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"Ez, do you happen to know anything about Sir Averil and Sir Achilles?"
"I heard yesterday that the two of them both suddenly took leave at the same time. I wondered what was going on, and I guess it must have been because of this matter."
"If that's the case, then it's strange nothing's happened until today. What on earth are they doing? If they were in their right mind, they'd have already come to our house to apologize, saying they were sorry for their father's madness or something like that."
"Exactly. Especially since Lady Averil was said to be on your brother's side, wasn't she? If they wanted to mend things with her, shouldn't they at least pretend to apologize to your brother?"
They were brothers who had even quarreled with their father over something as trivial as riding a boat with their younger sister. Alexander might be different, but at the very least Achilles should have either said something to the duke or come to Lenard to apologize on their father's behalf.
"The duke must be stubbornly refusing to apologize. No matter how much his children rebel, how could they possibly go against the will of the family head?"
"If the duke really is acting like that, then I'll make sure to report it to His Highness the Crown Prince. Without witnesses or evidence he can't be punished, but at the very least His Highness needs to know that the head of a family responsible for half the empire's wheat production is that kind of man."
"Mother said she already informed Her Majesty the Empress, so it won't be long before His Majesty the Emperor hears of it too."
In romance-fantasy novels, even when an overprotective father pulls out a sword and dances around to chase off potential suitors, it can be laughed off as a gag scene. But reality is different.
The imperial family might not take immediate action after hearing the story, but the reputation of House Averil had surely hit rock bottom.
'At the very least, Her Majesty the Empress will probably oppose Ariette becoming the Crown Princess with everything she has. I'm not sure if I should call that a relief or not…'
If Matthias still had any sense left, he would know just how dangerous it would be to have such a duke as his father-in-law. But blinded by love, he might try to rationalize even that, and that was what worried her.
'No, wait. He might just decide to get rid of the duke altogether.'
That thought sent a chill down Letticia's spine.
'Damn it, this is the perfect setup for my brother to get on Matthias's bad side!'
The obsessive male leads in romance-fantasy novels had one insane trait: even before dating—sometimes before romance even began—they would guard against and grow jealous of any potential rival, or anyone who so much as seemed close to the heroine.
In extreme cases, even family members could fall within the scope of that jealousy. So, of course, a friend's older brother would naturally be included.
What's more, though it felt a bit embarrassing to admit it as his younger sister, Lenard was undeniably handsome. And since he and Ariette had exchanged letters back and forth, aside from family, he could be considered the closest male she had.
"…Ez, if you ever end up reporting to His Highness, please don't mention that my brother and Lady Averil exchanged communication codes."
At Letticia's sudden request, Ezkhiel asked with a puzzled expression.
"I didn't really intend to bring it up anyway, but why are you asking that, Letty?"
"It'd just cause unnecessary misunderstandings and be troublesome. So instead of saying they contacted each other privately, let's say they mostly talked while working with me on business consultations. That way, we can claim the duke misunderstood."
"…I doubt His Highness would misunderstand, but for Lenard's sake, that might be better."
Ezkhiel stole a glance at Lenard, then gave a small nod.
Judging from the gloom on Ezkhiel's face, it seemed there were quite a few circumstances Letticia didn't know about. Still, since it involved her own brother getting tangled up in some sordid love affair, she wasn't particularly curious and had no intention of asking.
***
About a week passed, and still, there was no word from House Averil.
Hoping at least Ariette might send some kind of message, Letticia had asked Seraphina to try contacting her. But the reply was that Ariette's communication device was currently being handled by a maid.
In the end, with no progress whatsoever, Letticia spent her days working on the renovation of the mansion and villa she had received as compensation, as well as preparing for the opening of Faymont's second branch.
The only real piece of news was hearing that the imperial family had quietly sent someone to the duke's household two days ago.
"I suppose the imperial family is trying to mediate since it would be troublesome if this standoff drags on. Did you happen to hear how they responded?"
"Apparently, there's still no reply. His Highness the Crown Prince was also taken aback when he heard about the matter, so I've no idea what they're planning to do."
Since his work shift didn't start until the afternoon, Ezkhiel had stopped by in the morning to see Letticia, and ended up sitting in on the family meeting to share the news from the imperial side.
Hearing Ezkhiel's report, Patrick spoke with a grave expression.
"At least it's a relief that House Averil isn't outright denying it. If they had refused to acknowledge anything, I was even considering whether we'd have to bribe their servants."
"U-um, saying that so openly in front of me is a little…"
"Ah, my apologies. My nerves have been frayed lately, so the words just slipped out. I should be more careful around you, since you and Letticia aren't married yet."
