episode_0044

The departing Byungbaek couple cherished their time with family, if only a little.

Wanting to be with their precious youngest daughter, they had booked tickets for the evening train back in the late afternoon time slot.

Thanks to that, after bidding farewell to their parents,

When the two women escaped the bustling station after Eugenie led Eleanor to the lady’s room and fixed her makeup, the evening sky was ablaze with crimson hues.

“Elli, since we’re already running late, how about dining out for dinner?”

Albrice stood against the backdrop of the sunset cascading beyond the large train station, smiling broadly at the two women amidst the beautiful scenery.

He soon lifted his left foot onto the carriage door opened by Maubu and extended his hand, escorting Eugenie into the carriage first.

“Thank you, my lord.”

Following Eugenie’s boarding, Eleanor’s voice chimed in.

“Dinner?”

“Yes. It seems too late to dine at the mansion. There’s a fairly renowned restaurant nearby.”

As Eugenie settled onto the seat, adjusting the hem of her dress, it was Eleanor’s turn next.

Albrice, now devoid of the restraint of being a father, extended his hand to Eleanor with a familiar, somewhat smug smile, which she accepted without much ado, taking a seat beside Eugenie in the carriage.

As soon as they settled in the carriage, Eugenie gently took hold of Eleanor’s right arm towards herself.

Hmm. Is it common for women to be this touchy-feely?

Feeling the unfamiliar softness of Eugenie’s arm beneath the short frilled sleeve, Eleanor cautiously posed a question towards her violet eyes.

“What do you think, Eugenie? Shall we dine out?”

She had been plagued by chronic decision-making paralysis since her childhood, a condition that didn’t improve even when it involved Eleanor.

“Miss, the decision should come from you, not me.”

Eugenie responded firmly to Eleanor’s gaze.

Subsequently,

Seated across from the two women in the carriage, Albrice, seemingly pleased with Eugenie’s response, nodded approvingly.

“Ah… Alright then. But, Brother, do we need to inform the house separately?”

Chuckling at the term “Brother,” Albrice replied with a laughter-filled voice.

“Just send a message via Manuela’s side. The folks at the mansion have been through a lot due to Father and Mother, so sharing a meal while easing tensions would be good.”

Upon Albrice’s words, Eleanor nodded slightly.

It was fortunate that Ethier had been her mother.

Watching the strained expressions of the servants who had endured Ethier’s wrath for a month, just observing them made Eleanor uneasy.

Especially seeing deeper wrinkles forming around Manuela’s eyes, who was already on edge.

Albrice reached out through the carriage window, waving his hand left and right.

A maid dressed in conquest attire approached the window from the other side and bowed respectfully.

“Do you call for me, milord?”

“Ah, Violé. Since our dinner will be at Maison Nouvelle on Capello Street as mentioned earlier, send the carriages back to the mansion and you can follow along.”

Acknowledging Albrice’s instructions, the maid with golden hair bowed deeply once more before retreating from the window.

“To Maison Nouvelle at 3 Capello Street.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Behind the rough voice of the coachman, the carriage began to sway gently with the creaking sound of the wheels.

“By the way, sir. Do we really not need to make a reservation?”

“I knew this would happen, so I made a reservation.”

“What if I didn’t want to come?”

“Hmm… I haven’t really thought about that.”

In response to Eleanor’s question, Albreis replied with a charming smile.

“What’s up with you, Albreis? You were just being polite after all, seriously!”

#.

The black carriage from Beaurne was heading towards a street called Capello, a bit away from the bustling area.

The restaurant Maison Nouvelle in Capello had become the top restaurant in the capital, Lutes, within less than five years despite unfavorable location conditions in the food industry.

It is said that the entire business district of Capello thrived because of that one restaurant.

Especially renowned for their steak made from doves raised on a farm managed by the restaurant itself.

Inside the swaying carriage, Albreis was enthusiastically chatting away while Eleanor, sitting across from him, did not seem too pleased despite his elaborate and refined descriptions of the flavors.

Even though she was a beautiful lady, Eleanor had lived in Korea for 21 years before coming here.

Considering how poorly pigeons were treated in Korea.

Albreis wouldn’t dare utter such words, especially seeing pigeons living in polluted cities due to fine dust.

Unlike her childhood friend who sparkled with excitement at the mention of a famous restaurant, Eleanor simply listened to Albreis’s stories with a blank expression.

Seeing that her beloved sister’s reaction wasn’t positive, Albreis became even more fervent in his sales pitch.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop at its destination after this tiresome cycle.

Just as when she boarded the carriage, Eleanor received assistance from the coachman as she got off, and she gazed wide-eyed at the massive building in front of her.

While Eleanor had been unresponsive to Albreis’s talk about the building, her eyes widened at the sight of the grand four-story golden stone structure.

“Is this… here?”

Stammered Eleanor as she gazed at the dazzling building shimmering in the crimson twilight.

“It’s here. I’ve specially reserved the VIP room today along with the finest Daphnesan red wine.”

Albreis, brimming with pride in front of his awestruck sister, placed his hand on his waist and looked at Eleanor with triumphant eyes.

Well… the building does look grand, but still, pigeons…

Whether Eleanor understood or not.

With a beaming chest as if the building belonged to him, Albreis spoke.

As they expressed anticipation for the meal, Eleanor and Eugenie, welcomed by the waiter, were guided inside the building.

#.

Contrary to her worries beforehand, the pigeon steak turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Eleanor was well aware of the extravagance of dining in Beaurne, and she had acquired a taste for it.

