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Chapter 07
Franz accepted the wine cooler filled with ice that the attendant handed him and took a sip, moistening his mouth. The cold drink carried a fruity sweetness and refreshing chill, as if it were pulling the heat straight out of his body.
Even though it was only April and summer hadn’t properly begun, the heat already felt relentless. It seemed this year would also bring another punishing wave of heat.
For Franz, who was always sensitive to heat, summer was a miserable season. It became even worse when the midsummer months of June and July arrived.
On top of that, the social season made things mentally exhausting. He wished it could pass quietly, but like a seasonal cold, it inevitably struck at least once—bringing back unpleasant memories and relentless marriage pressure.
“I visited Lafitte last autumn. The city was filled with the sweet scent of grapes. It was a wonderful place, full of excellent wine and food.”
As Marco’s admiration spread, others around them offered praise and agreement, and Christian straightened his shoulders with a hint of pride—though he remained modest.
“From August to October, Lafitte is filled with that sweet grape fragrance. The grape harvest season is especially festive, so I’ll invite everyone this autumn. Not just because it’s my hometown—it truly is a beautiful place. You won’t regret coming.”
The Magot family wine had already become recognized as one of the finest in Lapland. Christian’s father, Count Magot, had devoted his entire life to maintaining its reputation as the best wine. Now it was Christian’s turn to carry that legacy forward.
The men gathered in small groups, smoking cigars and engaging in discussions about politics, society, and education. But before long, those discussions were pushed aside, and they were fully immersed in talking about women. The main topic of interest was the young ladies who had recently completed their debutante presentations just two weeks earlier.
“You went on a date with Lady Ziberman? How was it?”
“It was… like proving my worth. I felt as though I had lived a life valuable enough to deserve that moment. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
“Don’t be so dramatic over a single date.”
Everyone listening chuckled. Still, their eyes sparkled as though they couldn’t help but feel a bit excited themselves.
“Haha. He’s not wrong to be dramatic. She’s the most popular girl in society right now—Lady Ziberman.”
“Nonsense! The most popular is Lady Clarence.”
“I agree. Lady Clarence is above her.”
“She has a pure yet noble beauty. Not to mention her adorable face.”
“Lady Ziberman is no less beautiful. Her striking looks are quite seductive.”
“She’s certainly glamorous, but that alone can’t compare to Louise Clarence.”
“Of course.”
The group split into factions supporting Elise Ziberman and Louise Clarence, engaging in a heated debate. Before long, the “Clarence faction” began to dominate the conversation.
Pathetic.
Leaning back with his legs crossed, Franz concealed his boredom while glancing at his pocket watch. Unfortunately, there was still an hour until his next appointment.
Seeing his cynical smile, Andrew beside him grinned as if he understood.
“What’s so funny about this?”
“Everyone’s just ridiculous. It’s boring.”
Though Andrew answered, Franz nodded slightly in agreement. It was all pointless to him.
He didn’t exactly join in the conversation, but he also couldn’t fully claim he didn’t understand it. Every spring, society naturally became stirred up with talk of love and marriage.
It was the season for evaluating partners, investigating backgrounds, and desperately searching for suitable matches.
And the debutantes who attracted attention at their debut balls naturally became the rising stars of society. It was only expected that everyone would be obsessed with them.
Barely weeks after the debut ball, the young men were already desperate to marry the most admired ladies—or at least to secure a single date.
Men competed endlessly to win over the women they desired. Young nobles sent invitations for dates, and the ladies accepted and went on multiple outings, evaluating whether the men were suitable as husbands.
Even Franz, who didn’t have high expectations for love, knew he would eventually end up marrying someone chosen for his family’s benefit. But still, he believed focusing on business was far more constructive and reliable than indulging in love or marriage talk.
People betray you, but money doesn’t. A bitter truth learned from experience.
“Still, don’t you think we’ll all get married someday?”
“Who knows. Do we really have to do something so troublesome?”
His blue eyes were filled with clear disinterest.
“Oh my. For Prince Franz, who is said to be blessed by the gods, you’re surprisingly pessimistic about marriage. Isn’t that a bit too bleak?”
Richard teased him, and Franz only shrugged casually before turning his gaze toward the square.
The fountain at the center rose so high it drew the eye from afar. Sunlight reflected off the water, making it look as though light itself was bursting upward.
The square was already crowded. Young ladies in bright spring dresses strolled leisurely, and whenever their eyes met those of the men, they greeted them politely.
“Good day, Your Highness.”
“Isn’t the weather lovely today?”
