Chapter 21
Leighton gently lifted Ailey, who had been dangling from his waist.
Every time he faced the Bennett sisters’ blind, unconditional affection, feelings he had never experienced before surged within him, leaving him unsettled.
His chest tingled, and at the same time, he felt an emptiness he couldn’t explain.
He couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Ailey. Unaware of his mood, she took a step back and held out her hand abruptly.
On her small, pale palm lay a crumpled letter.
“The person who sent this made me incredibly mad.”
Without a word, Leighton took the letter and read the sender’s name at the bottom.
“The Howard family, Marquis Howard’s household.”
“That’s right. Lucia Howard. She’s the daughter of the Howard Marquis.”
Ailey chattered on, explaining eagerly as he read the letter carefully.
“She’s the same age as my sister and was friends with her. Well, not really close friends, more like just acquaintances from a social club.”
“I see. But why do you say she’s troublesome?”
“She was jealous of my pretty sister and tried to subtly put her down and spread bad rumors in society.”
Ailey clenched her tiny fists and huffed with anger, clearly upset.
‘She really loves her sister.’
Selena would also be protective if it were Ailey.
When he gave a small nod, Ailey continued.
“My sister ignored her, so she gave up. But today, I got a letter.”
“But Miss Ailey, isn’t this letter addressed to Selena?”
Leighton pointed to the top of the envelope, which read: “To Grand Duchess Selena Bennett.”
“That’s right. I think the maid accidentally brought it to me while sorting letters. Anyway, that’s not the important part!”
Ailey wagged her finger fiercely in the air, her voice sharp.
Leighton chuckled softly at the sight—he hadn’t even realized he was smiling.
Ailey raised her voice to explain further.
“According to this letter, Miss Lucia Howard is about to hold her debutante ball!”
Leighton raised his eyebrows slightly, looking puzzled.
Ailey pounded her chest with her small fists, frustrated. The sound of her determined little hands was emphatic.
“And she invited my sister! But my sister hasn’t even had her debutante ball yet!”
“Ah…”
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating!”
Thinking she wasn’t getting through, Ailey sighed deeply.
Meanwhile, Leighton’s mind went blank.
‘Selena hasn’t had her debutante ball yet?’
Well, of course, he wouldn’t have known that.
Although he had investigated the Bennett Grand Duchy thoroughly, he hadn’t looked into Selena’s social life—it wasn’t necessary information.
Selena Bennett was a key figure he could use to his advantage. A delicate girl he could manipulate to rely on him.
‘So at that time, she attended the royal banquet as the temporary head, replacing the deceased Grand Duke.’
That would explain why a girl who hadn’t yet had her debutante ball could attend an official banquet.
Leighton turned to Ailey, who was crumpling the letter again, and asked,
“I assumed she had already held her debutante ball. Why hasn’t she?”
“Well… my sister’s birthday had just passed and our parents had died, so…”
Leighton let out a short groan.
“This invitation must be for her to attend as a representative of the Grand Duchy. She’s expected to wear a pretty dress, enjoy the debutante ball, and be envied! Knowing my sister hasn’t had her debutante yet, it’s deliberate!”
Ailey, fired up, exclaimed into the air: “That ugly, annoying Lucia Howard!”
Selena had said nothing about this.
‘She probably didn’t answer because no one asked.’
Honestly, Leighton didn’t even understand why he was bothered listening to this.
It was a minor matter, irrelevant to his plans.
Whether Selena Bennett had held her debutante or not didn’t matter. She wasn’t important in society and didn’t seem eager to be. He could leave her alone for now and intervene only if it became a problem later.
Yet, somehow, Leighton ended up holding Ailey’s soft, small hand tightly as they walked toward Selena’s room.
“See, Marquis? That girl’s intentions are really cruel.”
“Indeed. This invitation was clearly sent hoping to upset Selena.”
“You really understand me, Marquis.”
By now, the sun had climbed high, nearing noon.
Though she hadn’t had breakfast or attended her tutoring session with Aaron, Ailey was happy to see her goal achieved.
