episode_0125

“Oejeni, are you okay?”

Eleanor’s voice was full of worry.

The scenery in the room was a bit unfamiliar than usual. Normally, it was Eleanor lying on the bed with a pale complexion, but now it was her maid, Oejeni Roelsar, who was lying on the bed.

Although it was a rare moment for lovers, Oejeni, who had been unwell for a while, almost collapsed after getting off the carriage, so Eleanor immediately brought her to the empty chamber of the palace and laid her down.

Lying on the bed, Oejeni soon turned her head to look around the room. Unaware of the situation, she confirmed that she was alone with Eleanor in the tightly closed room and faced Eleanor not as her maid, but as her friend.

“I’m fine. Elli, go talk to His Highness.”

The corners of Oejeni’s lips gently lifted under her purple eyes. However, her face, smiling faintly, was paler than her own face that she saw in the mirror every day.

“What do you mean you’re fine! Your hands are so cold!”

“It’s just motion sickness, Elli. You know I’m sensitive to it too.”

“Even so… seeing you struggle like this is new to me.”

Oejeni’s soft hands were chillingly cold. Her sky-blue eyes, devoid of their usual warmth, began to glisten with moisture.

Knock-knock-

And then the sound of a knock.

The dull sound thankfully pushed back the moisture welling up in her eyes. The voice that flowed through the crack in the door was somewhat familiar.

“Excuse me, Miss. It’s Eily.”

“Oh, Eily? Come in!”

At the welcome sound of the familiar name, Eleanor let go of Oejeni’s hand and skillfully wiped away the moisture from her eyes.

The voice brought back memories of the spring day when she ran through the forest in Dmitri’s arms, turning her pale face into a rosy hue.

The heavy door, designed to block the chilly air, slowly opened, and through it, a girl with crimson hair bowed towards the two women.

“Miss Eleanor, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, Eily. It’s been a while. Did you fare well in the North?”

“Yes, thanks to His Highness and the Princess taking good care of me. Have you been well since then?”

“Yeah. Nothing much happened to me. But here.”

Eleanor shifted her gaze back to her childhood friend lying on the bed. Eily, clutching a leather case tightly in her small hand, approached the bed and faced Oejeni.

“It’s been a while, Oejeni.”

“Have you been well, Miss Oejeni? Well, it’s a bit awkward to ask in this state, but…”

Giggling innocently, Eily placed the leather case she held dearly in her hand next to Oejeni’s head on the bed.

“His Highness mentioned that Miss Oejeni is not feeling well.”

“Yeah. This one here, she gets motion sickness worse than me.”

Eleanor gently brushed Oejeni’s forehead with the back of her hand, which was revealed under her ivory hair. The cool forehead, unexpectedly damp with sweat, did not match her usual demeanor.

“I-I’m fine, Miss.”

“Oejeni, Eily is here. You can speak freely.”

At Eleanor’s words, Eily nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I understand. It’s not like I don’t know about the relationship between you two. Or maybe you don’t believe that I’ve become a northerner?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Hehe. So, feel free to speak comfortably. I can keep a secret!”

Now, Ailey lightly tapped her palm on her chest, which had now swelled with pride. Eleanor smiled brightly at her gesture.

“Something’s different, Ailey. You’ve become quite confident since coming to the north?”

“Hehe. Taking care of the princess and the knights, I’ve also grown a bit.”

The crimson-haired girl now even bounced her shoulders excitedly.

Although her demeanor may seem arrogant at first glance, these attitudes were softened by the innocent appearance of the young girl, making them appear cute to the two ladies.

Shrugging her shoulders and flashing a charming smile, Ailey shifted her gaze to the bedridden Ozhenny.

“As you know, there’s no specific remedy for seasickness. All we can do is wait for the body to calm down. Still, I’ll prepare a warm herbal tea to help you relax and aid in sleep.”

“Okay. Thank you, Ailey.”

“No, Eleanor. It’s my job.”

With a smile, Ailey carefully stacked dried flower petals and herbs in the tea strainer inside the teapot. While focusing on the teapot, her voice was directed towards Eleanor.

“Eleanor, leave it to me here. You should go see His Highness.”

“Huh? To Dmitri?”

At the sudden mention of that name, Eleanor raised an eyebrow. And at her question, Ailey briefly turned her gaze to the shimmering platinum strands of hair.

“Yes, in fact, His Highness has been unable to sleep for the past few days.”

“Dmitri? Is he… not feeling well?”

Startled by her lover’s condition, Eleanor looked flustered. Watching her, Ailey chuckled and replied.

“Oh, Eleanor, really! It’s because of you, of course!”

Even with that laughter, Eleanor still looked puzzled.

“Since receiving the letter you sent, he hasn’t been able to sleep. Yes, Eleanor. Yesterday, he even came to me secretly, asking if I had any sleeping pills.”

Gradually, her once pale face began to blush.

Ah… Dmitri was the same as me.

