WBESFL 33

Chapter 33

Lake Nifla was peaceful and serene as always.

As she got off the carriage and watched Eleanor admire Lake Nifla, Vanessa suddenly remembered how Eleanor had suggested they visit the lake together the day after she had arrived in Oklama.

It seemed Eleanor was thinking the same thing, because once they sat down on a bench, she brought it up.

“I wanted to come here with you at first. I came alone and ended up meeting Yahin and Yasmin instead.”

“…I’m sorry about back then.”

Vanessa bowed her head deeply and apologized. She knew better than anyone how harshly she had rejected Eleanor, who had kindly approached her.

And she remembered very well what kind of expression Eleanor had made when she’d been turned away with venomous words.

“I was quite hurt at the time.”

Instead of brushing it off, Eleanor returned the guilt, causing Vanessa’s shoulders to flinch. Her lowered head and the shadowed, trembling eyes revealed her regret. Her shoulders drooped further.

“But you’ve apologized, so that’s enough.”

Eleanor eased the tension, thinking any more and Vanessa might try to dig herself into the ground.

Eleanor turned her gaze to the lake’s surface, which reflected the surrounding landscape like a mirror.

Perhaps because it was a cloudless summer sky, the lake reflected it clearly.

“If not a baron, what did you want to become?”

Eleanor suddenly asked. Ever since learning that the title of baron wasn’t Vanessa’s goal, she’d been curious.

Vanessa held a strange position in Oklama.

Once a common orphan girl, she had gained the baron’s favor and there were rumors she might inherit the title.

Some supported her. Others were envious.

But when the baron’s nephew, who lived in the capital, arrived, Vanessa’s position collapsed in an instant.

Looking through administrative documents, Eleanor learned that Vanessa had been working devotedly for Oklama and Pompfourie. Whether it was loyalty to the baron or something else, she had worked for this place.

Eleanor wondered what it was all for—what Vanessa had hoped to become in Oklama.

“When I was young… I wanted to be a bird.”

Vanessa finally answered, after a pause. A bird? Eleanor turned her head to look at her in surprise.

Vanessa had lifted her gaze by then, staring ahead as she continued.

“I wanted to be free. The orphanage I was sent to after being abandoned by my parents felt suffocating. I didn’t think I belonged there.”

Vanessa gave a bitter smile. She had thought, despite being a discarded child, that she didn’t belong in an orphanage.

Perhaps it was a way to shield herself from being too hurt.

If she didn’t belong in the orphanage, maybe it would feel like she hadn’t really been abandoned.

“Then I met the baron and wanted to stay by his side. That’s how I put down roots here.”

“You worked in Oklama for the baron?”

“Yes. I tried my best to be helpful to him. I thought that if I fulfilled my role here, at least I wouldn’t be abandoned again, like I was by my parents.”

So behind her loyalty to the baron and Oklama, there was a desperate desire not to be cast aside again.

“I think I was scared when you first came, my lady. The role I barely managed to establish here became meaningless in front of you. Everything in Oklama and Pompfourie revolved around you, and I was unnecessary. If anything, I was an obstacle.”

Vanessa gave a weak smile. When the baron once said she resembled Eleanor, it gave her false hope that she might become part of the family too.

But when she met Eleanor in person, she realized she could never resemble her. Eleanor was someone who shone from a much higher place.

Vanessa, with her vague yet threatening position, was merely an obstacle to Eleanor’s future.

“I was jealous. I felt inferior. I envied you terribly. You could have all the love and importance in this place without even trying, unlike me.”

“…”

“I don’t want to be anything anymore. I never had a grand dream to begin with, and I gave up on wanting to be free after meeting the baron.”

All she wanted was to stay in Oklama and Pompfourie, by the baron’s side.

To do that, maintaining a good relationship with Eleanor was crucial. But foolishly, she’d let her own ugly emotions take control.

“I apologize again for how I acted out of fear and inferiority.”

She hadn’t properly apologized in the cave. Even after returning, she’d missed the chance. Only now could she offer a sincere apology.

“A simple apology like this probably isn’t enough to take responsibility for what I did.”

Rejecting someone who approached in kindness out of jealousy and resentment was entirely her own fault.

