Chapter 35

Elena found herself in a rather awkward situation. For the past few days, she had been hiding her calloused hands, but in the end, her nanny discovered them.

“What is this, Miss?!”

It wasn’t as if Elena wanted to be caught. She had deliberately avoided her nanny’s nightly oil treatments for her hands for several days.

But her nanny was sharp. Sensing something was amiss when Elena kept avoiding her, she suddenly grabbed Elena’s hands.

Elena smiled awkwardly.

“Well, I’ve been learning swordsmanship lately. That’s why.”

At her words, the nanny looked as though she might faint.

“Swordsmanship?! Why on earth are you learning swordsmanship, Miss? I was against you attending the academy, but I allowed it because you said you’d study magic!”

Goodness, if this continued, Elena might not be able to return to the academy.

At that moment, a maid entered the room like a savior.

“Miss.”

The maid handed Elena a letter. The sender was Felix.

Elena quickly opened it. The letter contained a simple greeting asking how she had been and mentioned that Lindsey and Tony missed her.

As expected of Felix, the letter was short and to the point.

And at the end, it said:

[Mother also says she misses you. If you have time, come visit the mansion.]

Elena was delighted to hear this. Ignoring her nanny, who looked as though she might faint, she turned to the maid and said,

“Pack my things.”

“Pack, Miss?”

“Yes. I’m leaving for the Christian Estate tomorrow.”

Alright, time to depart immediately.

***

“Elly!”

“Sis!”

The moment Elena stepped out of the carriage, Felix’s twin siblings, Lindsey and Tony, ran toward her.

She knelt on the ground with her arms wide open. The children didn’t slow down and crashed into her embrace.

Oof, that hurt. 

Despite being small, the strength of these children was surprising. Elena nearly toppled over.

She was holding the children tightly in her arms, worried that they might get hurt, when she felt someone supporting her back. It was Felix.

“Lindsey, Tony. Didn’t Mother tell you not to run?”

Felix scolded them in a stern voice, but the children didn’t listen. Though fraternal twins, they looked very alike, puffing up their cheeks and complaining.

“But we missed Sis!”

“Yeah, we missed her so much!”

Elena felt a lump in her throat. The last time she had seen them was during the summer vacation, half a year ago.

To her, six months might not feel like much, but for these curious kids, it must have been an eternity filled with countless experiences.

She had thought they might forget about someone they saw only a few times a year.

But hearing that they missed her was unexpected, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, but Lindsey noticed. The child, with wide gray eyes resembling Felix’s, exclaimed,

“Sis, are you crying?”

Tony echoed,

“Sis, are you really crying?”

“No, I’m not crying.”

Even Felix chimed in bluntly,

“Why are you crying?”

Elena hadn’t been fazed by Lindsey and Tony’s remarks, but Felix’s words struck a nerve. Before she realized it, she snapped.

“I said I’m not crying!”

“If you’re not crying, you’re not crying. Why are you yelling? You’ll burst my eardrums.”

Felix rubbed his ears, then grabbed her arm to help her up.

“Get up already. Your clothes are getting dirty.”

The twins mimicked him like parrots.

“Dirty!”

“Yeah, dirty!”

Feeling embarrassed, Elena stood up. She dusted off her skirt, which had gotten dirty, and followed them into the mansion.

Inside, Felix’s mother and Elena’s late mother’s closest friend, Madam Jane, greeted her warmly.

With platinum blonde hair and violet eyes, Madam Jane looked youthful and lovely, hardly seeming like someone with a son about to reach adulthood.

“Elly, welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

She smiled gracefully, embodying the epitome of nobility. Elena wondered if she could ever smile like that.

Feeling inspired, she tried to greet her just as elegantly.

“Countess Christian, it’s been a while.”

When Elena deliberately followed noble etiquette, Madam Jane’s eyebrows lowered slightly.

“Oh my.”

“Countess Christian.”

“It’s been a while.”

Now learning etiquette, Tony giggled and mimicked her actions, bowing.

Felix muttered as if he had seen something ridiculous.

“What are you doing?”

“Elly, why are you greeting me like that? It makes me sad.”

Had I overdone it? 

