Chapter 1

“……What did you say? Leti, say it again.”

‘Ah. This was bad.’

Leticia realized something had gone terribly wrong at the sound of Enrique’s low, sunken voice. She’d known him for more than ten years, but she had never seen him like this before. And it was her who had caused it for the first time. Now that it had come to this, there was no way things could go back to how they were.

Leticia squeezed her eyes shut and slowly opened her mouth.

“I… found someone I like.”

“After that.”

“But that person said he doesn’t want someone inexperienced…”

“No, what you said after that.”

“If you won’t introduce me to someone to spend my first night with…”

“…….”

“Could you take my first time instead?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a crack appeared in the teacup Enrique was holding. It was clear he thought she was out of her mind. Everything was over.

Leticia, drained, looked out the window.

* * *

Leticia’s feelings for Enrique Keaton had truly lasted a long time.

She’d only lived twenty years, but she’d liked him for ten—half her life dedicated to him. Outside of her family, it was the first time she’d ever given her heart so fully to someone.

But since there was a four-year age gap, she’d had no choice but to hold back her confession. Even if she succeeded, she would still be a minor for a while, and Enrique would be an adult. So Leticia had desperately waited for herself to turn twenty.

Did she succeed in confessing, then…? It was a complete disaster.

First of all, he was someone who had everything. The second young master of a Dukedom, with wealth and background, a famously handsome face since childhood, a gentle personality, and the brains to top the Academy every semester. He lacked nothing.

Because of that, Leticia had watched Enrique receive all sorts of sticky flirting for ten years. Her own feeble flirting never even reached his toes.

When she tried to express her feelings indirectly out of impatience, he’d reply, ‘I like you too,’ while ruffling her hair as if she were a cute little sister.

“Sigh.”

It was a feeling she couldn’t share with friends or family. If she told her brother Johan, he’d interfere, saying Enrique was too good for her. He’d loved teasing Leticia since childhood, so he wouldn’t miss out on an event lasting years.

There were other problems too. She always froze up in front of Enrique. She wasn’t shy by nature, but around him, she’d stiffen up since she was very young. Unlike her brother, he was kind, well-mannered, and handsome, so it was only natural.

The only hopeful thing was that he still didn’t have a lover or fiancée. That made him even more sought after.

Would she be able to give up if he rejected her properly? No. Even then, she didn’t think she could let go.

“…….”

Compared to the women who liked him, Leticia knew she was lacking. She was pretty, but there were plenty prettier. Her family? It was fairly good, but ladies from better families lined up from one end of town to the other.

The only thing Leticia could really claim was the ten years of acquaintance.

The elders of the Keaton and Roberts families had been friends since childhood, so their children became close quickly. Moreover, during his sickly teenage years, Enrique had even recuperated at Leticia’s family’s villa, so they spent a long time together during a formative period.

Leticia followed Enrique more than her own brother Johan, and since Enrique had no siblings, he doted on her like a little sister. But…

Because of that, even after ten years, he still only saw her as a little sister. What could she do to escape the role of ‘friend’s little sister’?

“Physical contact can rapidly change a relationship.”

At a social gathering she’d attended by chance, she overheard a story that made her ears burn. Sometimes, when only women gathered, spicy talk would come up, and today seemed to be one of those times. As a newly minted adult, Leticia wasn’t immune to such talk, so she usually avoided it—but today was different.

Physical relationship. They must mean s*x. She’d had s*x education, but it still felt embarrassing.

Sitting apart from the ladies chatting, Leticia quietly listened in. The conversation grew more heated as time went on.

“The Lady’s right. That’s how I got my favorite knight. Men are weak to visual stimuli, so they fall quickly.”

“It depends on the person, but if he’s clueless, just go for it. It’s quick and effective.”

…Should she try it? Leticia’s heart began to race wildly. Of course, if she was rejected, it would be a huge blow. She might never be able to face Enrique again.

But unlike herself, who had just come of age, Enrique was twenty-four—an age where he could marry at any time. He didn’t have a lover yet, but what if some lady caught his eye? What if someone introduced him to a potential bride? Leticia didn’t even want to imagine herself sobbing in a corner at his wedding.

At least, Leticia had a pretty good figure. She didn’t like revealing clothes, so she’d never shown it off. She could only hope Enrique Keaton was weak to visual temptation.

Just as Leticia steeled herself and started to head home, she heard a familiar name.

“By the way, did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“They say Lady Cordelia, the flower of the social scene, is going to confess her feelings to Sir Keaton.”

The ladies responded as if they’d just heard something entertaining.

At that moment, Leticia felt as if she were sinking into deep water. There was nobody in society who didn’t know Cordelia. Men lined up to have her as a lover, fiancée, or wife—she was overflowing with talent in every way.

If someone like that confessed to Enrique, would he really turn her down?

No matter how she spun it in her head, she couldn’t imagine him refusing. In her mind, the two of them standing together looked like a pair of swans.

Just imagining herself attending their wedding brought tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand and listened in again; the talk about the two didn’t stop.

“There are many ladies after Sir Keaton, but Lady Cordelia really suits him.”

“I think so too.”

Leticia wiped the tears from her fingertips. She carefully left the lounge and climbed into her carriage. After hearing the ladies’ conversation, she felt she had to carry out her plan as soon as possible.

Visual temptation aside, she didn’t even know what Enrique’s ideal type was. If she could prepare accordingly, it would be even more effective.

“The person who would know his ideal type…”

Only one person came to mind who might know about Enrique.