Chapter 44
The short vacation of the Maxill siblings in Oklama had come to an end.
After breakfast, they packed their belongings. Since it took twelve hours to reach the capital, they had to leave before lunch if they wanted to arrive before midnight.
In front of the carriage bound for the train station, Stella stood facing Eleanor. It was a final farewell to a friend she wouldn’t see for a while.
“Thanks for inviting me to Oklama.”
“You’re my friend, so of course I invited you.”
Stella clasped Eleanor’s hands. In her vividly colored eyes was the radiant Eleanor, like a summer flower.
“I’m glad you came down to Oklama.”
“Why?”
“Because you seem brighter here than in Bayren. It looks like you don’t have to force a smile anymore.”
The Eleanor in Oklama was free of blemishes compared to Bayren. The traces of gloom that sometimes surfaced before seemed almost gone here.
“That girl, Vanessa, seems pretty decent too.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Stella to say something like that about Vanessa—especially since she hadn’t seen the two of them talking together. She tilted her head, wondering if they had met while she was away.
“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d speak well of Vanessa.”
“I chatted with her once when you stepped out. She seemed okay. I think it’d be good if you two get along better.”
Stella shrugged, having warmed up to Vanessa as of yesterday. Of course, keeping their current ambiguous relationship—neither close nor distant—wasn’t too bad either.
In the past, Eleanor would have forced herself to smile and pretend to get along with people like that. But here, where there were fewer eyes watching, she didn’t live confined to the mold others expected of her.
Even the actions that sometimes made her seem like nothing more than Lydia’s sister never appeared here.
Maybe it was only because Stella had seen her for just a week, but Eleanor looked freer here than in Bayren. That alone satisfied Stella.
“Wherever you are, I just want you to be happy.”
Eleanor, touched by the heartfelt words, hugged Stella tightly.
“Me too. I hope you’re happy wherever you are.”
Stella wrapped her arms around her in return, running her hand through Eleanor’s fluffy hair like petting a kitten.
“Travel safely. Next time, I’ll come visit you.”
“Don’t force yourself to come to Bayren. I’m the one who’s freer, so I can come down instead.”
Eleanor chuckled, knowing Stella was actually quite busy helping with her family’s trade business. As the daughter of a viscount and heir to their merchant group, she worked harder than anyone else to earn her elder brother’s recognition.
Yet she acted as if it were nothing, which Eleanor found endearing. She squeezed Stella’s cheeks before letting her go.
“I’ll miss you.”
“Me too.”
Sometimes a single glance spoke louder than a hundred words. Without saying much more, the two friends reluctantly released hands.
Eleanor’s gaze then met Cain’s, standing behind Stella. As if he’d been waiting to greet her, Cain stepped forward. Stella shot him a sly look before stepping aside.
“Travel safely, Cain.”
“Thanks.”
The aftermath of the previous night still lingered, making things awkward. Their hesitant exchange made it obvious to outsiders that something was off.
From afar, Stella, having heard of Cain’s confession, thought to herself, “One’s insufferable, and one’s adorable.”
It was an utterly biased verdict, but to her, Eleanor wasn’t just anyone, while Cain was.
“Eleanor.”
“Yes?”
Cain hesitated, noticing Eleanor wasn’t meeting his eyes as she once had.
“I know this might sound strange, but… you can treat me the way you used to. Let’s just be like before.”
“Ah…”
“It’s ridiculous, I know. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable because of me. Forget about my confession if you want. Just… be at ease.”
Cain knew how absurd it was to confess and then say this afterward. But knowing Eleanor’s nature, she would never directly say she was uncomfortable—she would just quietly drift away. So he chose to confront it head-on.
Eleanor thought for a moment before lifting her head to meet his gaze. Beneath his Stella-like eyes was a small black mole.
He had confessed, but Cain was still Cain. She might never again see him only as her friend’s brother, yet she didn’t want things to become awkward between them.
