MLIIWTFL Chapter 228

228

"If it's a summer dress, muslin is a safe choice. But if you want to follow the latest trends, chiffon would be the way to go."

—Oh right, Lady, you made chiffon trendy this year, didn't you? I heard it used to be a rarely used fabric. How did you come up with that idea?

Ariette's eyes sparkled with admiration and awe as she asked, clearly impressed. It was ironic, considering Letticia got the idea for using chiffon from Ariette's autumn debut scene in the original novel.

Still, Letticia had only taken the fabric idea, she hadn't copied Ariette's dress design at all, so she had no reason to hesitate in answering.

"I was looking into various materials and designs for my debut dress and audience gown, and it just came to me. It actually took me about six months to come up with it."

—Six months? You spent that long thinking about it?

"Yes. My mother happened to start a trend with her own debut audience gown back in her day. So I knew that just any dress wouldn't be enough."

As soon as chiffon came to mind, the dress design that suited it naturally followed. Things moved quickly from there. But before that breakthrough, Letticia had felt so stuck that she even dreamed about picking dresses in her sleep.

Letticia frowned slightly at the memory, and Ariette became flustered and visibly uneasy.

—Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something difficult…

"It's alright. When you have a mother that remarkable, the child has to carry a burden of equal weight."

—…The Countess's reputation is truly remarkable, of course. But still, you've started trends yourself, like chiffon dresses and jeweled chains, and you even have Faymont. You're doing perfectly well in your own right, so I don't think there's any need to compare yourself to your mother or feel hurt over it.

Letticia felt a chill run down her spine at Ariette's warm words of encouragement, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

"Wait, I think you've got the wrong idea. It's not like I compare myself to my mother or feel pressured by her success."

—Huh?

Ariette looked at her with wide, puzzled eyes.

Feeling like she'd suddenly become the heroine in a cliché novel, Letticia straightened her back and continued.

"Sure, because of my mother's reputation, the bar for my debut got raised a little higher. But I've lived my whole life benefiting from being her daughter, shouldn't I at least be able to handle that much? Besides, my mother and I have totally different circumstances. How could I possibly compare us fairly? The only things we have in common are our looks and personalities. Our bloodlines, family backgrounds, even the era and circumstances we're in, they're all different."

—But don't you feel pressured when people around you see your mother in you?

"Everyone knew my mother first, so it's natural for them to look for a familiar image in me. I don't really mind it."

Camilla had reigned as the queen of the social scene for over 20 years, was the central figure in a legendary love story, and served as the face of Sharon Jewelry. There were few who didn't recognize her.

Being Camilla's daughter, and looking just like her, it would be exhausting to react to every comment about the resemblance.

"Besides, having a mother like mine is way better than having one of those average debutante moms. She's passed down all her secrets and connections from her time at the top of society, both as my mentor and predecessor. Getting all that is more than worth carrying a little pressure."

—…I guess you can think of it that way too…

Ariette muttered absentmindedly, looking dazed as she stared at Letticia.

Letticia quickly changed the subject, worried Ariette might start showering her with cringeworthy compliments again.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask earlier, what's happening with your job? Are you really quitting?"

—Ah… Yes. I told them a few days ago and already submitted my resignation. I'll be starting the handover soon.

As they talked about her resignation, a sharp focus returned to Ariette's eyes. It was clear that by submitting her resignation, she was serious about participating in the business and upcoming gatherings.

"What did they say at work? Were they okay with you quitting?"

—Yeah. I've only been there for less than half a year as a junior civil servant, so there isn't much to hand over. It probably won't take long to finish up.

"That's good. What about your colleagues? What did they say?"

—…Some said that being a civil servant isn't the only path and wished me luck in finding something that suits me.

From her slightly downcast expression, it seemed those comments weren't entirely positive or supportive.

Rather than digging further, Letticia took a discreet deep breath and asked more cautiously.

"Then… have you told anyone outside your department? Like people you just happened to meet at work? That you're quitting?"

