MLIIWTFL Chapter 226

226

Ezkhiel bit into a cookie with a conflicted expression before continuing.

"You probably sensed it too, but His Highness has a strong aversion and hostility toward the entire social scene. And since he doesn't have many good memories with debutantes, that only made his feelings worse. Especially with the Diamonds…"

"What kind of bad memories?"

"…There was a certain lady, one of the 'Diamonds' during the autumn season two years ago, who deliberately showed up at a ball where His Highness was present and splashed drinks on other debutantes who were speaking with him, humiliating them. And then, last spring, another Diamond purposefully came to the front of the Crown Prince's Palace on a rainy day and waited until His Highness came out, caught a cold, and tried to use that as an excuse to stay in the palace."

"How obvious and calculated…"

Splashing drinks was one thing, but even getting sick on purpose was a known tactic among debutantes trying to snare a prospective groom. After all, once someone falls ill at your home, it's considered impolite to send them away, making it a perfect excuse to stay longer.

"And of all people, His Highness absolutely detests those kinds of transparent tricks. Not to mention, he hates being caught in romantic rumors with people he has no feelings for. He even once said that choosing a marriage partner based on fleeting emotions is foolish."

That was exactly the kind of reaction one would expect from Matthias before he admitted his feelings for Ariette.

She couldn't remember the exact reason, but for quite a while, he lingered around Ariette, helped her, obsessed over her, while insisting it wasn't love. He even proposed a political marriage to her. Naturally, Ariette, who wanted a love marriage, rejected him.

That period must have been the most frustrating stretch of the story.

'But why was he so unwilling to admit he loved Ariette? It didn't seem like she was the issue… Did he have some kind of deeply rooted belief?'

Now she had to analyze that frustrating phase. Until now, she had only focused on avoiding Matthias rather than trying to understand him. And that had led to the current situation.

"So does His Highness perhaps dislike love marriages? Is that why he prefers arranged ones?"

"…He doesn't talk about it much, but from what I personally believe, it seems like he doesn't really acknowledge love marriages."

"What do you mean, he doesn't 'acknowledge' them?"

"…I think he sees them as a kind of self-deception. Like an excuse the nobility came up with to preserve their reputation or add a romantic pretext."

Letticia almost gaped in shock. While it wasn't unheard of for some nobles to think that way, she hadn't expected the male lead to be one of them.

"But didn't His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress also marry for love? Then why would he…"

She briefly wondered if it had something to do with the late Empress Emilia, but she couldn't say it aloud. Matters involving the imperial family's private life were strictly off-limits, especially in public.

"Well, I'm sure His Highness has his reasons… His family situation is a bit complicated."

That last part was spoken so quietly that only Letticia could barely hear it. It was probably the most Ezkhiel could say as a hint.

If so, the key likely lies with his "family", involving Matthias, the imperial couple, and possibly the late Empress Emilia.

'This is a mess… Maybe I should start digging around and jog my memory of the original story?'

It wouldn't be easy to find out much about the late empress, since the current Empress, Liliana, were still alive, and people were cautious about mentioning her.

Letticia sighed, wondering if she should ask Camilla again, when Ezkhiel hesitantly asked.

"Are you perhaps worried that His Highness doesn't like you? Is that why you're trying to learn more about him…?"

"That's part of it, but… if I can't get close to His Highness, I figured it'd be better to be on good terms with the future Crown Princess. So I thought I should at least know who the likely candidates are."

"…His Highness hasn't mentioned anyone by name. And I don't plan to ask, either."

"Don't worry, Ez. I know better than to cross that line."

Not trying to pry into Matthias' private feelings, that was Ezkhiel's approach to diplomacy, and also the reason he was trusted. Letticia had no intention of making him break that principle.

When Letticia gave him a little smile, Ezkhiel hesitated for a long moment, looking troubled, before finally asking with difficulty.

