The most significant reason for Felix's sudden and inexplicable change in behavior was due to the influence of Butler Barton.
Butler Barton was a loyal servant of the Williams family. His family had served the Williams for generations, starting from his grandfather's time. If Butler Barton and Lady Nancy had children, he would undoubtedly have had his son inherit the position as well.
However, even without a son, Barton intended to groom his nephew, Ward, to take over the role. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically sent Ward to assist Wei Wei.
As the butler, Barton needed to regularly report the affairs of the castle to Felix, so they maintained correspondence through letters.
After hearing the news brought by Steward George last time, Barton assumed that Felix had already expressed his feelings to Wei Wei and that the two had likely entered into a romantic relationship. That's why, in Felix's absence, Barton had been so accommodating to Wei Wei's seemingly peculiar actions.
He had completely regarded Wei Wei as the future lady of the house.
Due to this misunderstanding, when Barton wrote to Felix, he inevitably infused his letters with his interpretations and assumptions. He believed that everything Wei Wei did was for the sake of their Earl, and just like the Earl, she must surely be in love with him.
However, since the Earl had never explicitly mentioned this matter, the considerate butler didn't directly state it either. Instead, he used more subtle language to convey to Felix that Wei Wei's actions were all for his benefit.
As a result, our somewhat naive—or rather, straightforward—Felix mistakenly thought that Wei Wei had said something to Butler Barton, prompting him to write such things in his letters.
Thus, influenced by Barton's misinterpretation, Felix became even more enthusiastic when he saw Wei Wei again.
He had even started pondering when and how to confess or propose without being too abrupt, a serious matter concerning their future!
Fortunately, because Felix was earnestly considering this issue and hadn't yet figured out the most romantic way to proceed, he hadn't acted on it. Otherwise, if he had immediately confessed or proposed, Wei Wei would have undoubtedly been so startled that she might have fled the castle.
Still, his increased enthusiasm was already making Wei Wei feel a bit uncomfortable.
The banquet was prepared for the returning team. It wasn't the kind of social gathering hosted among nobles. Most of the attendees were knights, and aside from eating, there was a lot of drinking. The men, once drunk, became rowdy and noisy. Such an atmosphere wasn't suitable for two unmarried young ladies, so after filling their stomachs, they excused themselves to rest.
Dolores's room was on the third floor of the castle, while Wei Wei resided on the fifth floor. Thus, they parted ways at the staircase on the third floor.
"Dolores."
Wei Wei suddenly remembered that she now had time to fulfill her duties as a teacher, and she realized she hadn't yet informed her future student about this.
"What is it, Sister Wei Wei?" The golden-haired girl had gained a bit of weight compared to half a month ago. While she was still timid compared to her initial demeanor, she had become much more cheerful in front of Wei Wei, though she remained as shy as ever around strangers.
"Can you tell me about your schedule? I'd like to get a better understanding."
The clever girl immediately grasped her meaning and asked excitedly, "Sister Wei Wei, are you going to start teaching me?"
"Yes, I have some free time now, so I can begin your lessons. Also, I'd like to join you for etiquette classes."
Wei Wei remembered Felix mentioning that she could learn etiquette alongside Dolores to avoid awkward situations at formal events. Now that she had some free time, attending these classes would also allow her to observe how tutors of this era taught.
The girl eagerly replied, "Etiquette class is the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is dance class. Would you like to come and watch, Sister Wei Wei?"
"Dance? Social dancing?"
"Yes."
Wei Wei pondered for a moment. She had learned ballroom dancing before, but she wasn't sure if it existed in this era.
"Would your teacher be upset if I joined?"
Wei Wei had met Dolores's tutor before. She was a very stern woman who didn't seem easy to get along with.
Since Dolores had been present when Felix greeted her teacher, she quickly responded, "It's fine. My brother has already spoken to Mrs. Bates. I think she'll welcome you to join the class."
"Then starting tomorrow, I'll attend class with you, and we'll figure out which subjects I'll be responsible for teaching you."
The previous Earl of Williams hadn't been fond of his daughter and thus hadn't invested much effort in her upbringing. It wasn't until Dolores turned ten that he finally arranged for a tutor to teach her the various skills expected of a lady of her time—etiquette, dance, music, literature, embroidery, and more.
However, Mrs. Bates wasn't an exceptionally talented teacher. Her teaching methods were rigid and even harsh.