“If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll leave Oklama. I originally wanted to be a free traveler anyway, so even if I leave, you don’t need to feel guilty.”

Despite how harshly Vanessa had treated her, Eleanor had helped her three times—at Rubine Castle, in the mountains, and in the Merba market.

She had no obligation to help, yet she had offered her hand.

That much kindness deserved a price, and Vanessa was willing to pay it.

If Eleanor told her to leave, she would accept it. Eleanor was the future mistress of Oklama and Pompfourie and the baron’s heir. No one would oppose her decision.

“When did you start investigating the wild beast incident?”

Just as Vanessa was silently awaiting judgment, Eleanor asked something completely unrelated.

“Pardon? Oh, well…”

She had started investigating from the day the baron first brought it up. Though the matter had been fully entrusted to Eleanor, Vanessa couldn’t ignore the incident since it concerned the people of the territory.

But if she admitted that, it might seem like she had acted behind Eleanor’s back out of distrust, so she hesitated.

“Actually, when you went up the mountain, I knew you were there.”

“…What?”

Eleanor calmly revealed something she hadn’t told before, trying to ease Vanessa’s hesitation. Vanessa had thought she’d gone unnoticed and was surprised.

You knew?

Catching the expression on Vanessa’s face, Eleanor let out a soft laugh.

“If you act that suspiciously in plain sight, anyone would notice. I even saw your eyes. Your build is similar too, so I recognized you right away.”

“…Then why didn’t you drive me away?”

When Eleanor had realized Vanessa’s presence, she had hesitated. Considering the conflicts among the maids about the baron’s successor, it might have been better to drive her away.

But Kenis had changed her mind.

“She’s someone who cares about Oklama, so she wouldn’t do anything foolish”—that vague trust had been enough.

“It was a matter of the territory, so I didn’t think you’d act strangely. And you ended up saving me.”

“…You saved me, my lady.”

“Then let’s just say we saved each other.”

Eleanor quickly settled it—she hated unnecessary back-and-forth.

“How did you figure out who the culprit was?”

“By chance.”

“By chance?”

“They were careless. After hunting a baby beast, they were bragging about it. Last week, I overheard one of them say, ‘This is making us some sweet money.’”

Last week. Eleanor had been stuck in bed with her injured ankle, reading The Emperor Who Became a Dad.

Meanwhile, Vanessa had been out investigating the case.

“Didn’t you hurt your shoulder? Was it already better last week?”

“Not really… I just felt too cooped up staying still.”

From her awkward smile, Eleanor realized she had ignored her injury to investigate.

Since she was stuck in bed anyway, she wasn’t angry. But she did wonder whether Vanessa’s shoulder had healed properly now.

“How’s your shoulder now?”

“Almost healed.”

“Not completely, then?”

Vanessa avoided answering and placed a hand over her left shoulder.

Only then did Eleanor notice that she wasn’t wearing a dress like usual, but a shirt and trousers like she had in the mountains.

She must’ve chosen the looser clothing to hide the bandaged shoulder.

“…So how did you know it was the Rubin Trading Company?”

Eleanor changed the topic again, deciding internally to ask the butler to ensure Vanessa received proper treatment.

“When we went to Rubin before, there was a stuffed bird that wasn’t there before.”

“Oh?”

“I didn’t think much of it then. But once I realized they were hunting baby animals, I remembered it.”

From there, she followed the connection and found the answer. The Rubin Company had hired locals to hunt in Oklama and sold the stuffed animals at high prices to the Duke of Tess.

And those stuffed animals had been displayed in Rubin Castle.

“The fact that it was at Rubin Castle means Viscount Duvar turned a blind eye to it.”

“Yes. If that’s true, it could become a territorial conflict, so I wanted to get a confession from them before it got that far…”

But seeing Vanessa as a powerless figure after Eleanor’s arrival, they weren’t afraid. Judging by how they had treated Eleanor too, they probably would have only behaved if accompanied by knights.

In any case, Rubin and Oklama citizens had joined forces to harm the territory and then pretended innocence.

Eleanor was furious and decided she would write a letter to Lydia as soon as she returned to the castle.

She’d tattle everything to Sinclair.

