A week had passed since being called to Father’s study.

For a week, she diligently did her scheduled studies and put effort into preparing for the Duchess’s tea party next week.

She didn’t put effort into decorating herself, but rather thought about who the Duchess would invite and researched what words she should say to catch the Duchess’s eye. 

 Occasionally when encountering Leila in the mansion, she would look at her with jealous eyes.

The first and second brothers seemed to no longer even have the will to hide their antipathy towards her. 

 And brother Rubert was still showing interest in her.

Now he had started speaking to her even during dinner when everyone was together. 

 Though he was a bit…… no, very burdensome, she also felt somewhat relieved on the other hand.

Perhaps her mind was less troubled because at least the intelligent brother Rubert was speaking to her.

At least they could communicate. 

 Knock knock—

 After hearing a knock from outside the door, Mylene entered the room carrying a cloth box.

Behind her, she could see Millie and Bella entering carrying storage boxes of various sizes that made clinking sounds, filled with accessories and shoes that would match.

Since helping with her grooming last time, Millie and Bella had continued helping Mylene serve her.

According to Mylene, though they were touched by her action of protecting the maid, they seemed to feel even more goodwill towards her action of driving Mollin out of the head maid position when she had been intentionally harassing them. 

 After Mollin was driven out, a completely new person took the head maid position.

Her name was Demily, someone the butler brought from outside the mansion, and she always fairly assigned people to serve the Masipacius children, except for the Marquis.

She seemed to have quite a good reputation among the maids for fairly distributing work as well. 

 Indeed, positions of power need to be changed occasionally to prevent corruption. 

 “Miss, this is the dress the Marquis personally ordered. What do you think?” 

 While she was lost in thought, Mylene took out a dress that had been carefully folded in the cloth box and showed it to her. 

 The dress…… though she hated to admit it, Father’s sense was really impressive.

The light purple dress that beautifully blended white representing the Masipacius family and purple representing the Posilia family, as if wishing for harmony between the two families, had a very luxurious feel.

Additionally, the jewels attached to the dress looked extremely expensive.

Yet the jewels weren’t excessive, and the dress with patterns gilded stitch by stitch by the craftsman was…… honestly more beautiful than any dress she had seen so far. 

 Father seemed serious about improving relations with the Posilia family. 

 “Miss, this jewel…… I heard it’s a rare jewel discovered in the Kingdom of Biste that our Gellions Empire trades with. The name……” 

 Mylene tilted her head as if unable to remember the jewel’s name.

She opened her mouth in place of Mylene. 

 “Aquasophrite. They say it was named that because it was discovered in a mine submerged in water.” 

 At those words, Mylene clapped her hands and nodded as if remembering. 

 Since it was discovered recently, it must have been quite expensive and difficult to process as well….

Well, this will definitely catch the eye of Duchess and Duke Posilia. 

 “They say it took quite some time to make so it was supposed to arrive yesterday but was sent today. If the size doesn’t fit, the craftsman said he would come personally to alter it, so how about trying it on first?” 

 So with Mylene’s help, she changed into the beautiful light purple dress.

Despite its appearance, the dress was very light and comfortable.

It fit perfectly, as if made by someone who knew her exact measurements. 

 The maids exclaimed in admiration at her appearance. 

 “Miss, you’re so beautiful!”

“This dress…… it looks like it was made just for you, Miss……” 

 Since I also really liked this dress, I smiled brightly in front of the mirror.

When we opened the boxes the other maids had brought, they were full of accessories and shoes that would match this dress. 

 Only after deciding on the complete outfit and hairstyle to wear tomorrow could she escape from between the sparkling jewels. 

 And after escaping from between the jewels, what awaited her was being between the Masipacius family members.

These days Father was trying to have dinner together with all of us almost every day, pushing aside other matters if necessary.

Though he said it was to strengthen our family bonds, during meals his gaze was mostly directed at Leila. 

 If that’s the case, what did I do wrong?

Please just let me eat alone. 

 She moved her heavy footsteps toward the dining room with a helpless heart. 

 Creak—

 Through the opening door, Father and her brothers’ faces could be seen.

After sitting down and waiting a bit, Leila came running into the dining room, breathing heavily as if she had been running. 

 “I told you not to run, you could get hurt!”

“But…… when Dad and brothers are taking their precious time, it would be too sorry to keep them waiting……” 

 Hmm, right.

My time isn’t precious.

That’s possible. 

 “Hoho, this kid. Still, don’t run from now on.”

