Normally, one would be startled, withdraw their hand, and feel embarrassed in a situation like this.

“……!”

Eloise hurriedly withdrew her hand as if a bug had landed on the back of it, her expression one of disgust. Ryan let out a dry chuckle at the sight.

“It was an accident.”

“I know.”

Even as she answered, Eloise dragged her chair a step to the side as if he had done something improper. Ryan’s lips twisted in response.

Honestly, in moments like these, the proper thing to do would be to remain silent and continue reviewing the documents. But seeing Eloise flick his hand away as if she had touched an insect oddly unsettled him.

At that moment, he recalled the letter he had stored in his drawer.

To ‘Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Wilgrave,’ whom she had never even seen in person, she had written the kindest letters. Yet to ‘Sergeant Ryan Thornton,’ she was building an impenetrable wall.

Without even realizing they were the same person.

Ryan suddenly found himself speaking in a sharp tone.

“Sorry for not being your Ryan—mmph!”

Before he could finish, Eloise shot up from her seat and clamped her hand over his mouth.

“You—you!”

Her face flushed crimson, and she wore an expression that suggested if he said another word, she would string him up from the elm tree in the Blissbury garden.

“That—that letter! Give it back! You haven’t told anyone, have you? Oh, my God. Why did it have to end up in your hands…?”

As she stammered in embarrassment, Eloise saw the corners of Thornton’s eyes soften.

The sharp blue eyes that had held a cold edge just moments ago narrowed slightly, tinged with amusement. Seeing that expression, Eloise felt an odd sensation.

Honestly, she had expected him to look at her with pure contempt. A n*de painting, letters filled with fantasies—she wouldn’t have blamed him if he refused to even meet her gaze.

But instead of disgust, he looked… entertained.

As she stared at his eyes in a daze, she suddenly felt something warm and damp touch her palm, accompanied by a soft exhale.

Ryan had deliberately exhaled against the hand she had clamped over his mouth.

“Ah!”

Startled, Eloise yelped and yanked her hand away.

“You—you…!”

The spot where Thornton’s breath had touched burned like she had been scalded. No matter how much she shook her hand, the tingling warmth refused to fade.

She wanted to snap at him, to say something sharp—but the words wouldn’t come out.

She couldn’t bring herself to voice what had just happened.

It wasn’t obscene or vulgar. If anything, Eloise’s own action—suddenly clamping her hand over his mouth—was the rude one.

As she struggled to figure out what to do, Thornton, watching her with clear amusement, spoke up.

“Do you write those kinds of letters often?”

“…….”

When Eloise didn’t answer, he continued.

“Fantasy-filled letters that make it sound like you and Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave share some deep, passionate connection…”

“I did NOT write them like that!”

Eloise shouted, her voice rising in outrage. Then, realizing how loud she was, she clamped her mouth shut and glanced nervously at the door.

From beyond the half-open door, Mrs. Parker’s voice soon followed.

“Miss Eloise? Is something wrong?”

She must have been concerned after hearing a scream followed by a loud outburst.

“It’s nothing! Just a bug!”

“Oh dear. Ask the sergeant to take care of it for you. Surely a gentleman wouldn’t be afraid of a little bug.”

With that, Mrs. Parker’s voice faded as she returned to the kitchen.

Eloise let out a relieved sigh before turning to Ryan.

“…What do you want? If you just wanted to mock a pathetic woman who wrote ridiculous letters full of delusions, go ahead. My pride has long since departed to be with the Lord.”

She meant it. She no longer had the strength to feel embarrassed.

Pressing her burning cheeks with both hands, Eloise lowered her head.

Why was she exposing her most mortifying secrets to this man, of all people? Had the devil sent him to Blissbury just to torment her?

She had told him to laugh all he wanted, expecting a scornful chuckle. But instead, he asked her a question.

“When did you start writing to Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave?”

