WBESFL 19

Lisa, having grasped Elinor’s intentions, brought Anna to her. Anna entered Elinor’s room with a far more nervous demeanor than during their first meeting.

Her still youthful face was stiff with tension.

“Hi, Anna. What’s that bracelet on your wrist? It’s cute.”

Elinor deliberately struck up a light conversation to ease the tension. When she mentioned the bead-threaded bracelet, Anna’s cheeks turned pink.

“I made it myself.”

“Really? Could you make one for me too?”

“It’s not really something precious enough for you, my lady… But if you want, I can make as many as you like.”

Anna’s gaze dropped to Elinor’s feet. The beige shoes, bought from her father’s shoe store, looked elegant and classy on Elinor’s feet.

Shoes that had looked average at the stall now appeared to be from a high-end brand when worn by her.

Elinor had worn them intentionally to show off, but when she noticed it might be putting pressure on Anna, she got straight to the point.

Better to speak up when there’s some tension than when the mood is too relaxed.

“Anna, I called you because there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Yes, my lady. Please ask anything.”

Anna sat up straight with nervousness. Her stiff, earnest expression was so endearing that Elinor had to hold back a smile. It wasn’t the time to laugh.

“Isn’t the atmosphere among the maids a bit strange these days?”

“Ah…”

“It’s okay. Whatever you say, I won’t punish anyone. I’m just wondering if I did something wrong. Things weren’t like this before, right?”

They had never been particularly warm, but their relationship had maintained basic courtesy. That was expected in a dynamic like theirs.

To them, Elinor was merely the niece of their mistress. And to Elinor, they were just her aunt’s servants.

She didn’t expect the servants at the Oklama estate to treat her the same way as those at Stikoff did.

They’d only seen her once a year, and even if she was staying longer this time, it didn’t mean they’d suddenly treat her like the lady of the house.

Unless Elinor became the official successor and lived here, that change wouldn’t happen.

So their recent shift in attitude was all the more suspicious. Even if their assumptions were correct, was this really necessary?

Elinor made sure not to make Anna feel like she was tattling on her friends and kept her tone soft.

“I just want to know what the maids are thinking. Can’t you help me?”

“…I already told Miss Lisa this, but… well, there’s been a rumor going around that you’ll be the next baroness.”

Elinor wasn’t surprised. Servants are always the most sensitive to that sort of thing.

It made sense, since their lives could change depending on who the next master was. And considering Elinor had been going out to inspect the territory with Anna nearly every day, there was plenty of reason to assume things.

Still, that wasn’t what Elinor had expected.

In fact, if she really were going to be the next baroness, the servants should be acting more respectful. Anna’s explanation didn’t really make sense in light of their disrespectful behavior.

“But actually, before that…”

Anna hesitated, unable to get the words out. Elinor calmly waited before cutting in.

“Is it related to Vanessa?”

Elinor instinctively sensed that Vanessa might be connected to this.

She didn’t know how, but the hunch was strong.

“…Yes.”

Anna’s face went pale as she barely managed to nod.

“Why? Is it because I seem to get along badly with her?”

The words felt a bit ridiculous even as Elinor said them.

It wasn’t as if they were schoolchildren and she was a meddling parent. It seemed absurd that grown adults would take sides and create tension over such petty squabbles.

“Th-that’s part of it, but actually…”

Anna was very hesitant to say anything to someone practically confirmed to be the heir, but she didn’t want to lie. She shut her eyes tight and confessed.

“Actually… there was already a strong rumor that Lady Vanessa would be the next baron.”

…What?

Elinor froze for a moment at the completely unexpected claim.

What? What did you say?

“But ever since you arrived, the rumor shifted to say the heir position was being given to you. That caused a bit of division among us.”

“Division?”

“Between those who support you, and those who support Lady Vanessa…”

Elinor couldn’t believe that a succession battle that hadn’t even occurred in Beyren was somehow playing out here in Oklama. A faint scoff escaped her lips.

“Ha!”

She suddenly wondered—was this why Vanessa disliked her so much?

Did she think the title was hers until Elinor arrived and snatched it away?

Emotionally, it made sense. But logically, it was ridiculous.

If Vanessa had at least been adopted by Baron Pongpuri, this situation might have been understandable.

If she had become the baron’s adopted daughter, even if she were a commoner or an orphan, she’d have had a claim to the title.

But Vanessa was simply a sponsored child, living in the estate out of her aunt’s kindness.

They weren’t even legally connected. So how had the rumor become so widespread and taken as fact?

Elinor pressed her temples as a headache came on.

“So… there was a strong rumor that Vanessa would inherit the barony, and now that I’ve shown up and the situation has changed, the servants who supported her are resentful of me?”

Saying it out loud made the whole thing seem even more ridiculous.

“Yes… But that’s not all…”

Anna then explained the rumor Bianca had spread, based on what Ivy had overheard and twisted.

As Elinor listened to the whole story, everything started to make sense like puzzle pieces clicking into place. She let out a dry laugh.

‘Rumors really are frightening things.’

The rumors Bianca spread were partially based on truth.

But they had been twisted so much that the core truth was lost.

Elinor kept massaging her temple, and Lisa came over to help ease her headache.

“Do that many servants really support Vanessa?”

Elinor asked quietly. Anna rolled her eyes around, hesitant but eventually replied.

“She’s a commoner like us, and we’ve seen how hard she works. And since the baron doesn’t discriminate based on class, people started to hope she might really inherit the title. She’s always been friendly with us, so many thought it would be better if she became baron…”

Her voice trailed off weakly.