“All right. Then treat me the way you used to as well.”
“Yeah.”
A faint smile appeared on Cain’s lips.
“Take care, Eleanor. I’ll always be rooting for you.”
“Thank you.”
They shared a warm smile before Stella called her brother into the carriage. Cain grabbed his bag and climbed aboard.
“Goodbye, Stella. Goodbye, Cain.”
Standing by the carriage window, Eleanor waved. The Maxill siblings, so alike in both face and smile, waved back.
The carriage rattled away. Eleanor stood waving until it disappeared from view.
The cloudless sky poured warm sunlight down the road they traveled.
Thus, her first welcome guests departed.
And then the monsoon arrived.
Eleanor’s daily routine returned.
She studied under Kenneth, spending additional time in the library learning about the estate and the duties of a lord.
She regretted that back in Stikoff, she had avoided proper study because she didn’t want to inherit the count’s title—just like in the original story. If she’d learned earlier, she could have absorbed knowledge faster and acted sooner.
Kenneth’s praise that she learned quickly was some consolation. He said her will and effort to study would help her grow rapidly.
“I studied some accounting at the Academy.”
Eleanor mentioned it casually while learning about managing the estate’s assets, then immediately regretted bringing up the Academy at all.
But Kenneth was already intrigued. As a commoner, he had never attended the Academy, which made him all the more curious.
“When did you graduate from the Academy, my lady?”
Most nobles attended from ages 14 to 18, though the rules were flexible and varied widely. Kenneth assumed Eleanor followed the standard path and graduated at 18, but asked just in case.
“I never graduated.”
Eleanor replied as if it were nothing. Kenneth looked surprised.
Given the prestige of the Stikoff family and Eleanor being the eldest daughter, he had thought graduation a given.
“Did something happen?”
After all, even students who caused trouble usually finished once admitted—since an Academy diploma was considered a basic credential in noble society. Without it, one was easily branded incompetent.
“No, I just withdrew midway.”
She smiled lightly, and Kenneth, tactful as ever, quickly shifted the topic. They buried the subject and continued their lesson.
Afterward, Eleanor carried estate records back to the library, intending to review them using what she’d learned.
Walking down the corridor with the sound of rain on the windows, she found the lessons progressing smoothly, perhaps thanks to what she’d once learned at the Academy.
“So the Academy was useful after all.”
Thinking of the Academy inevitably brought to mind a certain face—golden hair falling in soft waves, eyes of blue and green intertwined, features like those of a statue modeled after a mythical youth.
Sinclair Tess.
Arrogant, elegant, and perfectly noble—the young master she had been forced to know because he was her peer at the Academy.
He had always buttoned his collar to the top, not out of stiffness, but with innate grace. At one point, all the male students imitated his style, buttoning up, wearing vests, even donning gloves.
Every female student admired him. But to Eleanor, remembering him was far from pleasant.
She shook her head to banish Sinclair’s shadow.
He wasn’t here. None of the male protagonists of the original story were here.
They were no longer part of Eleanor’s life. In Oklama, she lived her own life.
If I stay apart from them forever…
I can live as myself.
Not as the extra sister of the heroine.
Eleanor tightened her hold on the papers and headed for the library. What lay ahead wasn’t the role of a sister, but that of an heir.
She gradually put theory into practice.
Since mistakes could harm her aunt, she began by assisting Kenneth, slowly expanding her responsibilities.
She personally oversaw relief work for the monsoon, with Vanessa unexpectedly assigned as her aide. Kenneth, being officially her aunt’s aide, couldn’t be diverted for such tasks.
In a rural estate where professional aides were scarce, Vanessa proved remarkably capable.
“My lady, we’ve relocated the residents near the Cern River to temporary housing.”
Heavy rains threatened flooding. While Eleanor approved documents, Vanessa had personally guided the residents.
As she handed over the paperwork, waiting for approval, Eleanor felt a strange sense of wonder. After all the friction between them, here they were working in sync.
