were significantly different.
Which made her even more cautious in how she approached things.
Letticia didn't particularly mind those conversations with Seraphina, but she hadn't considered how the Marquesses of Wade and Eskis might perceive them, something that now left her slightly concerned.
Fortunately, the Marquess of Wade didn't seem to have any objections.
"She takes after her father and can be a bit rigid, but among the western nobility, she's one of the most proper. She'd make a good friend. She doesn't really have any, so if you grow close now, it might turn into a lifelong friendship."
"No friends? Don't quite a few families socialize with the House of Eskis?"
"Even an old soul has limits when it comes to putting up with the nonsense of immature brats. I doubt the capital is much different."*
After Camilla's question, the Marquess gave a biting reply, then set down his pipe and asked.
"Anyway, Letticia, when are you getting engaged? I heard you're planning to unveil a new product at the engagement this time."
"The succession ceremony for the Bright barony is scheduled in a few days. After that, I'll meet with Ez's older brother and have the formal introductions."
"And you're excluding the Baron and his wife?"
The Marquess raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Camilla answered calmly over a sip of tea.
"They're not people worth inviting. Besides, they're planning to move to the remote northern Munster region for convalescence anyway."
"Munster, huh… Then there's no need to warn them not to misuse the Sharon or Wade names."
Hearing that, the Marquess lost all interest. The mention of them moving to a rural backwater in the north seemed to tell him all he needed to know.
"So, what kind of script is Patrick planning to fool people with this time? Give me a heads-up before the announcement, would you? I'll need to spin the story for the guys back home somehow."
"Fool people?"
Letticia blinked in surprise, while Camilla shot a glare at her brother.
"Can you not use words like that, brother?"
"What else am I supposed to call a guy who shows up asking for my blessing and then says he'll make me look good by playing the villain? Might as well call it a scam, right? Actually, this time, tell Patrick to play the evil father-in-law who refuses to give away his daughter. I hear people find that kind of stuff more entertaining."
The Marquess exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled mischievously.
Letticia, grasping the general picture now, let out an exasperated sigh.
🍓; *The Marquess is implying that Sherapina is mature beyond her years (an "old soul") and doesn't get along well with the typical shallow, immature nobles ("철없는 것들" = thoughtless or childish people), even if they are from influential families that associate with hers. He doubts that even in the capital (which might be expected to have more cultured people), she'd find better company, suggesting his cynicism toward high society as a whole.
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