Chapter 12 – I Must Leave

Now, she could cry in peace. The moment such a foolish thought crossed her mind.

A voice rang out, contradicting the silence like a lie.

“Eloise.”

“…Archie?”

Her blue eyes, like a summer sky, blinked in bewilderment.

“You, what are you doing here?”

“I think that’s what I should be asking you.”

Archibald chuckled playfully as he wiped the beads of sweat trailing down his temple with his wrist.

A mix of surprise and delight was swirling in his deep-set eyes.

Eloise grunted as she pushed herself up.

Under the dense shade of the oak tree, Archibald’s bronzed skin looked even richer and more vibrant.

When they were younger, they had been around the same height, but now she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

Somehow, that fact had bothered her before, but it no longer seemed to matter, as it seemed she had grown up as well.

“So why aren’t you in the mansion and out here? And alone, at that.”

“Do you think I followed you here knowing you were here?”

The Earl’s servant burst into laughter as if it were absurd.

The laughter was so hearty that Eloise, at a loss for words, turned her face away, and Archibald answered coolly.

“I was just on my way back from Mr. Cooper’s. Ah, he’s the Earl’s new woodsman. His cabin is nearby.”

Eloise lowered her gaze and nodded. A slightly lowered voice continued.

“Now tell me, Elsie. What are you doing here? Did you come to see the young master?”

“Of course not.”

“…”

“I came by chance. Somehow.”

The quick rebuttal was good, but the added words were the problem.

To say she walked here by chance from Maybury’s house, even she wouldn’t believe that. It was a distance that took over an hour to walk.

Eloise added weakly as she sat down.

“I’ll rest a bit and then go back, so you should go inside. See you on Sunday.”

At those words, Archibald also plopped down beside her.

“…Why?”

“I’m going to rest here for a bit before heading back too.”

“How dull… Do as you please. But I won’t say anything. I have a lot on my mind.”

A brief silence fell. It was the moment Eloise closed her eyes, feeling the caress of the breeze on her cheek.

“Is it because your sister is getting married?”

“…”

Eloise involuntarily flinched, but she decided to respond calmly.

“Yes. I can’t imagine living apart from my sister.”

“That must be depressing.”

“But the two of them… love each other. That’s a miracle, Archie.”

A miracle indeed. Archibald agreed.

“It’s really fortunate that my sister’s marrying Sir Ansel. You don’t know how diligently he visits our house, do you? Ah, maybe you do? Anyway…… thanks to Sir Ansel not taking Sally to the capital, we’ll still see each other often. So it’s something to be grateful for.”

Eloise rambled on unintentionally and fidgeted with her hair. A small wonder crossed her mind shortly after.

“By the way, will Sir Ansel and my sister live in Fairmont House?”

“Didn’t you know? The manor has been bustling every day as they prepare the rooms for the newlyweds. They’re even redecorating the gardens for the wedding. That’s why I went to see Mr. Cooper earlier.”

“Is that so?”

Now that she thought about it, she had heard her mother mention something about her sister becoming the mistress of Fairmont House.

‘So that’s why she said that back then.’

Well, there’s no other grand house around here that would suit him, and it wouldn’t make sense to build a new one at this time.

‘You’ll encounter me so often it’ll feel like we live in the same house. We might actually end up living together.’

Then what did he mean by that?

Eloise had desperately avoided being around whenever Ansel visited, so she had no idea of the details regarding the wedding preparations that were discussed.

“Hey, Archie, have you by any chance heard if not just my sister, but our whole family will be living at Fairmont House?”

“What do you mean? Did the young master say that?”

Seeing the mischievous Archibald’s surprised expression, it seemed he was hearing this for the first time.

So it was just a rash remark. Because he was upset by my attitude.

“No.”

“Well, maybe it’ll happen someday. There are plenty of vacant rooms, after all.”

Archibald shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Eloise’s tone that followed wasn’t much different.

“Yeah, it’s possible. Then we’ll be living in the same house. Of course, I might get married before that.”

“You’re thinking of getting married?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, are you thinking of marrying someone other than the young master?”

Eloise’s heart sank. She felt a bit dizzy.

“Archie… Why have you been acting this way lately?”

“If I’ve upset you, I’m sorry. But I thought you wouldn’t marry someone you don’t love, given how stubborn you are. You have some peculiar quirks too.”

“……”

The stubborn and peculiar Eloise found herself at a loss for words.

Part of the reason she was surprised was the keen perceptiveness of her childhood friend, who seemed to see right through her.

