episode_0112

#16. The Cuckoo in the Cage

Was it because the mood of Eleanor, the youngest daughter and heir of the Beauregard estate, had lightened? Tonight’s dinner was incredibly cheerful, unlike the suffocating atmosphere that had been lingering.

As soon as she entered the dining room, Eleanor boldly approached Dmitri and her bright smile was truly a rare sight for her family.

Not only had her attitude changed, but throughout the meal, she looked at Dmitri with eyes dripping with honey.

Even at the dull jokes of little Oravi, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

In response to her sudden change in attitude, her mother’s worried voice was met with a playful coyness.

Thus, Eleanor approached the dinner with a charming demeanor, rather than the stubbornness she had shown before.

To her father, Oveert, she remained cold, as usual.

And at the end of the meal.

“Oh, and I have something to say after dinner.”

With a composed expression, Eleanor stood up from her seat and directed her words to her family members.

Afterwards, the men gathered in the drawing room.

The initiator of the gathering, Eleanor, with her mother and a maid named Yezhene, headed towards her bedroom to discuss something.

Oveert, Etelros, and Dmitri. The three men sat facing each other on the sofa, raising their teacups and waiting for Eleanor, who had called them together.

In the somewhat suffocating silence, the two Beauregard men exchanged glances.

The sudden change in Eleanor’s demeanor seemed suspicious to them. Especially since she had called the family together to deliver an important message.

“Indeed…”

“It seems…”

The voices of the two men overlapped. Eventually, the gaze of the wealthy men turned towards the commoner man sitting across from them.

Indeed.

No matter how much they thought about it, the culprit who had changed our adorable Ellie was none other than that man.

After stealing their precious youngest daughter and sister from them, the black-clad man had canceled his afternoon plans and returned to the estate.

And Eleanor’s heart had finally lightened, revealing the culprit who had disturbed her peace.

Yet, the man across from them was oblivious, casually sipping his tea. Naturally, the Beauregard men’s brows furrowed in displeasure.

However, the strict hierarchy of the Beauregard family’s power held them back.

At the top of the power chain of Beauregard Castle was Lady Etiennette Blanc Beauregard, followed by the youngest daughter, Eleanor Arène de Beauregard.

Despite Dmitry’s attempt to steal their precious youngest daughter from the Beauregard Marquis, he was still one step lower as a guest.

The two men bearing the name of Beauregard’s castle were at the very bottom of the power chain.

Nevertheless, they couldn’t back down.

They were the men entrusted with guarding the sacred Beauregard Castle in the western part of the Empire.

Oveert subtly signaled to his son. Etelros understood, nodded, and then gently placed his teacup on the table, clearing his throat.

“Ahem. Your, Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

Dmitri, who had been sipping his tea nonchalantly, placed his teacup on the table upon hearing Etelros’s voice. In his black eyes, there was an inexplicable calm.

“Perhaps… I mean. Did you have a conversation with Ellie?”

“A conversation?”

“Ellie’s mood has drastically improved in just one day. I’m not sure what happened…”

With confidence in his voice, Dmitri stumbled through his words. The black-clad man in front of him was not only a scoundrel trying to steal his precious sister but also an idol to him.

Although Oveert, the father, was not pleased with his son’s attitude, he remained silent.

Dmitri began to survey the blue eyes of the men facing him.

Eleanor must have called the family together to discuss the engagement. Perhaps to ask Lady Blanc… his mother-in-law, for her final approval.

It was a story that would be revealed shortly. Should he just spill the beans here…

Dmitri immediately shook his head.

Perhaps the words he wanted to say were not about the engagement.

Moreover, if he were to bring up the topic of getting engaged to Eleanor, they would probably receive a lot of scrutiny, so there was no need to rush into it.

“You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you?”

As soon as the brief hesitation ended, a clear voice reached his ears.

Eleanor, his lover, walked into the reception room holding the hand of her mother, Etienne.

Even though a welcome ally had arrived in the midst of the battlefield, Dmitri was more concerned about avoiding the gaze of Eleanor’s mother, Madame Beauregard, than his own lover. The wrinkles next to her eyebrows seemed deeper than usual, indicating that his thoughts were probably correct.

Soon, Etienne took her place next to Madame Beauregard, and Eleanor approached Dmitri, sitting down close to him and leaning her shoulder against his.

