Euclid, whom she saw briefly, didn't seem to have any interest in her. So, naturally, he would reject her, and if she clung to him a few more times!
Erencia grinned.
I'm going to get a lot of hate!
Duke and Duchess Novellita's reputation will likely suffer, being accused of failing to properly look after their own daughter.
Besides, isn't Euclid Gredelus, Novellita's rival?
It was certain that he, too, would feel not only bewildered but also disgusted by her courtship.
Euclid was the perfect person with the right conditions for a family destined to become enemies!
“Great!”
Erencia clapped her hands together.
When Erencia, who had been deep in thought with a serious expression, let out a loud laugh, Agnes, who was organizing things, stopped her hands and turned to look at Erencia.
'My young lady... you aren't feeling unwell, are you?'
Agnes's worry only deepened.
***
"I’ve found someone I want to marry."
At breakfast time, Erencia threw a bomb onto the quiet dining table.
Elbers dropped his fork, and Evan dropped the piece of turkey he had been biting.
Due to the cold war between Duke Novellita and the Duchess, the already tense atmosphere plummeted off a cliff.
The family members stiffened their faces.
Clatter, clatter- only Erencia continued eating.
"What did you say, Erencia?"
Duke Novellita asked. Erencia lightly pressed a cloth to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth.
Erencia's blue eyes stared straight at Duke Novellita.
"I’ve found someone I want to marry. I’ve decided to propose. I just wanted you to know in advance."
"Proposal of marriage?"
Duchess Novellita asked back as if to confirm. You said you weren't interested in men, so why the sudden proposal?
Erencia was a child indifferent to her surroundings. Her indifference toward people, in particular, was extraordinary. In fact, there were more than a few instances where she wouldn't even notice if the servant directly assisting her was replaced.
Not only has such a child taken a liking to a man, but she also says she will propose to him herself.
Who on earth could it be?
"Erencia, were you dating someone behind your brothers' backs?"
Elbers barely managed to compose himself and asked. Erencia shook her head.
"No."
"But you're proposing?"
"I fell in love at first sight."
Erencia gave the answer she had prepared.
A girl who fell in love at first sight—it was the perfect answer to rationalize her irrational behavior.
"To whom?"
Erencia has high standards.
Elbers and Evan are the same.
Seeing themself in the mirror every day, it was impossible not to raise their standards.
After all, the Novellita family's appearance was magnificent.
If someone like Erencia fell in love at first sight, he must surely possess incredible looks. Or someone with a massive background, or a person of power, or perhaps...
"Euclid Gredelus."
Clang.
The dishes fell and rolled on the floor, making an unpleasant noise.
The restaurant froze in an instant.
He was a man who had it all. However, he was someone they could not allow.
“Who?”
"It is all too obvious why you are asking when you have heard everything."
Erencia answered, looking straight into Duke Novellita's hardened face.
"He's Euclid Gredelus. The current Acting Duke of Gredelus and the Grand Prince."
"No."
Duke Novellita stepped forward to oppose it without the slightest hesitation.
Novellita and Gredelus are polar opposites. This marriage offered none of the advantages typically associated with a noble marriage.
Neither power is expanding, nor is the alliance becoming solidified.
It was a marriage with no gains and only losses.
"It can't be helped even if you object. I've already sent the proposal letter."
However, Erencia did not give up. The opposition was what she had expected.
Erencia drank the water nonchalantly.
Everyone except Erencia turned pale. Eventually, Duke Novellita clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.
The butler and attendants rushed over and supported Duke Novellita. A commotion broke out in the dining room. Erencia continued her meal amidst the chaos.
Thinking things like, "Dad is soft-hearted, more than I thought."
***
“What is this?”
Heat rose from Euclid's body as he returned from his early morning workout. His aide, Frederick, handed him a pink letter along with a towel to wipe his sweat. Euclid took only the towel, wiped his sweat, and gestured toward the letter.
"Lady Erencia has sent this."
"Why?"
Frederick let out a faint sigh upon seeing the brow furrow immediately.
"If you ask me that, would I know?"
Euclid looked down at the letter with emotionless eyes and entered the room.
