Chapter 4 – Part 1 “Determination”

After the party, the House of Grit seemed to have returned to its tranquil routine. However, there was a subtle undercurrent within the mansion.

“My lord says he has business and will not be able to dine with us.”

After a brief explanation, Damon said, “I will bring your meal to the parlor,” and left the room.

The day after Marie’s hosted party, Ruby woke up on the bed. It seemed she had inadvertently fallen asleep after leaning on the sofa for a moment. The one who moved her was probably Eli. However, there was only evidence of someone lying next to Ruby, and the space was cold without warmth.

Eli had been avoiding Ruby and leading a lifestyle of coming in late and leaving early since the party. It wasn’t that they hadn’t encountered each other at all after the party.

—

That day, Ruby had woken up earlier than usual.

After seeing that his usual spot was empty, Ruby lightly touched the bed where his body still lingered, put on a robe, and left the room.

There was a faint noise from the first floor that was not noticeable when she was in her room. Ruby followed the sound to the stairs.

In the mansion lobby, Eli and Leton, already dressed, were present, and Damon was there to see them off.

Eli, who had been talking to Damon for a while, felt Ruby’s gaze and looked at her. As soon as their eyes met, he froze.

“Are you leaving already?” Ruby asked with concern.

He must be tired, having held his ground until the end of the party. Since that day, she hadn’t seen him take a proper rest.

“…I have things to do, so I’ll leave first.”

Without answering her question, Eli got on the carriage as it arrived. Leton followed suit, bowing quickly to Ruby.

While Ruby and Damon remained in the mansion, the carriage carrying Eli and Leton departed.

That was the most recent sight Ruby had of Eli. Eli was clearly avoiding her. It had been a whole month.

Ruby was quite surprised when she first faced this situation. At that time, she honestly felt a bit hurt. Being avoided by Eli was the first time since she returned to the past and started sharing a room with him.

She had become accustomed to waking up every morning with Eli. Despite the much longer time they didn’t wake up together, she had gotten used to it.

However, now that the initial surprise had faded, Ruby chose to follow Eli’s lead and didn’t actively seek him out. She pretended not to notice and, if anything, followed suit.

***

“Madam, here are the invitations.”

After finishing breakfast, Damon carefully placed the invitations on the table in the parlor attached to Ruby’s room.

Since Marie’s party, the invitations have been pouring in relentlessly for the Marchioness Grit. Tea parties, balls, outings, equestrian gatherings, etc. Most of them were events she hadn’t known about in the past.

If it had been in the past, she would have happily considered where to go, but now, Ruby thoughtfully selected only two letters.

“Please discard the rest.”

The letters Ruby chose were from Lady Iana Chain and Lady Lynn Blora.

Iana expressed gratitude for the favor at the party and expressed a desire to be friends, filling her letter with warmth.

It was both pleasant and confusing to receive such kindness. It was the first time someone had shown favor to her without any apparent reason, and it was even more surprising because she hadn’t taken care of the guests during the party.

Ruby’s decision to stop acting as a hostess was solely influenced by her past experiences.

“Oh my, the wine is so delicious.”

“It’s a specially prepared wine. I’m glad you like it.”

Ruby responded with joy upon receiving compliments. However, in return, there was only a cold gaze instead of a returning response.

Even when Ruby tried to break the awkwardness by throwing conversation topics, she only received icy stares in response.

“Are you having an interesting conversation?”

“Oh, by the way, they say the moon is beautiful today. Shall we go for a stroll in the garden?”

Ignoring Ruby’s greetings, someone else made a suggestion.

“I’ll go with…”

Since being ignored after coming to the mansion, Ruby has experienced being shunned more than once.

“Why bother going all the way to the garden? Let’s enjoy a light breeze on the terrace.”

Deliberately excluding Ruby, the ladies moved in the opposite direction from her, heading toward the terrace.

As such incidents continued, Ruby found herself doing nothing. It was easier that way, avoiding embarrassment and potential hurt feelings.

