Chapter 8

"Excuse me, Lady Cordelia. Your eyes still look dead, as usual."

"As usual is unnecessary, Hailut. Good afternoon."

With her tired, lifeless eyes, as Hailut pointed out, Cordelia returned the greeting.

The setting was the reception room of the earl's mansion.

Sunlight filtered through the trees outside the window, but Cordelia's complexion was far from good.

"You've been busy lately, haven't you? Just as I expected, I suppose?"

"Pretty much, as you can guess. Tea parties, balls, theater performances... I don't have enough bodies to keep up."

It had been ten days since Cordelia met the second prince, Leonhardt, at a ball.

Cordelia had suddenly become the center of attention.

Even before that, Cordelia was already notorious for her sister stealing her fiancé.

Now, with Prince Leonhardt showing interest in her, the situation had only worsened.

Every day, the earl's mansion received numerous invitations, as people tried to get the story from Cordelia herself.

Considering the time, the social status of the invitees, and other factors, she accepted only the invitations she couldn't refuse. Even so, she was constantly on the go, moving from one event to another.

She also had to handle the thank-you notes and other trivial tasks before and after each outing, making her life incredibly busy.

"If I had known it would come to this, I should have brought more servants from the estate..."

"Can't you rely on the servants in this mansion?"

"I wish I could. But the master of this mansion is Father, and Father dotes on Priscilla, who is obsessed with new dresses and jewelry."

"Ah... I see, that's the situation."

Hailut picked up a cookie and made a gesture as if slicing his neck, then threw it into his mouth.

"Any servant who tried to criticize Priscilla's extravagance, with a sense of responsibility and financial awareness, was driven out of the mansion."

"So, the only ones left are servants who flatter Father and indulge Priscilla."

"I'm relying on the servants from the estate who aren't under Father's influence, but for now, I have to manage on my own."

Shrugging, Cordelia took a sip of tea, as if swallowing a sigh.

No matter how tired she was, as a member of the earl's family, she couldn't show it when she went out.

Cordelia wished Hailut, who she could be more relaxed with, would forgive her dead-looking eyes.

"Well, I'll cut this short and leave early."

Hailut took out an envelope and placed it on the table.

Cordelia picked it up and checked the contents.

"Thank you. It's exactly what I asked for, and it's a great help."

"It's my pleasure. I'll ask for the payment next time we meet."

"I'll keep my promise, but is that kind of thanks enough...?"

As she put the envelope in her pocket, Cordelia asked.

"To tell me what impression you had of Prince Leonhardt when you meet him next... Is that really all you want?"

"It's more than enough. Seeing how the prince, who has no scandal, behaves in front of you is a treat for a gossip lover."

"Your curiosity is refreshing in its own way."

"Love and romance make for good art. A painting based on the play 'The Love of Lamoricia' will be completed soon. How about it for the entrance of the earl's mansion?"

"I'll pass. I think art should be with someone who can appreciate it."

Hailut's portrait paintings were of such high quality that the models seemed to be standing in the paintings.

However, his personal works, with their garish colors and unstable lines, were visually violent and indescribable.

"Tch, that's a shame. Lady Cordelia's only flaw is her lack of appreciation for art."

"That's rude. I've been trained in art appreciation by my grandmother."

"Being bound by preconceived notions is a sad thing. Where are the people who can appreciate my paintings?"

Hailut looked up to the sky with exaggerated movements.

While he was in high demand as a portrait painter, it seemed he wasn't satisfied with that.

As an artist, he wanted his expression to be recognized, but it seemed that wasn't happening.

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After seeing Hailut off, Cordelia visited Priscilla's room.

It was three times the size of Cordelia's room, with lavish decorations and furnishings that were unsuitable for an earl's daughter.

"Priscilla, I'm coming in."

"Big sister, what is it? I'm busy right now."

Priscilla answered without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

On the cat-foot table were stacks of the latest romantic novels popular in the capital.

(Father must have bought these for Priscilla again...)

Lately, she had been so busy that she had neglected to keep an eye on her sister.

Priscilla, like any young girl, loved plays and novels about love, but she was easily bored.

While one or two volumes might be manageable, there were clearly ten on the table.

Even if she bought a multi-volume novel, it would end up as a bookshelf decoration without being finished.

"Priscilla, listen. Prince Leonhardt is coming to visit."

"!! Prince Leonhardt?!"

Priscilla's face lit up, and she threw the book aside and came over.

"When? When is he coming?!"

"Calm down."

As she scolded her sister, Cordelia picked up the book that had fallen to the floor.

"He's coming to our house around noon seven days from now."

"I understand!! I'll be waiting in my best dress!!"

While Prince Leonhardt's visit was for Cordelia to receive gloves, Priscilla seemed excited regardless.

"Do you want to meet the prince, Priscilla?"

"Of course."

"Then, starting tomorrow, go to Viscountess Meyard's place for five days."

"What, to Viscountess Meyard's place?"

Priscilla's expression darkened.

Viscountess Meyard was a distant relative of the earl's family, known for her strict etiquette.

"Why do I have to go to Viscountess Meyard's place?"

"To learn proper etiquette. Since we're inviting the prince to our home, we can't afford any mistakes."

"But I know the basics of etiquette..."

"Unfortunately, you don't. Fortunately, you have the basics, so spend five days being retrained by Viscountess Meyard."

"Five whole days?"

It was only five days.

She wasn't forbidding Priscilla from meeting Leonhardt outright.

If she really wanted to meet him, she could endure five days.

(But I expected her to complain here.)

Priscilla pouted like a child and started to complain.

If she kept this up, she would likely use her 'Ultimate Move: Tell Father.'

"If you don't want to go to Viscountess Meyard's place, then give up on meeting Prince Leonhardt."

"No!! Why are you being so mean?!"

"It's not a bad deal for you. While the prince is here, why don't you go see a play?"

"A play... This!!"

Priscilla snatched the theater ticket Cordelia had taken out.

It was a romantic play written by a playwright with a royal appointment, featuring several popular actors.

The play had just opened and was very popular, making the tickets hard to come by even for nobles.

(Hailut really has a wide network.)

Hailut frequented various salons and noble houses and seemed to have many artist friends.

If the price for these valuable tickets was just the ticket cost and a conversation about Leonhardt, it was a good deal.

Faced with the precious tickets, Priscilla seemed to be in a dilemma.

"I want to see it, but the day of the ticket is when Prince Leonhardt... "

"I have two tickets. Why don't you go with Toppak?"

"With Toppak..."

Priscilla seemed unsure.

To help her make a decision, Cordelia pushed her.

"If you don't go, I'll give the tickets to someone else. I really want to see it myself, but I can't. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, but I didn't expect the prince to come on that day—"

"I'll go!!"

Priscilla answered enthusiastically, clutching the ticket.

Cordelia inwardly smiled at the expected reaction.

It was a typical Priscilla response to want what her sister had or what her sister wanted.

This way, Priscilla wouldn't intrude on her meeting with Leonhardt.

She didn't know why Leonhardt was interested in her, but she needed to prevent a meeting between the prince and her reckless, selfish sister.

Feeling a weight lifted, Cordelia received a letter from a servant.

"Lady Cordelia, a letter has arrived from Lady Katharina of the duke's family."

Thank you for reading.

I would appreciate any feedback or comments.

The next part will be posted tomorrow, so please look forward to it.