“Yes, Dad! Let’s eat quickly now!” 

 As soon as Leila finished speaking, servants entered the dining room carrying food.

The meal proceeded as usual, centered around brother Bershua, Leila, and Father’s conversation.

After finishing the tedious meal that went on for quite a while and putting a bite of dessert in her mouth, Father’s gaze turned to her. 

 “Come to think of it, tomorrow was the day you’re attending the tea party hosted by the Duchess.” 

 Acting like you didn’t know even though you ordered a custom-made dress.

Perhaps Father was even more desperate for that occasion than she was. 

 The business that the Posilia family withdrew from was the railway business.

A business where they would repair aging railways and lay new ones where needed in exchange for taking a portion of railway usage fees as profit.

After the Posilia family withdrew, another family took that business plan and pushed forward with it, and Father had been quite pained hearing rumors that quite a few investors had gathered. 

 “Yes. I will gratefully wear the clothes you gifted me.” 

 Hearing her words, Father flinched and carefully shifted his gaze to Leila before nodding. 

 “Tomorrow, ride in my carriage like when you went to the Imperial Palace before.” 

 This time brother Bershua’s shoulders twitched. 

 “Yes.” 

 After the meal ended, we dispersed to our respective rooms. 

 ***

 Bershua headed to his room stomping heavily, indicating something was seriously displeasing him.

Then he plopped down on the sofa irritably and after drinking water, threw the cup at the fireplace. 

 “That damn Rowenloa……” 

 Bershua ground his teeth. 

 Rowenloa had always been more excellent than him since childhood.

And she had always been a presence threatening his position. 

 Though it was a society where primogeniture was the norm, Bershua felt anxious in this society where increasingly non-firstborn children—even illegitimate children—were inheriting succession, and female heads of families were beginning to stand out.

It wasn’t an issue that could be resolved just because Father intended to follow the principle of primogeniture. 

 If Rowenloa continued developing and establishing her position in noble society, it was obvious what people would whisper about him behind his back even if he inherited the marquis position.

Unless it was a family with overwhelming power comparable to the imperial family like the Posilia family.

Thinking of the Posilia family, Bershua ground his teeth again. 

 Even that Posilia family felt like it would become a big obstacle to Bershua these days.

It was because of Delian Posilia. 

 What could he possibly be lacking that he would show interest in a child like Rowenloa.

While sitting there for quite a while trying to cool his anger, there was a knock from the door. 

 “Young Master Rembro and Miss Leila have arrived.” 

 At those words, Bershua quickly hid the scattered glass shards under a blanket and let them in.

Rembro had a sulky face like someone who was displeased about something just like Bershua, and Leila was looking at Bershua with a somewhat worried expression. 

 “Brother! Honestly isn’t Father too much? How could he give Rowenloa the Marquis’s carriage that even you haven’t ridden alone twice!” 

 Bershua lightly patted Rembro’s excited shoulder in a gesture to calm down, then guided them to the sofa telling them to sit and calm down. 

 “Father is too much. He always said it was right for the firstborn brother to inherit the marquis position…… honestly looking at the situation, it seems like Rowenloa will inherit the title……” 

 As Rembro continued speaking, Bershua’s face darkened, so Leila quietly poked Rembro’s side to stop him from continuing. 

 “Tomorrow sister Rowenloa…… is going to the Posilia mansion?” 

 Hearing those words, Bershua’s face darkened further.

Leila stood up and held Bershua’s hands.

At her gentle touch, Bershua seemed somehow reassured. 

 “Honestly…… I don’t think sister Rowenloa is completely uninterested in the succession position.” 

 Hearing those words, Bershua looked at Leila with a surprised face.

It was the first time Leila had mentioned Rowenloa so directly. 

 “I thought a lot about what brothers said. About how sister interferes with me properly establishing my position in noble society, and intentionally approached young duke Posilia thinking about the succession structure.” 

 Bershua and Rembro focused on Leila’s words. 

 “According to Mollin, they’ve never exchanged letters separately. If sister is just pretending to get along well with the young duke in front of Father…… isn’t that too pitiful for young duke Posilia?” 

 Bershua and Rembro looked at Leila with admiring yet sympathetic eyes for thinking of the young duke instead of herself even in this situation. 

 “So I thought of one method……” 

 After hearing Leila’s words, life returned to Bershua’s eyes.

With this plan, he felt certain he could take the young duke away from Rowenloa and also get one step closer to the position of marquis himself.