episode_0080

“A-Agasshi!”

Eleanor rushed up the stairs impulsively, followed diligently by Oejeni.

“It’s dangerous! Agasshi, if you keep running on the stairs like that, you might fall!”

“I-I don’t care! Just don’t follow me, Oejeni!”

“Ah, wait!”

*Sob!*

Despite swaying precariously in her awkward high heels, Eleanor bravely turned the corner without stumbling.

Startled but determined, Oejeni began chasing after the now distant Agasshi.

The victor of their chase was Eleanor, who slammed her door shut in Oejeni’s face with a loud ‘thud.’

Disappointed at missing her prey, Oejeni knocked on the large wooden door with eyes full of regret.

“Agasshi, let’s talk!”

“I have nothing to say to you!”

Even through the muffled voice coming through the door crack, the tone conveyed the intensity of the situation on the other side.

Recalling Eleanor rolling around on the bed with her face buried in a pillow, Oejeni couldn’t help but smile softly.

*Inhale.* *Exhale.*

What a flimsy excuse she had come up with. How adorable Eleanor was.

“And you! Oejeni! I told you to call me Eli!”

Following Eleanor’s shout, Oejeni subtly lowered her voice as if soothing a child.

“You were in front of the Lord and even His Majesty was present.”

Although her expression remained cheerful contrary to her words.

“And use formal language! Ugh… I don’t know! Anyway, I have nothing to say!”

“Agasshi… I’m just worried…”

Perhaps softened by Oejeni’s slightly pleading tone, a faint movement was heard beyond the firmly closed door, bringing Eleanor’s voice much closer.

“It’s not Agasshi, it’s Eli.”

“Yeah, Eli. I’m genuinely worried. If you leave like that…”

“Sigh… I don’t know, really.”

Finally, the large wooden door creaked open cautiously. Eleanor, whether from running up the stairs or embarrassment, blushed as she entered.

“Oejeni, today, you’re the only one I’ll meet!”

Eleanor grabbed Oejeni’s wrist, pulled her, and then slammed the door shut with a loud noise.

She then rushed back to the bed and buried her head in the pillow again. Oejeni approached cautiously, mimicking Eleanor’s expression, and sat beside her.

“The Lord and His Majesty must be very worried.”

Though Eleanor shuddered at those words, she didn’t respond. Oejeni gently stroked her waist under Eleanor’s platinum blonde hair.

“Men probably don’t understand how difficult menstruation is…”

A soft touch caressed her curved spine. Eleanor shivered at the strange tickle and Oejeni leaned in close, whispering into her ear.

“But hey, Eli, you’re not there yet.”

“Ahhhh! I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!”

Eleanor’s scream echoed through the room.

Eleanor and Oejeni spent the entirety of the day together. Even if their senses were dull, they weren’t oblivious to each other’s quirks.

Even until recently, there were a few who noticed Eleanor’s menstruation, despite having been a man not too long ago, and took the initiative to show consideration.

Head buried in the pillow, a rather loud sound still escaped Eleanor’s bedroom as she vigorously rubbed her head. Startled by Eleanor’s actions, Eugenie grabbed her from the pillow.

“Oh, oh! My makeup will be ruined!”

“It doesn’t matter! You’ll be confined to this room for the rest of your life starting today.”

“No, don’t do that. Oh, really! I’ll stop teasing you now!”

Despite trying to resist, Eleanor, being notably physically strong, soon fell off the pillow and ended up cradled in Eugenie’s arms.

Eleanor’s face flushed red, tears welling up in her large eyes over the smudged makeup.

Seeing this, Eugenie abandoned her playful demeanor and pulled Eleanor closer by the waist into her embrace.

Their femininity intertwined, Eugenie rested her head on Eleanor’s shoulder above their overlapping chests and whispered softly,

“Elli, are you acting like this because of Duke Dmitri?”

There was no immediate response.

Only the sweet sound of breathing in her ears.

Through that gentle heartbeat beyond the softness, Eugenie could understand what it was saying.

Gently releasing Eleanor from her embrace, Eugenie faced her.

“Well, even I would feel fluttery if someone dear lived in the same house.”

Carefully brushing aside Eleanor’s sweat and smudged makeup from her disheveled bangs, Eugenie gazed into her violet eyes as Eleanor hesitantly lifted her lips.

“Um… Eugenie, am I strange?”

