Chapter 46 – Ansel Blaine’s House

Ansel’s subordinate was as taciturn as a soldier should be.

For Eloise, who was worried about what to say if he inquired about her relationship with Ansel Blaine, this was a relief.

However, she couldn’t completely ignore the curiosity in his eyes, so Eloise explained that she and Ansel had been childhood friends but had lost touch long ago, and that they had reunited by chance today.

The subordinate congratulated her on the remarkable coincidence and informed her that Ansel had been commissioned as a captain in the Intelligence Department of the Brightnum Military Office.

He added that it had only been about a month since he began serving under Captain Blaine, but he considered it an honor to serve such an exceptional superior.

The man, who appeared to be at least five or six years older than twenty-four-year-old Ansel, showed not a trace of insincerity in his eyes.

His gaze was filled with genuine loyalty and admiration.

Even though Eloise had heard about Ansel’s exceptional qualities since childhood, she felt a renewed sense of reassurance.

‘He might have become a prodigal son to his family, but in this regard, he’s consistent.’

She secretly worried that Ansel’s subordinate might question her relationship with Ansel, but fortunately, no such suspicion was evident.

Even though it might have sounded odd to order someone to leave a woman alone in a house where he lived alone, it seemed unnecessary to explain.

No matter how many times she had been approached by men in the capital, she apparently didn’t seem like a fitting match for the great Ansel Blaine.

In hindsight, all the men who had approached her were nothing but despicable characters.

Therefore, if she were to be honest, the world Eloise Bailey belonged to, without status or wealth, was likely the same world those unsavory men inhabited.

Realizing this, her face flushed with heat.

“This way.”

When they reached the back of the avenue, what came into view was a beautiful two-story house built of auburn bricks.

“……This is the house.”

The exterior walls, filled with large windows adorned with doorposts, presented a neat and elegant impression, unlike Mrs. Mullich’s house, which was covered in climbing plants.

The structure, with a pediment-adorned entrance at its center and symmetrical sides, was a graceful residence.

However, it was smaller than she had expected.

It was undoubtedly a splendid house that couldn’t be called anything other than a mansion, but at a glance, it seemed about the same size as the two-story house of the Baileys, where four family members and three servants lived together.

Of course, the elegance of the building was incomparable, but it was still unfamiliar to see Ansel Blaine not residing in a grand mansion like Fairmont House.

‘Well, imagining a grand mansion after hearing he left to live alone was too much. That place has so many rooms you could get lost inside.’

Ultimately, what mattered was that she had agreed to stay here, in a house where they couldn’t help but know each other’s every move.

Thinking about it made her mouth dry. It was truly an absurd situation.

She must have been momentarily out of her mind, intoxicated by the joy of meeting him again.

‘I wasn’t rational at all earlier. I need to have a proper conversation when he returns…’

Even as she thought this, Eloise found her gaze irresistibly drawn to the beautiful porch and the sculpted decorations throughout.

Meanwhile, Ansel’s subordinate politely knocked on the door.

“Hello.”

Eloise, tense, finally turned her gaze forward when she heard the man’s greeting.

The door was opened by a maid wearing a white bonnet and a matching white apron.

‘So there was a maid.’

Of course, it was only natural that he couldn’t handle the household chores himself. While she was having such trivial thoughts, the maid, who had quietly bowed her head in greeting, asked in a stiff tone.

“What brings you here?”

“She is the captain’s guest. I have been instructed to escort her here.”

“…”

At those words, the maid’s dry gaze immediately turned to the woman who was said to be the captain’s guest.

As the gaze scanned her from head to toe, Eloise’s toes curled involuntarily.

Ansel had seen her covered in dirt or looking like a drowned rat many times since childhood, so he wouldn’t have shown any reaction, and since the superior was like that, his subordinate couldn’t say much either.

On the other hand, the maid’s blatant expression was enough to make Eloise acutely aware of how disheveled she looked.

Thinking about how she must appear to the maid serving that elegant and perfect man made her want to sink into the ground with embarrassment.

It felt like standing n*ked in the middle of the square, albeit with a bit of exaggeration.

She was just a stranger she had never met before, and she hadn’t insulted her with hurtful words, yet anything related to Ansel Blaine always seemed to lead her to such extreme thoughts.

Placing herself on the same level as him was a contradiction from the start.

“Then I will take my leave.”