Realizing he had just been casually treated like a son-in-law, Ezkhiel's cheeks flushed slightly.
Patrick shook his head, as if brushing off his slip, then turned back to Kenneth with a serious look.
"How far has the rumor spread among the servants?"
"Quite a bit. I expect the gossip sheets will pick it up any day now."
"Good. The reputable press may dismiss it as rumor, but we can't ignore those rags. When the duke's household starts to waver, it'll be those tabloids that really drag them down."
"But Uncle, isn't this just like burying landmines and leaving it at that? We should make sure brother Lenard is properly compensated for the insult he suffered."
Kenneth's silver eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke, narrowing in that way he had been doing for the past week.
Startled by the unfamiliar fierceness in Kenneth's demeanor, Ezkhiel leaned closer to Letticia and whispered quietly.
"H-he seems really angry, doesn't he?"
"That's how Brother Ken is. When he sees people acting inhuman—especially when our family is the one hurt—he sometimes gets scarier than even Brother Ren."
"So is that why Lenard is staying so calm? Because the Count and Lord Kenneth are the ones showing the anger instead?"
"More likely, he's trying to figure out a way to crush them completely."
Just as Letticia said, Lenard's face looked calm, but his words were anything but.
"That family doesn't care about outside sanctions. Honestly, the only way might be to secretly persuade Lady Averil herself to lash out at her father and brothers, saying she despises them all. That'd probably be more effective. But I'm worried those lunatics might have smashed her communicator by now."
"They didn't smash it. Her maid is holding onto it, I asked Lady Eskis to try contacting her."
"Then there's no other way. Ezkhiel, is there any chance you could persuade Sir Achilles? At least he's supposed to be the reasonable one, isn't he?"
"Impossible. Neither of them has returned from their leave yet."
When Ezkhiel shook his head, Camilla asked.
"It's been over a week and they still haven't come back? I'm surprised Count Freke allowed that."
"Apparently His Excellency the Chancellor has also been informed about this matter. He said he understands it may take time to resolve, and if necessary, he himself is willing to step in as mediator."
"Knowing him, he'd probably give a long, stern lecture. But that would only fuel that damned duke's resentment, so I suppose we should just accept his goodwill and nothing more."
"Countess…"
Even Camilla openly expressed her anger toward the duke, and Ezkhiel looked troubled. He disliked harsh words, and seeing how fiercely Letticia's family spoke, it must have been frightening for him.
Wanting to at least soften things for her shrinking lover, Letticia smiled and reassured him.
"It's all right, Ez. They might talk like that, but it's not as if they're actually going to storm the duke's estate and start firing hunting rifles."
"Just imagining that is already kind of scary…"
As Ezkhiel shrank back even further, Patrick gave a small cough, as if realizing something. He seemed to recognize that for an outsider, the Sharon family's meetings—where such harsh words were thrown around so casually—might indeed be intimidating.
"In any case, if the imperial family intends to mediate, the more allies we have, the better. Sir Bright, I'd appreciate it if you could occasionally remind His Highness the Crown Prince of the harm Lenard has suffered."
"Ah, yes. Though it's personally a friend's matter, it's also about maintaining discipline in the nobility, so reporting it officially won't be an issue. His Highness is already keeping an eye on the situation."
"That's a relief to hear. It's getting harder to put pressure on the Averils as autumn approaches."
"His Majesty and His Highness both believe this mustn't escalate into a livelihood crisis for the people. But even so, they won't simply allow the Sharon family's suffering to be overlooked, so please don't worry."
Hearing Ezkhiel's assurance, Patrick and Camilla's expressions softened with relief.
If House Averil, which controlled so much of the grain supply, decided to dig in its heels, mediation would often tilt in their favor. It wasn't hard to imagine that their arrogant behavior over the years had been emboldened by that very leverage.
'The real problem is that there's no proper substitute for wheat.'
The Great Emperor had weakened the power of the old nobility and reduced their private armies, but why hadn't he confiscated their lands?
As Letticia frowned openly, not even bothering to hide her irritation, the butler burst in, looking flustered, and hastily knocked on the door.
"My lord, Sir Averil has come to visit."
"Sir Averil? Not the duke himself?"
"Yes. He's come alone. Shall I show him to the drawing room?"
"…Fine. Let's see what he has to say."
As Patrick rose to his feet, Ezkhiel asked.
"Would it be all right if I sat in as a witness on behalf of the imperial family?"
"We'd be grateful if you did. Please, join us."
Unlike the last time, when there had been no witnesses, now the Crown Prince's chief aide would be present. That meant even Alexander wouldn't be able to spout complete nonsense.
Feeling reassured by Ezkhiel's presence, Letticia joined her family as they headed toward the reception room.
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