She was somewhat like the stern matrons in palace dramas who trained young ladies for court life. They wouldn't resort to physical punishment, but if they found your behavior unsatisfactory, they would make you repeat it over and over.
It could be said that Dolores's personality had been significantly shaped by her.
When Wei Wei accompanied Dolores to class, Mrs. Bates indeed had no objections. She was quite friendly toward Wei Wei.
As Wei Wei had suspected, the social dances of this era were quite different from the ballroom dances she knew. There were multiple types of dances, and Wei Wei, who only knew ballroom dancing, needed to learn them properly.
Fortunately, her new body had excellent memory and flexibility. After practicing a dance a few times, she could mostly remember it, and the rest was just a matter of familiarizing herself with it and mastering it.
"You're learning so quickly. Mrs. Bates seems to like you as a new student," Dolores remarked during a break, her tone tinged with envy. Then she added somewhat dejectedly, "I wish I could be like you."
She had been taking dance lessons for two years, but her skills were only considered passable. Sometimes, when she got nervous, she would forget the steps, and her tendency to get flustered easily made things even worse.
"I just have some prior experience, so I'm picking it up faster."
Wei Wei wasn't lying. She did have a background in dance—not ballroom dancing, which she had learned in school, but classical dance.
When Wei Wei was very young, her mother enrolled her in numerous extracurricular classes—dance, music, singing, and more. Even if she wasn't enthusiastic about them, the adults had pushed her to learn.
After her parents divorced and remarried, she was left in the care of her grandparents. With no one forcing her to continue, Wei Wei dropped most of her extracurricular activities but kept up with dance and the harp, which she later switched to the konghou (a Chinese string instrument). However, she continued practicing classical dance.
It wasn't for any particular reason other than the fact that girls love beauty. Dancing helped maintain her figure and enhanced her grace. As someone who valued beauty, it was only natural for her to keep it up.
Dolores, however, was intrigued by her words. "What are the dances in your country like? Are they as difficult as what I'm learning now?"
"Probably even more challenging," Wei Wei said with a shrug. "In my country, we don't have balls like yours. Strangers of the opposite sex aren't allowed to have physical contact, let alone dance together."
"That sounds wonderful," Dolores said, resting her chin on her hand with a look of envy. "I don't want to dance with anyone else. It scares me."
"That's fine. If you don't want to dance, then don't," Wei Wei said, glancing over at Mrs. Bates to make sure she wasn't watching before whispering to Dolores, "When you're old enough to attend balls, you can have your brother dance the first dance with you, and then just find a place to hide."
Dolores's eyes widened in shock as if to say, "Is that allowed?"
Wei Wei nodded. "Of course it is."
Back when her school hosted ballroom dance events, Wei Wei had always managed to avoid dancing until the very end. If she couldn't avoid it any longer, she'd just drag a friend along as a partner. No one could force her.
Seeing that Wei Wei seemed experienced in this matter, Dolores immediately sought her advice. "But what if someone comes over to invite me to dance?"
Although Dolores wasn't yet old enough to enter social circles, she had attended balls before. The Williams family was, after all, the ruling family of Sardinson County. Every year, grand festivals and the birthdays of the Earl and his heir were celebrated with banquets. In the past, Dolores had been too young to participate in the dancing, and due to her lack of importance, no one cared if she hid in her room. Still, she had seen how other noble ladies were invited to dance.
"Just decline," Wei Wei said. "If you can't speak, use a fan. How's your fan language?"
Dolores looked puzzled. "Fan language? What's that?"
Wei Wei paused. Talking with Dolores had brought back many memories, and for a moment, she had forgotten that this was the 13th century. Folding fans didn't appear in China until the Ming Dynasty in the 15th century, and in Europe, they didn't become popular until the mid-16th century. Before that, there was no such thing as fan language.
"It's nothing, just a way to express yourself using a fan," Wei Wei said, trying to change the subject.
"Is it a way to reject someone without speaking?" Dolores's eyes lit up. "Can you teach me?"
"Probably not," Wei Wei said, seeing the disappointment in the girl's eyes. "Since fan language doesn't exist here, even if I taught you, no one else would understand. Besides, I only know a few gestures myself."
She only knew the meanings of a few fan movements, so there wasn't much she could teach.
However, Dolores seemed to take this matter to heart. During the rest of the dance class, every time Wei Wei turned around, she would see those blue eyes, identical to Felix's, looking at her pleadingly.
As someone who appreciated feminine beauty even more than masculine charm, what else could Wei Wei do but agree?
It was all to make the little girl happy.