"I have reminded you more than once, it's not 'she'. Even if you don't want to follow the rules and honestly address Lillian as sister, at least call her by her name."
Fontaine Whitman read through the content he had just written, then set aside the paper and pen. He looked up at his younger brother and said, "Respecting the future Duchess of Lancelot will do you no harm."
"Enough Fontaine! When the royal family didn't assign this marriage before, you and father just let her do as she pleased! You always told me what I had to do without explaining why. Do I have to listen? I am no longer a child!"
Joseph jumped up as if he had been stepped on the tail, shouting, "The future Duchess? Her? The future Duchess should be our long-lost sister, the true Miss Whitman."
"Since you want to be treated like an adult, you should learn to control your expressions and words so that they are not influenced by emotions. Always remember what can be said and what cannot be said." Furlante stopped Joseph from continuing with a warning look in his eyes, and he picked up the tea cup next to him. "Father once said that regardless of whether it is in public or private, there has only been one Lillian in the Whitman family, and she is our blood relative."
Joseph gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched his older brother pick up the teacup. Outside the room, the maid who was dusting the furniture let out a startled cry as the water in her basin suddenly froze. The sunlight in the study shifted its refracted path due to ice forming on the window, casting a perfect beam onto Joseph and Fontaine's similar yet distinctly different profiles.
And Fontaine calmly prepared to continue drinking the cup of red tea in his hand, which was still emitting a gentle steam. It was now the only liquid in the entire room that had not frozen.
"Not bad, there's progress," said Fontaine, as he looked at the teapot beside him. "Would you like a cup?"
In an instant, the maid noticed that the water in the basin had returned to its original state. She breathed a sigh of relief and just as she looked towards the study door not far away where Master Fontaine was, she was startled by the gaze of a servant standing guard there. Not to mention what happened inside, she didn't even know how many years it would take for her to have the qualifications to directly interact with those adults.
"I hate it when you lecture me in the same tone as our father!" Joseph exclaimed loudly. "What makes you think you can lecture me everything just because you're a few years older? Just because you're the heir to the title of Duke? Why does Father confide in you and leave me clueless like a fool? Is it because you're Mom's favorite child? Well, that's great! Because out of the three of us, only you still remember Mom! She doesn't remember anything anymore! ... well, I can only listen to what both of you say..."
"Joey," Fontaine closed his eyes for a second and slowed down his tone, "do you remember why exactly you were angry in the first place?"
"I'm not angry," Joseph denied without hesitation, "I'm doing fine!"
"Can you do me another favor?" Fontaine handed the just-written letter to Joseph. "Before it gets dark, please deliver this letter to the deputy commander of the First Knight Order. He knows what to do."
"When did we start having contact with the relief hospital in the capital?" Although the displeased expression on Joseph's face had not completely faded, he still quickly took the letter. "Don't we need to stamp it? Why didn't you let a servant send it - oh! I understand!"
The boy instantly put the recent incident out of his mind and walked away happily.
In the study, Fontaine leaned his head back on the chair. Although he sent his younger brother away with a simple donation letter disguised as a secret message, he still looked somewhat exhausted. However, without receiving any instructions from him, the servants could only wait outside the door.
"After ten minutes, the maid finally heard the summons and walked briskly into the room to await orders. 'Go and fetch Miss Lillian's therapist, I want to inquire about her physical recovery progress. Also, ask her personal maid if there is anything Miss Lillian desires lately,' Fontaine pondered for a second and then changed his mind, saying, 'Just bring the therapist.
"Should we notify Miss Lillian's personal maid, you want to visit Miss Lillian in person?"
"No need." Fontaine glanced at the maid. He had never seen this maid in his study room, which annoyed him a little. Although there were already too many things that required his attention at home recently, it was not a reason for Mrs. Pascal, the housekeeper, to assign someone new to serve in his study without consulting him. "Please also fetch Mrs. Pascal for me."
.....
"Are you saying that after I got engaged to the little duke, I would send him two or three letters every week?" frustrated Lilian repeatedly confirmed with Kate, "And he would reply to each letter? Is that why I have accumulated this drawer full of them?"
"Is it appropriate for these two individuals to communicate privately?" Lillian asked Kate in a hushed voice, as she was unsure whether the cultural norms here were conservative or open-minded.
Kate chuckled and said, "Miss, your marriage to young Duke Lancelot has been personally arranged by His Majesty. The entire kingdom knows that you are soon to be wed. Even if the young Duke were to come tonight on a whim and take you to his estate for some relaxation, I doubt anyone would dare say it is improper."
"Miss, Kate's statement is incorrect," Megan interrupted their conversation with a slightly firm tone as she adjusted the dressing table layout according to Lillian's request.
She said seriously, "There is no problem with exchanging letters, but before the formal marriage, Miss needs to adhere to the etiquette of normal interaction between young nobles and Duke in order to maintain her own reputation and the reputation of the entire Whitman family. If young Duke really comes to Miss's window at night, please invite him gracefully through the main gate of the Marquis Mansion. The mansion will naturally welcome his arrival with Renoirca's highest courtesy."
"But that wouldn't be romantic, I haven't seen anyone who can fly with the wind yet." Kate didn't feel angry at all for being contradicted by her words. "Our Miss is so slender, the young Duke will surely be able to easily carry her and fly together. I've also heard that Lancelot's territory is filled with flowers all year round, so the wind there carries the scent of flowers. By then-"
"Stop, I said stop." Lillian picked up a pillow and abruptly interrupted Kate's starry-eyed daydream. She felt a shiver down her spine, "Kate, that's not romantic, that's an unauthorized attempt to break into someone's room! If you see someone doing that, no matter who they are, you should immediately hit them on the head with a stick! Megan, Kate was just joking, don't take it so seriously as if someone is going to break into my window tonight."