Episode 15
“…And you?”
“Benjamin Cliff.”
When Katarina heard Benjamin’s name, she raised one eyebrow.
“And why are you interfering?”
Benjamin gave a bitter smile at her question.
He knew Katarina didn’t bother remembering the knights’ names, but he hadn’t expected her to ignore someone openly wearing the knights’ uniform this much.
“I was ordered by Head Butler Hekit to help Miss Vianello stay comfortably in Putitz.”
Benjamin deliberately mentioned Hekit’s name.
At the same time, he made it clear that he was there to protect Eleonore.
Katarina’s face twisted when she heard Benjamin’s words.
She barely held herself back from shouting at Eleonore, “You sly fox! You’ve already started manipulating people in this house!”
How predictable. Calling me a fox and insulting me again… it’s almost boring now.
Of course, Eleonore could easily guess what Katarina was thinking.
“So Hekit assigned someone to watch over the new bride.”
Katarina said calmly, trying to hide her anger.
“But isn’t it inappropriate to use the knights before the wedding has even taken place?”
As if she never got tired of it, Katarina started nitpicking again.
“If anything, wouldn’t it be better to bring a maid that I assign to you? That would look much more proper.”
Eleonore almost wanted to laugh at that.
“Thank you for your concern, but Head Butler Hekit kindly arranged this for me. I think it would be rude to refuse his goodwill.”
Eleonore calmly mentioned Hekit again and brushed off Katarina’s complaint.
“My dear, it seems you still don’t understand some things—”
“Thank you very much for your kindness.”
Eleonore interrupted Katarina at the perfect moment.
Katarina’s neck turned bright red after suddenly losing control of the conversation.
“Then please go inside quickly. I’m worried the head maid might catch a cold.”
As soon as the head maid was mentioned, Katarina turned around sharply.
“N-no, I’m not cold at all—achoo!”
The head maid tried to say she was fine, but sneezed loudly.
Her face turned pale, and Katarina let out an irritated sigh.
“Fine. I’ll go inside now.”
Katarina looked at Eleonore with icy eyes.
“But next time you leave the outer castle or stay out for a long time, I’d like you to inform me as well. That way I won’t worry about you.”
“Of course, Mother.”
Eleonore replied with a smile.
Katarina reluctantly took the head maid with her and disappeared toward the main castle.
“Haah…”
After seeing Katarina leave, Eleonore entered her room with Becky while Benjamin remained outside the door.
She let out a long sigh.
Even if I don’t lose to her, facing Katarina is still very stressful.
Eleonore sat in a comfortable chair, and Becky quickly lit the fireplace.
Soon warm heat filled the room.
Still, I think I handled everything quite well today.
She had gone outside the castle and met Walter.
She had found Peter.
She had gotten Walter to promise to share a bed with her.
And she had even received the unexpected reward of another save point.
Eleonore relaxed while drinking the warm tea Becky brought her.
After finishing the tea, she washed her tired body from the outing and leaned sideways on the bed.
“Shall I bring dinner?”
Becky asked.
But Eleonore shook her head.
Maybe because too many things had happened today.
She didn’t feel like eating anything.
“I just want to sleep.”
“Yes. Then I’ll leave this small bell here. If you need anything, please call me.”
Becky placed a small bell beside the bed and reminded her again before leaving to the next room.
Eleonore quietly stared at the bell with its polished black wooden handle.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
Sleepiness quickly overwhelmed her.
Nothing else will happen today. Maybe I should sleep early.
Thinking that, Eleonore let the heavy drowsiness take over her mind and body.
***
Eleonore drifted in a soft, half-conscious world of sleep.
Then—
Thud. Thud.
Someone knocked heavily on the door.
Eleonore suddenly opened her eyes.
Who?
Because of the memory of soldiers suddenly bursting in during her previous life, her heart began beating wildly.
Calm down. The Saint isn’t here yet. And Becky and Sir Benjamin are nearby…
But as she thought that, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.
Eleonore carefully opened the side room door where Becky should have been.
But Becky wasn’t there.
Thud. Thud.
At the same moment, the knocking grew even louder.
From the continued knocking, it seemed Benjamin wasn’t outside either.
Where did Becky and Sir Benjamin go? And why is a stranger knocking on my door?
Eleonore felt around the table and grabbed a candlestick with a sharp edge.
It wasn’t silver—just a simple iron candlestick.
But in this situation, that was even better.
Eleonore tightly gripped the handle and quietly hid beside the bed.
…Stay calm. I have to stay calm. I can’t die like this.
Thud.
After knocking one last time, the person silently opened the door.
A long shadow appeared as the door opened.
Moonlight from the hallway entered the room.
Eleonore hid deeper in the darkness so the moonlight wouldn’t reach her and stared at the figure standing at the doorway.
And then—
“…Walter?”
“So you were calling my name so familiarly in your thoughts.”
The person who entered the room was her fiancé, Walter.
“Duke—what is going on?”
Embarrassed, confused, and slightly angry, Eleonore quickly corrected her tone and stood up.
Walter noticed the sharp candlestick in her hand and slightly frowned.
“No matter how much I knocked, there was no answer. I thought something might have happened to Miss Vianello, so I opened the door despite it being rude.”
“What about Becky? Or Sir Benjamin who was guarding the door? You could have asked them! Where are they?”
“I dismissed them.”
Walter answered calmly.
“I wanted to speak with you alone.”
“….”
Eleonore had no words for a moment.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Eventually, Eleonore sighed and put the iron candlestick back on the table.
“What kind of conversation made you come here like this in the middle of the night?”
From her previous life until now, this was the first time Walter had come to her first asking to talk.
Eleonore asked with slight irritation.
“You know we are only engaged, not married yet. This is inappropriate.”
Walter stayed silent for a moment.
There he goes again, staying quiet.
Eleonore muttered in her mind.
But unusually, Walter spoke before she could lose her patience.
“I want to move it forward.”
“…What?”
“The wedding.”
Walter answered briefly and closed his mouth again.
Eleonore stared at him blankly for quite a while, trying to understand what he meant.
“So…”
Finally realizing what he meant, Eleonore spoke in disbelief.
“You want to move our wedding earlier?”
From what she confirmed after returning to the past, there were still thirty days left in their engagement period.
There are so many things to prepare during that time. My plans, the wedding dress, formal suits, jewelry, decorating the hall…
Eleonore wasn’t particularly obsessed with luxury decorations.
But she had grown up surrounded by wealth her entire life.
She simply couldn’t imagine a wedding without those things.
So why does he want to move it earlier?
Eleonore stared at Walter like she had discovered something strange for the first time.
“How much earlier? Three days? A week?”
She asked while mentally calculating the minimum time needed for wedding preparations.
Walter nodded.
“Three days would be good.”
“Well, if it’s three days earlier, that’s not too bad. With twenty-seven days left, it won’t be luxurious, but it should still be enough time.”
“…Twenty-seven days? What do you mean?”
“If we move it three days earlier from thirty days, then twenty-seven days remain, right?”
“I…”
For a brief moment, Walter showed a rare expression of confusion.
“What’s wrong, Duke? Did something go wrong?”
Walter honestly nodded.
And then he dropped a bomb.
“I meant we should hold the wedding three days from now.”
