MLIIWTFL Chapter 223

223

"Father!"

Alexander raised his voice in protest at the Duke's words, but it didn't make much difference. Once the Duke gave his approval, Ariette let out a sigh of relief, and Letticia took the opportunity to speak to the Duke.

"Before we begin the meeting, there's something we'd like to clarify. We ask that you leave the content and method of the lessons we give to the young lady entirely up to us. And if we happen to correct or point something out to her during the process, please do not make an issue of it."

"Why are you setting such unreasonable conditions? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Because we're worried the same thing that happened five years ago might happen again."

When Letticia glared at Alexander, Ariette looked nervously back at the Duke and her older brothers. The Duke hesitated as if conflicted, but when his eyes met Ariette's, he let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

"Very well. I will trust the young ladies and leave the lessons in your hands."

"Father!"

"Thank you. And one more thing, when Lady Averil visits our residence, please do not bring that personal maid who always accompanies her."

"We haven't raised any issues about it until now. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

"We've watched for a while, but it doesn't seem like much has changed since five years ago. Since we're about to begin proper lessons, we're worried more problems might arise. It would be best if she simply didn't come anymore."

Seraphina addressed Alexander coldly, as if she couldn't understand why he looked so dissatisfied.

"To be frank, that maid should've been dismissed and held accountable five years ago. Leaving her in her position without any real punishment and having her continue to accompany Lady Averil to House Sharon was highly disrespectful to us. So it's only natural for Lady Sharon to demand that the matter be corrected, even now."

"…Alright. From now on, I won't bring Marcia to the Sharon estate. I promise."

"Arie!"

Alexander looked as if he felt Ariette was giving in to injustice.

But it was Achilles who stopped him.

"Brother, their request is reasonable. You shouldn't oppose it."

"Achilles, you...!"

Alexander shot a cold, blade-like glare at his younger brother, but Achilles didn't pay it any mind and instead spoke kindly to Ariette.

"Arie, if that's what truly makes you feel at ease, then go ahead. I'm always on your side."

"Thank you, brother."

With her second brother's permission, Ariette smiled shyly. That smile silenced Alexander, who could no longer find the words to object.

However, his face still showed clear resentment, he could not accept the situation at all.

The intense conversation finally ended, and Ariette, who came out to see Letticia and Seraphina off, looked bright and cheerful.

"Thanks to you both, Father and my brothers all gave their permission. I'm truly grateful!"

"We're glad if we could help. It's a pity you had to suffer under such a horrible tutor..."

Seraphina genuinely looked pained, but Ariette replied with a light laugh, as if it wasn't a big deal.

"It's okay. It was hard back then, but Father and my brothers saved me. And after that, they've all treated me very kindly."

"That's a relief, then..."

Though Seraphina still seemed unconvinced, she didn't ask further.

But Letticia couldn't hold back her curiosity about what she had just witnessed.

"By the way, Lady Averil... do you always speak like that around your family? Like earlier?"

"...!"

Ariette's face flushed bright red. The emotion that spread across her expression was undoubtedly embarrassment.

"W-Well, only sometimes! Like when I'm trying to act cute with Father... Just a little... I usually don't talk like that! I normally call him 'Father,' not 'Daddy,' and I say 'Older Brother' properly too-"

"I wasn't criticizing you or anything."

"O-Of course I know it's embarrassing to talk like that at my age! But when I speak like that, Father listens better, so that's why..."

Ariette kept on with her explanation, seemingly not having heard Letticia's words. She was so sincerely flustered and desperate to explain herself that it was almost pitiful to watch.

"Well, every family has their own way of expressing affection. It's not a big deal. I just thought... maybe the Duke would've listened even if you didn't use such a cute tone."

"...That would never happen. Neither Father nor my brothers would listen unless I spoke like that."

Letticia had meant to soothe her, but Ariette shook her head immediately, without a moment's hesitation. Her quick and confident response startled Letticia-

Just then, the door opened, and Alexander appeared.

The emotional expression he had worn earlier was gone, replaced by his usual polite and fake smile.

