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***
After hearing all of Lenard's story, Letticia couldn't close her mouth as she stared at her brother.
Fathers who doted on their daughters threatening men around them with brute force was indeed a common cliché in romance-fantasy stories, but never in her life did she imagine her own brother would become the target.
Kenneth, who had been listening with wide, unblinking eyes from the middle of the story, was the first to speak up even before Letticia herself.
"Looks like this time we need to finish it once and for all, Uncle. Let's expose all the information we've gathered on the Averil ducal house. They've done plenty of outrageous things regarding the young lady. If all of that comes to light, not even the name of Averil will be enough to shield them from the backlash."
It was rare to see Kenneth this angry, but no one was surprised.
Camilla, for instance, looked as though she would smash the duke's head to pieces if he were standing before her, while Patrick muttered in a low, icy voice, eyes sharp enough to kill.
"We treated him like a human being all this time, and this is how he stabs us in the back. Who would have thought a so-called noble would stoop so low as to threaten another noble with weapons?"
"The problem is, there were no witnesses, Father. The incident happened inside the ducal estate, and besides me, everyone else present belonged to the duke's household."
"Don't worry about that, Lenard. There are countless ways to destroy an opponent that don't require strictly lawful methods. If he wishes to fall beneath the dignity of humanity itself, then we'll grant him his wish."
"Make sure you show him hell, darling. To raise a sword against my son, there's no way we can let that go!"
While her parents and cousin were each unable to suppress their fury, Letticia felt not only anger but also disappointment.
'This man never changes. Not even a little!'
It wasn't as though she had high expectations, but hearing that a grown man had repeated, in an even more extreme form, what his son had done five years ago as a minor—this time against the victim's own brother—made everything feel meaningless.
She thought perhaps he had improved when he agreed to let his daughter attend her gathering after being persuaded last time, but in the end, it seemed people never really changed.
"I want the Duke to pay for what he did, too. But since my business is also tied up in this, let's avoid taking it to court if we can. Conflict between business partners isn't exactly good news."
"Business… Right, our business…"
The duke's outrageous behavior, pouring cold water on things right when their venture was just starting to take shape, rekindled in Letticia a barely-suppressed urge to burn everything down.
"Brother Ken, how about we just rescue Lady Averil and then set the whole ducal estate on fire? We could hire someone to shoot flaming arrows, toss in a firestone, or even fire a gun to spark the flames. There must be a way, right?"
"Well, first we'd need to douse the place with oil, but infiltrating the duke's household isn't exactly easy. Honestly, it'd be simpler to wait for hunting season and then 'accidentally' put a bullet in him-"
"Both of you, enough! Kenneth, are you seriously agreeing with her? Calm down already."
When Lenard scolded him in exasperation, Kenneth lost his temper.
"Have you finally come to your senses? What kind of mad noble points a sword at a fellow noble! And even after the young lady told him it wasn't like that, he didn't bother to apologize, nor did he thank you, brother, for bringing her back! No wonder, the children only follow the example their father sets!"
"I agree. Families like that are rotten from the parents down."
Kenneth was still fuming, practically seething with rage.
"If we keep ties with a house like that, disaster is inevitable. Letty, let's ask Lady Averil to withdraw from the business."
"What?"
Startled by the sudden suggestion, Letticia looked at him in disbelief. Kenneth, his expression hard, spoke firmly.
"I told you before. That duke, if anything happens to Lady Averil, he'll act recklessly and without hesitation. With someone like that around… no, worse, he'll use every excuse possible to interfere. Do you really think something like today won't happen again?"
"That may be true, but can we really just cut her out of the project like that? The whole business started with her idea."
"You're the one actually running the project. Since the concept came from her, we can compensate her with a share of the profits as an idea fee, but she shouldn't be involved directly. Honestly, I don't even want to imagine what kind of rampage that duke will throw next."
"…I agree with Kenneth, Letty. A man like that is the worst possible partner to do business with."
"Father…"
When even Patrick sided with Kenneth, Letticia wanted to say something in response but couldn't find the words.
When she thought of Ariette, she couldn't bear the idea of excluding her. But when she thought of the duke, she understood all too well why they had no choice but to push her out.
"From what I've heard of the young lady's character, I expect she'll step aside without protest. But if she refuses, then tell her this. If the Averil Duke is involved in this project, then she must not expect any investment or cooperation from House Sharon."
