episode_0024

Eleanor’s mind returned only when she felt the warm black jacket covering her knees.

Wait, what is this? This jacket. Did he just take off the jacket he was wearing and put it on me?

It was a scene straight out of a high-teen web drama, one that was hard to believe even when seen with your own eyes, and now Eleanor was experiencing it firsthand as the leading lady.

Unable to bear the weight, Eleanor’s delicate body began to tremble involuntarily.

“The spring breeze is quite chilly. Young lady, if you have more to discuss, let’s continue inside.”

Even his following lines felt rehearsed. It was enough for Eleanor to be able to greet the charming Philippe she had just dined with. She shook her head slightly, regaining her composure.

She didn’t know if it was because she was a man that she reacted this way. If she had been an ordinary woman, she might have felt excitement at an event like this. As the original Eleanor, especially as a woman in this world, she might have felt even more.

But to her current self, Dmitry’s warm consideration only sent shivers down her spine.

“W-well then. It was a pleasure meeting you today, Your Highness. I seem to be feeling unwell from staying out in the cold wind too long, so I’ll… I’ll excuse myself first.”

At Eleanor’s sudden stumbling words, Dmitry looked puzzled.

The two had been getting along quite well until now. Any man, no matter who, would be taken aback if a woman who had been enjoying a lively conversation suddenly rose from her seat with such seriousness.

“Uh, young lady. Well, then—”

“W-well, if there’s another chance in the future… I-I will see you again!”

As Dmitry spoke, Eleanor suddenly sprang up from her seat and literally dashed out beyond the terrace. Her speed resembled that of a white rabbit fleeing from a predator back to its burrow.

Left alone in his place, Dmitry gazed at Eleanor’s vanishing trace with a bewildered expression, muttering to himself.

“No, but… if she’s leaving, she should at least return the jacket…”

#.

Their daughter, who had suddenly complained of feeling unwell and retreated to her room, remained holed up there ever since.

Thanks to whatever had happened, Dmitry, the Duke of Changbaek, and his wife, the Baroness Baek, were the only ones who bid farewell.

The townhouse vacated by the Duke and his retinue returned to its former state.

Obert seemed quite pleased with today’s encounter.

Although she roamed the reception room with a worried expression upon hearing her daughter wasn’t feeling well.

Upon Albrith’s belated return, she grabbed her son and ranted for a while about his newly acquired son-in-law.

Yet, Etienne felt uneasy about something.

Whether when she met her daughter again in the capital or during the last menstrual cycle, something about her changed, unsettling her.

“I see, Sophie. Is Ellie still the same?”

In response to Madam’s call, Sophie stopped her work and politely turned around.

“Yes. She insists on keeping the door closed and not letting anyone in.”

“I see… Sophie, how do you think Ellie has been lately?”

Sophie was the one spending the most time with Eleanor at the mansion.

With no Sharplong to assist her after coming up to the capital alone, there was no other maid to speak of. Only Sophie, the head maid, accompanied her as a companion.

“Well… how should I put it, she seems much brighter since Madam arrived.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. But it wasn’t a particularly bad answer either.

Etienne smiled softly at Sophie and rose from her seat cautiously.

“I should go up and see for myself.”

#.

This is insane! Insane!! Insane!!!

On the plush mattress of the canopy bed, her white legs moved up and down in a cycling motion, lifting her skirt back and forth.

Despite her efforts in makeup, Eleanor lay face-down on the pillow, performing what was known as a blanket kick, not caring about her appearance.

She had lost track of time. The room was now dark, unlike when she had entered and locked the door. Yet, the strange presence enveloping her did not dissipate; it continued to torment Eleanor.

“God, I’m losing it… seriously.”

Finally, her leg movements ceased. In the dim bedroom, only Eleanor’s sighs echoed loudly.

Until she stepped onto the terrace, her act had been flawless.

Avoiding entanglement with the Duke as much as possible.

Eleanor, who had become a shy and somewhat reserved lady, distanced herself from the Duke’s attention.

Moreover, it seemed that the Duke was more interested in his father, Oberth, than in himself. It appeared he wanted to seek help from his father due to difficulties in the north.

