Shioana, holding onto the front of her shawl tightly, decided to take a walk while avoiding the barn, the garden, and the lakeside.
'Then you can avoid him.'
She was really angry when Martha asked if she wanted to see him earlier.
'There’s no way I would want to see a slave like that, is there?'
She detested arrogant and self-willed slaves. Besides, there was no longer any reason to cling to him as a friend.
Many guests were looking for Regbell, and even more people were showing interest in her.
'Yeah, this is no big deal.'
It was no different from a passing breeze. It just flowed away, and there was no longer any need to remember it, nor could she.
"...Ah."
Just as Shioana was steeling herself countless times, she stopped walking. Etienne, carrying a sack, suddenly appeared from the top of the ladder.
Their eyes met, but she turned her back first.
Shioana walked quickly, clutching the end of the shawl tightly with trembling hands.
Now everything was just finding its place.
***
"Miss. If you keep doing this, I'm in trouble."
At Lily's words, Elizabeth, who was pacing by the window, chewed her nails nervously.
"If I don't meet him right away, I'm going to die."
"No matter what. It's not right now. Because the Marquis is in the castle."
The fact that she couldn't get out made Elizabeth's face darken more and more.
"Shouldn't I go for a while?"
"You know, Miss. It's far to get there..."
Eli Evgenia lived in Regbell, quite far from the capital. The only time she saw him was briefly at the house she had rented in Highbell whenever Marquis Demory was away for a few days.
"I'm afraid that the Marquis will find out that your husband is secretly meeting like this."
"Who doesn't know that?"
Elizabeth threw herself onto the bed and stomped her feet in despair.
She grabbed the sheet so hard that blue veins protruded above the back of his hand, and began to cry with a gurgling sound.
"If you keep crying like that, it will harm your health."
"Then what should I do? I can't even meet him..."
Countless people wanted her, the precious jewel of the Demory family.
However, most of them coveted the Marquis's reputation or wealth. Among them were some who praised Elizabeth's beauty, but a man like Eli was the first of his kind.
"...I miss him so much."
Although he was not well-off, he was an upright man who did not covet what belonged to others. She wanted to rent a mansion in the capital, but Eli did not want it.
'Elizabeth, if you love me, don't do that.'
Elizabeth loved him because he shone naturally, even without being adorned with valuables. That is why, despite Eli's refusal, she gifted him expensive clothes, a cane, and a hat. She did it because she wanted to convey at least a little of her feelings somehow.
"Miss, I apologize for saying this, but I am a little worried."
"What do you mean by that?"
Elizabeth sat up in bed with a face smeared with tears. At the sight, Lily could not hide her troubled expression.
She was the nanny's daughter and grew up with the young lady from childhood, so they were very close.
'There is something I couldn't bring myself to tell you because I thought you might be disappointed.'
While stopping by Highbel to look for a house, Lily witnessed Viscount Evgenia riding in a carriage with another woman. Judging by the intimate gestures they exchanged, it was clear that they were in an unusual relationship.
"That is why it is obvious that the Marquis will object."
Once again, Lily concealed what she had seen and changed the subject for a different reason.
She had rejected even the son of a prestigious family, so there was no way her father would accept the heir to a Viscount from a humble family.
"Is there really a man who meets my father's standards? Because he is poor, because he is unattractive, because his rank is low. He must have hundreds of reasons prepared for his opposition."
"But that’s because he loves you, young lady, and he wants to set you up with a good person—."
"I don't need anyone else, I just need Eli."
"Why don't you get up first and have a light meal?"
However, Elizabeth, who was in love, could not hear anything at that moment.
"Ah! In the end, Father is going to separate him and me."
Elizabeth slumped down right there and sobbed loudly.
***
Thanks to Viscount Evgenia's return, Regbell's table was bountiful for the first time in a while.
Steam rose from a meat stew in the center of the table, topped with mashed potatoes and tender chicken served with dried apricots. As he spread cheese on the bread, the Viscount spoke.
"...How can it be so lacking?"
The Viscount quickly averted his gaze from Shioana and wore a displeased expression. Then Eli stepped forward and spoke cheerfully.
"A good marriage proposal has come to Shioana."
"That is welcome news. We shouldn't be doing this; we should really have a drink of wine."
As Eli rang the bell on the table, a man carrying a tray appeared in the dining room a moment later. Although most of his face was covered by a shabby hat, the Count recognized him instantly upon seeing his red eyes.
"Ah! Isn't that the slave I brought?"
The slave had grown considerably during the time Regbell was away. A look of satisfaction filled the Viscount's eyes as he stroked his chin.
"It looks like the air suits Regbell quite well. It grows just like sugarcane."
Except for the Viscount, who was cracking jokes to himself, the rest of the dining room hardened their expressions at the appearance of the slave. Eli, who despised Etienne, could not stand the very act of being in the same space as him.
And Shioana had her own circumstances.
It has already been several days since she turned her back on Etienne. She didn't go out of her way to look for him like before, nor did she give him any work. She kept her distance, treating him as if he didn't exist.
But Etienne looks like nothing is wrong.
He greeted Shioana politely whenever he saw her and simply went about his work. There was not even the slightest change in his usual expressionless face.
'Are you really that unaffected?'
Whenever she saw Etienne, she wanted to keep talking to him and check his face. This was because they had been together for several years already, so they had grown quite attached to each other.
'It's really pathetic that I'm the only one like this.'
Etienne didn't pay any attention to her at all. Her father, whom she hadn't seen in a long while, still had no interest in Shioana, and Eli's gaze was nothing but cold.
'I want to go back to my room right away.'
Compared to yesterday, when she was eating porridge in a dry room, there was plenty to eat, but for some reason, she had no appetite.
"Alright, pour me a drink."
As Etienne poured the wine at the Viscount's command, he began asking Eli various questions.
"I’m curious to know which family he belongs to."
"Count Noah is the most eligible bachelor in Highbell. He is someone I have always respected; with his sophisticated looks, extensive knowledge, and dignified demeanor, he lacks nothing."
A look of satisfaction spread across Viscount Evgenia's face at Eli's praise, which bordered on admiration.
"Thinking that such a fine young man is forging a bond with our family, could there be any greater joy? All of this is thanks to you, Eli. Let's not sit still; let's raise a toast right now."
At the thought of being able to send his daughter to a wealthy Count's family, they gulped down the wine in one go.
'Could there be better news?'
He never really harbored any affection for his daughter, who was as bothersome as a thorn stuck between his hands.
If it weren't for that useless child, his wife wouldn't have passed away so early.
Things went completely wrong because his wife, who came from a very wealthy family, died.
Due to the shock, his father-in-law, the Marquis Nieve, collapsed from a heart attack, and as his brother-in-law succeeded to the title, the support he had been receiving was completely cut off.
During his lifetime, Marquis Nieve had left Eli some land, and he was able to sell it and invest the proceeds in his business.
"For the first time in his life, I thought that thing might actually be useful."
The Count, having downed several glasses of wine in succession, spoke to Shioana.
She could not answer the words that did not feel like a compliment.
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