"Lord Adonis! I came to your estate because I wanted to give you a present!"
Ugh, how annoying. What an irritating woman.
Lady Eldina Charentos is his fiancée.
A dull young lady with black hair and brown eyes. Both of them are 17 years old.
They attend the Royal Academy in the capital, and today being a holiday, Adonis was leisurely reading a book in his room.
Adonis Mifel, the son of the Duke.
Adonis is the second son. Since the Charentos family has only Eldina as their daughter, the plan was for Adonis to marry into their family in the future.
Adonis, confident in his appearance.
With black hair, green eyes, and a tall, handsome figure, Adonis is popular among the young ladies at the Royal Academy.
However, Eldina, his fiancée, is extremely jealous and doesn't seem to like Adonis getting along with other young ladies.
"Even though I'm your fiancée, please stop getting close to other young ladies."
She constantly nags him.
It’s truly irritating.
Even on holidays, she would force her way into the Mifel Duke's estate in the capital, always eager to see Adonis.
To have such a persistent woman as his fiancée…
Adonis was annoyed.
That's why he spoke to Eldina, who had brought him a gift.
"I hate clingy women. Stop coming here every time there's a break. I want to relax. I don’t want to take you out into town, nor do I want to listen to your stories. If you weren't my fiancée, I would have thrown you out. Leave immediately."
He threw the gift box at her.
Eldina's eyes widened as she began to cry.
"I understand. I shall take my leave."
Adonis watched in astonishment as Eldina left.
Maybe he had gone too far. He felt a twinge of regret, but soon forgot about her and returned to reading his book.
The next day, at the Royal Academy, Adonis thought he should apologize and approached Eldina.
"I'm sorry. I went too far yesterday."
"No, it's fine. When I consulted Lady Maria, she told me it was my fault. So, please don't worry about it."
She said this and turned her back on him, walking away.
She was unusually distant. She would usually stick close by, no matter what.
Who is this "Lady Maria," anyway? I've never heard of her.
Curious, he asked the young ladies who were always with him.
"Oh, Lady Maria is such a wonderful person."
"Indeed. The epitome of a true lady."
"But, who is this Maria?"
He had never heard of anyone named Maria.
"She's a baron's daughter, Maria Hales. Her manners aren't exactly polished, but she's very good at giving advice on love matters."
"That's right, and she's quite adorable too."
When he glanced over at the courtyard, Adonis noticed Eldina talking with a girl who had pink hair.
"Lady Maria, thanks to you, I have no more worries."
"I'm glad to hear that! There's no need to address me as 'Lady.' I'm just a baron's daughter, after all, Lady Eldina."
Other girls also gathered around the young woman called Maria.
"Lady Maria, I need advice on my love life too."
"Me too, me too."
Within a few days, other noble sons with fiancées started to complain as well.
"Recently, my fiancée has been cold towards me."
"Same here, same here. Everyone seems to be obsessed with this girl Maria."
"They say they're spending lavishly on her."
"Seriously?"
Adonis called out to Eldina as she was about to head towards Maria.
"That girl Maria is suspicious. You shouldn't get close to her."
"Don't worry about me. I feel at peace now. Being with Lady Maria and chatting happily is what makes me happy now. So please, don't interfere."
"Weren't you in love with me? You were so jealous before, visiting my house every chance you got."
"I did love you. But it seems I was just a bother. Now, as long as I have Lady Maria, I won't trouble you anymore."
Adonis realized this was a serious problem.
So, he decided to consult his cousin, Crown Prince Yurid.
The Crown Prince said,
"She might be using some kind of charm. Women like that usually enchant men to make them spend on them, but a woman... Now that you mention it, even my fiancée..."
The Crown Prince's fiancée, Lady Karelina Athos, was also said to be infatuated with this girl Maria, spending lavishly on her.
Adonis decided to swallow his pride and apologize to Eldina.
He stopped her as she was about to leave.
"Please, stop being so obsessed with this girl Maria. I’m your fiancé. You can come to my house like you used to, and you can be jealous again. Just please, go back to the way you were."
"No, it's true that I went too far in the past. Lady Maria admonished me for it. So, I want to continue learning from her teachings. Ah, the great Lady Maria!"
It was a shock. Such a profound shock.
In the end, Crown Prince Yurid mobilized the knights and had the woman named Maria detained and interrogated.
It turned out she had been using powerful charms to deceive the female students, making them lavish money on her.
During the interrogation, Maria confessed,
"Isn't it better this way? Unlike their ungrateful fiancés and men, I actually appreciate the gifts they give me and put them to good use. Besides, thanks to my charm, many have felt relieved of their burdens. The men of this kingdom are arrogant and don't respect women at all. I simply helped these women find some peace. What’s so wrong about that?"
When Crown Prince Yurid told Adonis about this, it deeply shocked him.
The Crown Prince reflected,
"I suppose I, too, may have been arrogant towards Karelina."
Adonis admitted,
"I was unfaithful and treated Eldina coldly, calling her irritating…"
Both men decided they needed to deeply reflect on their actions.
Maria was expelled from the academy and sent to a convent. The women she had counseled submitted a petition to the king, asking for leniency in her punishment, which was granted.
Despite having her charm powers sealed, women with worries began visiting the convent to consult with Maria, and her followers continued to grow, with many shedding tears of gratitude.
Crown Prince Yurid resolved to no longer treat Karelina with arrogance.
Adonis also apologized to Eldina.
"I'm sorry for everything up until now. From now on, I will respect and cherish you. I will never be unfaithful again."
Eldina smiled and said,
"Our engagement is political, so it doesn't matter. Ah, I’ve heard that Lady Maria is increasing her followers among the common people. I must support her."
"But you were supposed to have been brainwashed by her charm."
"Even so, rather than suffering with a fiancé who doesn't value me, Lady Maria brought me peace. I will marry you, but Lady Maria will always be my number one."
Is there no way I can be forgiven?
Adonis fell to his knees in despair.
"I’ll cherish you more, respect you. Please, forgive me!"
He bowed his head to the ground in a desperate plea.
* * *
At a certain convent, women with their hoods drawn low over their faces entered the building.
Among them was the beautiful, golden-haired Lady Karelina Athos, the Duke's daughter. Lady Eldina Charentos was also there, along with other high-ranking noblewomen. They gathered around a table, enjoying delicious pastries and tea.
Maria, too, was savoring the treats.
"Lady Karelina, did I do well?" Maria asked, her eyes sparkling.
Karelina smiled and replied,
"You did very well. The men of this kingdom are truly despicable. Hopefully, they’ll be more subdued now."
Eldina added, with concern,
"We did burden Maria with quite a lot."
Maria shook her head and said,
"I love this work, helping people with their problems, especially since so many women still suffer. I’ll continue to work hard for their sake."
Both Karelina and Eldina nodded in satisfaction.
Everything was under the control of the women, and the men were merely dancing in their palms.
The noblewomen present all shared the thought that the future queen was strong and capable, and they enjoyed their tea party, chatting and laughing together.
[The End]
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