The two sisters’ emotions diverged sharply at their mother’s words.

Relieved to have avoided another obstacle after evading Count Bert, Lilia felt a deep sense of relief. She offered her sister beside her a smile full of congratulations, more genuine than any smile before.

Liz barely maintained her composure.

Although she couldn’t entirely hide her disconcertion, manifested as a trembling hand setting down the teacup, it wasn’t to the extent of being rude.

Duke Montaner looked at Liz with soft, appreciative eyes as he spoke.
“As Cleer said, you are quite beautiful.”

“Oh, Your Highness, you flatter me. To say I am quite beautiful is…”

The mother interrupted, waving her hand dismissively.

“But… yes, it is certain that she’s attractive enough not to be overlooked wherever she goes. Moreover, she is quite skilled in many things. Unusually for young ladies these days, she has a good sense of economy. You should see how well she haggles; the merchants are up in arms. They say there’s nothing left to gain because she haggles too well.”

“Ah, that’s quite interesting. If she becomes the lady of the house, there would be no worry of our wealth draining away.”
Liz couldn’t understand what was going on.

When had the two of them met, and what scheme had her mother been up to behind her back?

Shaking off her daze, Liz tried to think as rationally as possible.

Let’s save the questions for later. For now, just think of this as entertaining an esteemed guest.

“You greatly resemble your late father.”

Being momentarily away from talk of marriage and housewifery, Liz found a moment to breathe.

“I hear that quite often.”
Mother nodded in agreement, but it would have been better if there were no additions.

“I also resemble the less favorable aspects of my father. Such as enjoying music or getting lost in daydreams.”

“Is that really a bad thing? Isn’t it rather good? I do that sometimes too.”

“Ah… Your Highness plays the piano, don’t you? I think I’ve heard it from my husband.”

“Yes.”

The duke spoke with a wistful expression.

“When I was young, I used to play the piano quite a lot with my nephew…”
“You must be speaking of the missing Crown Prince.”

Upon hearing Mother’s words, the sadness in Duke Bellion’s eyes deepened even further.

“Yes. If only I knew where that poor child is wandering now, I could die without any regrets.”

Nonsense.

She knew how much he had tormented his nephew. How he was always on the lookout for an opportunity to kill him. And yet he dared speak such loathsome words.

Liz scoffed internally.

It was then that her eyes met those of the Duke.

Startled, Liz felt as if those odd, sorrowful eyes had pierced through to her very soul.
Caught up in her internal tirade of curses, Liz felt increasingly restless.

Did he hear me? My shouting “You’re worse than a beast”?

“Although it may be presumptuous to say this upon first meeting.”

The experienced and deeply resonant low voice managed to calm Liz’s agitated heart.

“Lady Aristae, would you consent to become my wife?”

“……”

A heavy silence settled over the reception room for a moment.

Not a single person moved or spoke.
Lady Berium halted midway through tilting her teacup to her lips, and Lilia had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as if about to pop out.

Liz was… in a state of blankness.

She couldn’t think at all.

A proposal had come crashing down on her before she could even fully recognize that this was a face-to-face meeting; it was understandable.

As the unexpected silence stretched on, Duke Montaner also seemed a bit flustered.

“Ah, it seems I’ve committed a great rudeness. To make a proposal so thoughtlessly. If you give me some time, I can approach it in a more appropriate manner…”

“No!”
Suddenly regaining her composure, Mother hastily set down her teacup as if throwing it, interrupting urgently.

“What’s important about the way of proposing? It’s the content that matters.”

“But they say the memory of a proposal lasts a lifetime for women.”

At the Duke’s words, Mother waved her hand dismissively.

“Living through it, I’ve found none of that matters. Substance over form, right? Liz?”

When Liz remained silent, quick-witted Lilia chimed in on her behalf.

“I agree with Mother’s statement. A sincere approach in life matters more than a grandiose proposal, Your Grace.”
“You heard her, didn’t you? Kids these days are so practical. So you don’t have to worry about the method of the proposal. Ho ho.”

As Lilia polished her own words and agreed, Mother seemed to be in better spirits.

Then, perhaps suddenly recalling her own child’s less-than-perfect social skills and manners, she subtly expressed her concerns.

“However, Liz is a child with as many shortcomings as her strengths… Should she make a mistake, as her mother, I wonder how I would face Your Grace…”

“You need not worry about that in the slightest.”
The Duke softly smiled, dispelling Lady Berium’s concerns.