“Huh? What’s strange about you?”

“I… I mean, I like men.”

At those words, there was a moment of sinking in her chest, but Eugenie calmly asked Eleanor,

“Elli, what are you talking about? Why shouldn’t you like men?”

Since she had turned back time, this world had changed from her original memories in various ways.

In her memories, Elli had never suffered from a fever, let alone hidden an illness like when she was poisoned by Shelob’s venom. Even if Elli had pretended to have a fever, she wouldn’t have lost her memory.

Seeing Eleanor transformed like this, asking if it was okay for her to like men with tearful eyes, made Eugenie inexplicably heavy-hearted.

However, despite Eugenie’s worried gaze, Eleanor only continued to mumble incomprehensible words.

“It shouldn’t be like this… At least, I shouldn’t be like this…”

Eugenie steeled her resolve and gently raised her hand over Eleanor’s face. She wiped away the tears that had gathered in her large eyes with her thumb.

“What’s wrong with liking a handsome man? It’s natural for a woman to be attracted to a good-looking man.”

At Eugenie’s affectionate words, Eleanor met her sparkling purple eyes and gaze.

“Eugenie…”

“Yes, Elli.”

The two called each other by name.

As shaky as their gazes were, Eleanor’s voice trembled just as much.

Nevertheless, Eleanor persisted without hesitation.

“Do you really see me as a woman?”

“Of course! From the moonlight to today, you’re full of strange talk…”

With her response, Eugenie attempted to embrace her again.

“Do you see me as a woman in your eyes?”

Eleanor refused his touch and moved away from him altogether. She then sat properly on the bed, her eyes filled with those violet irises.

Jojeni still didn’t understand Eleanor’s intentions in their past conversations. Therefore, he couldn’t grasp the purpose behind her question of whether he thought she was a woman.

However, he could answer that question itself.

The platinum blonde lady reflected in her eyes now was the image of a girl deeply in love, unlike the Eleanor he had known before.

“If Ellie isn’t a lady, then who in the Court of Lutès can be called one?”

Carefully holding Eleanor’s hand, Jojeni continued speaking.

“It’s a woman’s fate to feel unsettled in front of a gentleman she likes. So don’t worry too much, Ellie.”

Although their stories and deeply held secrets remained unshared, Eleanor found herself allowing Jojeni’s touch once again, reassured by his gentle and warm words.

Eleanor’s declaration of living alone did not last long. Due to reopened wounds, a priest was scheduled to visit in the afternoon.

Furthermore, Dominique would come tomorrow as the princess’s representative to comfort Eleanor at the Beaurne Ga Townhouse.

Given the scandalous nature of Eleanor’s kidnapping incident, the priestesses at the temple were already aware of the situation.

However, upon seeing the numerous bruises, especially the brown lines on her neck, the black-haired priestess recoiled in horror and abruptly directed her sanctity towards Eleanor.

Though the bruises had faded in size and the scars on her shoulders had almost healed as much as the reopened wounds, fortunately, the priestess’s sudden outburst did not lead to an embarrassing situation as the maids supported Eleanor out of the room.

“Do sacred powers reach even a wandering woman?”

By glaring fiercely at her foolish husband who posed such a question to the visibly exhausted priestess, Eleanor put an end to today’s treatment session.

Another day passed by.

“Jojeni, Sophie. I will go in alone today.”

Amidst Sophie and the maids busily preparing for her bath, Eleanor briefly addressed Jojeni standing beside her.

Upon hearing Eleanor’s voice, Sophie, who was filling the bathtub with hot water, turned around to look at Eleanor.

“What? What do you mean?”

Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise.

Eleanor’s frail body tended to get dizzy if immersed in hot water for too long. Her well-maintained platinum locks and fair skin required proper care to preserve their beauty, so Sophie and the maids usually accompanied Eleanor during her baths.

Having experienced them tending to her body for nearly three months, Eleanor felt confident enough to manage on her own now. Besides, she had heard that many noble ladies didn’t even employ maids for their baths.

“I have things I want to ponder calmly in the warm tub today. Once it’s done, I will ring the bell, so everyone should wait outside.”

Upon the lady’s words, the maids, including Sophie, looked puzzled, but Jojeni, wearing a suspicious smile, told the maids:

“Since the lady has spoken, let’s just fill the tub with hot water and wait outside.”

Eleanor blushed slightly at his smile.