episode_0006

As always, the dining table at the Beaurin Estate was resplendent.

It had been so even before Eleanor fell ill, but it became even more extravagant after she woke up.

Rumors circulating among the nobles claimed that breakfast at Beaurin Estate was more splendid than dinner at the royal palace. Such tales were common in society.

Today was no different.

The well-cooked steak was made from the tenderest veal, known for its exorbitant price.

The sprinkled spices on top were worth as much as a month’s worth of food for most commoner families.

However, as lavish as it was, the meal was not particularly abundant.

Unlike her younger sister, Albrice, who lacked interest in food, Eleanor wasn’t particularly keen on indulging.

While the siblings’ dinner might have been more splendid than the royal family’s, it lacked the same richness.

Seated at the head of the table, Albrice elegantly wielded his knife to cut the steak into small pieces. With just a few precise movements, he exuded grace and sophistication.

“Father and Mother are arriving at the central station tomorrow afternoon.”

The response to this news was rather delayed.

“…Is that so?”

“They were quite worried. Father even mentioned abandoning his duties to come up to the capital, causing everyone quite some trouble.”

“…Really?”

Unlike her refined brother, Eleanor, who diligently prodded at her meat with a fork, seemed entirely disinterested in her brother’s words.

It was peculiar.

Albrice tilted his head slightly while looking at Eleanor.

Since recovering from her illness, Eleanor’s personality had changed significantly. The once affectionate and playful younger sister had transformed into a rather mature young lady.

Albrice wasn’t entirely comfortable with this change. He knew that Eleanor’s newfound maturity was accompanied by indifference towards him.

And now, Eleanor responded indifferently to Albrice’s words.

However, there was something different about Eleanor now.

Her lackluster response wasn’t the same indifference she had shown towards her brother before.

Eleanor seemed absorbed in something, displaying an unusual level of focus.

Just observing her eating habits confirmed this.

Although she ate much less since falling ill, she still took joy in the prepared meals, savoring each bite happily.

Therefore, Albrice wasn’t overly concerned about Eleanor’s diet.

That was until now.

Normally eager to dig into her steak, Eleanor simply poked at it with her fork, showing no enthusiasm.

“Hey, Elli. Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

The voice that broke through was lower and thicker with concern than usual.

Startled, Eleanor jerked her shoulders. The silver fork she held in her tiny hand slipped and clattered sharply onto the floor.

“Oh, no. I’m fine. Just had something on my mind.”

“What could be occupying your thoughts so much that you’re not even touching your food?”

“Haha…”

Eleanor chuckled gracefully, bending down to pick up the fallen fork.

It was the servants’ duty to pick up dropped items, not Eleanor’s or Albrice’s. Living a noble life, this was expected of them, and they had always lived that way.

However, the beloved youngest sibling bent down before the servants arrived.

Seeing the stark difference in his sister, Albrice let out a heavy sigh.

That was when it happened.

“Brother.”

Picking up the fallen fork, Eleanor carefully placed it on the corner of the table and called out to Albriss in a low voice.

And this time, Albriss shrugged his sturdy shoulders.

It was all because of the title.

Ever since she woke up in bed, Eleanor had detested being called “young lady.”

But now, she found herself using that title first.

It was definitely unsettling.

“Eleanor. Are you really okay? Lady Jazak has visited today. Isn’t it too much? Should I call the chief physician?”

“No, no. It’s not like that. Rather, young lady.”

“Alright, my dear sister.”

Despite his head filled with worry, Albriss couldn’t help but notice Eleanor’s slight smile.

“I have something to ask you, my dear brother.”

The golden eyebrows on her fair skin were neatly groomed.

Her chin trembled slightly above her pink lips, and her sky-blue eyes met Albriss’s gaze directly from the center of her white sclera.

Albriss swallowed dryly.

Whenever Eleanor made such a face, she would make demands that were hard to refuse.

When a child under eight wanted to learn horseback riding and begged to be put on a gray warhorse, she made that expression.

When she insisted on going to the front lines with her father against the invading heretics, she made that expression.

Even when she said she wanted to tour the entire capital after recovering from a fever and left her parents to stay at Town House for a year, she made that expression.

But since falling ill, it was the first time he had seen such an expression.

That’s why he was even more worried.

As Eleanor, who had become a lady full of worries, asked what she would inquire about, Albriss, a nobleman, could not predict.

“Go ahead, speak.”

“Isn’t there a Marquis Balati?”

“A Marquis? Why suddenly mention that brat?”

Eleanor tilted her head slightly at Albriss’s raised voice.

Why does he dislike Yulian so much? Does he know something about the future too?

“Yes, there is. What do you think about him, my dear brother?”

Albriss swirled the wine glass in his hand.

It wasn’t a particularly uncomfortable question.

Moreover, whether he liked it or not, he would encounter Eleanor during this social season.

“Well, opinions about Marquis Balati vary among people. There’s no other man in the empire who is addressed by so many titles.”

His deep blue eyes met her sky-blue ones.

Albriss’s voice grew even deeper, and naturally, Eleanor straightened up and faced him.

“Some say he’s just one of the trash made from the Emperor’s scandalous private life. Others say he’s the epitome of talent hidden beneath his status. And some call him a despicable schemer who only thinks of vile tricks.”

Although Albriss’s answer was quite lengthy, his opinion was nowhere to be found in the response he gave.

What Eleanor wanted was nothing but Albriss’s opinion.

The sturdy man in front of her, worn out from fatigue, would undoubtedly be the person who would stand by Eleanor’s side until the end in this world.

Right now, Eleanor needed the opinion of such a person.

“Well then.”

“Well then?”

“Well then, my dear brother?”

Albriss’s deep, intense blue eyes, similar to the abyss, subtly flickered at Eleanor’s question.

Though he clearly understood her words, Albriss cautiously replied, “Me? You mean expressing my opinion?”

“Yes. How do you feel about that man, Yulian?”

Albriss set down the wine glass he had been holding and shook on the table.

Beyond the transparent glass, the surface of the dark red liquid swayed gently, and soon tiny bubbles emerged within.

Albrith was a hostage.

In exchange for the Beorn family guarding the borders, the Galatea royal family demanded hostages.

Thus, the young lords of the Beorn family had to stay in the capital until they came of age and inherited the family line.

Albrith had been staying in the capital’s townhouse for nearly ten years now.

Living a luxurious hostage life in the townhouse, Albrith’s task was to gather information from the capital and send it to their territory.

The land of Beorn at the western edge of the empire was far removed from the capital. It took three days on horseback, and even after the train connection, it was almost a day’s journey to arrive.

Therefore, information from the capital was extremely important.

The boy who had come to the capital at the age of 18 was now a confirmed bachelor.

Over the years, Albrith had become adept at reading and compiling information.

And for more objective information, Albrith had started omitting his opinions from the compiled data at some point.

It was the same earlier.

Although Albrith had shown hostility towards a man named Yulrian as usual,

this time, he relayed the circulating rumors to Eleanor without inserting his own opinion.

However, his beloved youngest sibling was asking for his opinion.

So, Albrith needed some time to give his sister the answer she wanted.

As the surface of the dark red wine settled and calmed down,

Albrith spoke to Eleanor in a very low voice.

“My dear mother’s apron strings tied around a cunning schemer.”

#1. End of the transmigration into the hidden romance novel.​