"Um, Letty… Did something happen between you and His Highness? Something that might've made things awkward? Honestly, I don't understand why he seems to dislike you. If there was some misunderstanding..."

"I acted in a way that could've caused a misunderstanding, but I'm not sure if he actually misunderstood. Judging from how he treats me lately, maybe not."

"What exactly happened?"

"Well… I didn't want to become the Crown Princess, so I pretended to have feelings for him. I figured if I made it look like I liked him, he'd be put off…"

She trailed off and avoided Ezkhiel's eyes, hesitant to say she had pretended to like another man in front of her own boyfriend. Ezkhiel repeated her words, incredulously.

"You pretended to have feelings for him because you didn't want to become the Crown Princess?"

"Yeah. I heard that men like His Highness usually get curious when someone shows no interest in them, like, 'You're the first girl who's ever treated me this way!' So I thought if I acted like all the other girls who fawn over him, he'd just think I was another one of them and ignore me."

"……"

"So I put on this airheaded act, acted clueless, made sure to look thrilled every time we danced. But eventually I gave up. He started pissing me off. The way he talked was just so, well, rude. Not to say 'jerk,' but definitely rude."

"……"

"Uh, Ez? Could you say something, please?"

Letticia, now a bit nervous, called his name. Ezkhiel looked at her with a complex expression, then sighed.

"His Highness saw through all of that. Your entire act, Letty."

"You mean he noticed? So he realized and still..."

"But then there's no reason for him to dislike you. His Highness didn't hate every debutante. He just ignored the ones who didn't approach him. And even if you acted like you liked him, you didn't go around bothering him like some of the past Diamonds. Besides, if he figured it out early on, it makes even less sense."

Ezkhiel frowned, clearly deep in thought. Letticia shrugged.

"I think he just didn't like me from the beginning. After we danced at my debut ball, he said it was only natural I'd be chosen as a Diamond, being my mother's daughter."

"He actually said that?!"

Ezkhiel raised his voice in surprise, clearly upset, with a hint of anger laced in his tone.

"Yes. I was really upset… but then you told me that comment was just an insult meant to belittle me, and that made me feel so much better."

"That was just my honest opinion. Wait, hold on, are you saying His Highness was the one who said that outrageous thing?!"

Ezkhiel seemed stunned, shaken by what he had just heard. His eyes kept meeting and then avoiding Letticia's as he fell into deep thought, unable to believe what she was saying.

Letticia hadn't wanted to bring this up either, but since Ezkhiel was caught between her and Matthias, it was something he needed to know.

"And he also made comments about my mother being called a 'Ruby.' I can't go into detail, but he basically said that if she had enjoyed more privileges than the Diamonds back then, it's hard to call her a victim."

"…Did His Highness really say something so irrational…?"

Ezkhiel's voice trembled now. To him, someone who had always believed Matthias to be rational, fair, and capable, this was hard to accept.

But he didn't stay in that shaken state for long. He quickly composed himself, took a few deep breaths to steady his emotions, and calmly said to Letticia.

"I'll try to confirm it myself. I can't just sit here without knowing what His Highness really thinks of Countess Sharon… or why he dislikes you."

"That's fine, but please don't tell him I said any of this. I'm worried he'll think I'm trying to stir up trouble."

"Don't worry, Letty. I'm used to asking indirect questions."

Ezkhiel forced a smile, but it didn't look natural. Feeling guilty for upsetting him, Letticia reached into the cookie box, picked up a broken piece, and gently offered it to him.

"Letty?"

"I know it's like giving you poison and then medicine, but… I feel bad for stressing you out."

She smiled at him brightly, without a single trace of gloom in her expression. Seeing her smile, Ezkhiel also relaxed and smiled back.

To anyone watching from afar, the two looked like a happy couple enjoying a sweet moment. That peaceful image would later appear on the front page of that week's society magazine under the title "An Early Summer Date", and would spark a trend of picnic dates for the rest of the season.

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