Chapter 51 – That Woman

The maid couldn’t hide her astonishment upon hearing that the ‘guest’ who had shown up at the mansion in a disheveled state and fallen asleep in the bathtub would be staying there.

Yesterday, after dinner with that woman, the master immediately asked for the attic to be cleaned.

Knowing that not asking questions is a virtue of a good maid, she did not retort, but the master easily noticed the question on her face.

“It’s only for a while.”

The young master told her that the woman would be coming down again before long.

She couldn’t understand why he would go through the trouble of cleaning the attic just to have her stay there temporarily, but as always, she bowed her head deeply and followed his orders.

Thus, she silently began cleaning the attic when the woman, carrying an old suitcase, appeared and rolled up her sleeves to help. The maid found her attitude peculiar.

What exactly is this woman’s identity? She was certainly not nobility…

Although referred to as a guest, that was surely just a cover.

Her master was not the type to bring home ‘guests,’ especially not a woman like her.

Despite being an impeccable master, he was still a man in his prime.

Despite rumors that he was openly dating a lady of a great family, he had never brought her to this house.

So, when she first saw this woman, she thought it might be the master’s secret preference.

Seeing her well-groomed appearance after washing up added weight to that assumption. Her lips were slightly blue from being in cold water for too long, though.

Well, if he was to keep a penniless woman by his side, at least his eyes should be pleased. 

Thinking this, everything seemed to fall into place.

But as soon as she thought this, the maid heard from the master that the woman was to stay in the dirty attic.

That command instantly shattered the carefully constructed hypothesis.

The attic was accessed by climbing a steep staircase to a corner on the second floor of the mansion.

Its interior was cramped, and the ceiling sloped following the triangular roof, so the wall far from the center was only as high as a child’s height.

It was a space hardly suitable even for storing unused household items, and given the master’s nature, there were no unnecessary furnishings in the house.

Naturally, the attic had always been a dead space.

To let someone who wasn’t even a servant of this house stay in such a place seemed excessively disrespectful.

Anyway, the mysterious woman with richly toned hair and autumn sky-blue eyes did not seem like a guest who should be treated with great care, but the next morning, as the master was preparing to go out, he suddenly asked if she had woken up.

Surprised that the usually reticent master would initiate conversation, and about that woman no less, the maid immediately shook her head and asked, “Should I wake her?” to which the master replied to let her sleep. A brief instruction followed.

‘Take good care of her.’

His voice was indifferent, but the instruction to take good care of the woman seemed insincere.

Considering she was staying in an attic with only a mattress and no proper bed, it was clear the master did not think highly of her.

So, the maid decided not to pay special attention to the woman. She would act as if the woman was not there, just like before she arrived.

Not long after she reached this conclusion, precisely about an hour after the master had left the house, the woman came downstairs.

Even after an hour, it was still early because the master had left quite early.

As the maid was changing the water in the vases around the house, she couldn’t help but think.

‘She seems more diligent than I thought.’

Seeming to have been looking for the maid, the woman peeked inside the drawing room door and spoke with a slight flush on her face.

“Hello.”

Her soft voice filled the drawing room. Her face appeared a bit nervous but fresh.

Her slender body contrasted with her youthful face, which oddly retained a childlike innocence.

Perhaps because of her finely shaped lips, she resembled the roses in the vase.

Lost in thought, the maid forgot to respond, and the woman gently added,

“I’m sorry to bother you, but could you prepare a little breakfast?”

“……”

“I need to go out soon, and I’d like to eat something before then……”

The young master of the mansion only drank a strong cup of tea before going out and did not have breakfast.

Therefore, the maid quickly prepared something simple that was immediately available.

The woman, continuously expressing her gratitude, ate the unremarkable meal as if it were a fine dish, leaving nothing behind.

A while later, when the maid returned to the drawing room to clear the empty plates and cups, the woman was quietly gazing at the flowers on the table.

Does she like these flowers that resemble herself? If so, it would be fortunate. The pink roses were the only flowers the master allowed in the house.

“I’ll clear away what you’ve eaten.”

“……Ah, yes.”

The woman, having finished her meal, reluctantly set down the utensil she had been holding.

While the maid neatly stacked the plates, saucers, and teacups with gentle hands, the woman fiddled with her neatly pinned-up hair and then parted her lips.

“I……”

After hesitating for a moment, the woman began to ask various questions.

The questions were about how long the master had owned the house, how many servants worked there, and the times he left for and returned from work—personal matters.

Judging there was no harm in her inquiries, the maid willingly answered.

After all, the master had instructed her to take good care of this woman.

But even so, the maid could not hide her perplexity.

The woman’s eyes were too clear for someone attempting a secretive background check.

She seemed to have no talent for hiding emotions, and during the conversation, her longing for that handsome man seemed likely to appear unmistakably in those blue eyes…….

“So he returns at that time every day?”

“Principally, yes.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

No matter how she looked, the eyes were filled with transparent tension, like a child listening to warnings, rather than longing.

For some reason, the maid felt overwhelmed and decided to postpone defining the relationship between this enigmatic guest who seemed to have fallen from the sky and her master.

* * *

When she stepped outside, the morning was clear with the sound of birds.

This area was indeed a world apart from the gloomy district she had encountered upon her arrival in the capital, and it was incomparably more refined than the vicinity of Mrs. Mullich’s two-story house.

The streets, attentively landscaped, and the ancient mansions unified in tidy style.

Even the attire and gait of the people walking the streets exuded a respectable dignity.

It seemed unlikely that the men who had bothered her or Mrs. Mullich’s son would dare to linger in this district.

This place must belong to one of the wealthier parts of the capital.

‘How much would it cost to live here without depending on anyone? Twice the rent I paid Mrs. Mullich? No, maybe three times?’

Eloise felt suddenly overwhelmed. The thought that she might never live in such a place again once she left this mansion weighed on her.

‘The breakfast was delicious, too. Such a sophisticated dessert. And dinner last night goes without saying.’

How could she have tasted every dish on the table even amidst the tension of her confrontation with Ansel?

As the meal was ending, Ansel had even discreetly pushed the plates she couldn’t reach towards her.

Despite feeling embarrassed, Eloise, judging that she couldn’t ignore his kindness, willingly picked up her fork again.

‘Anyway…… it might be better than I thought……’

Their reunion had been more straightforward than expected. Thanks to his being a gentleman, the concerns she had harbored had not materialized.

The hastily tidied attic was quite cozy to her liking, especially the small window on the slanted ceiling through which she could see the moon and stars.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Staying at Ansel’s house hadn’t been intentional, but sharing parts of daily life so close to him might help her regard him with less significance.

In Maybury, far from him, the shining memories flickered like stars, making it hard to let go of him.

“I feel like I can handle this well.”

Muttering as if making a resolution, Eloise stepped lightly out of the alley. A street paved with smooth pebbles stretched before her.

Eloise suddenly realized that the capital no longer felt unfamiliar.

A city where she had once hesitated to even walk now felt somewhat comfortable.

Without hesitation, Eloise walked into the bright light. She no longer felt awkward asking strangers for directions.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, but which way is it to the central square?”

“The central square, you say?”

“Yes, actually, I’m trying to get to Old Bridge.”

Eloise smiled sheepishly. Somehow, it felt like a promising day.