episode_0061

“I told everyone not to come in!”

A sharp voice echoed through the large room.

The cutting tone resembled that of a young girl rather than the owner of the room, a splendid princess. Eleanor, tangled up in her blankets on the princess’s bed, suddenly turned into a startled beetle and chirped out her protest without a second thought.

Without even considering who it might be.

In response to Eleanor’s swift reaction, the intruder who had entered her room, Foreigner Roelselar, bit down hard on her lower lip to suppress a laugh bursting forth.

Truly, at times like this, our young lady is just like a child.

Her lips, moistened with a touch of red, trembled cautiously as Foreigner addressed Eleanor.

“Miss, it’s me, Foreigner.”

“Ugh… I said not to come in…”

Upon realizing that the intruder was Foreigner, Eleanor’s voice noticeably softened from before.

To Eleanor, Foreigner, her maid and childhood friend, was a peculiar being in this world more than anyone else.

Foreigner was a close and dear friend to Eleanor, so much so that she would confide her innermost thoughts from the world of novels.

Furthermore, to Eleanor, who still held feelings for a man, Foreigner’s feminine and beautiful appearance posed a slight challenge in approaching her first.

These conflicting emotions filled Eleanor’s mind whenever she faced Foreigner, leading her to treat her with a mix of familiarity and awkwardness.

However, to Foreigner, Eleanor’s demeanor only appeared endearing.

Even back in their hometown, Eleanor was full of mischief. Moreover, having lived almost 30 years in a previous life before returning in time, encountering memories again made Eleanor seem more complicated than before. She appeared almost like a younger sister due to the significant age gap.

Bathed in the bright sunlight streaming through the window, Eleanor’s bedroom was pleasantly warm. Smiling softly, Foreigner approached the ethereal canopy bed where Eleanor lay, still cocooned under the covers.

Seemingly unperturbed, Foreigner gently settled beside the beetle-like figure tucked under the blanket.

The soft mattress swayed slightly under the added weight, causing the beetle wriggling on the bed to squirm.

“Miss, your clothes will get all wrinkled like this.”

“It doesn’t matter! The clothes in the room are new ones.”

“And your makeup will be ruined too.”

“I don’t care, it’s just makeup.”

Contrasting Eleanor’s petulant tone, Foreigner calmly responded. Eleanor’s replies were crooked and defiant, resembling a child throwing a tantrum.

Observing her, Foreigner delicately placed her hand on Eleanor’s body under the covers, starting to gently brush away.

“Miss, aren’t you uncomfortable staying like this?”

“….”

“If you keep this posture, your shoulders will start to ache.”

“Ugh….”

Her voice began to tremble slightly. In truth, Eleanor had already reached her limit before Foreigner approached the bed.

“Miss, why are you so shy? His Majesty is quite a splendid gentleman.”

“I-It’s not that…”

Capturing Eleanor’s cute hesitation, her voice had lost its previous sharpness.

Soon, her body shook beneath the covers, followed by a small sigh as Eleanor pulled herself out from under the blanket, leaving only her head peeking out.

Whether it was the stuffiness under the covers or embarrassment, Eleanor, with a flushed face, now faced Foreigner.

Foreigner. No matter what you say, you won’t understand my current feelings. From the start, I’m not an ordinary woman, and you and I are just too different…

Holding back words she couldn’t bring herself to say, Eleonore lifted her moist, pink lips and spoke in a thick voice.

“So why did you come? Did Albrice order you here?”

“Oh, am I the kind of person who moves just because the young master orders me to? I was worried seeing you act so recklessly, so I followed you up here.”

“For that, you’re quite late.”

With Eleonore’s defeated voice, Eugene raised the corners of his mouth and moved even closer to her.

“Surely, Miss. Did I make you upset by coming late? Oh, how adorable you are!”

That wasn’t his intention. Overwhelmed by her dazzling smile, Eleonore avoided his violet eyes and buried her head back into the pillow.

Yes, let’s just leave it at that.

This emotion clouding my mind…

Even though it vanished from sight, the name of this emotion that still made her heart race, no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t quite grasp. No, she didn’t want to know.

