"P-pardon?" Antoine almost splattered the tea all over the table as soon as he heard Leon's words.
"W-woo a lady? Third Brother h-had someone?!" It really came as a surprise for Antoine.
His brother who had become unfeeling and frigid since that day was now asking for his advice to get a lady's heart.
"W-who is this lady? I need to know!" Antoine almost stood at his seat, shedding off his initially stiff demeanor towards Leon.
Antoine's curiosity was stirred as he leaned forward and asked Leon like he was a lady gossiping. "Tell me, brother… Who is this remarkable woman… (Who was able to melt your frigid personality…)" Of course, he was not able to say the last part out loud.
Leon was about to open his mouth to tell Eli's identity, however, there was a sudden knock on the door announcing Kazimir's arrival.
"Ah… what a coincidence! First Brother is also here… he would most likely help you too…" Antoine responded to the aid allowing Kazimir to also enter.
Although did not say a word nor show any objection, he thought that Kazimir might not have any idea how to woo a lady because he had just chosen to marry his princess consort out of the blue.
He remembered that it had caused an uproar in both the Vanderford and Seirende Empire, how the First Prince chose the despised princess of the Vanderfords out of all the others.
As for Antoine, everyone in the capital knew that he was a lady's man in his younger days. He had multiple lovers before he managed to settle down to marry Princess Consort Evelyn.
So Leon was sure that Antoine had the most extensive experience in charming a woman out of all the people he knew.
Meanwhile, Kazimir was actually bringing some building proposals and was about to discuss with Antoine how the financial aspect of the project would be better presented.
Upon entering the room he froze in a daze upon seeing Antoine and Leon having tea in his brother's lounge area.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"First Brother, you've come! Would you like to join and listen? Leon had a problem…" Antoine politely asked Kazimir if he wanted to join the conversation.
Remembering his elder brother's words, it may be true that the three of them had to take it easy and not be forced to have a close relationship as if nothing had happened.
"A problem?" Kazimir was still aloof around the two, however, his interest was also piqued. He never once remembered that Leon confided to anyone much more to hear that he encountered a problem.
Knowing what kind of life his brother was forced to live, he quietly sat on another sofa chair and joined the conversation.
In his mind he was thinking, how troublesome would the problem be for Leon to have no choice but to come to his brothers and ask for advice?
"Ehermmm…" The moment Kazimir sat, there was an awkward silence around the three.
Antoine who was eager to let Leon continue the tale and so he initiated to dispel the silence in the room. "So let's hear it again from Leon."
Leon looked at Kazimir and Antoine once again, he cannot ask anyone but them because the men all around him were all single.
His teacher was already busy reinforcing the land, his Father was still recuperating, and the elders were also busy in the east and west territories.
"I need to ask for your advice… on how to woo a lady…" He stated his case once again.
"P-pardon??" Kazimir thought that his ears failed him, is this stoic unfeeling bloodthirsty brother of his finally experiencing the spring?
"I know… I know that feeling…" Antoine could not help but throw Kazimir a sympathetic look, in fact, both of their reactions were so similar.
"But you did not hear it wrong, Leon wants to woo a lady. I was about to ask him who the lady was before you came." He continued.
"Then, who would this interesting lady be?" Kazimir raised his brows, there was no woman who was ever associated with Leon ever since childhood. Who could it be?
"She was the Great Inventor, Lady Eli," Leon answered straightforwardly.
Now that he had decided to work on how he would introduce Little Han and Eli to the world as his family, he found it alright to disclose his relationship with Eli.
However, Little Han was a different case, it may need more time for Little Han to be finally revealed in public.
"What?!" The two brothers almost jumped to their seats, what an odd combination.
One frigid prince and an eccentric young inventor!
They couldn't imagine how the two would be compatible in terms of demeanor and countenance.
"Ahh… now that you mentioned, during the winter banquet… you danced with the lady for the first time." Kazimir then suddenly remembered the time when he went angry after seeing Leon dancing with Eli.
He immediately thought that it was a scheme from his side to have a powerful woman beside him. But now it turns out that it was really his brother who had a crush on the lady.
"Oh, the winter banquet! Could it be that you fell in love with her at that time?" Antoine also remembered the event and immediately got intrigued.
"Err… I liked her even before that time…" Leon finally blushed when the two asked for more details about their relationship.
It was really true that Leon liked her even before, most precisely, he liked her when they had that conversation about the past in the Silver Dew cottage. However, he had opted not to explain any further than that.
"Hmm… I see I see…" Antoine and Kazimir felt that Leon was not yet that confident to tell the details of his encounter with Eli and so they did not push him any longer.
"So… you wanted to woo her…" Kazimir then started contemplating how he could help Leon, however, he realized that he actually never wooed Arielle, for he directly proposed to her and they got married in a flash.
But looking at their relationship right now, although there have been some misunderstandings and neglect, they are now going towards the stable stage where they both share deep affection with each other.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmConvinced that this might also work with Leon whose personality was rather stoic and cold, Kazimir suggested, "Why not propose directly. You are a prince, and you have recently proven that you are formidable. No woman would reject you now."
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Don't listen to first brother!" Antoine was in shock when he heard Kazimir's 'advice'. How could he forget the story of how this brother of his got married. He instantly regretted his decision to rely on Kazimir's idea.
"Why not? Look at me, your sister-in-law and I were happy. She was even there with me in my darkest times!" Kazimir retaliated with pride.
There's no other stronger evidence of Arielle's love for her than the fact that Arielle never attempted to dissociate with him when his status plummeted with the Vesala's betrayal.
"Ah, that's not what I meant. It's just that, not all couples can be like you two. Most people, like me, had to toil hard to make a lady say yes!" Antoine replied, as he was saying this he remembered how hard he worked just for Evelyn to finally accept his marriage proposal.
"Well, that was because you have been a notorious casanova. I really wonder how you managed to lure Princess Consort Evelyn to be your wife. With how frivolous you are back then? Ah… Sigh…" Kazimir did not hold back in exposing Antoine's struggle.
"T-that…" Antoine was left speechless, he never thought that he would be caught with his own words. But since he was already guilty as charged, he just lifted his chin and declared, "Well, at least I can give Leon many techniques then…"
"Well, common, let's hear the techniques you have…" Kazimir squinted his eyes and looked at Antoine intently as he calmly sipped his tea.
Leon watched the two bicker with each other. Seeing them becoming more like this, his heart felt relieved that the three of them could now have conversations like this.
"Well the very first thing was to know the lady's likes and dislikes."
Antoine haughtily declared as if he was a veteran in impressing women, he looked at the two and continued, "You have to also know if the two of you had matching likes or dislikes…"
He leaned closer towards the two who were attentively listening and continued, "Start from there… join her in experiencing or getting what you both like and support her whenever you encounter her dislikes."
"Likes and dislikes…" Leon thought deeply and remembered every detail he had about Eli.
'Beside me and Little Han…'
"She likes music the most…" Leon mumbled aloud.
"Oh…." The two reacted with a hint of surprise. They never knew that the great inventor was actually a music lover.
"Then she likes sweets, grilled meat, coffee, cute animals, the scent of baby powder. She also likes the color of the sky and likes to spend time growing herbs and gardening. Then her favorite is rice..."