Eleanor and Dmitri naturally looked at each other. Smiling, Eleanor gently took Dmitri’s hand and he responded by nodding his head.

Without a single word, the two exchanged their opinions. The men of the Beauregard family, watching the affectionate couple with jealous eyes, waited for Eleanor’s next words, holding their breath.

“Um, I have something to tell you.”

Eleanor placed Dmitri’s hand, which she was holding, on her thigh. With just that action, she continued speaking, looking at her father and brother, who were frowning.

“Yes, Father. And little brother. I want to get engaged to Dmitri.”

A moment of silence.

But it didn’t last long.

“Engaged, you say?”

“Eleanor. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? It’s not just a decision made on a whim, right?”

While it took Eleanor a long time to gather her thoughts, the reactions of her family were not particularly unusual.

Of course, their faces were filled with surprise, but their voices and reactions were quite calm.

After all, as much as the recent statement was within their expected range.

“Yes. I’ve thought about it enough, and I’ve discussed it with Dmitri.”

Eventually, the father’s gaze turned to Dmitri, who was next to Eleanor. Dmitri looked into his father-in-law’s blue eyes and nodded in agreement.

“Still, Eleanor. Isn’t this a bit rushed?”

Carefully expressing his opinion in front of his younger sister, Etienne. Eleanor shook her head in response.

“Brother. I’ve thought about it enough and made my decision.”

“Oh, even so, Eleanor. You haven’t even had your debutante ball yet. And your older brother is still single.”

“Waiting for my older brother will just turn me into an old maid, little brother knows that well.”

Unable to say anything in response to that, Etienne remained silent. There was a brief resistance, but Eleanor and Dmitri’s engagement was decided.

Eleanor thought that delivering that message would end peacefully. The two men of the Beauregard family, as well as Dmitri, thought the same.

Madame Beauregard subtly began to shake her head. And as Eleanor’s following statement unfolded, their expressions began to waver.

“Oh, and this summer as well. I plan to spend the whole summer up north. I heard that Lake Seraphon in the north is a great place to spend the summer. Father and brother, are you aware?”

With a bright smile, Eleanor turned to the dumbfounded men of the Beauregard family with a natural question. However, it seemed that the men of the Beauregard family had no intention of answering their beloved youngest daughter and sister’s question.

And it wasn’t just them who were surprised by Eleanor’s unexpected statement.

“Um, Eleanor. That matter seems a bit…”

“Yes, Dmitri? What about it?”

Looking at Dmitri cautiously, Eleanor waited for his response. Despite the shy smile on her lips, her eyes were fixed on her lover.

And then, Dmitri finally realized.

The deepening of Madame Beauregard’s wrinkles was not because of the engagement, but because of this.

“Yes, Eleanor. I think maybe it’s a bit too hasty. It might be better to wait a bit and bring it up later…”

“Dmitri. It’s already summer. Even if we start preparing now, it will be late. Women have a lot to prepare compared to men, you know.”

As Dmitri cautiously expressed his opinion in front of his younger sister, Eleanor looked at him. Despite the shy smile on her lips, her eyes were fixed on her lover.

And then, Dmitri finally realized.

The deepening of Madame Beauregard’s wrinkles was not because of the engagement, but because of this.

At Dmitry’s words, Eleanor responded with the freshest smile she had shown in recent days. Her face, blushing slightly as she spoke, had the appearance of someone who had lived as a man for 21 years.

“T-that’s right, Eli. We have to prepare for the villa as well. It seems like it will be a bit tough all summer long…”

In the now quite dark reception room, Dmitry stumbled over his words, trying to bring out what he wanted to say in the bright smile that literally illuminated the room.

In fact, while he had invited Eleanor to spend the summer together heading west on the train, Dmitry had no intention of leaving her in the north for long.

At most a week, maybe just this week. He had planned to spend time together at a lakeside villa for relaxation, as if he had come down to the west, and then send her back to the west.

However, Eleanor seemed to have slightly different expectations.

“We promised, Dmitry… to spend the summer together.”

Eleanor smiled bashfully. From that smile, Dmitry somehow sensed a chilling aura.

Dmitry, who had already experienced a cold war on the train, could not bring himself to raise his guard any further in the face of Eleanor’s fresh yet somewhat cold smile.

From that evening on, Dmitry Verbreitz, the Duke of Béarn, was marked as a public enemy by the men of Béarn.