MLIIWTFL Chapter 203

203

"Lady Averil already has so little time because she works at the imperial palace, yet they've restricted even the time she could spend learning table manners or how to converse with guests… On top of that, even when Lady Averil herself said she was fine with it, they wouldn't listen, so there was nothing I could say."

"That family's always been like that. It's as if they value their idea of what's best for the lady over the lady's own wishes."

"But surely there's a limit to that! Lady Averil herself knows her etiquette is lacking and she wants to improve it. If they aren't deliberately trying to keep things as they are, then what exactly are they trying to prevent?"*

"It's probably just that they genuinely want Lady Averil to feel comfortable while dining. Their intentions are pure. Disgustingly pure, really."

Letticia trailed off, giving up on trying to defend Alexander. Truth be told, she didn't really want to defend him in the first place.

And Seraphina grew even more indignant at Letticia's words.

"If that's their intention, then it's even more malicious! It means they have no idea what's truly best for their sister. Instead of just making her feel comfortable during a meal right now, shouldn't they focus on teaching her the proper behavior so she won't be criticized in front of others in the future?"

"They probably think they can stop others from criticizing her anyway. They have such incredible confidence in themselves."

Letticia said this with a hint of sarcasm, and Seraphina folded her arms and spoke firmly.

"Even so, for Lady Averil's sake, they need to let her learn proper etiquette. And if they don't trust me because I come from a family they're unfamiliar with, then they should at least arrange for someone else to teach her."

"In that case, wouldn't it be more efficient to ask someone who's connected to both families? But where would we find such a family?"

"…What about asking Countess Sharon for help?"

Letticia recoiled at the unexpected suggestion. Asking Camilla for help? That was beyond dreadful, she couldn't even begin to imagine what disaster that might bring.

"Well, my mother isn't particularly good at teaching anyone. Besides, from what I've seen, she doesn't seem to get along with the Duke."

"Is that so? Did something happen between them to cause bad blood?"

"I think there was some sort of ill-fated connection between them, but I'm not sure of the details. Maybe it would be better to ask Countess Freke?"

Since the Countess of Freke was acquainted with the Duke's family, she seemed like the right person for the task. In fact, Letticia had thought that if Ariette were to debut in society, she would naturally learn from the Countess. Yet surprisingly, the Countess had never once brought up the topic of Ariette.

"Unfortunately, neither I nor my family have any connection to the Countess of Freke. If you want to make a request, Lady Sharon would have to do it."

"Do I really have to…? Ha…"

Letticia sighed but didn't outright refuse. Honestly, even she thought Ariette's situation was rather bizarre.

'Brother said she didn't even know the price of gemstones…'

According to Lenard, despite Ariette clearly feeling overwhelmed, they tried to buy her everything she so much as glanced at. Even when Ariette wanted to be alone, they constantly had knights and maids hovering around her in the name of protection, which was essentially surveillance.

And all the while, they didn't tell Ariette how much those things cost, nor did they teach her the manners, common sense, or unspoken rules needed to live among others. Instead, they pressured her into thinking she didn't need to bother with any of that.

Could such an environment, where her family smothered her with what they saw as love, really be called a happy upbringing for a heroine with no shortcomings?

"Of course, I'll look for other ways too. If I'm able to stay here, I could even accept Lady Averil as the first student in that etiquette class I originally proposed to her. That would mean it'd be a long time before I could take on any other students, though."

"…Why do you want to help Lady Averil so much?"

At this point, even Letticia was curious. Putting aside the original story's villainess and heroine dynamic, why was Seraphina so determined to look after Ariette like this?

At that question, Seraphina answered with an expression that said, "Isn't that obvious?"

"There's no way someone of Lady Averil's status, a daughter of the Duke of Averil, wouldn't have marriage prospects. As I've mentioned before, His Highness the Crown Prince could even consider her for political reasons, even if she doesn't formally debut into society. But if the current Lady Averil were to become the Crown Princess… what would that say about the imperial dignity?"

"…It wouldn't exactly scream dignity, would it."*

According to the novel, Matthias had fallen for Ariette's innocent and pure nature, and to protect that charm, he made sure she wasn't bound by the rigid rules and customs of the imperial household.

In other words, he made it so that anyone who pointed out Ariette's lack of etiquette or manners would be seen as the one in the wrong.

'Now that's a real tyrant… what a damn bastard.'