Feeling a rush of ecstasy enveloping her slender body, Eleanor instinctively clenched her legs tightly under her dress.

“So, for His Highness’ sake, please, Eleanor, I beg of you. Otherwise, I’m worried he’ll spend another sleepless night tonight.”

“But, still…”

At Ailey’s words, her sky-blue eyes turned to her childhood friend lying on the bed. Seeing those eyes wavering slightly brought a sense of comfort to Ozhenny, so her response to Ailey’s words was in her usual warm tone.

“Alright, Ellie. Don’t worry about me, go see His Highness. Ailey is here to take care of me.”

With that said, Eleanor carefully got up from her seat and looked at Ozhenny. Their arms remained raised, creating a suitable tension between the two women.

“Okay, I got it. Then, take care of my dear friend, Ailey. Ozhenny, you rest well too.”

Eleanor carefully placed Foreigner’s hand on the soft blanket on the bed and then glanced back with a worried expression before quickly walking out of the room.

“Elido, really… feeling so excited like that.”

“That’s how it is, really.”

Slowly closing the door, Foreigner and Ailey exchanged smiles towards each other.

At that moment, in the Duke’s bedroom.

In truth, there was no particular reason why Hildegarde had summoned her Orabi. She had just grabbed Orabi’s jacket sleeve without realizing it, as Eleanor’s expression towards the stumbling maid didn’t look good.

“So, what’s the matter, Hilda?”

After guiding the Berberit siblings to the room where Eleanor and her maid were getting ready, they found themselves in none other than the Duke’s bedroom.

Among the many changes that had occurred in the Berberit Duchy after the change of seasons, the place that had changed the most was here, in the Duke’s bedroom.

Since the previous Duke’s wife had fled to the north, the Duke’s bedroom had been left abandoned. At the insistence of the siblings, this place had not been touched by human hands.

When Dmitri returned from his long journey to the capital and faced the room again, it was in a state of disarray with dust piled up on the old furniture, faded wallpaper and curtains, and worn-out carpet.

The Duke’s room, which had once seemed like a place where ghosts might appear, was now elegantly and brightly decorated for the esteemed guest from the west, the new Duchess.

The new furniture was directly made by carpenters called from the famous workshops in the capital.

The wallpaper, as well as the curtains and carpet hanging on the walls, were prepared by the Changbaek Lady herself for her daughter and handed over to Dmitri.

In the Duke’s bedroom, waiting for the new owner, Hildegarde looked at Dmitri and brought up the words that had been bothering her from the entrance of the castle.

“It was true.”

“Huh? What’s true?”

In response to Orabi’s foolish question, Hildegarde took a step closer to him. Her gray eyes, different from her brother’s, were filled with the black eyes that finally met hers.

“Brother, you really love that woman.”

The brother she had seen at the entrance of the castle a while ago was a completely different person from Dmitri Berberit that she had known all her life.

He could make such an excited expression.

He could send such a warm smile.

Our brother could embrace another woman so affectionately.

In response to Hildegarde’s words, Dmitri replied nonchalantly.

“You know, I told you. There is a woman in my heart.”

“That’s right. But…”

In response to Dmitri’s words, Hildegarde continued the conversation with her eyes wide open. There was a sense of relief in his gray eyes.

“I thought you were deliberately approaching Eleanor to get help from the west. Until now.”

Dmitri let out a low sigh at Hildegarde’s confession. It was because of what he had done in front of his younger sister. That’s why Hildegarde had been showing such resentment all this time.

It felt like he had become the shepherd boy in a fairy tale.

“Even though our Ellie is so beautiful? The rumors have spread to the north.”

“You never cared about a woman’s appearance, brother.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Dmitri tried to defend himself against Hildegarde’s denial of human instincts, but he simply nodded silently in response to his younger sister’s immediate reply.

“So, have you been feeling uneasy about Eleanor’s story all this time?”

“Well, that too.”

Hildegarde, now completely relaxed about Eleanor, continued to speak comfortably about her new sister.

“I guess I’m just worried.”

Looking around the brightly decorated room, Hildegarde spoke.

The bed and vanity were new.

There was nothing that showed any traces of the past in the furniture, wallpaper, carpet, or curtains.

However, things like the position of the windows and doors, the structural elements, remained unchanged.

Like the lingering memory of the late Grand Duchess in the siblings’ hearts, or their mother’s memory.

Dmitri gently held his sister’s hand. With that gesture, it seemed like he understood what her trembling gray eyes meant.

“Eleanor will be different from that woman.”

“Really… do you think so?”

“Yeah. Hilda, you’ll see when you talk to Eleanor.”

Dmitri nodded kindly, wrapping his hand around hers.

The late Grand Duchess had reassured her young self, who asked where she was going, that she was not going far, so she shouldn’t worry.

Unlike her mother, whom she would never see again, would the woman really stay by her brother’s side until the end?

Feeling the rough yet warm touch, Hildegarde decided to trust her brother’s words this time.