MLIIWTFL Chapter 240

240

"Well, it doesn't seem like any of the three were just picked up off the street or anything."

Letticia replied with a cynical edge, and Kenneth answered with a serious look.

"Normally, when people talk about favoritism, it's the eldest son who's the center of it. And if the parents dislike the eldest, they usually favor some other son they prefer instead. A household that dotes to such an extreme on only their daughter is rare."

"Just look at the three of them. The Lady looks exactly like the late Duchess. Isn't that the reason?"

"Even if the Lady looks exactly like the Duchess, it's not like the other two don't resemble her at all. Sir Averil has similar eyes to the Lady, and Sir Achilles eye color and face shape resemble their younger sibling more than their elder brother."

"Really?"

Letticia hadn't paid close attention to the Averil brothers' appearances before, but after hearing Kenneth's words, she thought back and realized there were indeed similarities with Ariette.

'Usually in these 'daughter-obsessed family' stories, the brothers are all written to look like the father, so it never occurred to me.'

But even if they resembled her, none of them were the spitting image of the Duchess like Ariette was. From the Duke's perspective, still grieving for his wife, his sons probably couldn't stir the same feelings of affection that Ariette did.

"Remember during the boat trip, how all three of them fought over who would get to sit next to the Lady? And without her around, it's not like they don't talk to each other, right?"

"…I can't deny that possibility, Brother."

When Letticia nodded, Kenneth pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.

"If that's really the case, then that family is completely insane. Letty, you're in a very dangerous position right now."

"I've long known they're crazy. But why does that make me the one in danger?"

"If that family is holding itself together solely through Lady Averil, then if anything happens to her, it's not just losing one daughter, they'd risk the collapse of the entire family. That's why everyone is on edge, watching obsessively for anything that might happen to her. And the person closest to her, you, would be the first target if things went wrong."

Letticia was startled; she had never thought of it from that angle. Could the Duke and his sons' obsession with Ariette be more than just simple affection?

"Think about it, don't they act relatively normal whenever the issue doesn't involve Lady Averil?"

"…That's true. I've often wondered why they only lose their minds whenever she's involved."

During the attempted murder case of Seraphina, Achilles response had been cooperative and rational. Alexander had discussed matters with Ezkhiel normally. Even the Duke, when speaking with Lenard about the jewelry shop during the boat trip, behaved without issue.

But once Ariette was involved, all three turned into irrational men.

"And even when people act irrationally, there are degrees. But the Duke's family… honestly, they're extreme. Way past the level of ordinary people."

"I agree. Father resorts to using wheat as blackmail, the eldest acts like a paranoid wreck, treating every man who talks to his sister like a rival, and the second son… well, at least he seems to have improved a little."

"Maybe that's because he already faced punishment once, and after experiencing the backlash of his ruined reputation, he's corrected himself—at least somewhat."

Kenneth murmured quietly, looking at Letticia.

"But even if his behavior's been corrected, the underlying problem hasn't changed. As long as the Duke's household continues to rely so heavily on Lady Averil, the danger remains. The root issue hasn't gone away."

"Do you really think that's why the three of them cling to Lady Averil so much? Because they're afraid their whole family will collapse if anything happens to her?"

"It's only a theory, but yes. From the way they act, I don't think it's that they lack family affection, but the distance between father and sons is just too strange otherwise."

"…If it's your theory, Brother Ken, I can't exactly say it's wrong."

Kenneth had not only gathered information on many people over the years but also possessed exceptional insight in reading the hidden intentions and emotions behind their words and actions.

When it came to grasping the essence of what was really happening between people, Letticia had rarely seen anyone more perceptive than Kenneth.

"This may sound heartless, but no matter how close you become with Lady Averil, you don't need to be dragged into the Duke's family problems. If those people don't change, you should even consider cutting ties with her."

"For you to say that… that family really must be serious, then."

"Honestly, I'd recommend they see a psychiatrist. But of course, I can't actually say that aloud, no matter how outrageous their behavior is."

"That bad?"

Letticia asked in surprise. In this world, psychiatrists didn't have a great reputation compared to her past life.