—People from other departments… Ah! I did tell His Highness the Crown Prince!

Letticia's eyes widened. Why is the Crown Prince coming up now? She asked, barely hiding her alarm.

"You told His Highness? What do you mean by that?"

—I mentioned before that I sometimes ran into him during his walks. Lately, it's been two or three times a week, and since we chatted a bit during those times, the topic came up naturally.

"…What did His Highness say?"

—Nothing, really. I mean, it's not like he'd care that much about me quitting.

Ariette said it casually, but Letticia couldn't shake the ominous feeling rising in her gut.

If Matthias, the Crown Prince, was in a stage of denial about his feelings for Ariette, he was probably scrambling to find a reason to keep her close.

It wasn't just frustrating to watch, it could very well unravel all the business and event planning they had worked so hard to prepare.

Still unaware, Ariette had already returned to her usual bright demeanor.

—If it's alright with you, next time I'd love to bring some tea food! It's a candied orange peel treat we eat often in the East. Since you said you like lemon and orange, I thought I'd bring that and some strawberry candy too.

"…Candied orange peel does sound interesting. I'd appreciate that."

Letticia's answer came a beat late as she tried to think of something she could do immediately in this situation, but nothing came to mind, and it just gave her a headache.

So, she simply decided to wait and deal with things as they came.

***

After finishing work and returning home, Alexander noticed the lights were still on in the mansion's rooms, and his mood instantly soured. He'd gotten off work late today and hadn't made it back in time before Ariette went to bed.

"What's this? You're just getting back now?"

"Yeah."

In the first-floor lounge, Achilles was lounging back in a chair, sipping a drink with ice.

Normally, Alexander wouldn't have bothered sticking around to chat with his younger brother, but today he had something he needed to ask. Wearing a frosty expression, he approached and stood in front of Achilles, looking down at him.

"What are you thinking?"

"About what?"

"Why are you suddenly so supportive of Arie learning etiquette? And that so-called social club, too?"

A few days ago, Letticia and Seraphina had come to ask for permission to include Ariette in their social group and teach her court etiquette. Alexander had been sure their father would refuse outright.

Five years ago, when Ariette switched her major to public administration, their plan had been to send her back to Elrey after graduation, so she wouldn't be pressured into making a social debut.

But instead, Ariette had suddenly applied for the Imperial Palace Civil Servant Exam, passed, and stayed in the capital. While that in itself was a source of pride, it brought complications.

Once people realized she was staying, the nobles began discreetly pressuring for her debut into high society. However, having experienced the capital's elite circles firsthand, Alexander could never allow it.

The capital's social scene was the most brutal marriage market, where people inflated the tiniest flaws and tore each other down as a matter of habit.

Worse still, the women currently dominating that scene were the same ones who once tormented and expelled their mother, Violet. These were the people who nitpicked everything their mother did, denied her every achievement, and refused to acknowledge even the noble status she had gained through lawful marriage.

Alexander couldn't let Ariette be subjected to those same women who would surely mock her simply for being "that duchess's daughter."

He'd smiled politely in front of those women while secretly taking measures against them later. It wasn't just once or twice.

To protect Ariette, both their father and Alexander had done everything they could.

They arranged for her department to be supportive when she started her job, and to prevent any sketchy people from approaching her, they made sure someone from the family picked her up from work every day.

They even stopped her from attending office parties where someone might get drunk and say or do something inappropriate.

And yet… despite all their efforts to keep her away from that world, Ariette had become friends with the two very people at its center.

Now, perhaps influenced by them, she had announced she wanted to learn proper etiquette for the social scene.

If possible, Alexander wanted to sever her ties with those two women altogether, but he knew that would hurt Ariette, so instead, he'd tried to draw the line at etiquette lessons.

But in the end, both his father and Achilles had given in to Ariette's earnest request and allowed it.

Still unaware of how deeply Alexander was frustrated, Achilles simply glanced up at his older brother and replied coolly.

"Because Arie said she wanted to. What more reason do you need than that?"

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