Letticia unconsciously nodded. Unlike the usual trope of noble male leads being benevolent rulers despite the nickname "tyrant," this one was a true tyrant through and through.

"Of course, Lady Averil would study. She does have the will to learn. But unlike someone like me or Lady Sharon, who has been trained in etiquette for over a decade, there's no way she could catch up in just a year or two. Even if she started studying right now, she wouldn't be able to cover all that ground…"

Perhaps thinking Letticia agreed with her, Seraphina became increasingly impassioned. She normally spoke with restraint, but this seemed to reveal her true nature.

"If she became the Crown Princess, she'd have to receive noble visitors, go on inspections, and above all, represent the empire in receptions with foreign envoys. If she can't uphold proper etiquette and dignity in those moments, it would damage the empire's reputation in the international community. That's absolutely unacceptable!"

"Um, Lady Eskis, maybe let's calm down for a moment. It's not even confirmed that Lady Averil is going to become the Crown Princess."

"Even so, a lady of a ducal house would most likely marry someone of matching rank. She could even receive a proposal from foreign royalty. But if she were to marry in her current state, how would she possibly manage?"

Everything Seraphina said was painfully true.

…That is, if someone existed who could persuade the "three tyrants" and take Ariette away.

'And chances are, that person would be Matthias.'

Come to think of it, how exactly did the original Ariette end up becoming the Crown Princess?

Even if the marriage had somehow gone through, could her life after that really have been smooth?

There was no way of knowing. That part of the story lay beyond what Letticia remembered from the original novel.

***

The trial for Seraphina Eskis's attempted murder case had begun.

"…Due to the fact that he abused his authority as the Knight Commander to cover up his own daughter's crime, and tried to falsely accuse an innocent noblewoman, Count Wallace is hereby stripped of his title and sentenced to ten years in prison."

The sentence was quite severe, likely due to the intense outcry led by Marquess Eskis, Marquess Wade, and Count Sharon, along with the combined pressure from western noble families, political figures, and the new nobility faction.

And when the Countess was sentenced to five years, and Audrey was given a life sentence, the Countess quietly bowed her head while Audrey collapsed in shock.

Among the family, only Sir Wallace managed to keep his head held high, but even he couldn't fully hide the devastation from his face.

Evelyn was sentenced to 30 years, and Giselle was sentenced to monastic exile, but the most significant matter was what followed.

Crown Prince Matthias himself stepped into the courtroom and addressed the gathered nobles.

"This incident has made it clear to the imperial family how dangerous it is for a single household to monopolize a position for too long. Therefore, this case will serve as a warning, an example of how power granted by the imperial family must not be abused for selfish gain."

He paused deliberately, creating tension. As he observed the unease and anxiety spreading among the old nobles, he raised his voice, clear and commanding.

"As a follow-up, the imperial family will appoint Sir Achilles Averil, who served as Deputy-Commander, as the new Knight Commander. All authority previously held by Count Wallace will now be transferred to him."

At that announcement, the old nobles visibly relaxed. While the hereditary rights of Count Wallace's house had been revoked, the position was still being passed down, this time to Achilles Averil, so the tradition of hereditary office wasn't entirely abolished.

The newer nobles looked somewhat frustrated, but none raised objections. Even though the hereditary system wasn't fully eliminated, the fact that the power had shifted from the old nobility to a neutral party meant a blow had been dealt to the old guard's dominance.

After observing the reactions from both opposing factions, Matthias left the courtroom and boarded the carriage bound for the imperial palace. Ezkhiel, who had been waiting outside, followed him in.

Matthias glanced at his chief aide and let out a faint chuckle.

"So, was the verdict to your liking, Sir?"

"……"

Ezkhiel averted his gaze awkwardly, unable to respond.

The question was clearly a jab, when the judges for this case were being selected, Ezkhiel had submitted a list that included those likely to favor the Count of Sharon's side.

"Don't worry, I'm not scolding you. I'm satisfied with the result too."

…But for someone claiming that, Matthias didn't look particularly pleased.

He knew this was the best outcome they could hope for, for now. But it still fell short of what he had truly wanted.

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🍓; *Ariette wants to improve and acknowledges her flaws, why would others prevent her from doing so? If their intention isn’t simply to keep her stuck in her current state, then what could their real reason be?

*It's often used in a dry, understated way to criticize or poke fun at how inappropriate or ridiculous something would look or be.