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After her instinctive apology, Letticia found herself meeting Ariette's eyes. It stung a little, knowing her words might have sounded like an apology about Ariette's brother. And since Ariette appeared to think the same, she couldn't bring herself to mention Alexander at all.
As the atmosphere grew solemn, Seraphina calmly spoke up to ease the mood.
"Of course, Sir Averil would be an ideal groom in every respect. But as you know, the western region doesn't easily accept marriages with the Neutral Faction. So unfortunately, it seems fate won't connect me with him."
"That's true. If it were the Wades, it might be different, but the Eskis family is said to be more conservative."
Dayna quickly chimed in, and with that, everyone silently agreed to let the matter drop. Thankfully, the excuse wasn't just a pretense but a plausible reason.
Then, perhaps to dispel the awkward atmosphere, Ariette offered another idea.
"Th-then, couldn't Lady Eskis receive a title and territory instead? I've heard that in the West, it's not unusual for a family to hold multiple titles and lands, then pass them on to children who branch off."
"…A title and territory… Expanding the dowry is also a good approach. Among the lands our family owns, there should be several rich ones that even the royal family would find appealing."
Watching Seraphina steel her resolve once again, Letticia felt conflicted.
For Seraphina to pursue her dream, she had to remain in the capital. But that meant choosing either marriage to Matthias or compromising on the bloodline issue and marrying Alexander.
'Either way, it's hell.'
If someone handed Letticia choices like those, she'd punch them in the face.
Unable to accept such compromises, Letticia even considered returning to the West. But Wade Marquess had once mentioned that Seraphina had no friends there, and that thought kept weighing on her mind.
Ariette had her own hardships, but Seraphina, too, didn't seem to have a bright future ahead of her. Letticia truly didn't know what to do.
"Ah, and Lady Sharon. I nearly forgot to tell you the reason I visited today."
Letticia, who was just about to frown from a headache, quickly straightened her expression and turned her gaze toward Seraphina when she was addressed.
"My father has agreed to positively review the business. And as you requested, he's already selecting a perfumer to send to the Magic Tower. He said that once your person arrives in the West, he'll send them together to the Tower."
"That's wonderful news! I need to find someone right away and get them ready to head West."
Letticia's face lit up with joy. For the perfume business to truly take off, the cooperation of the Eskis Marquisate, who had perfumers at their disposal, was crucial. The Marquess's swift decision delighted her greatly.
"For now, what matters most is confirming whether it's technically possible, so we should carefully decide what to ask them."
"Um, this came to mind because of the honey perfume, do you think it's possible to make a honey perfume with added fruit scents? Since there are already flavored honeys, maybe people would feel less reluctant toward it."
"…That doesn't sound bad. I'll ask my father about it this time."
"I think it's a good idea too. Since the Eskis Marquisate will be providing a perfumer anyway, creating a refined variation of the honey perfume would benefit them greatly as well."
Letticia took Dayna's advice to heart, sketching out in her head the rough framework of a contract.
Kenneth had already promised to find the necessary personnel soon, so the practical matters, like drafting the contract, would fall to them. But meeting with collaborators and investors like Marquess Eskis or Duke Averil would be her responsibility.
'If only Seraphina weren't a western noble, I could ask her for help.'
Letticia cast a sidelong glance at Seraphina. Remembering her eloquence and drive at the charity concert, where she persuaded the old nobles to donate, she thought Seraphina might also be well-suited to matters like this. But if she suggested a "money-making business" to an old noble, it might be taken as an insult.
No matter how open-minded Seraphina was, in the end she was still an old noble, and a western one at that. Escaping those limitations completely was impossible. The fact that she immediately thought of dowry the moment Ariette mentioned titles and lands was proof enough.
'…Wait. A title and land?'
The thought struck Letticia so suddenly she nearly slapped her knee. This might be the breakthrough Seraphina needed to escape her grim future, an idea she genuinely liked.
As their conversation wrapped up and everyone began to rise, Letticia quickly stopped Seraphina.
"Lady Eskis, would you mind staying a little longer to talk with me?"
"You must have something to say. Very well."