Moreover, having some reluctance towards pigeon as an ingredient, she had been filled with anxiety until she picked up the knife.

Indeed, there was a reason why the renowned house lived up to its reputation.

Even Eugenie, who usually doted on Eleanor during meals, was hurriedly finishing her plate today.

So, both Eleanor and Eugenie, as well as Albreis who brought them here.

It was a happy dining table for everyone.

Thanks to Eleanor, the voices on the dining table were quite affectionate. Timing it just right, Eleanor glanced at Albriss softly and peeled her luck.

“Yes. Brother.”

Was it because of the slightly tinged red wine or was it because there was information to be extracted from Albriss?

The voice that flowed through Eleanor’s lips was filled with sweetness within cuteness.

“Yeah. That’s right, Elli.”

Albriss looked at Eleanor with his ears perked up.

“Um… Well… Is there any land near the capital owned by a family or something?”

“Family-owned land?”

Even though she deliberately acted cute and dragged out her words.

With a somewhat unexpected question, Albriss tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“Yes. Our family-owned land. It would be even better if it’s abandoned or poorly managed.”

“Elli. What are you planning to do in such a place all of a sudden?”

Albriss’ blue eyes darkened even more. Eleanor’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her brother’s gaze, but she steadied herself.

Yes. Elli, this is all for you.

Fluttering her big eyes, Eleanor looked at Albriss with an even cuter voice than before.

“Yes, Brother. No, Brother.”

In contrast to Ozhenny, who was enjoying dessert next to her, dropping the spoon onto the teacup in her hand, Albriss, who had been sending intense glances, was melting away at the word “brother.”

Looking at that face, it seems to have some effect after all.

Oh, really! Elli, you owe me a big favor later!

Behind the wine-moistened pink lips, the voice that flowed out was even sweeter than before.

“Lately, I’ve been here and there with my mother. And my mind has been a bit complicated. I want to go somewhere with clean air and relax a bit.”

Despite her smiling face, she was holding back tears inside.

Since the concept of a woman’s mask was not easily seen through by a man’s eyes.

“So, then? Should I, I mean, should I find a good resort for you?”

“No. Not a resort. I just want to go quietly and comfortably, to a place with no people. Near the capital, maybe family-owned land… or abandoned land would be even better.”

With a nasal tone mixed in Eleanor’s voice, Albriss began to ponder something deeply.

“Hmm… Come to think of it, there is an abandoned mine on the outskirts of the capital.”

“R-really?”

Her sky-blue eyes momentarily sparkled.

An abandoned mine.

Just hearing the name gives a sense of intrigue.

“It’s been abandoned, but there are still minerals stored inside, I heard. However, until I came to the capital, there was no one to manage it, so it was naturally abandoned.”

“Brother. I mean, Brother. Can we go there?”

Unlike before, Albriss looked embarrassed at Eleanor’s killer move.

“Well, Elli. It’s almost been 20 years since it was abandoned. And it’s not a place you can visit in a day. Besides, there’s nowhere around for you to stay.”

“But still. If not, how about camping!”

“Camping? You mean camping?”

Albriss’s expression darkened even more at those words.

“Hey, Miss.”

Interjecting between the siblings’ conversation, Ozhenny spoke cautiously.

“Yes?”

“No matter what, isn’t it a bit dangerous? Since it’s an abandoned mine, we don’t know what’s inside. Moreover, camping…”

“And besides, they decided to transfer that mine to the north this time.”

Albrith interjected a word into her monologue.

Instead of Changebaek, Albrith had been discussing various matters with Duke Dmitri and the northern support.

They had decided to transfer the resources of the Beaurn family near the capital that were not currently in use to the north.

One of these resources was the abandoned iron mine mentioned earlier.

Currently in the north, as important as food and manpower, was high-quality iron needed for making and repairing weapons.

However, Eleonore couldn’t just step back like this.

Up until now, within this novel, she had simply been dragged along by the flow of the story. She had unintentionally grown quite close to Julian, the male lead of the novel and her husband in the original work.

So at least this time, she felt like she wanted to struggle, even if just a little.

Hoping it would be a counterpunch that could really hit the spot with her favorite author… No, that writer.

“Well, yes. I am an adult, and moreover, I am a member of the Beaurn family.”

After seeing her younger brother assert himself for the first time since he got out of bed, Albrith let out a small sigh as if feeling awkward.

“Haah. Then let’s go back to the mansion first and discuss it. I was planning to check before transferring it to the north anyway.”

#.

With no child surpassing their parent. And no younger sister surpassing her older brother.

At least in the Beaurn family.

In the end, Eleanor and her maid, Oizene, were able to join the group going to inspect the mine.

And on that day.

While Eleanor was quietly sighing at the sight of Dimitri’s black retinue in the distance.

“Long time no see! Elli!”

Following the melodious voice of the young woman, a sweet scent of apples wafted through the air.

Then, beyond the stiff fabric, two soft flesh touched Eleanor’s back gently over her riding dress.

“Princess, is that you?”

“Mm-hmm. Not a princess, but a lord!”

“Oh… Lord? What brings you here?”

In response to Eleanor’s sudden question, her golden eyebrows drew an elegant curve above her golden eyes.

“I heard Elli was up to something fun. So, I came to take a peek too.”

Today, dressed like a knight from somewhere, Lady Dominic, with a smile that could enchant any woman, faced Eleanor.