Since the Duke’s goal wasn’t Eleanor but himself.

So, if things continued this way, it seemed their encounter might just end as a passing connection.

Although among the men around, the Duke was said to be the best, no matter how much she thought about it, Eleanor was not in a state to engage with men in any way.

She had been drawn into that damn fantasy story and ended up laughing and chatting with the Duke, abandoning the concept altogether.

Moreover, that last moment on the terrace… oh.

There was a bigger issue at hand.

As time passed, Eleanor realized that the black jacket, despite the Duke’s consideration, wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, the fact that he had taken care of her made her heart flutter a bit. Her feelings were changing.

And those thoughts were gnawing at Eleanor’s and Serjuha’s minds.

Knock-knock-

The sound of a knock rescued Eleanor from her swirling thoughts.

Someone was gently knocking on the bedroom door.

Surely, Sophie had instructed not to let anyone enter the room. Nevertheless, seeing someone knocking like this, it was probably not a servant.

As Eleanor stood up from the bed, pulling down the hem of her skirt that had risen to her waist, a familiar voice flowed through the heavy wooden door.

“Eli… Can I come in?”

It was, as expected, her mother’s voice.

Upon hearing the voice, Eleanor, without even checking her appearance, approached the locked door with a tired face.

Soon, the bedroom door creaked open.

Lowering the crumpled edge of her skirt that had risen to her waist, Eleanor stood before the mirror in the Duke’s jacket hanging nearby. She then began recounting the events that had transpired on the terrace earlier.

As the story unfolded, Etienne’s expression gradually softened.

“So, you were embarrassed and kept doing this?”

In her mother’s arms, Eleanor, feeling flustered, replied, “Me? I’m fine, though.”

“But our child, what’s with your face? You didn’t… Did Dimitri do something to you? Taking off his jacket. Eli, please tell me he didn’t do anything like that.”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that.”

While the Duke had indeed done something, her mother’s assumptions were far off base.

Taking her mother’s hand out of the swamp of misunderstanding, Eleanor stood in front of the Duke’s jacket hanging by the mirror and began recounting the events from the terrace one by one.

On the contrary, Eleanor’s face was becoming increasingly pale.

Not only in thought but also when she actually spoke, the mental shock was no joke.

“…Yes.”

She felt embarrassed. She felt like she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

The fact that she felt good about the Duke’s, a man’s, consideration was fiercely attacking Serjuha’s mental state.

Now that Serjuha was a man, his life was as good as over.

Ah… It was over from the beginning.

“So that’s how it was. That’s our Ellie.”

Though not spoken aloud, laughter filled her mother’s face.

If that’s the case, just smile! You’ll only make it more miserable!

“Let’s start by removing our baby’s makeup. We don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.”

Etier cautiously led Eleanor to the dressing table. Then she asked someone outside the room to bring water and a towel.

The reflection in the dressing table was a complete mess. Given this situation, it was highly likely that her mother would misunderstand.

Soon, there was a knock on the door again. Her mother approached the closed bedroom door, carrying water and a towel herself without letting the servant in, and came up to the dressing table.

“So, Ellie. What do you think of the Duke?”

A warm washcloth brushed over her lips. The distorted lipstick around her lips turned the white cloth red.

“The Duke…?”

“Yeah. Is it just embarrassment? Or is there something else?”

At Etier’s words, Eleanor once again reflected on her feelings.

Of course, embarrassment was the predominant emotion. However, it wasn’t the only thing present. Whenever she thought about it, she still felt that indescribable something that she had also felt while lying on the bed.

Perhaps as a man, she would never truly understand what that was.

“I’m not sure.”

“I see. You’re not sure.”

As warm as the washcloth, Etier comforted her daughter with her voice.

“That’s right, Ellie. Maybe your feelings haven’t settled yet, that’s why.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah. After all, who is Ellie’s daughter! Your mother was the same when she met your father.”

With a somewhat nostalgic expression, Etier gently patted her daughter’s cheek with the towel.

“So next time, when you bring the jacket to the Duke, examine your feelings again.”

Ah… I have to return that jacket.

Suddenly, the expression of the platinum blonde lady in the mirror darkened noticeably.