She had become accustomed to such situations, leading other ladies and children towards her, helping her when she collapsed, sharing information about etiquette, and worrying about marriage.

Therefore, Lady Chain’s letter was difficult to reject.

After much contemplation, Ruby wrote a reply.

***

“Is my house a lodging!”

Kicking his feet over the sofa, which was shorter than Eli’s height, Kane exclaimed

“Just for a few days.”

Even with Kane’s actions, Eli casually tossed and turned, not making any effort to get up.

“You couldn’t sleep again last night?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you work during the day and not come over?”

But there was no indication that he intended to change his current lifestyle.

“What is it that keeps you up all night?”

Thinking briefly about Damon, who had a tired expression similar to Eli’s, Kane inquired.

“Property division.”

“Property division? Why?”

Kane’s head, which had been nodding in confusion, suddenly stiffened.

“Are you getting a divorce?”

Eyes widening in surprise, his voice matched the heightened tone.

“When? Did your wife initiate it?”

Once again, Eli responded with silence.

“I thought the lady managing to endure your temper and living with you was impressive, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.”

Even with Kane’s sarcastic comments, Eli remained unresponsive.

“Are you really getting a divorce?”

“…Yes.”

As Kane half-jokingly questioned whether they had had a severe fight, Eli sat up. His face, as he lightly brushed his hair, revealed deep exhaustion.

“What did you do wrong to prompt this? Oh, but anyway, it takes a long time for property division, right? How about changing her mind during that time?”

Just figuring out the list of Grit Manor’s assets took a long time. If it was a matter of how to allocate which assets, staying up all night seemed understandable.

However, Eli did not answer. He seemed to have no intention of explaining further.

“Yeah, whatever. Go sleep. Go to the guest room instead of staying here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Eli headed towards the guest room. Without being told, Eli, who had known the structure of Vance Viscount Manor since childhood, watched him go.

Kane watched Eli’s back as he left, remembering how he’d proclaimed that he was going to marry a woman he couldn’t be bothered to marry.

He’d thought he’d done just that, but after all these years, he was far from indifferent when it came to women. By the looks of it, he’d found his match.

Even with that broad back, there were days when he looked pitiful. It made Kane feel uncomfortable for no reason.

“That’s right, you’re doing well.”

Kane only quietly clicked his tongue.

* * *

Eli didn’t want to give up the dwindling time he had with Ruby every day, but he didn’t have the confidence to face her.

So, before Ruby woke up at dawn, he stayed by her side for a while and left the room before the sun rose.

Until Ruby fell asleep, he worked on paperwork in the study.

Most of the work involved the distribution of property that Ruby would receive in the divorce. Eli’s top priority was to ensure that Ruby had a comfortable place to live, considering factors such as the pleasantness of the location, the scenery, ease of disposal, and whether it was a place where Ruby could easily access the funds she would need regularly.

When Ruby’s active morning arrived, Eli would visit Vance Viscount Manor and catch up on the sleep he hadn’t had.

For a month now, his exhausted mind has been in a dazed state all the time.

Perhaps that was why his feelings about the situation were not clear at all.

* * *

“Are you going out, my lady?”

A few days later, when Ruby was ready to go out and came down to the first floor, Damon approached her.

“I’m going to Count Chain’s residence.”

Ruby nodded in response.

“You seem to have received an invitation, even though you rarely write letters.”

“Yes.”

Feeling a bit awkward about going somewhere due to an invitation from someone, Ruby couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

“It looks like you’ve made a friend, My Lady.”

Damon’s words made Ruby’s eyes widen.

Really?

Except for Lynn, whom she had been close to since childhood, Ruby had never made friends through social circles. The term “friend” that Damon used, a warm and friendly word, felt unfamiliar to her.

“Be careful on your way.”

Without waiting for a response, Damon looked at Ruby, lost in thought, with a pleased expression, and opened the carriage door to escort her.