And for some reason, Aaron hadn’t come looking for her yet, which made it easier for her to approach Leighton and Selena.
Luckily, Selena wasn’t far.
Around the right corner of the mansion, in the sunlight, her golden hair shimmered.
Wearing a purple dress that showed her shoulders and complemented her eyes, she strolled through the garden.
As always, her little sparrow Shinsu was by her side.
“Sister!”
Overjoyed, Ailey raised her arms and ran straight to her.
“Ailey?”
Selena noticed Ailey running toward her, holding her dress. Her violet pupils widened.
She seemed to recall the awkward greeting from yesterday. She still had no talent for hiding her emotions.
“The Marquis is here too.”
“I came because I have something to ask.”
“You want to ask me?”
Ailey nodded vigorously, still clinging to her sister.
“Yes! The Marquis wants to tell you something!”
“Well… what could that be?”
Selena tilted her head, puzzled. Curiosity flickered across her face.
Ailey stomped her feet impatiently, urging him to speak.
Leighton glanced at the expectant Ailey and slowly spoke.
“I have something I want to do.”
“Something you want to do…?”
“Yes. I want to host a debutante ball.”
“Excuse me? A debutante ball?”
Selena’s pupils trembled, utterly confused. Shinsu, spinning above her head, stopped mid-flap and perched on her shoulder.
What could that tiny head be thinking so hard?
Selena’s mind seemed to whirl in confusion.
“You mean… Marquis, you want to hold a debutante ball because she hasn’t officially had hers yet…?”
Selena’s large eyes glistened with concern.
Now it was Leighton’s turn to be flustered.
He hadn’t expected her to misunderstand like this.
Before he could clarify, she had already drawn her own conclusion.
He hurried to explain to Selena, who seemed firmly misled.
“I don’t mean my debutante ball. I mean Selena’s.”
“Ah!”
The misunderstanding cleared, but now Selena tilted her head at the unexpected proposal.
“Why all of a sudden…?”
He looked at Ailey as if asking for help.
Ailey jumped from her sister’s arms, placing her hands on her hips.
“Because my sister hasn’t had her debutante yet! I asked him to!”
“Ailey, you’re causing unnecessary trouble.”
Hearing that, Leighton instinctively raised his voice.
“Absolutely not. It’s not unnecessary.”
Frustration rose in him, and his gentle eyes contorted slightly. Selena noticed immediately.
She relaxed her expression but continued watching him carefully.
“Marquis, are you angry?”
“…No.”
He had no reason to be angry.
No matter how or where Selena Bennett might be slighted, it didn’t matter. In fact, if she were discouraged, it might even be advantageous for him.
He could easily manipulate her fragile, parentless heart.
But he couldn’t forget Ailey’s earlier shout:
‘She’s supposed to attend in a pretty dress and enjoy the debutante ball! Knowing my sister hasn’t had hers, she did it on purpose!’
That nonsense from someone he didn’t even know—Lucia Howard—was annoying.
He needed to resolve this unpleasantness before finishing his day.
There were already enough complicated matters piling up in his mind.
This morning, Oliver had brought enough news to irritate him: villagers dying near the Zains Marquisate for unknown reasons.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him want to wield his sword.
Yet Selena’s debutante ball upset him far more than any of that.
“Ah, good. You’re not angry.”
“That’s right. I have no reason to be.”
He smiled softly, trying to break the near-awkward tension.
But the false smile quickly faded. Recently, he found it harder to produce a convincing one.
“I will prepare your debutante ball, Miss Selena.”
“I’m really fine. I have too much to deal with right now.”
“You needn’t worry. I will take responsibility. May I proceed?”
His pleading blue eyes shone with sincerity.
Selena, unprepared to face his handsome face, nodded absentmindedly.
Her cheeks soon flushed a gentle pink.
“…Thank you, Marquis.”
“Hooray! The Marquis is the best!”
Leighton naturally placed his hand on Ailey’s head as she ran up, hugging him, finally allowing a genuine smile to spread across his face.
