Chapter 3.1 – A Stifling Noble World

The previous day was uncomfortable with Miguel, and today she had to spend time with the unpleasant Countess and Kaera. If only she could turn back time, if only she could make everything as if it never happened. Especially when looking at the Countess and Kaera, that regret thickened like a dark cloud.

“Our distinguished and reputable Dante family cannot be tarnished by you. Keep that in mind.”

If it were truly such a venerable noble family, someone like herself, the daughter of a village chief, would never have been able to enter this Lord’s castle. It was an open secret known to all that the Dante family had long chosen money over honor.

‘What? Distinguished? The whole world knows their history is too short to even show off to other noble families, yet how can they be so shameless…’

To put it nicely, one could say the Dante family’s determination and business acumen to prosper the family in such a short time were outstanding, but Lisael had no desire to view them favorably.

“Oh, Mother. I don’t know where to begin teaching Lisael. How about having her learn with other noble children from a tutor?”

“Oh my, that sounds like a good idea. After all, Lisael’s knowledge of etiquette won’t be much different from noble children who are just beginning their guidance.”

“Ohohohoho.”

“Hohohohoho-.”

It’s already been an hour. They’ve been mocking Lisael under the guise of teaching her. How long should she endure this? Probably endlessly. She clenched her fists tightly and gripped the hem of her dress.

She had expected a certain level of disregard and ridicule, but to be openly humiliated as soon as she entered the castle was astonishing beyond expectation.

“Already, just because she’s the Young Earl’s wife, Lisael has received this many invitations.”

But the boiling anger was short-lived. When an unknown stack of envelopes fell from Kaera’s grip onto the table, Lisael’s clenched fists slowly relaxed in surprise.

“Hyenas. They’re surely waiting for an excuse to tear into our family. Lisael! You must learn the etiquette and manners of the social world without a moment’s rest. If you make even a single mistake at a party, I will never forgive you!”

The Countess was already threatening Lisael as if she had caused a major incident. When there is money, a certain level of power naturally follows. The Dante family held enormous assets, both tangible and intangible, enough to wield influence in the South.

The Countess, more obsessed with that power than the Earl himself, seemed determined not to relinquish her crown in the social world until her dying moment.

“Oh dear, it’s already this late. Loki must be waiting. We decided to have tea together. Mother, would you like to join us?”

“Let’s do that.”

Kaera, who was lounging on the sofa without any grace, checked the time on the clock hanging on the wall and clapped her hands twice. Then, as if waiting, three or four servants rushed in, each carrying a pile of books.

‘What… what is this?’

If they would disappear for their so-called tea time, it would be a welcome relief worthy of applause, but it seemed they had no intention of letting Lisael go easily. Lisael quickly scanned the covers of the books piling up like a mountain in front of her.

They were all books on etiquette and manners that a noble lady should possess.

“This is the very basic of basics for noble ladies. I’ve specially selected only the essential readings, so memorize them all. There’s a ball in a week, so even the dances.”

‘…Even the dances?’

Kaera spoke as if she were a goddess bestowing mercy. However, her posture—leaning her head on the armrest and flicking her foot—showed no trace of a noble lady’s elegance.

“…Understood.”

Once they left, laughing with a nasal tone about enjoying their cursed tea time, only Lisael and the towering pile of etiquette books remained in the room.

A ball in a week. She had never danced in her life. To be precise, she had never properly seen the high and mighty nobles’ dance halls.

She had often heard rumors from the villagers about nobles gathering to laugh and chatter, forming pairs to step to the music in an embarrassing manner, but she never imagined she would join that ridiculous dance troupe.

‘How am I supposed to learn dancing from a book!’

Taking a deep breath, Lisael resolutely fixed her gaze and began to sort the books one by one. Basic things like dining etiquette and greeting etiquette were already familiar to her.

Though she was a commoner, she had naturally acquired them while serving the Lord as her superior. After sorting and sorting, about a third of the books were eliminated. She couldn’t be sure if she could memorize the rest to the point where they were ingrained in her mind and body, even if she stayed up all week.

‘I need tea time too…’

It was well past noon when she checked the clock. Tea time was a cultural practice that everyone in the Kingdom, noble or commoner, was expected to partake in.

The difference was that nobles enjoyed it leisurely with various refreshments, while commoners had a much shorter and simpler time. To absorb all these books into her mind, she needed the caffeine of deeply flavored black tea.

There were probably one or two servants at the door. 

If I asked, would they bring it to me? 

Lisael, who had yet to enjoy afternoon tea, was wandering around the room, standing and sitting again as if experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Knock, knock.

It was at that moment. The thick door, which she had been staring at with a longing gaze, magically opened before she could reach it. And as a three-tiered afternoon tea set, both enchanting and beautiful, entered through the door, Lisael’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t over yet. As the servants brought in an enormous and lavish tea set and intricately crafted teapots and cups on a cart, Lisael felt her heart swell.

Seemingly having forgotten her status as the Young Earl’s wife, Lisael’s hands were already carefully clearing the etiquette books piled on the table. And at the end of the procession of what seemed like a gift-like tea time, the climax was entering.

Miguel Dante. Wasn’t he supposed to be at the casino? 

The moment she saw him leisurely entering behind the beautiful tea sets, Lisael began to restore the dense pile of books on the table.

“You haven’t finished tea time already, have you? I heard you were alone, so I thought we could spend it together.”

With your mother, sister, and brother-in-law. In this unnecessarily large castle, if you look around, they must be having tea time somewhere, so you could join them now.

She wanted to say, but there were too many eyes and ears around.

The moment he plopped down across from Lisael and crossed his legs in a familiar and arrogant manner, she oddly lost the will to chase him away.

The servants, who worked in perfect harmony, quickly moved the pile of books and skillfully laid out a white tablecloth, transforming the table into a tea table that was perfect for enjoying tea. Unable to resist the fragrant and rich aroma of black tea tickling her nose, Lisael reluctantly decided to drink tea with Miguel.

“You’re very diligent. Are you planning to read all those books?”

‘It’s not something I did voluntarily; these are the books Kaera gave me.’

As Miguel casually murmured while glancing at the cleared etiquette books, Lisael quietly replied to herself. Miguel seemed to interpret it as her being proactive in adapting to her role as the Young Earl’s wife, as he smiled contentedly.

“That’s good. But it might be a bit challenging to self-study all by yourself.”

“I can do it. Don’t worry.”

Lisael hastily replied as she brought the cup to her lips. It was something she had been concerned about while sorting the books. How was she supposed to learn from those books filled with unknown content and words all by herself?

But the Countess and Kaera, who irresponsibly threw the books at her, left without offering any direct teaching or even a private tutor, simply threatening her that she would be in trouble if she didn’t master them.

Even so, why did Lisael tell Miguel not to worry? It was because of her intuition. She suddenly had a foreboding feeling that if she said she needed help, he might volunteer to be her private tutor.

“It might be too much to do alone. Are you aware there’s a ball at Duke Parker’s in a week?”

Unlike Lisael, Miguel, who irreverently left the tea in front of him to cool, was showing genuine interest, even approaching the etiquette books and flipping through them one by one.