Fortunately, Seraphina didn't seem pressed for time and readily agreed to sit back down. Ariette and Dayna glanced back once before leaving, and soon the drawing room was left with just the two of them.
Letticia poured out the cold tea, replaced it with fresh, and asked seriously.
"Lady Eskis, would Marquess Eskis ever consider passing down a title and land directly to his daughter?"
"Yes. My father is a reasonable man. If he judged that granting me an estate would increase my chances of becoming Crown Princess, he'd gladly offer it as part of my dowry."
"No, not as dowry. I mean, would he consider directly inheriting it to you?"
Tradition dictated that sons were given priority, but imperial inheritance law did not forbid women from inheriting titles. In fact, though rare, there were cases on the noble rolls where a titleholder was female.
Letticia had never personally met such women, but during her academy days she'd occasionally encountered students whose family head was their mother rather than their father.
Still, in the West, the most conservative region of the Empire, she couldn't be certain. The West often ignored imperial law to preserve its own traditions.
As expected, Seraphina looked puzzled and asked.
"Directly inheriting to me? How is that any different from a dowry? Even if I inherited land and title, wouldn't it just pass to my husband once I marry?"
"No, that's not it. If you inherit directly, you become the rightful owner of that title and land."
When Letticia finished speaking, Seraphina stared at her blankly, as though struck by cultural shock all over again.
Seeing Seraphina's expression, as if the thought had never even crossed her mind, Letticia wondered if she should just conclude that western culture was still stuck in the Middle Ages.
"Just so you know, in the capital it's not uncommon for a woman to inherit her family. For instance, in the Viscounty of Hailey, it's not Lady Rachel's husband but Lady Rachel herself, the eldest daughter, who is the heir."
"…It's not that women can't inherit in the West either. But usually, it's handled so that the land and title are absorbed into the husband's family. Is it different in the capital?"
"Yes. Especially from our parents' generation onward, as marriages between old nobles and newly risen nobles increased, that rule has been upheld quite firmly."
Whether the new noble was brought in as the spouse of the rightful heir, or whether the title itself was passed to them, determined which direction the family's identity leaned. The former meant remaining close to the old nobles, the latter meant leaning toward the new nobles, or even the neutral faction.
So, while some ruined old nobles had no choice but to sell their titles outright, those in slightly better shape passed titles on to their daughters and took in a son-in-law from the new nobility.
"So why not ask the Marquess? See if he might consider establishing a new branch in the capital, whether he'd support his daughter living in the capital's society and inviting western nobles there to witness how the times have changed."
"…I've only ever been educated to become Crown Princess, or at least a noble consort. If you're asking whether I could live while holding a title myself… I honestly can't say yes."
Seraphina shook her head. Letticia hadn't expected her to accept immediately anyway, so instead of pushing, she offered heartfelt advice.
"You said your goal was to call the western nobles here to the capital and show them that the era has changed, and to transform the West itself. But if failing to become Crown Princess means that grand goal you've built just vanishes, wouldn't that be such a waste? Unless you had some other plan… but if not, your only remaining option would be Sir Averil. And honestly, if I had a shred of human decency, I would never recommend marrying a man like that. Rather, I'd tell you to study starting now, and declare to the Marquess that you want to establish your own branch family."
"…But if I fail to become Crown Princess, then even if I did invite them, would they really come all the way to the capital? I don't even have anyone in the West I can truly call a friend. And as for my relatives, whenever they speak of the capital, it's always with disdain."
Her voice quiet, Seraphina fell into thought, her expression serious. But this wasn't something that could be decided on the spot, so she didn't answer right away.
"Still, since you've offered the suggestion for my sake, I'll give it more thought. Thank you very much for your kindness, Lady Sharon."
"Not at all. I just wanted to give you one more option to consider, that's all."
Letticia smiled lightly, as if to ease the burden. She hadn't expected Seraphina to make a decision here and now anyway.
She only wanted to add one more path besides marrying Matthias or marrying Alexander.
If what Seraphina sought wasn't marriage to someone she loved but settling in the capital for the sake of her ideals and dreams, then creating her own household could become another chance, another possibility for her future.
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