To cover her embarrassment, Elena smiled even brighter.

“I’ll be an adult in a year, so I thought I’d start practicing my manners.”

Madam Jane didn’t hide her disappointment.

“There’s no need for that. You’re like a daughter to me. Please don’t ever call me Countess Christian.”

“Yes, Madam Jane. Have you been well?”

“Of course. I’m always well. How about you?”

“Yes, I’ve been well too.”

Madam Jane took Elena’s arm and led her.

“Oh dear, look at me. Instead of chatting here, let’s go upstairs. I’ve prepared plenty of treats for you.”

“Wow, I’m looking forward to it.”

Madam Jane had a fondness for desserts. To indulge her, the Earl Christian had hired one of the kingdom’s top patissiers, and the desserts at the Christian mansion were better than those at any café.

Every time Elena visited, Madam Jane would give her so many desserts that she always left with a rounder face.

They headed to the parlor. While enjoying the treats, Elena caught up with Madam Jane.

Felix sat in another chair reading a book, while Tony and Lindsey played with toys and ate desserts by their mother’s side.

“So, how did you spend Saint Esna’s Festival?”

After some casual conversation, Madam Jane cautiously asked. Knowing Elena’s circumstances, she must have been worried.

But this time, Elena could answer confidently.

“I had fun.”

“Oh.”

Madam Jane widened her eyes in surprise, then smiled warmly.

“That’s wonderful. What did you do to have such a good time?”

“Hmm…”

The memories of that day were made with Little One and Felix. But since she couldn’t talk about Little One, she left him out.

“I spent it with Felix.”

“Oh my, really? Isn’t Felix boring to hang out with?”

“No, it was fun. We went to town, watched a performance, had meals together, and…”

As she spoke, something felt off. Leaving out Little One made it sound like she had gone on a date with Felix.

Madam Jane seemed to notice this too, smiling meaningfully. It was the kind of smile mothers often gave their children.

“That must have been enjoyable.”

It seemed Madam Jane had misunderstood. Elena hurriedly explained.

“We weren’t alone! Someone else was with us!”

“Someone else? Who?”

“Well…”

Before Elena could answer, Felix, who had been reading, spoke up.

“Would you know if we told you?”

His curt tone was the same even with his parents. Madam Jane responded with familiarity.

“I might.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“How can you be so sure? I know more about you than you think.”

“There are still secrets you don’t know about me.”

The two bantered without giving an inch. Elena, caught in the middle, felt awkward.

To break the tension, she blurted out,

“Cedric!”

Both their gazes turned to Elena. Madam Jane looked intrigued, while Felix seemed displeased.

“Who’s Cedric? I’ve never heard of him.”

Before Felix could say anything, Elena quickly interjected. His expression suggested he was about to say something disagreeable.

“You wouldn’t know him. He’s not in the magic department; he’s in the swordsmanship department.”

“Oh, how do you know someone from the swordsmanship department?”

“I’ve been learning swordsmanship from Cedric.”

Elena proudly showed Madam Jane her calloused palms.

But instead of being impressed, Madam Jane sighed softly.

“To think those delicate hands have grown calloused.”

“Oh…”

Ah, her nanny had also lamented over her hands. It seemed the noble idea that a lady’s hands should remain flawless was deeply ingrained.

But as she had told Cedric before, Elena truly didn’t mind.

“It’s fine. It’s not like I have anyone to impress…”

But Madam Jane seemed to pity her for a different reason. She quickly refuted Elena’s words.

“My dear Elly, that’s not what I meant. I just feel sad thinking about how much pain you must have endured during practice. How hard must you have worked for your hands to become calloused?”

“Oh, it’s fine. Felix treated them with magic occasionally.”

“How surprising that he did something so considerate. But he should’ve done it every day.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Madam Jane dismissed Felix’s words easily.

“What are friends for?”

“…”

Madam Jane looked at Felix coolly, then held Elena’s hands tightly.

“And you don’t need to try to impress anyone. You deserve to meet someone who will love you just as you are.”

“Madam Jane…”

“You deserve it.”

Though it wasn’t much, her words brought tears to Elena’s eyes.