“If it weren’t for you, I couldn’t have solved it.”

“What are you talking about? I just put a spoon on the table you set.”

“Spoon on the table?”

“I mean, you did all the work.”

Eleanor brushed off Vanessa’s confusion over the expression. As Vanessa nodded, she murmured:

“They never would’ve admitted it if it was just me.”

“If you had brought some of the baron’s knights, they would’ve acted differently. They looked down on you because you were alone.”

Vanessa bit her lip, unsure what to say to Eleanor who gave her full credit when she didn’t have to.

“If I told you to leave, you would?”

“…Yes.”

Another unexpected question made Vanessa tense and nod. Eleanor stood from the bench. Vanessa lifted her gaze to look up at her.

“What if I tell you not to leave?”

“…Pardon?”

“I have no intention of making you leave.”

“…Why not?”

If Eleanor were to solidify her position as the baron’s successor, Vanessa’s existence was unnecessary. Useless, even obstructive. It would’ve been smart to drive her out when given the chance.

But seeing the flickers of thought swirling above Vanessa’s small, flame-colored head, Eleanor shrugged.

Maybe it was because she saw something of herself in Vanessa that she couldn’t easily send her away. Since the cave incident, Vanessa’s attitude had changed noticeably.

Unlike those who only gave lip-service apologies, Vanessa truly reflected on her actions. It was clearly not just to escape the current situation.

Though distance still lingered between them, that was only natural given their tense beginnings.

Vanessa’s rudeness wasn’t something easily overlooked—unless, like Eleanor, one saw themselves reflected in her.

Even so, Eleanor acknowledged Vanessa’s value. Just like the baron had once told her she might need Vanessa someday.

“Both Aunt and Kenis said you’re someone who’ll help Oklama. I can’t cast out such talent.”

“But I’ll only be in your way. Even the people at the castle think so. Wouldn’t it be better if I just disappeared…”

“To be honest, you are in the way. But if you think about it, that’s because you’re so competent.”

Eleanor crossed her arms and continued.

“If you were just some lazy, useless person, everyone would’ve said, ‘The baron had no eye for people.’ But you were so capable that people actually believed you might be the next heir.”

If Vanessa had truly been incompetent and greedy, she would’ve only tarnished the name of Pompfourie’s Baroness.

But because she wasn’t, she had once been the most likely successor—until Eleanor arrived.

Eleanor saw no need to deny that. Especially when she herself had no desire for the baron’s title.

Hearing such straightforward recognition, Vanessa’s jaw dropped.

“If I truly wanted to be the mistress of Oklama Castle, I’d have to overturn that public opinion with my own power. That’s what Aunt said too.”

“….”

“So you don’t have to leave. I haven’t even been officially confirmed as the heir yet.”

Eleanor smiled down at Vanessa, whose face had gone blank. Seeing that radiant face shine brighter than the summer sun, Vanessa found herself asking the question she’d long kept to herself.

“…Why do you want to succeed the baron?”

Vanessa knew Eleanor was the eldest daughter of the Count of Stikov and the top candidate to inherit that title.

So why give up such a bright path and tie herself to a rural territory?

Eleanor looked every bit the quintessential noble lady from the capital, and Vanessa had always wondered why someone like that would bury herself in a backwater land.

Oklama had beautiful scenery, but it wasn’t a place for making great fortunes. Compared to a county, it offered little.

“Because I need this place.”

“May I ask why?”

“…To be free, I guess?”

Eleanor gave a faint smile. And for a fleeting moment, Vanessa saw a shadow on Eleanor’s face, like the one she’d seen in her childhood portrait.

It vanished quickly as Eleanor turned her head, but in that instant, Vanessa caught a glimpse of unexplained loneliness.

Before she could say anything, Eleanor laughed cheerfully as if nothing had happened.

“Anyway, I want to stay in Oklama, so I’m going to do my best to inherit the title.”

“…I’m sure you will.”

To Vanessa, Eleanor was someone who could become the center of the world. So beautiful and kind—of course everyone would love her.

If Eleanor knew, she might smile bitterly, recalling her life in the capital.

But Vanessa, who only knew the Eleanor of Oklama, had no idea of that distance.