“What about the letter?”
Frederick chased after Euclid, fluttering the letter.
“Open it.”
Euclid, who had flung off his shirt in front of the bathroom, spoke in an annoyed tone.
“Me?”
Frederick asked back with a very uneasy look on his face.
"That's exactly what you do. Don't you usually read and filter the letters before posting them?"
Euclid replied nonchalantly, asking why he was making such a fuss all of a sudden.
That is correct.
As he was acting on behalf of the Duke who was secluded in a provincial estate, the volume of letters Euclid received daily exceeded all imagination.
Naturally, Euclid could not read it all. So, a few people, including Frederick, checked the mail in advance.
However, that applies only to strictly official mail.
A pink letter with a subtle scent and a heart-shaped seal on the outer envelope.
Anyone can tell this is a love letter!
He can't read something like this.
"I recommend you read it yourself."
Frederick had absolutely no desire to get involved in other people's love lives.
"Don't make me repeat the same thing over and over again first thing in the morning. I'm tired."
A blunt voice pierced Frederick's ears.
Euclid had no intention of accepting the letter. If Frederick didn't read it, it was bound to be thrown straight into the trash.
Frederick looked at his lord's broad back for a moment and resigned himself.
"Then shall I read it?"
“Do so.”
Euclid unbuckled his waist.
"Dear Sir Euclid."
It was an obvious greeting.
However, the following words were not ordinary.
“Will you marry me?”
Even Frederick, who was reading the letter, seemed dumbfounded; although it was clearly a period, he raised the end of the sentence.
"What?"
Euclid froze in the same position when he pulled his foot out.
Euclid looked back at Frederick with one leg raised.
Frederick's face turned bright red, whether he was trying to hold back laughter or feeling embarrassed on Euclid's behalf.
"Don't mess around, Frederick."
“It’s really salty.”
Frederick approached Euclid, waving the letter.
"Dear Sir Euclid, let's get married. Erencia Novellita."
Frederick read it out clearly, like a kind aide.
And then, he thrust the letter in front of Euclid's eyes. Before the writing became visible, a faint scent of roses reached the tip of his nose first.
As Euclid leaned his head back, he saw neat handwriting.
It was exactly the same as what Frederick had read. His tired face tilted to the left.
Even when playing a prank, you are truly sincere.
“...You’re crazy."
After a very long silence, Euclid spoke.
***
"You mean Lady Erencia is here?"
Before the shock of the morning had even worn off, Erencia stormed into Euclid's mansion.
"Was the morning letter a declaration of war?"
It was just as Euclid had come out of the bathroom.
"You speak as if you are at war, even after accepting a marriage proposal."
Frederick enjoyed watching Euclid lose his composure.
As he giggled, Euclid glared sharply at Frederick.
"Does that look like a marriage proposal? No matter how I look at it, it just looks like she's picking a fight."
Euclid pointed to the letter he had shoved into the trash can.
"Well, wouldn't it be better to ask the person directly?"
Euclid also agreed with Frederick's words.
Even if she hadn't come to visit, he was planning to go see her soon.
She called yesterday's horse incident an accident, but it feels like even that was intentional.
He was about to sternly tell her not to waste her time if she wanted attention by bothering him.
"Tell her to wait in the drawing room. I'll come down right away."
"You dress like that?"
Frederick pointed out Euclid's attire.
Euclid, having just finished showering, was wearing a comfortable shirt and pants.
With two buttons of his shirt loosely undone and his sleeves haphazardly hanging, he looked so unruly that it was hard to believe he was the usual neat Euclid.
"You should consider it an honor just to be met since I showed up so suddenly. Are you telling me to get all dolled up too?"
Frederick raised and lowered his eyebrows.
It seems that Lady Erencia is not to his liking.
Since it shook up Euclid's life, where everything was regular and planned, should I say it is treatment befitting of that?
"I will serve you immediately."
Euclid irritably put down the documents he had just picked up and swept his disheveled hair back.
If she's really acting like that because she's infatuated with me, I'm going to make her sick of it today.
Euclid had absolutely no desire to be involved with Novellita.
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