Regrettably, a woman’s marriage was often more a matter of duty than love, and Eloise knew that someday she would have to marry someone other than Ansel, for the sake of her family.

But now, with Sarah, the eldest daughter, marrying the Earl’s grandson, a man far wealthier than Mrs. Fulham’s son-in-law, the situation had changed.

There was no longer a reason for the second daughter, who didn’t want to marry, to be forced into it.

So that’s why Archibald asked such a question.

But the reason Eloise had walked all the way here was to escape such thoughts, even for a moment.

Moreover, she had no intention of letting her perceptive childhood friend casually poke at her heart like that.

Her clear blue eyes took on a resolute gleam.

“Archie, that man will be my sister’s husband in just about a month. Please don’t talk that way about him anymore. It’s true we used to be comfortable with each other, but the situation has changed now. Do you understand?”

“Do feelings disappear just because I don’t talk about them?”

“No, Archie! Liking someone…….”

Eloise stopped speaking.

Archibald was not interrupting her, but rather listening with a serious expression, and his eyes seemed to be saying, “I know everything, Elsie.”

“…You’re right, I did like him. It’s true. But not anymore.”

“Are you being honest?”

“Yes… So of course I can get married too. I don’t know who the person will be, but love can come suddenly, right? So I’ll just wait and see.”

“…”

Did that sound natural?

She was worried he would question her again, but surprisingly, Archibald simply nodded without saying anything.

At least it wasn’t a lie. In the near future, she would no longer have feelings for Ansel.

Day by day, she was gradually letting go of those feelings for him.

As that thought crossed her mind, the strength seemed to slowly drain from her entire body, as if her heart had been tightly gripped and then released.

“Alright then, I’ll rest now. I won’t answer anymore.”

Murmuring softly, as she closed her eyes, Archibald, who had moved a little closer, asked,

“Shall I lend you my shoulder?”

“…Yes.”

Though it was a bit embarrassing to answer so quickly after declaring solemnly, Eloise didn’t refuse and leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder.

“Wow, your shoulder is really comfortable. It feels so nice.”

The young servant of the Earl’s mansion gave no reply.

She let out a small chuckle, feeling it was a silent gesture of letting her rest. Having an old friend is truly this comforting.

With her eyes closed, she took a deep breath, and the fresh forest air filled her lungs.

Having visited the woodsman’s cabin, her childhood friend’s shoulder carried a fresh wood scent.

Amidst that, Eloise detected a certain scent carried by the breeze.

Faint and distant, yet strangely crisp, enough to make her briefly open her eyes.

‘…Bergamot?’

The moment she realized that the fragrance she had detected was just her imagination, Eloise felt like she could cry.

* * *

“I love you.”

She had finally confessed.

The fear was great, but the agony of continuing to hide her feelings was even worse, so in the end, she had no choice but to pour her heart out to him.

It was a desperate confession, like a fish pulled from the water struggling to return to the depths.

For some reason, her sister’s marriage was no longer happening.

Eloise thought that perhaps she had been caught in a very long dream all this time.

Thanks to that, she was finally able to confess her feelings, which was a great relief.

“I have loved you for a long time…… only you, Ansel.”

Her tightly clenched fists were trembling. There was a sense of anxiety that he might not accept her, but the feeling of relief was greater.

“You didn’t know, Eloise.”

Then Ansel replied.

“I have loved you too. From the beginning.”

The moment she heard his confession, tears burst out as if it were all a lie.

The soft eyes that held the innocent summer sunlight were shining tenderly at the weeping Eloise.

They were the same eyes she had loved since childhood, unchanged.

In Ansel’s warm embrace, Eloise wondered how she should write about this day in her diary.

It was too beautiful to be captured in words. It felt like she had encountered the most beautiful moment in her life far too soon.

But even if the rest of her life felt dull in comparison, it didn’t matter.

No, a life with him could never be dull.

The tears of happiness flowed uncontrollably. Yet the warmth of the tears trailing down her cheeks felt strangely vivid.

It was as if Eloise, who had been wandering in a sweet dream, had been abruptly pulled back into reality.

“…”

It was a quiet dawn.

As she wiped the tears with the back of her hand and turned her head, the sleeping figure of her sister came into view.

The beautiful and serene profile of the bride-to-be, who would promise eternity to that man in a month’s time.

The tears of joy had instantly transformed into tears of guilt.

“This can’t go on…….”

The damp sigh dissipated into the air.

Fearing the sound of her sniffling would wake her sister, Eloise buried herself under the blanket, tightly closing her stinging eyes as she murmured,

“I have to leave.”