episode_0041

#8. Finding Giyeon

The farewell ball hosted by the Byungbaek couple has come to an end.

Now, the time of parting was approaching the front of Beauren Ga’s Town House.

Under the warm sunshine that had grown quite intense.

It was a peaceful and somewhat noisy morning.

Eleanor leaned comfortably against the sofa, reaching for her teacup, watching her mother bustling around inside the mansion in the distance.

Since the end of the ball, her mother had been having extremely busy days.

Of course, there were days when she wasn’t busy, but these days her mother seemed different.

She had given up teaching Eleanor the duties of a noble hostess, always keeping her at her side, as she used to do in the past.

That image of her mother reminded Eleanor of when she used to come up to her apartment during her struggling days.

Memories flooded back of her mother taking care of everything from side dishes to household chores in place of her son, who had zero vitality and needed help.

Unbeknownst to herself, Eleanor found a small smile playing on her lips.

“Miss, what’s so amusing?”

Sophie, standing politely behind her with her hands clasped, responded to Eleanor’s laughter.

Even the usually ever-present foreigner was standing close to her mother today instead of Eleanor, to assist her mother.

“Oh, nothing. Just reminiscing about the past.”

Eleanor replied casually, trying to collect her laughter. However, Sophie, reacting to Eleanor’s casual remark, approached her, took her hand, and said with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Ah, Miss! Are memories coming back to you?”

Only then did Eleanor realize what she had blurted out.

Hastily, she tried to divert the conversation with a flustered expression towards Sophie, who was now leaning closer with bright eyes.

“Oh, no. I just felt a certain vibe, perhaps?”

Worried that Sophie might say something more, Eleanor quickly changed the subject.

“So, what is your mother doing right now?”

“She’s inspecting the areas that need repairs in the mansion with Miss Eugenie. Actually, Lord Albrice is quite clueless in this area.”

Despite mocking Lord Albrice, Sophie continued with a chuckle.

“Yes, Miss. Madam even had our beds replaced at our lodging this time. The old bed was creaking and uncomfortable, but now it’s so comfortable!”

With an innocent smile, Eleanor nodded in agreement.

“Really? If it was uncomfortable, you should have said something.”

“How could we speak up first? For anything too serious, either the housekeeper or the steward would check and inform Lord Albrice.”

Eleanor cautiously held Sophie’s hand.

“Sophie, listen. I don’t mind such things, so if there’s anything uncomfortable, feel free to speak up.”

In truth, she wanted to say that neither she nor Albrice cared much about such things.

But after seeing her father ordering Albrice around since arriving at the Town House, she felt a pang of conscience about burdening him further.

Albrice used to smile brightly at the sight of her face… but after over a month of living under the same roof without properly seeing each other, it seemed a bit pitiful.

Moreover, once her mother returned to the West, she would be the mistress of the Town House.

At that moment, the thought crossed Eleanor’s mind, and she shuddered slightly.

Wait, hold on a moment. The innkeeper, you say…

Seojuha, you’ve really become quite the lady in your thoughts! Wow, I just got chills.

As Seojuha was about to speak, she suddenly shivered her delicate shoulders and swept her arms up, looking at her mistress Sophie with a strange expression.

“Miss! You shouldn’t speak so recklessly.”

The voice that came from behind the two women was softer than Sophie’s.

Somehow, Oejeni, who had slipped away from her mother’s hand, gracefully approached Eleanor, who was sitting on the sofa, with elegant steps.

“Please sit here, Miss Oejeni.”

“Oh, thank you, Sophie.”

Sophie standing beside promptly stood up and made room for Oejeni, filling Eleanor’s embrace with a sweet and refreshing peach scent.

“Miss Oejeni, shall I bring you something to drink?”

“Hmm… then, would you mind bringing me a glass of cold tea?”

Oejeni replied with a dazzling smile that could captivate any woman, then swiftly turned her body towards Eleanor, leaning against her side.

“Eish.”

“Ahem. Hold on, Oejeni. It tickles.”

“You and the mistress have been working so hard. The lady is sitting comfortably alone like this.”

“Ah! I thought I’d just be in the way if I went, eek!”

As Oejeni’s gentle touch slipped under Eleanor’s airy blouse, Eleanor let out a girlish scream.

“Oh, goodness!”

After barely shaking off Oejeni’s touch, Eleanor crossed her arms and opened her eyes wide.

Seeing Eleanor’s stern expression, Oejeni gently leaned her head on Eleanor’s slender shoulder, slipping her arm through Eleanor’s crossed arms.

However, as the sweet fragrance emanated from Oejeni’s forehead, Eleanor’s lips, which had protruded sharply, softened once again.

“Hehe. There you go, Miss.”

Like holding a precious doll tightly, Oejeni pulled the lady’s arm closer and continued speaking.

“Although you are the mistress of the mansion, you don’t need to manage every opinion of the subordinates.”

“But still…”

“Such matters should be handled by the housekeeper and the steward.”

Of course, technically, Oejeni was right.

However, from a modern perspective, her words sounded somewhat condescending.

Perhaps sensing Eleanor’s discomfort, Oejeni maintained her crossed arms and spoke a bit more seriously.

“Miss, if you step forward and act in such a manner, what will happen to Manuela and the steward, Geoffrey?”

With Oejeni’s slightly solemn tone, Eleanor listened attentively to her continuing words.

“If you exclude those two managers and directly communicate with the subordinates, will they be able to control the subordinates properly in the future?”

There was no immediate response, but Eleanor’s expression was uneasy.