Seeing the lady retreat into her pillow again, Eugene let out a soft sigh. Then, lying down beside her, he gazed past her tilted view towards Eleonore.

“The handkerchief… did you pass it on?”

There was no response.

Eleonore’s hair, shimmering white under the sunlight, swayed gently, and she turned back to face Eugene with her sky-blue eyes meeting his violet ones.

“Miss, are you embarrassed?”

“No… it’s not that…”

“Or are you feeling uncomfortable? Because of the eyes around us?”

“I don’t really know either.”

“Then, Miss. Are you acting like this because of Sir Yulian?”

At the unexpected mention of that name, Eleonore abruptly sat up.

“That name! Why is Yulian suddenly brought up here?”

“You seemed lost in thought. Since the night of the last ball when you and Sir Yulian walked together. You’ve been like this ever since.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

As she trailed off, sitting up with a forced cheerfulness, Eugene nodded, realizing she was wavering between the two men.

Indeed, it was a confirmation that she wasn’t just any woman.

#.

Eleonore emerged again after an hour had passed since Eugene entered her bedroom looking for her.

Walking side by side down the long corridor, Eugene returned as a friend, now speaking politely to Eleonore.

“The young master is looking for you. We probably need to decide what happens next.”

“What! But ultimately, it was Albrice who called me here.”

“Well, even if it wasn’t Young Master Albrice, I would have rushed to you right away.”

Engaging in such pointless conversation, the two women briskly walked and reached Albrice’s study on the first floor.

Standing before the firmly closed door of the study, Albrice’s aide knocked, informing them of the situation outside. Soon, the aide opened the door, inviting them in.

“Elli, have you calmed down a bit?”

“Yes, a little.”

Albrice stood up abruptly from his desk piled with documents and faced Eleonore. Despite his voice full of concern, Eleonore responded in a listless tone, scanning the study.

Besides Eleonore and Eugene, there was already a diviner inside the room.

The middle-aged man with a golden epaulet on his white uniform was Everett, the leader of the knights. By his side, bowing deeply, was Violet, Eleanor’s guardian knight.

Eleanor and Eugene approached the sofa opposite the knights, while the chamberlain closed the study door and took a seat next to Albrice.

“You all understand why I’ve called you here, right?”

Albrice’s voice that followed was markedly different from when he had just faced Eleanor. His tone, rigid and devoid of emotion, was something Eleanor had never heard before.

“Let’s start with what happened at the mine. Why was Eli left alone there?”

Sharp blue eyes turned towards Violet, Eleanor’s disgruntled guardian knight. Violet, whose expression had been sour, immediately rose from the sofa and knelt on the floor, apologizing, “I’m sorry, my lord. It was my mistake.”

“I know that already. Explain why it happened.”

“Uncle, I-”

“Eleanor, this question is not for you.”

Startled by Albrice’s cold voice, Eleanor’s shoulders shook slightly. The impact was greater than expected, given how warmly he had always treated her.

In place of the stunned Eleanor, Eugene sitting beside her spoke up, “When we arrived at the mine, it was quite late. As daylight is short in the mountains, I asked for assistance from Sir Everett to secure a place for the lady.”

In response to Eugene’s explanation, Everett, the leader, sharply eyed Violet, who was kneeling, “Violet, your mission was to guard the lady. Why did you prioritize something else over her protection?”

“I felt the surroundings were relatively safe, and Her Highness was also present, so I thought securing a place to stay was more important.”

Bang!

Eleanor jumped in surprise at the loud sound of the desk slamming down, looking at Albrice. His flushed face, speaking boldly, somehow overlapped with an image of her father in the west.

“What importance does that princess hold? Eli could have died in that position!”

“Hey, Albrice-”

“Are you a royal knight or a knight of Bearne?”

“Albrice-”

“Why was Eli rescued by Duke Dmitri instead of a family knight?”

Albrice shouted as he abruptly stood up. At that moment, Eleanor, who had been interrupted by Albrice, also exploded, “Oh, really! Albrice!”