“Oh, thank you. Your name is…”

“Warrant Officer Bruce.”

“…Warrant Officer Bruce.”

As Eloise curtsied, he also bowed in respect.

Once the warrant officer boarded the carriage, emblazoned with the Wellington Army emblem, and left, only Eloise and the maid with a stern face remained.

“…”

Although she hadn’t expected a grand welcome, Eloise felt awkward as she adjusted her grip on her luggage in the strangely chilly atmosphere.

‘Ah, should I ask her to show me inside?’

She felt uncomfortable about asking the maid for anything.

There were people helping with household chores at the Baileys’ too, but since Mrs. Hearst, the housekeeper, as well as the cook and the coachman, were more like family than servants, Eloise found it awkward to order people around.

“Shall I prepare a bath for you?”

At that moment, the maid asked abruptly. It was an unexpected first question.

“You seemed to have traveled a long way, so I asked. Please give me your luggage.”

“…Yes. If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for your help?”

Although the thought crossed her mind that she must look quite a mess, Eloise soon smiled sweetly and handed over her luggage.

The maid’s previously stern face softened a little at her charming smile, even in her disheveled state.

“If you wait in the parlor, I’ll have it ready shortly.”

With that, the maid turned as if to lead the way.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Eloise finally stepped into Ansel Blaine’s house.

‘It’s a splendid house.’

As she followed the maid to the parlor, Eloise’s trembling fingertips brushed against the acanthus-leaf-patterned teal wallpaper as if drawing a line.

The floor, made of dark walnut, was covered with a carpet of exotic patterns, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Eloise had to admit that this place was as splendid inside as it was outside, feeling ashamed for thinking it was a small mansion.

The interior, elegant without being excessive, gave a cozy impression, and each piece of furniture exuded restrained dignity.

Finally reaching the parlor, Eloise had to stop abruptly with her lips slightly parted.

It was because she had discovered something unexpected.

“Oh…”

Her gaze landed on a vase on the table, more precisely, on the bouquet of pink roses inside it.

The roses were smaller than those blooming in the fields of Maybury, but their vibrant color was enough to instantly melt Eloise’s hardened heart.

In that fleeting moment, Eloise recalled countless scenes.

Memories of laughing as she passed through bushes full of summer roses, the faces of her family seen beyond roses on the dining table, his long, straight fingers gently stroking the fully open rose petals…

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Unconsciously blushing, Eloise smiled slightly.

A look of curiosity appeared on the maid’s freckled face, but she simply asked,

“Are you staying the night?”

“Pardon?”

Feeling embarrassed for being unnecessarily startled, Eloise replied without the maid showing any concern,

“Should I prepare a guest room?”

“Ah……. I should discuss the details again, but it seems I’ll be imposing on you for tonight.”

Instead of adding, ‘I have nowhere else to go,’ Eloise quietly sat down in front of the table.

As she leaned back into the soft chair, a distant sigh escaped her. She felt as if she could fall asleep right there.

“Understood. Please wait here for a moment.”

“Thank you.”

After replying, Eloise closed her eyes. She remained still for a while, breathing slowly with her eyes closed.

The clear scent of roses in the air put her mind at ease.

It was almost as if she had momentarily returned to the old, happy two-story house in Maybury.

However, the moment she realized that she was in Ansel Blaine’s house, her eyes snapped open.

Some realities were more fleeting than dreams. Thus, Eloise felt as if she were dreaming a dream more vivid than reality.

Coming back to the capital, being chased out of Mrs. Mullich’s house, and even the humiliation she faced at the factory, which had been her last hope, all felt like lies.

But none of the shocks she experienced during this series of events could compare to the surprise of meeting Ansel when she was crying, feeling abandoned by the world.

‘Stay at my house.’

Despite feeling her heart sink at those words, she somehow found herself at Ansel Blaine’s private residence. In the space where he slept and awoke every day…

Where had the Eloise Bailey, who had boldly declared she would forget him, gone? She found it difficult to understand herself.

There was no denying her weakness, but she didn’t want to believe that she secretly wished for this outcome.

The fact that she felt ashamed for not rejecting him immediately was proof of that.

“What do you really want to do?”

In any case, it was certain that she had created a secret she couldn’t tell her family.

It felt like a heavy stone was placed on her chest.

As Eloise let out a distant sigh, the maid returned to inform her that the bath was ready.