"....."
Letticia rubbed her temples, her head pounding, and glanced at Lenard. He sighed and shook his head.
"It's unfortunate for Lady Averil, but after what's happened, we simply can't have the Averil family as a partner. I've already spoken to other houses, so the project will continue as planned, but we'll find another way to support her personally."
"Brother, even after what you went through, you still want Letty to maintain ties with Lady Averil?"
Startled, Kenneth asked with disbelief. Lenard answered with a heavy heart.
"In that insane family, she's trying—truly trying—to become a proper person. I don't want to turn my back on that. And for her own sake, she needs to break away from her household. That so-called love of the duke's? In the end, it's nothing more than his own feelings taking priority. His claim that it's 'for his daughter' is just an excuse."
"More like self-justification than an excuse. Either way, it does nothing good for her. I wanted to believe, like Lady Eskis said, that maybe he could reform, but…"
"That man? At his age, if he really wants to reform, wouldn't he need to have his head smashed once and then put back together again?"
Patrick, who had been patting Camilla's hand as if to soothe her sarcasm, spoke in a cold tone.
"At dawn tomorrow, I'll be lodging a formal complaint with the House of Averil. Until this matter is resolved, all of you must cut off contact with Lady Averil. Even if you personally think well of her, this is a matter that concerns the honor of our family."
"…Yes, Father."
"Ha-ha…"
Lenard nodded as though steadying his resolve, while Letticia let out a hollow laugh of frustration.
How should she tell Seraphina and Dayna about this? And how was Ariette holding up under such circumstances?
'Any god would do, really, just, please. I swear I won't set fire to the temple, so could one of you just strike the duke with lightning already?'
***
"What?! Letty, is that really true?"
"Yes. We even sent a letter of protest to the duke's house yesterday, and my brother has already told everyone he could reasonably talk to about it."
"Not that there are many people worth telling… and the duke's family hasn't even bothered to reply."
Hearing the siblings' account, Ezkhiel clenched his fist, unable to contain his anger.
"No matter how strange that family is, this has gone too far! Even if—by some chance—it were true that Lenard called for Lady Averil and met her, who in their right mind draws a sword on a fellow noble without even asking about the situation first?"
"Exactly. But unfortunately, apart from His Grace and Lady Averil, the only ones who saw it happen were their knights and servants, aside from our escorts. Which means no evidence, no witnesses, nothing to prove it. Honestly, what kind of nonsense is this?"
At Letticia's biting remark, Lenard gave a cynical laugh, folding his arms and speaking in a crooked tone.
"If it were up to me, I'd shout it everywhere. But the story is so outrageous that, even if we tell people, it would be hard for them to see it as anything more than a rumor. Worse, it might backfire and make it look like I'm the one spreading baseless gossip. Honestly, if my clothes had at least been cut by his sword, that would have counted as proof."
"What kind of thing is that to say? And what about Sir Averil's record as commander of the knights? If people hear his father did such a thing, wouldn't they believe it?"
"Sir Averil was still underage back then. People would just say he was an impetuous brat making reckless mistakes. But do you really think anyone would believe a duke, a man well past his prime, would actually pull a sword on the heir of another house?"
"They wouldn't. Even Dayna and Lady Eskis asked me five times over if I was serious. They couldn't believe he'd be that far gone."
Nearly a week after the incident, Letticia reached out to Seraphina and Dayna, warning them that Ariette might end up having to withdraw from business and social gatherings.
When the two asked what on earth had happened, they nearly fainted on the spot after hearing Letticia's explanation.
Seraphina, who had even gone with them to try and persuade the duke, couldn't contain her shock and sense of betrayal, and fiercely condemned his actions. Dayna, meanwhile, lashed out, saying now she finally understood who Achilles took after.
But when Ariette's name came up, their opinions split.
Dayna insisted Ariette should be cut off immediately, while Seraphina wondered if there might be some way to reduce the duke's interference, perhaps by having Ariette stay at her estate for a while.
'If I could, I'd take Ariette away myself too…'
But those three men, obsessed with the youngest, would never let her go. If they would, none of this would have happened in the first place.
As that thought crossed her mind, Letticia suddenly realized something strange, the two brothers hadn't shown any reaction at all.
Just what exactly were they doing right now?
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