Thankfully, the era of treating mental illness through crude surgical procedures had passed, but even now, calling for a psychiatrist was still considered a great disgrace.

If the Duke and his sons ever heard Kenneth's words, they'd likely come after him with swords drawn.

"For a family bond to become so warped, there must have been a cause. Sir Achilles once said that from the age of three, they had private tutors. There could be many reasons, but one thing's certain, they didn't grow up in a normal environment."

"…This is really complicated."

Letticia had once thought that Ariette's childhood abuse had left trauma on the rest of the family as well.

But when she tried to think about why that trauma had affected them to that extent, her head began to ache.

'None of this was in the original novel. Damn that story…'

In the source material, there was only a brief description of how the Duke and his sons lived before meeting Ariette, seen only from the perspective of five-year-old Ariette. So trying to recall the original didn't provide much.

And as far as Letticia knew, the three of them weren't warm toward Ariette at first.

The Duke found it difficult to face his daughter, who reminded him of his late wife. Alexander blamed Ariette for their mother's death. Achilles picked fights with her, demanding to know "what are you even doing here?"

But after hearing Achilles speak recently, Letticia realized she had overlooked something important.

'If Ariette was five years old then… what about the other two?'

Alexander had been born in the summer of 375, five years before Ariette.

Achilles had been born in the spring of 377, three years before Ariette.

And Ariette's abuse was discovered in the winter of 385, just before spring...

'So Alexander was ten… and Achilles was eight.'

Though they were older than Ariette, they were still children, too young even to enter the Academy.

And from as early as the ages of five and three, they had been placed under the care of private tutors, without their father's attention.

'…That alone counts as child abuse.'

The thought made Letticia feel sick, perhaps their twisted personalities weren't only due to innate temperament, but also the result of a severely unhealthy family environment.

'I really hate the cliché of "he's actually pitiful deep down"…'

Just because someone had a tragic past didn't mean that the people harmed by them were obliged to forgive or understand.

Still, once you learned about someone's story, it lingered in your mind. And when you had the emotional space, you found yourself, almost unconsciously, trying to sympathize.

Humans were social creatures, after all, empathy came naturally, whether one wanted it to or not.

'…Let's just think of it as diagnosing symptoms by finding the cause. Forgiveness or anything else, that's all up to Ariette.'

Letticia had no intention of cutting ties with Ariette, so for now, the best she could do was to try to "fix" that insane family, even if only a little.

If their madness came not from their innate nature but from environmental factors, then at least there was a chance, however slim.

***

Camilla's summer tea party had gathered around forty guests.

Elder noblewomen such as the Duchess of Dinever and the Countess of Freke had brought along their daughters-in-law and granddaughters. Younger noblewomen like the Countess of Blois and the Viscountess of Hailey had brought their own daughters.

At the start of the party, Letticia played her role as hostess diligently. She sat among the younger nobles, introducing people to one another, sparking conversation, and leading the flow so that everyone could feel comfortable.

Then, once time had passed and the guests seemed able to chat easily without her guidance, she caught Dayna's eye and signaled her, before moving toward the table where Camilla was seated.

There she greeted once again the two great doyennes of high society, the Duchess of Dinever and the Countess of Freke, along with other high-ranking nobles, before sitting down to converse with them.

"Ah, Lady Sharon, welcome. We were just talking about you."

"I heard you recently went on an outing with Sir Bright? I saw the photo in Lucinella's front page, just the two of you, dining together so sweetly in the park. We were just saying how wonderful the sight was."

As Letticia had boldly declared to Ezkhiel, she and he were steadily cementing the public image of a harmonious, enviable couple.

They weren't as dazzlingly dramatic as Patrick and Camilla, but being well-liked across all social groups without causing offense was a strength of its own, and Ezkhiel seemed relieved by that.

"Ever since the ball at House Sharon, I'd been hoping the two of you would end up together. Seeing your relationship now made me feel proud, almost as though it were my own happiness."

"She must have inherited Camilla's discerning eye. To recognize Sir Bright's qualities at such a young age, what good sense."

Even the Countess of Freke and the Duchess of Dinever offered their kind words, and Letticia received them with a bright smile.

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🍓; *Doyennes, a group of highly respected, senior, or leading women