Chapter 50

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Chapter 50

“….”

I gulped, waiting for Lisa’s words to follow.

“Although people like that won’t come. They would say something like, they are about to go up to the Capital.”

I didn’t want to run into Seymour, perhaps because of the guilt. I just wanted to avoid getting run into each other as much as I could.

‘Well, I’ve been spooning him…’

[ T/N: Spooning is the same as snitching or stealing. ]

I couldn’t find out how to repay the male lead apologetically yet.

“I see. I hope he doesn’t come, then.”

So, as bad as it is, I decided not to pay him back.

“If you send an invitation, you may have to welcome guests before the banquet for the time being.”

“Guests?”

“People who want to get acquainted or explore in advance often express their intention to visit.”

Neither Duke Icard nor Lisa seemed quite concerned about territoriality. I sighed. It seemed as though there were two things she was worried about.

First, the fact that my family had fallen completely. And, the second, the reputation of the Duchy of Icard was not very good these days. This was because as Duke Icard was gradually gaining momentum, the word ‘crazy for power’ was slowly coming out as well.

So, Lisa continued to worry. Nonetheless, they couldn’t treat me recklessly due to my status as the Duke’s princess. They could scratch my nerves because of my birth.

“Don’t worry too much.”

I answered nonchalantly, but her expression didn’t simmer down a bit.

“Ms. Matilda used to get beaten up in society all the time.”

“I am not Ms. Matilda though, Lisa.”

“Yes, still, you being nice and soft is pretty similar. Even if you took Olivia’s class, would you change your nature that quickly?”

She exclaimed and sighed anxiously once more before bringing up the next topic.

“Well, the second news is, the Young Master is coming at the same time as the banquet.”

“I see.”

“He sent the luggage first, but it just arrived now. I’m in the middle of organizing, would you like to go see it?”

Since I didn’t have much to do, I agreed to follow Lisa to Evan’s room. Since I chose the best-viewed room in the villa, my room was a little small, so we couldn’t use the same room with him.

As we entered the room, I could see the servants slowly unpacking. I glanced around and found a box of clothes.

“Hmm…? Did he send the wrong one?”

“Yeah, that’s definitely weird.”

Lisa nodded, staring at the box I pointed to.

“Why did he only bring red cravats?”

They are almost the same red hues. So, at first glance, people may think that he was wearing the same cravat every day.

“Ah, it can’t be helped. It’s already here.”

Well, since I wasn’t going to be the one who would get cursed for wearing the same cravat, I just carelessly leveled my head down.

At Duke Icard’s residence, I was idling with nothing to do, but I was quite busy here. In Borotna, I was the representative of Icard.

So, as Lisa mentioned, I started writing and sending invitations one by one.

“Here’s a detailed map of the aristocrats in the southwestern region.”

Lisa, like a good maid, has been working on data even though I didn’t specifically require her to do so. She added, “This is the history of the major families. It could help us in starting a conversation with them.”

“Thank you, Lisa. I’ll do my best.”

I answered with a smile.

Just as Lisa was about to leave the room with a proud face, Serena entered the room, saying it was time for my treatment.

“…It doesn’t seem like it’s clothing for medical treatment.”

Serena was wearing a dress full of frills, a fancy headdress, and a large earring. She shrugged as Lisa spoke disapprovingly.

“Aren’t I pretty? Everyone’s saying I’m pretty. They said that I had abandoned the stereotype of clothing for a medical doctor, which should be white only.”

“So, what does the fancy dress have to do with medical treatment?”

“It’s good for Miss Laria’s visual health. It’s better for her to see pretty things.”

Even though Lisa was a calm and capable maid and couldn’t beat Serena’s shamelessness, she still had feisty energy in her to talk back.

“And you’re just bringing the same equipment every day. Are you treating the young miss right?”

“A master doesn’t need to blame the equipment.”