"Arie said she would see you off, but I wanted a word with you before you left, so please forgive my intrusion."

"Did you forget to say something?"

Seraphina asked with a blank expression.

Instead of answering directly, Alexander stepped up to Ariette, firmly took her hand, and said as if making a request to the two women.

"As you know, Arie has been working in public service, and her time in the liberal arts department was quite short. So her progress may be a bit slow. I just wanted to ask again for your understanding regarding that."

"Brother, they'll handle it just fine. You're worrying too much!"

"I can't help it, Arie. I just worry about you. I hope you understand."

Speaking to his sister when it was Letticia and Seraphina who needed to hear this made the whole scene rather absurd.

With a frown, Seraphina let out a small sigh and said.

"Considering the unqualified tutor Lady Averil previously encountered, I understand why you might be anxious. So as the daughter of Marquess Eskis, ruler of Clarence and a great noble of the Empire, I pledge on my family's honor that I will guide Lady Averil with sincerity and dedication. Will that be enough to ease your concerns?"

"…More than enough. I'm grateful for your sincere commitment."

Alexander, understanding the weight behind a noble's promise made in the name of honor, gave a slight nod.

Letticia, however, had had enough. Rather than answering, she just climbed into the carriage.

After all, Alexander's anxiety wasn't something that could be soothed with mere words. Letticia had no desire to exhaust herself appeasing a paranoid man who went so far as to assign knights and maids to spy.

Once the carriage had left the Duke's estate behind, Seraphina, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

"That wasn't quite the reaction I expected. I thought Sir Achilles would be the most opposed, but it turns out Sir Averil is much more rigid."

"He's the hardest one to read. And yet, his hostility practically leaks out. It's honestly unpleasant."

Alexander wasn't openly rude like Matthias, but he didn't bother to fully hide his dislike either.

Achilles, on the other hand, no longer seemed to dislike Letticia. But still, what on earth happened over the past five years for the brothers to turn out so differently?

"To me, Sir Averil seems like someone who's lived in a closed-off society, afraid of change. We have a village in our territory that's very distrustful of outsiders. When we suggest any kind of interaction with the outside world, they show the same kind of resistance he does."

"But Elrey wasn't supposed to be a particularly closed place... I don't get it."

Letticia shook her head, unwilling to delve deeper into Alexander's character for now.

"Whatever the case, the Duke should've paid more attention to raising his children. I understand he had a lot on his plate, but supervising tutors is part of a parent's duty."

"After the Duchess passed away, the Duke was apparently overwhelmed with grief for quite a long time. He was too preoccupied with himself to properly care for his children."

"That was irresponsible. Because of that, Lady Averil ended up enduring abuse she should never have faced, and now even within her own family, communication has become difficult..."

The complicated affairs of the Duke's household gave Seraphina a headache just thinking about it.

Letticia leaned her head against the window, recalling what Ariette had said.

'For her to still act that way even after what happened between us five years ago… That means she must've internalized the belief, like it's some kind of natural law, that she must always hide anything bad she goes through. And the Duke's reaction when Ariette acted all cute earlier... That was strange too.'

Usually, doting fathers either give in while pretending to resist, or their faces soften with joy when their daughter acts cute.

They don't wear such a conflicted, pained expression like the Duke had.

'Could it be... the Duke also realizes that Ariette only acts that way to survive? Is that why he looked like that?'

'Believing you can only be loved when you're good or act cute... that's a total cliché in family-regret stories.'

While the original novel was mainly a parenting story, it also dealt with themes of familial regret.

The family only began to love Ariette after she reached out to them first.

They regretted having treated her coldly, and then started to be kind.

So maybe this isn't something that can be solved just by telling the Duke and his sons to stop being overprotective.

'Ugh, what a hassle… As if I didn't already have to investigate Matthias, and now this whole family is a tangled mess too.'

If it were someone like Ezkhiel, where only the parents were trash, Letticia might've been able to offer a straightforward solution. But nothing in life is ever that refreshingly simple.

At times like this, no matter how much this world is based on the original novel, you can't help but feel that this is still real life.

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