In short, the servants were throwing attitude because their dream of seeing a fellow commoner become baron had been shattered.

‘Vanessa didn’t put them up to this… right?’

Elinor thought about asking Anna, but stopped.

If Anna was the only one on her side among the maids, she probably wouldn’t know.

For now, Elinor decided to send her back to give herself time to think.

“Thank you, Anna. Please don’t tell anyone about our conversation today. Just go about things as usual.”

“Yes, my lady. I will.”

“Good. Thank you. Go rest.”

Anna turned to leave, then paused and came back to Elinor.

“…I hope you do become the baroness. That way I can keep seeing you. I really like you, my lady.”

Blushing to her ears, Anna quickly bowed and left the room.

Elinor let out a small smile. It was nice to have at least one supporter.

Even if it didn’t change how troublesome things were.

This wouldn’t become a massive obstacle for Elinor. After all, she could always hire new servants.

But the fact that such a climate had developed in the first place was a blow to her.

It made her feel like some villainous noble who had trampled on the dreams of the common folk. Even she found the whole thing upsetting.

‘Vanessa…’

Elinor rose and walked to the window. Between the evergreens in the garden, she spotted Vanessa chatting with a gardener.

Had she lost weight? Vanessa looked slimmer than before, and Elinor narrowed her eyes.

What should I do with you, Vanessa?

If Vanessa was truly aiming for the barony, then Elinor would have to confront her and claim the title.

But since she was her aunt’s cherished child, it wasn’t a simple matter.

Elinor sighed deeply.

“Lisa.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Now that she knew the reason behind everything, it was time for carrots—or sticks.

“Find out which maids used to be friendly toward me.”

She’d start with the carrots.

However, Lydia couldn’t quite picture Eleanor, who always wore a smile, acting like that.

‘Sister is always the one who endures everything.’

Whether she was sad or angry, she always smiled.

“Who could have made her angry?”

“Probably someone did.”

“Then shouldn’t she come back up right away? I should write her a letter and tell her to return.”

Lydia, who had been eagerly waiting for the chance to tell her sister to come back, excitedly took out some stationery.

But before she could even pick up the pen, a low baritone voice interrupted.

“Don’t bother, Lydia.”

It was Leopold, reading a small book near the window.

His thick lashes cast shadows under his eyes, and his sharp nose was defined by the deep summer sunlight, giving his face a sculpted appearance.

“It’s better to just wait,” Leopold advised calmly.

Lydia pouted at him, annoyed. Ever since her sister had left for Oklama, Leopold had been coming to the count’s mansion every day, loitering near the window.

“Why, Leo? You can’t get anything by just waiting.”

“Patience is a virtue. And the more you push, the less likely Eleanor will want to return.”

“Why?”

Leopold closed his book and looked up.

From his view, Lydia was sitting in the center of the sofa, with Vincent to her right, and Sinclair and Ernst to her left.

“What’s the point in telling someone to come back when they left because they didn’t want to be here in the first place?”

A cynical smile appeared on Leopold’s lips.

“I agree with His Highness the Crown Prince. She left because she was exhausted,” Ernst gently sided with Leopold as if trying to calm Lydia down.

“Even if you ask her to come back now, she probably won’t listen.”

“Hmph, that Eleanor Stikoff?” Vincent scoffed at Ernst’s words as if they were absurd.

“She’s obsessed with being Lydia’s older sister. If Lydia asks, she’ll come back.”

He crossed his arms and sank into the sofa, sneering.

Leopold gave Vincent a cold glare for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the view outside the window.

“Even so, just leave her be.”

His low voice left no room for argument.

“She went there to rest. She’ll return eventually. It’s not a bad idea to let her rest for now.”

Eleanor would return to Bayern.

It was a proposition that left no room for doubt. Even though he himself had practically pushed her out the door to Oklama, Leopold was certain of it.

‘Because this is where she belongs.’

A rather arrogant thought.

And yet, everyone else seemed to think the same way.

“Lydia’s here, so there’s no way she’d leave for good.”

“She’d have to be crazy to want to live there. Of course she’ll come back!”

“Eleanor has to come back if only for the sake of the countship.”

Sinclair, who spoke last, gave a rather cruel smile.

“What else could she possibly choose, if not the countship?”

“Don’t be so snide,” Lydia gently reprimanded, giving up on writing the letter.

Well, it hadn’t even been that long since she left.

It was just like a summer vacation, really.

A short break that would eventually end, and she’d return to work.

Thinking of it that way made Lydia feel a little better, and she smiled like a flower in full bloom.

Her smile shone brighter than the sun.

But Leopold, who had his back turned and didn’t see that smile, stared outside into the blazing summer sky and thought:

‘What was she thinking at that moment?’

Right before she left for Oklama, Eleanor had stood at her bedroom window, watching them leave—and their eyes had met.

What was she thinking as she watched them?

The drawing room where he currently sat was directly below Eleanor’s bedroom. The floor was different, but the position was nearly the same.

Even though he looked out from a similar place, no particular thoughts came to mind.

‘But why had she watched us back then?’

Ah.

His lips parted slightly, the realization arriving slowly.

That day, they had all gotten angry at her because of Edward Hans.

Leopold turned his head and took in the sight of the four others. Then he looked down at the book in his hand.

A question suddenly arose in his mind.

Would Eleanor really come back?

He didn’t know why the question came to him, but it did—suddenly, without warning.

She’ll come back.

‘She has to come back.’

Because everything of hers is here.