Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 13

Inside the office of Duke Leontine.

The voice of a middle-aged man mixed with the scribbling sound of a pen could be heard.

“How is Tidwell, butler?”

“Nothing is different aside from the fact that he’s had tea time with my lady.”

The scribbling stopped. Duke Leontine looked at the butler with puzzled eyes.

“Did he have tea time with Ravia?”

“Young master seems to want to get along with my lady.”

“Huh? That’s commendable.”

And rather useless.

Duke Leontine put down his pen and leaned over his chair.

“So, how’s it going? Did that young child mess up anything?”

“The two are on good terms, Your Grace. The young master wanted to get along with my lady.”

At the butler’s words, a delighted smile spread across Duke Leontine’s aged face.

“Tidwell, you’ve been doing a great job. You’ve grown up so well. It would have been better if I had raised you properly since you were little. I’m sure you’d be so excellent by now.”

“..My lady has also grown up well.”

At the butler’s words, Duke Leontine frowned at once.

“I raised her well yet she never showed an ounce of gratitude and always behaved as she pleased. Grew up well? That’s funny.”

“….”

“If she grew up properly, she would have understood my heart that always worried about her succession! Do you know how humiliating it was to bring her in as my successor when we couldn’t prove her legitimacy?”

Duchess Leontine gave her the surname Leontine, but she wasn’t considered as his child. The issue of Ravia’s legitimacy would always be the talk of the town.

The symbolic color of the family [silver hair] was not just about genetics. It was a symbol of blessing bestowed to the family by the first emperor. That’s why the color matters.

In other words, the birth of a successor without silver hair meant two things.

Either the heir did not possess Leontine’s blood, or the blessing that had been granted to Leontine had been cut off.

The latter case was a matter of family prestige. So, Ravia had to be an illegitimate daughter for the sake of the family.

“…But, your grace. Didn’t you also know the fact that madam didn’t commit an affair?”

For that reason, the fact that Ravia was the real daughter of Duke Leontine became a problem.

“I know very well that Your Grace loved madam with all your heart.”

The duke and the duchess were arranged in a political marriage, but their relationship was not only harmonious, but also affectionate. Duke Leontine and his wife loved each other deeply.

That’s why Duke Leontine accepted Ravia even though she was born without silver hair. Because she was the child of his beloved wife.

“For that reason…I can’t stand Ravia anymore, butler.”

“Your Grace.”

“I know the child did not do anything wrong.”

But the unresolved legitimacy issue, constant doubts about his beloved wife, and the child who was responsible for his wife’s death.

After being squashed by those thoughts for the past 26 years, there was no way Duke Leontine did not drain away.

“What on earth can I do to not hate Ravia, butler?”

“…If you think this is the best, I have nothing else to say.”

The butler only bowed his head. It was undoubtedly not the butler’s place to question who would be more suitable as a successor between Ravia, who inherited the blood but not the silver hair, or Tidwell, who had silver hair but not the blood.

Duke Leontine looked at him silently and dismissed him.

Tak-! The door closed, and silence shrouded the office. At the end of Duke Leontine’s gaze was a single-seater sofa. It was from Ravia’s room.

-Are you worried about me?

Ravia’s voice that he heard last night lingered in his mind. That dry expression and nonchalant answer. It was different from the past when she always wanted to earn her father’s attention.

It was resignation.

Duke Leontine silently thought of his daughter, but then shook his head. Soon, he had to leave to inspect the outskirts at the behest of the Emperor. There was a heap of work to do, so he had no time for such useless emotions.

***

At the same time, Ravia arrived at the Velocio Theater. People dressed in overly shiny clothes welcomed the guests.

“Welcome, milady. Did you reserve a seat?”

“I didn’t make a reservation. Is Leontine’s box seat empty?”

“Oh, of course!”

“That’s great, I’d like to see Laricia’s stage.”

“Come this way. I’ll prepare your seat.”

Taking steps at the guidance of the staff, Ravia inwardly recalled today’s luck.

‘Let’s have a tea party tomorrow as well.’

People will be suspicious of me if I use my outdoor clothes at home, but no one will doubt me anymore thanks to the tea party with Tidwell.

I had a hard time coming out in this outfit. Fortunately, I didn’t need to climb over the wall now.

Ravia thought she was lucky and followed the staff.

High-ranking nobles like the Leontine rented box seats in theaters like this. To ensure that you don’t have to go back if you decide to come without an appointment.

The staff guided Ravia to the box seat, gave her a theater telescope and a small refreshment, pulled down the curtains, and left.

‘I just had a cup of tea earlier.’

Ravia looked at the tea prepared by the staff with dull eyes. It was lukewarm milk tea made by pouring cold milk first.

-The butler said that sister always pours tea first.

-That’s what I learned.

-I learned to pour milk first. If the hot tea water is poured suddenly, the teacup might break.

-How so? I’ve never broken a teacup before.

-That’s the difference between nobles and commoners. Commoners won’t have to use such fancy teacups.

According to [His and Her Spring], Tidwell hated nobles. He hated their vanity and arrogance. That inferiority complex and twisted side remained intact in him.

But when Tidwell said that to Ravia, there was no sense of mockery or malice.

It was Ravia who had been exposed to all kinds of hostility since childhood. Thus, she could easily discern those sentiments. But he didn’t bring up the topic to mock her, rather, he was simply amazed by the difference.

I don’t think he’s normally this gentle. Ravia found it surprising.

Is it because I’m not hostile toward him? Or is it because I comforted him earlier?

Tidwell, who is taller and bigger than me, keeps having an ambiance of a young boy. Just like a young boy who had to build up his thorns because there was no one on his side.

Ravia looked at the teacup and wrapped her hands around it. The warmth passed through the cup to the palm of her hand.

‘So milk is poured first.’

Ravia took a sip of the milk tea. She didn’t feel much because she wasn’t thirsty or hungry. It was just milk with tea. A lukewarm one.

Feeling indescribable, Ravia looked down at the cup for a moment. But soon, the prelude of the opera began to fill the theater.

At the sound of the violin, Ravia put down the teacup. The warmth in the palm of her hand quickly disappeared.

***

Today’s opera was [La Traviata].

This play made the primadonna’s rich voices stand out the most, and it was the most suitable play to boost Primadonna Laricia’s reputation.

‘That’s why Leticia’s most popular stage is La Traviata.’

She used to watch opera a lot, but it had been a long time since she watched [La Traviata].

Ravia forgot her purpose and was absorbed in watching the opera.

“This primadonna’s song is such a great song, isn’t it?”

Until a sudden uninvited guest appeared.

After Laricia’s aria ended, the interlude was played. Suddenly, a silhouette of a man appeared, slipping from the dark corner.

“I came here to hear La Traviata, but there were no seats available. It looks a little empty here, may I sit down?”

The silhouette slightly wavers, but Ravia’s shoulders were stiffer than a stone.

It wasn’t just a regular seat, it was a box seat. Leontine’s box seat to be exact. It was not just a place where anyone could enter just because there were no seats left.

However, only a high-ranking figure could come to the box seat. So it only meant this.

“Did you want to hear La Traviata or did you want to see a woman who lost her way?”

It means that this man came for Ravia.

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