[ T/N: Meaning a professional doesn’t have to use the tools as an excuse for their performance. ]

Knowing that it was true that my condition was continuously improving, Lisa couldn’t refute it. As before, I wasn’t constantly coughing blood, my skinny body was gradually gaining weight, and most of all, my plump cheeks were slowly turning red.

After defeating Lisa, who thumped out of the room, Serena winked at me and handed me a report.

“Here’s the data you mentioned, Miss Laria.”

“Thank you.”

The data received from Serena were also information from aristocrats in the southwestern region. However, it was a bit different from the official material that Lisa gave.

“The guild members did their best to dig up the information.”

It was a report full of messy scandals, rumors, and partnerships. For me to step up in the social circles, I had to know the background rumors first.

“Yeah…”

As I checked all the messy gossip in the report, I marked a check inwardly.

“This is exactly what I wanted.”

In contrast to the data Lisa gave me, the social status of this area, which I wasn’t familiar with, seemed to be clearly visible.

“By the way, Miss Laria…”

Serena tilted her head and asked.

“Is there any reason for you to work this hard? Isn’t being Miss Laria good enough?”

“What an ignorant thought.”

Listening to my words, she blinked at my firm answer.

“Eventually, everyone’s going to think it’s weird if they don’t see the fictional character of yours named Kyle Dart Lavonis.”

If my whereabouts were caught, Duke Icard would have taken me out in secret because the dead don’t talk…

So, I must hide away.

“Hm… that’s true.”

“Yeah, I need to work on this step by step starting from now.”

And so, I explained to Serena my plan forward in detail. After hearing my plan, she sighed and nodded.

“The bigger picture is no joke after all. From now on, I want to call you Laria, the painter.”

“Yeah… It’s going to be hard to say that when you actually see my drawings.”

I simply rejected the title painter.

At that, I added, “Well, this is different from that, too, and besides…”

“Huh?”

“It’s just fun.”

“Fun…?”

“Being an influential figure.”

Saying so, I grinned cheekily with a finger on my chin.

“It feels good to make a decision myself and work according to my strategy. I’m kind of cut out for it.”

The social circles in the southwestern region are now left at the mercy of my desire.

Even after midnight, lights are leaking from the windows of the Duchy of Icard in the Capital.

Originally, it is well-known about the fact that the lights in Kallaudin’s office wouldn’t turn off until way later in the night, but nowadays, even Evan’s room was bright until later as well.

“My Lord… why don’t we just call it a day?”

“I thought you said we’d finish this book by next week.”

These days, Evan hasn’t sent tutors home until late.

“Well, yes, next week…”

“So, let’s get it over with today.”

The class continued until almost midnight, but Evan showed no signs of exhaustion. After exhausting one, the next day another tutor would stay late at night. Evan, who took classes until late every day, took a pen after sending the tutor away.

[ Laria, how are you? How’s the banquet preparation going? ]

It was always easy up to here.

[ I think I’m leaving a little earlier than expected. ]

The problem was the next part.

[ The tutors finished early, saying that I had a good understanding of all the lessons. ]

Evan silently gazed at his handwriting, sighed, and crumpled the paper. It felt as though he was being too condescending.

Starting to pick up the pen again on a new piece of paper, he stopped again on the third line.

[ The successor class is progressing a little faster than expected, so there is still time left. ]

After rereading the sentence again for a while, Evan began to crumble the paper, again.

Writing it like this, there was a possibility that Laria wouldn’t think the successor class finished earlier because it wasn’t too important.

In fact, there were many occasions when his tutors praised his learning ability. Though the problem right now was how to write about it without sounding like he was showing off.

[ I wonder if my hard work at the academy had paid off because I finished my succession class a little earlier than expected. ]

‘I also won first prize at the academy. Maybe, that’s why it’s easy for me to succeed this quickly as the successor.’

…Is this too implicit?

Groaning all night. Evan eventually completed the letter by dawn.

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