“You look as handsome as ever, Your Highness.”
Franz responded with a courteous smile and a formal nod, offering no further engagement before turning away without hesitation.
The ladies, already accustomed to this, laughed it off without embarrassment. They were strong-willed enough not to be shaken by such coldness, and would greet him again the next day as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, one of them spoke up again.
“Is Your Highness attending the concert at the Bronte estate?”
“Ah.”
It was only proper etiquette to attend, especially since Count Bronte, an influential figure in society, was hosting. Of course, Franz intended to head straight to the smoking room.
“I suppose I should attend the Bronte concert.”
He replied calmly and politely bowed his head, signaling that the conversation was over.
Still, the ladies did not leave.
“Do you have a partner, Your Highness?”
“If not, would Lady Booker be suitable? She is highly skilled in music.”
“Would you like her to be your partner?”
Franz did not answer. He simply looked at the fountain in the distance.
Unable to stand it any longer, Richard intervened.
“Actually… Franz already has a partner today.”
“A partner? Who—?”
Before she could finish, other young men jumped in, and chaos broke out.
As attention shifted, the ladies flushed red and quickly withdrew, bowing politely with perfect manners before leaving.
“Honestly, I can almost respect their persistence.”
Marco chuckled, eyes still on their retreating figures. Then he narrowed his eyes as if remembering something.
“By the way, Franz. Why did you suddenly buy Publica? Weren’t you the one who used to mock it as cheap gossip?”
“Yeah. I heard it was barely surviving financially.”
“No matter how bad things get, a newspaper should still fulfill its role properly. The Publica used to be one of the most influential papers in Lapland. Those days are long gone.”
Richard and Andrew agreed, looking at Franz curiously.
“If there’s no newspaper worth reading in the morning, it’s annoying,” Franz said with a slight frown. “We need one that actually writes proper articles instead of useless gossip.”
“Just for that reason?”
Marco laughed in disbelief, though he also felt oddly relieved.
“But it’s operating at a loss…”
“That’s fine for now. It’ll be profitable in the long run.”
The world was entering a period of political and economic change. Even if the past century had been relatively stable, it was time to pay attention to international affairs. Wars could break out at any time.
Among countless data points and predictions, a proper newspaper capable of analyzing troubling signals was necessary.
Even if Publica personally irritated him, it was still the only newspaper doing its job properly.
“Fair enough. You must have your reasons.”
“Franz doesn’t do anything without a plan.”
Everyone seemed convinced there was always a deeper reason behind Franz’s actions.
“Anyway, thanks, Franz. Lately I’ve been reading fewer newspapers in the morning. Now I’ll finally have something decent again.”
As Andrew smiled at him, Franz’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He seemed faintly pleased.
At that moment—
He heard his own name being mentioned.
“How can I manage even one date with Louise Clarence?”
Unlike Elise Ziberman, who accepted nearly any invitation, Louise Clarence almost never accepted date requests. The more it repeated, the more desperate the men became.
For those who knew it was harder to get a date with Louise than reaching the stars, they sighed deeply.
“I heard she’s close with her older sister…”
“What? Sister? She has a sister?”
“I just found out too!”
“No one knew?”
“Wait—so she’s the younger one? Is her sister also beautiful?”
“Of course. They’re sisters.”
The balcony buzzed with excitement at the new information. Attention quickly shifted from Louise to her mysterious sister.
“A new face has appeared.”
“No one even knew she had a sister.”
“Has anyone seen her? She must be beautiful.”
As the men asked around in frustration, others shook their heads.
“If there’s a higher wall than Louise Clarence, it would be Eila Clarence.”
The man beside them nodded.
“You don’t know this yet, but there are plenty of guys who tried approaching Louise and got rejected before even reaching her. A lot of them got turned down.”
“No surprise.”
“Even reading her responses makes you feel inferior. Her expression is always unreadable.”
Men found Eila Clarence difficult to approach. Unlike smiling young ladies, her restrained, unreadable demeanor made them uneasy.
“It’s just women being women.”
“Try it yourself and you’ll understand.”
Every letter sent to Eila Clarence requesting a date received nearly identical replies:
She always wrote politely:
She expressed regret for having to refuse, thanked them for their courage in writing, and gently asked them not to trouble her further.
She reminded them that forcing one’s feelings onto another could be selfish.
She returned any flowers or letters sent.
And wished them blessings in finding a good partner.
— Eila Clarence
Honestly, it wasn’t even a personal rejection, but receiving such a letter still made men feel strangely stung.
As a result, Eila had become something of a famous figure among the rejected.