“So unless it’s urgent, please leave it to Manuela. Even though she may not be as skilled as some other ladies. Well, in this case, she reported several times, but Lord Albriss ignored her.”

Well, Oejeni’s words make sense considering she grew up in a noble household in this world.

In fact, she was more akin to commoners than a commanding noble.

In response to Oejeni’s words, Eleanor nodded slightly.

“Oh, but where is Mother?”

“The mistress went to check if there were any damages in the annex after the ball.”

As Oejeni casually spoke, a transparent glass with water droplets on its surface was placed in front of her.

Grasping the cold yet beautiful glass, Oejeni smiled lightly at Sophie.

“Thank you, Sophie.”

Finally, Eleanor’s right arm was free again.

After loosening her arm from a tight grip, Oejeni took a refreshing sip of cold tea and continued speaking.

“It seemed quite splendid at first glance. But it’s definitely an old mansion. Moreover, Lord Albriss doesn’t seem to pay much attention, so there are many places that need fixing.”

Saying this, Oejeni swiftly finished the remaining cold tea, then something crossed her mind as she clapped her hands together and faced Eleanor.

“Right, Miss! So, what conversation did you have with Valati that night?”

“Oh?”

“That night, at the ball. Leaving me behind with that sturdy man.”

“Ah… that night.”

Eleanor gradually tapered off her words with a hesitant expression.

To be honest, for Eleanor, the events that unfolded at the ball that day were memories she didn’t want to recall.

Because of that, she had casually brushed off those who inquired about it and left it at that, still not having properly sorted out her own feelings.

Unaware of the young lady’s inner thoughts, Oejeni, with her violet eyes sparkling, leaned even closer to Eleanor.

“After His Highness, it was Valati. Our lady didn’t seem to notice, but you were quite popular, weren’t you?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that…”

“No, both men were quite taken by your beauty.”

Despite being able to sense Eleanor’s discomfort, given their long-standing friendship, Oejeni looked at Eleanor with a playful gaze, which Eleanor returned with a slightly hurt expression.

However, Eleanor, pushing aside any lingering resentment brought on by sudden thoughts, cautiously took Oejeni’s hand.

“I see, Oejeni. What do you think of Julian, or rather, Valati?”

Upon Eleanor’s inquiry, Oejeni swallowed her laughter, widened her eyes, and gazed at Eleanor.

“Me? You mean me?”

“Yes. You must have encountered Valati during your visits.”

The bright purple eyes that had sparkled moments ago suddenly lost their luster. To Eleanor, facing those eyes directly, that’s how it appeared.

Her voice that followed was somewhat different, subtly altered from its usual tone.

“I hope you find happiness, Miss.”

“Oh?”

Even someone other than a childhood friend could tell that her gaze and voice had changed.

Responding somewhat dryly, she displayed a demeanor vastly different from the long-time childhood friend Eleanor had known.

As Oejeni tilted her head towards the young lady, she raised the corners of her mouth gently, a smile that didn’t quite match her dry tone.

“I wish for you to live happily and peacefully, laughing as you do now, for a long, long time.”

In her stiff and unnatural smile, in that touch exploring Eleanor’s hand somewhat clumsily, doubts that had filled her mind suddenly burst forth, almost escaping past her lips.

“Miss Oejeni, Madam is looking for you.”

In an instant, a woman’s voice from behind separated Eleanor and Oejeni.

And that brief moment was enough time to revert Oejeni back to her original self.

“Oh, really? Miss, I’ll be back in a moment.”

With a graceful smile, she swiftly rose from her seat, revealing the cheerful and lovely young lady who had been with Eleanor all along.

“Sophie, the tea was delightful.”

Leaving her thanks behind, Oejeni exited the living room.

Alone on the sofa, Eleanor said nothing, simply watching her fading figure in the distance.

‘Roelcelar, the foreigner! What are you doing right now?’

Blaming herself, Roel walked faster than usual, diligently moving her feet beneath her skirt.

She wiped away the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

Committing the same actions she used to scold Eleanor for, Roel did them herself.

However, wearing heeled shoes, such movements naturally couldn’t last long.

Between the main house and the annex, Roelcelar sat on a bench in the garden, taking a moment to catch her breath.

Sigh… She tried not to show any emotion in front of her.

The words she casually brought up were meant to tease Eleanor as usual.

But upon Eleanor’s sudden question, Roel found herself involuntarily pausing.

“Elli… If I ask you about the man you love, the man who drove you to death, what will I say?”

Her ivory-colored hair shook from side to side.

Ruffling her damp hair, Roel gathered her thoughts once more.

“Pull yourself together, Roelcelar. You didn’t give up your remaining life from a past incarnation for this.”

The image of Eleanor that Roelcelar last saw in her previous life was incredibly shocking.

Eleanor, whom she had grown up playing with since childhood.

Miss Eleanor, who always shone beautifully and brightly.

The Eleanor Aréna de Beauregard, object of admiration and secretly revered in her heart.

Seeing her pale face buried among white lilies with no trace of vitality, eyes closed within the coffin.

Roel felt as if everything she knew was crumbling, overwhelmed by emotions.

That’s why she wandered the lands of Alenia de Beauregard, Eleanor’s sister, and the territory of the heretics in search of hidden magic, risking her life.

Through that adventure, she could once again face Eleanor’s beautiful face.

“Get a grip, Roelcelar. Alenia’s death must not be in vain.”

Taking a deep breath, Roel stood up from the bench, her expression now completely different from before.

“Eleanor, you must be happy in this lifetime, no matter what happens.”

I’ll make sure of it.

So, please keep smiling with your cute and beautiful face like you are now.

Right, Elli. That’s all I need.