WBESFL 34

The Wild Beast Incident Was Fully Reported to Baroness Pongfury.

The baroness, visibly furious, handed down quite severe punishments to the culprits. At least regarding the relevant charges, the harshest penalties were administered one after another.

Things weren’t smooth for the Levin and Tess duchies either.

Eleanore sent a letter full of veiled retaliation to Lydia. Fortunately, it must have reached her, as not long after, news spread that the Tess duchy had been turned upside down.

A newspaper article reported that the young duke personally traveled from the capital to his territory to root out and eradicate the “trendy hobby” from its source.

Moreover, Sinclair took issue with the fact that only Levin had supplied taxidermy animals while excluding Oklama.

The Duvar viscount family hurriedly went en masse to the duchy to apologize but were coldly turned away—an insult that gossip papers spread far and wide to rake in profit.

Afterward, a letter from Sinclair arrived addressed to Eleanore:

“It’s all taken care of. See you soon.”

Reading the short letter, written in an elegant hand, Eleanore tilted her head slightly.

It was unlike Sinclair, who rarely made empty remarks, to offer such a typical parting phrase like “see you soon.”

“Thank you, Sinclair. Wishing you continued health.”

Eleanore left out any reply to the “see you soon” part and returned a similarly standard greeting before stretching out with satisfaction.

“It’s all over.”

With that, all the large and small incidents had been wrapped up.

The wild beast case that shook the estate was resolved, the relationship between Vanessa and Eleanore entered a truce, and the surrounding reactions cooled down accordingly.

Her injuries healed, and with no further conflicts to stir up tension, the next month and a half spent in Oklama became some of her most peaceful days yet.

As mid-summer approached, Oklama’s sunlight grew hotter and more intense.

Eleanore spent her time learning the basics of estate management from Kenneth. Her aunt had personally instructed her aide to give Eleanore this opportunity.

As it was deemed too soon for her to dive into hands-on work, Kenneth gave lectures on the estate’s tax structure, history, and economic flow.

It was certainly better than idling away her time, so Eleanore attended the lessons diligently.

Today’s topic was Oklama’s local culture.

While Kenneth was explaining the nature-based, agriculture-focused culture, the estate’s festival came up.

“At the end of July or the start of August, Oklama hosts an Apricot Festival.”

Apricots were the most harvested fruit in Oklama. As the estate’s specialty crop, even Eleanore knew of the annual apricot festival.

“Have you ever participated in the festival, my lady?”

“No. I’ve either visited after it ended or came too early.”

She had been curious about it many times, but the timing never worked out. She had long given up on making the journey just to attend a festival.

But this time, she was staying in Oklama during the festival period, so of course, she would be able to attend.

“Looks like you’ll get to see it this year.”

“That’s great. It’s a festival worth experiencing at least once. On the final night, they float apricot blossom-shaped lanterns on the Serne River and make wishes.”

It was quite a charming story, and Eleanore’s eyes lit up.

“Do those wishes all come true?”

“I heard it’s a 50% chance.”

At the ambiguous odds, Eleanore’s expression turned equally ambiguous.

Considering the wishes were likely heartfelt, 50% wasn’t bad. But given the effort people might put in to make those wishes come true, it also felt a bit stingy.

“Since it’s the estate’s main festival, we have a lot to do. With outsiders coming in, we’ll need to check public safety and make sure the estate is in good shape for the event.”

Though it was a civilian festival centered around the locals, the lord still had plenty of responsibilities.

Leaving the estate open without limits could lead to major accidents, so the lord had to manage everything with care.

Especially in Oklama, there was a particular matter that required extra caution—though Kenneth left that explanation to the baroness.

Eleanore would have to hear it from her eventually anyway.

“This year, the baroness and I are in charge of the festival.”

It implied that under normal circumstances, Eleanore would have been assigned the responsibility.

But with two weeks lost due to her ankle injury, there simply wasn’t enough time left for her to take over.

Understanding this, Eleanore looked disappointed. If she had overseen the festival, it would’ve helped solidify her position within Oklama.

“Once again, the timing doesn’t work out for me.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll have many chances in the future.”

Kenneth smiled gently as he wrapped up the lesson.

As the busy aide gathered his materials and left, Lisa came in to switch places.

“My lady, Miss Stella sent a letter. Also, the baroness would like to see you.”

“Oh?”

Eleanore checked Stella’s letter first. Smiling faintly as she finished reading it, she stood to go see her aunt.

The baroness and Eleanore were served cold tea, mindful of the weather and heat.

After the baroness drank hers with precise movements, Eleanore also took a sip.

“How are the lessons with Kenneth?”

“They’re informative and enjoyable. I’m benefiting greatly thanks to your highly capable aide.”

Eleanore scrunched her nose playfully, and the baroness chuckled at the display, sensing that the lessons were going well.

“The apricot festival is coming up, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s actually why I called you.”

The baroness set down her cup, pausing meaningfully. Eleanore, who had already heard from Kenneth that she wouldn’t be overseeing the festival, became curious.

Was there something else she might be assigned?

“Once the festival begins, outsiders will enter the estate.”

“Yes.”

“But as you know, there are two Hytar children in Oklama.”

It was the first time her aunt had mentioned the Yahin siblings.

Eleanore recalled what Kenneth had said—that she’d need to hear about them directly from the baroness.