The sunset-colored eyes that once held hostility no longer showed such feelings.
Eleanor’s gaze fell on the flower hairpin in Vanessa’s hair—the one she’d given through Lisa. Vanessa had come to her immediately, blushing and bowing in thanks.
“Is something the matter?”
Catching Eleanor’s lingering look, Vanessa tilted her head. With her hair pinned up, her face was more visible than usual.
Eleanor smiled faintly and shook her head.
“No, nothing. I’ll sign right away.”
With the troublesome servants gone and the new ones recognizing only Eleanor as the baron’s heir, there were no more whispers about Vanessa being the heir.
Now, a proper balance—neither too close nor too distant—settled between them.
“And the Baroness asked to see you.”
Accepting the signed documents, Vanessa delivered the message. Eleanor rose, her tasks nearly finished anyway. She hadn’t seen her aunt for several busy days.
The Baroness greeted her warmly.
“You’ve worked hard, Eleanor.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just glad to help Oklama.”
The Baroness smiled proudly at her niece. How could she not be pleased with such a diligent pupil?
“What did you wish to see me for?” Eleanor asked.
The Baroness’s smile deepened as she gently took her niece’s hand.
“Eleanor.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
“I want to formally request that you become my heir.”
Her voice carried trust and certainty.
Though Eleanor had been studying and working for that very role, she wasn’t yet officially named heir. To make it formal, her parents’ approval was required.
So her aunt’s words meant she would petition Eleanor’s parents to consent.
“I’d love that. I’m so happy, Aunt.”
“And so am I. It moves me to think my niece will also be my successor.”
The two shared a look of joy. Eleanor would be named official heir, and her aunt would have an official successor.
“I’ll work hard.”
“I know you will.”
Though both soon returned to their duties, they had confirmed their mutual trust.
Afterward, the Baroness wrote to her brother, the Count of Stikoff, requesting his approval. Eleanor also wrote her own letter of request.
Watching the messenger leave through the castle gates under pouring rain, Eleanor hugged herself. The monsoon would last at least two more weeks.
The first reply wasn’t from her parents but from Lydia.
*“Sister, what do you mean you’re becoming a baroness? You never told me that. Aunt may be wonderful, and Oklama beautiful, but your home and family are here! Why would you live in Oklama and become a baroness…
Are you afraid I’ll fight you for the title? I don’t want the countship. You can have it. No—you should be the Count of Stikoff. That’s fine with me.
I just don’t understand why you’d leave our family. Even your former fiancé is quiet now. So come back to Bayren. Let’s talk face-to-face. No—never mind. I’ll come down to Oklama myself. I’ll set out as soon as I send this letter.”*
Reading the last line, Eleanor felt a headache coming. Better that she herself went up to Bayren than Lydia coming down.
Half a day later, a second letter arrived—this time from the Count and Countess.
It was concise and clear: they approved of Eleanor becoming the Baroness’s heir, and agreed to her living in Oklama.
Eleanor was stunned. Usually, her parents sided with Lydia in all things concerning her. Even though Lydia had openly opposed it, they had taken Eleanor’s side.
“How strange… Still, it’s fortunate for me.”
With her parents’ approval, Lydia’s opposition no longer mattered—Eleanor could become her aunt’s heir.
That was reassuring. But the problem came next.
At the end of her parents’ letter, a postscript mentioned that Lydia planned to travel down with her friends.
“Friends… Don’t tell me…”
A foreboding chill swept over Eleanor. The note even said Lydia was bringing them along.
That meant the protagonists.
During monsoon season, of all times! The thought of facing all five of them—Lydia and the four male leads—made Eleanor dizzy.
Assuming they’d left the day after sending the letter, they’d arrive tomorrow or the day after.
Burying her face into the bed, Eleanor groaned in frustration.
Thunder rumbled outside, rain endlessly pouring. The damp weather only worsened her mood.
Stop that clueless girl!!