episode_0122

“Sigh….”

The tangled thoughts. The restless heart.

A sigh, filled with excitement, escaped through the moist pink lips, blending together with those emotions.

Outside the window where darkness settled deeply, the brilliant moonlight seeped through like it was entwined in chiffon curtains, penetrating into the bedroom. The thin summer blanket revealed a pale white skin, which the blue moonlight infused, making its presence even more mysterious.

Lying on the canopy bed, also known as the princess bed, Eleanor held a stiff piece of paper in her small hand beneath the light pink sleeveless dress.

The black letters, typed with a typewriter, devoid of any emotion, were the only contents on the white paper.

But as Eleanor brought the paper that her lover had sent flying towards her chest, she couldn’t help but think,

“Is this real… is this really happening.”

Carefully unfolding the message she held against her chest, the words written inside were already etched in her mind.

“Come to the Grand Castle, not the Seraphon resort that was promised to introduce to my one and only sister.”

Just a single message.

A cold, emotionless message.

It was making Eleanor, who had been unable to sleep, feel so soft and vulnerable.

Could it be wrinkled?

Eleanor carefully placed the stiff paper she held in her hand on the bedside table.

Thump.

Her heart started racing. The current trembling was different from any other time.

It was different from the night she went to express her gratitude with a handkerchief after being saved by Dimitri in the mine.

It was different from the moment she acknowledged that her feelings towards Dimitri were her own, not her body’s owner.

It was even different from the time she gazed at the starlight spread out far away in the garden of the Gungukje.

It hadn’t even been a month since they parted ways. Just receiving a single stiff message was enough to make her feel so vulnerable…

Eleanor gently placed her small hand on her pounding chest.

The beating of her heart, jumping on her plump flesh, was clearly transmitted to her palm. It was enough to know how big her heart was beating.

Unintentionally, a sound slipped through her lips due to the trembling, a very longing voice.

“Can I… endure until the day of departure?”

Under the deepening moonlight, Eleanor, with a longing voice, got up from the bed.

“Inhale.”

A laughter burst out eventually.

Seeing her reflection through the window, Eleanor couldn’t help but chuckle.

Was she really a man who could be so excited by just a single message, not even a letter?

Swallowing her laughter, Eleanor tied the chiffon curtains fluttering in the night breeze into one and approached the elegant desk next to the dressing table. Enjoying the rough texture of the lace hanging at the end of the bedspread, she picked up a pen and a letterhead with the family crest engraved on it from the drawer.

Soon, the quiet room was filled with the sound of the fountain pen’s nib scratching against the thick paper.

#

“The 208 train heading to the capital will begin boarding!”

Platform filled with the voice of the station staff. The booming voice of the veteran station staff spread thickly through the bustling station, approaching the people amidst the chaotic station.

In no time, the people who had filled the station began to board the train that was lined up in front of the platform.

In the midst of the busy atmosphere, Eleanor, standing on the slightly quieter first-class platform rather than the bustling crowd, took a step forward and embraced her mother, Etienne.

“Mom…”

“Elli, our daughter.”

Having returned to her hometown after a long time, Eleanor was not at ease to leave again.

Of course, that didn’t mean she would abandon Dimitri and stay all summer. However, being embraced in her mother’s warm and comforting arms, her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.

“Even though it’s summer, the weather in the north is cool, so be careful.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

“It’s a strange place, so you have to be careful in many ways. Even though it’s the Duke’s domain, Eleanor is still a Bearen, after all.”

“Oh, dear… Please don’t worry too much…”

Looking at her mother with eyes full of worry, like she was dealing with a child, Eleanor blushed and nodded her head.

Etienne swept her daughter’s trembling bangs to the side and back again, using it as an excuse to hold her daughter in her arms.

“Ahem.”

The warm embrace between mother and daughter came to an end with the sound of an impatient cough.

As the departure time of the approaching train drew near, Etienne’s husband, Albert, standing beside her, gave her a meaningful look, as if to remind her of his presence.

With a regretful expression, Etienne let go of Eleanor.

Eleanor, released from her mother’s embrace, took a step towards the man who had interrupted their sweet moment.

“Elli.”

Now, having become quite accustomed to her father’s body and mind, Eleanor approached him first and embraced him without any hesitation, appearing more composed than she did at the Central Station.

Wrapping her arms around her father’s waist, Eleanor looked at him with worried eyes.