She hadn’t yet found the right time to ask, but now her aunt had taken the initiative.

“Eleanore, those children are officially sponsored.”

“…Pardon?”

Eleanore thought she must have misheard. But her aunt calmly sipped her tea, confirming that she had not.

So she had heard correctly: the children were under official sponsorship.

Given that only royalty could sponsor Hytar, this was a major shock.

Historically, only once had a Hytar been officially sponsored and allowed to live in the Empire.

“May I ask who sponsored them?”

“It’s still too early for that. But as you may have guessed, a royal family member vouched for them and sent them here to Oklama in secret.”

Two individuals, backed by royalty and hidden away in a rural estate.

That explained how the Hytar siblings could live so openly despite their identity. Eleanore’s earlier suspicions were suddenly answered, replaced by new concerns.

If their existence needed to be hidden even with royal backing, the consequences of exposure could be devastating.

“That royal explicitly requested their existence remain secret. So every year during the festival, we hide the children in the manor a few days beforehand. We’ll do the same this year.”

Though the estate opened during the festival, the manor remained closed.

As more outsiders entered, the manor’s security tightened to prevent any accidental intrusions.

Normally, to avoid drawing attention, the children were kept out of the manor but allowed to roam freely. During the festival, it was the opposite.

But since the manor was still a residence, someone had to look after the siblings.

“Eleanore, I’d like you to watch over them during the festival.”

The baroness believed Eleanore was the right person for the job.

Not just because she was close to the children, but because as the baroness’s heir, it was her duty.

The Hytar siblings had essentially been entrusted to Oklama by a royal decree.

Eleanore made a complicated expression. She couldn’t help but marvel at the timing. How could everything always line up like this—just off?

She handed her aunt a letter she had received from Lisa earlier.

“What’s this?”

“A letter from my friend, Stella.”

It had arrived just before she came to see her aunt.

“She’s coming this weekend and plans to stay for a week.”

“…Oh dear.”

The baroness clicked her tongue softly. Unfortunately, that overlapped perfectly with the apricot festival next week. But the real problem was something else entirely.

Stella had unexpectedly declared:

“She’s coming with her third brother.”

“A family member?”

“Yes. Sir Cain Maxille. Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knights.”

That same third son of the marchioness, whom her mother had always complained about, was coming along.

Eleanore couldn’t say anything, as she had previously told Stella to visit with her whole family if she could.

But now, right when they needed to hide the children in the manor, a high-ranking outsider would be arriving.

And not just any outsider, but the daughter of a marquess and the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights.

“I’d like to ask them to delay their trip, but they’ve already sent their luggage ahead. It should arrive today.”

“The god of coincidence is not on our side.”

The baroness sighed, deep in thought. Eleanore also considered the worst-case scenario—if the Maxille siblings met the Hytar children.

She could likely persuade Stella to keep her mouth shut.

But Cain was the problem. Eleanore wasn’t particularly close to him. They’d met often when she visited the Maxille estate, but their relationship was little more than “friend’s older brother.”

‘Why is he even coming?’

She could understand if the whole family were visiting. But it was strange that just Cain would accompany his sister.

They weren’t particularly close, and he wasn’t someone with a lot of free time.

Then again, knowing how much her brothers doted on Stella—it wasn’t entirely implausible.

‘I’d have preferred if Stella came alone. This is so inconvenient.’

Still, she couldn’t deny that Cain’s presence was a complication.

At any other time, she wouldn’t have cared—but this timing was just too unfortunate.

“They’re already on their way, so we don’t have a choice.”

The baroness decided to accept the Maxille siblings’ visit.

Since one was Eleanore’s close friend and the other a knight commander, it might actually be easier to silence them if needed.

“We’ll just have to make sure they don’t run into the children while they’re in the manor.”

“Yes, Aunt.”

As the saying goes: “The darkest place is under the lamp.” Hiding something in plain sight often worked best.

As long as Eleanore kept close tabs on them, things should go smoothly.

A few days later, on the weekend—

The Maxille siblings arrived at Oklama Manor.

“Stella!”

“Eleanore!”

Though their visit brought risk, Eleanore couldn’t help but be thrilled to see her friend again.

The two embraced, bouncing excitedly, and Eleanore stroked Stella’s soft, violet hair—usually sensitive to touch, but today, Stella didn’t object.

“Thanks for coming all this way.”

After greeting her friend by squishing her cheeks, Eleanore turned to Cain, who stood behind Stella.

“Welcome to Oklama, Cain.”

“Ah, it’s been a while. Eleanore.”

He wore a navy vest with a lightweight summer coat draped over his arm, offering an awkward smile and wave.

It had been a long time since she’d seen him out of his uniform.

“Sorry for dragging him along like baggage. He only came because I kept pestering him.”

“‘Pestering’?! You brat!”

Cain pinched Stella’s cheek mercilessly. “Owwww!” she whined, struggling in protest.

Even without listening closely, Eleanore could guess she was threatening retaliation.

Clap clap.

Eleanore clapped to draw their attention.

The siblings turned to her at once.

“Let’s not do this out here. Shall we head inside?”

“Ah, right. Sorry.”

Cain let go, clearing his throat, suddenly trying to maintain his image. Stella rolled her eyes at his fake composure.

“Let’s go, Eleanore. We should greet the baroness first.”

And with that, the Maxille siblings strode confidently into the manor.