“Dad. Coming down to the west, you seem to have gained more weight compared to in the capital.”

“Hmm. Living with our pretty youngest daughter under the same roof, you know. Maybe my taste has changed without me knowing.”

“Don’t make excuses. Please cut down on alcohol a bit, and don’t just eat meat like now, but eat a variety of vegetables.”

“Ah, I’ll try to make an effort. Elli.”

At the unenthusiastic response, Eleanor widened her eyes.

Her gaze and tone overlapped with the image of his wife who constantly nagged at him, so Albert, taken aback, could only escape from her sky-blue eyes.

Seeing her father like that, Eleanor leaned her forehead against his unwavering chest and murmured softly.

“You must live long… for… for the hand you desire so much…”

“Huh? What do you desire?”

At the last words that melted away in the noisy surroundings, Albert asked with a puzzled expression, but Eleanor just shook her head and quickly moved away from her father’s embrace.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s nothing at all, anyway! You have to take care of your health to live long, so take care of your body properly!”

“I understand, Elli. There’s nothing this father wouldn’t do for our cute youngest daughter’s command!”

Contrary to his cool attitude earlier, this time Albert was laughing heartily. Eleanor responded with a charming smile.

Now she was the one who considered herself a lady. But when it came to mentioning grandchildren, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words, her lips trembling.

And now, the worried look in Eleanor’s eyes shifted to Albert.

“Elly, be careful, very careful. They say the people in the north have a harsh climate, and their temperament is said to be more aggressive than those in the west.”

“Oh, come on. It’s just a baseless rumor.”

“It’s not something to take lightly, Elly. The reason why the former Grand Duchess fled was something-”

In a moment where it could be a sensitive topic for Eleanor to become the Grand Duchess, Etelros’s voice interrupted his father’s words.

“Well, people live there too.”

Etelros grabbed Eleanor’s hand. Brazenly, her brother pulled Eleanor away from her father’s side.

“Besides, Father, what have we done to them? Our cute Elly may be a bit reckless, but she’s not going to cause any trouble.”

“What, what did you say? Reckless troublemaker?”

It was Eleanor, not Albert, who showed anger at having her hand taken away.

“Why? It’s a fitting expression for our cute little sister.”

Despite the words and tone, Eleanor’s brother’s eyes were warm and affectionate. That’s why Eleanor, standing in front of him, unexpectedly stretched out her arms and wrapped them around her brother’s waist.

As Eleanor approached with determination, Etelros was rather taken aback when she hugged him.

“Don’t get hurt, brother.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“These days, the movements of the heretics are suspicious. Above all, your health comes first.”

“Yeah. I’ll be careful, Elly.”

“I’m afraid you’ll end up like Dmitri, getting into trouble for no reason.”

“Don’t worry. This brother of yours will stay alive until he teaches our cute niece all the cute habits she had when she was young.”

They seemed like siblings, but their concern was somewhat sharp.

“Oh, really! Anyway, if I show up with bandages at my engagement and wedding, I won’t be quiet!”

Eleanor’s calmly spoken words brought smiles to the faces of her family, who had been gloomy at the thought of parting again.

On a chilly night breeze, Dmitri leaned against the cold stone wall. Since returning to his hometown, his uncombed black hair freely fluttered in the wind.

Brushing the swaying bangs tickling his eyebrows back, Dmitri thought to himself.

His own land was indeed so different from Elly’s hometown, where he had stayed for a short time.

Unlike the west, where a thin shirt was enough even after sunset, in his land, even in summer, one had to wear a thin coat when the sun set.

Even with his sturdy male body, he felt that way.

How much colder must it be for the delicate Elly.

“Sigh…”

He let out a quiet sigh. Beneath his eyes, dark circles were as thickly stuck as the scattered hair, filled with exhaustion.

Ready.

I will invite you not with a cell phone but with a grand invitation to tell my sister and the people of the North about our relationship, engagement, and marriage.

Since sending a message to Eleonore, Dmitry had trouble falling asleep.

And after receiving an unexpected reply through the mail.

After receiving a handwritten letter with round, tightly pressed handwriting stating the departure date and how much they wanted to see him, even closing his eyes for a short while became difficult.

The only fortunate thing was that the long wait was almost over.

“Eli.”

Dmitry softly uttered her name.

Of course, even if he uttered her name on the cold grand walls of the castle, her sweet voice would not return.

Just by uttering her name, Dmitry couldn’t help but smile.