“…Quite a long time ago. You were in the army, so you should know. Once people discovered that letters could be sent with just a soldier’s unit and name, everyone started writing morale-boosting letters to the troops. It must have been… when Wilgrave was still a second lieutenant.”

“That long ago? He wasn’t even famous then.”

“Well, his name did appear occasionally in military newspapers.”

Her voice grew sharper at his dismissal of Wilgrave’s early achievements, making Ryan chuckle under his breath.

“So… you’ve been sending those kinds of letters ever since?”

“You won’t believe me anyway, but I didn’t send letters like that initially.”

Now that things had come to this, there was no point hiding anything further. Eloise began recounting when she had started writing letters and what they contained.

She had expected Sergeant Thornton to look at her with shock as if she were some kind of madwoman. Instead, he listened intently, his eyes shining like a child hearing an amusing story.

“…So, since I knew he wouldn’t read them or reply anyway, I started writing whatever I wanted. I swear on my father’s and mother’s names, I never wrote anything crazy like asking him to marry me or acting as if I were already his wife, as the newspapers claim.”

She couldn’t have written such things if she had wanted to. The feelings Eloise harbored for Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave were deeper than friendship but lighter than love.

Rather than a first love, it was more like admiration.

If she had lived in Newham’s high society, her object of admiration would likely have been a lady a few years older than her, someone known as the belle of the social scene.

They would have called each other by their first names and excitedly chosen outfits for each other’s gatherings.

But in Feltham, there was no one like that. So, instead, what caught Eloise’s attention were the newspapers her father received from Newham.

In a world at war, stories of battles and soldiers were abundant, and Eloise sought out figures she could admire.

That person had turned out to be Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave.

“If you want to go around telling people, go ahead. It’s not like my reputation could sink any lower.”

Having finally shared everything—even things she had never confided in Abigail—Eloise felt oddly relieved.

Perhaps this was why devout churchgoers lined up for confession.

“I have no intention of telling anyone. I don’t find amusement in teasing people like that.”

“…”

Eloise narrowed her eyes at his words.

Not teasing? Then what was the meaning behind writing, ‘Not your Ryan, but Ryan’ in his letter?

Just as she was about to question him, she heard Mrs. Parker’s voice calling from outside.

“Miss Eloise! Stay for dinner!”

“What?”

At the mention of dinner, Eloise glanced at the clock in surprise. It was already six o’clock.

“My goodness, when did it get so late?”

The days had been growing longer, and she had lost track of time.

By then, Mrs. Parker had already come upstairs.

“I figured the two of you would be busy for a while, so I went ahead and prepared dinner. I also made something for Sergeant Thornton…”

She trailed off, glancing at Ryan with a slightly troubled expression.

Eloise, puzzled by Mrs. Parker’s hesitation, turned to Ryan and asked,

“Don’t tell me you’re still not eating properly?”

As soon as Eloise finished speaking, Mrs. Parker, as if she had been waiting for this moment, launched into a tirade.

“Oh, don’t even get me started. I’ve given up telling him to eat. Honestly, how does he stay on his feet eating so little? I know soldiers are used to going without food during long battles, but still, a person needs to eat. The Lord has blessed this earth with sustenance, providing us with our daily bread—”

“I’ll eat. Please prepare something for me as well.”

“…What?”

Mrs. Parker’s eyes widened in shock. She had been all set to unleash a long-winded lecture but was completely caught off guard.

“Oh my, are you sure?”

She had urged him to eat, yes, but now she felt concerned.

She knew all too well that Sergeant Thornton’s aversion to food was no minor issue.

She had seen him struggle through a meal at her insistence, only to go pale and rush outside before even finishing half of it.

After that, she had stopped pushing him to eat altogether.

Tonight, she had planned to serve Eloise her meal as usual while preparing something light for Sergeant Thornton—perhaps soft bread and gently simmered oatmeal with milk.

But now…

“For some reason, I think I’ll be fine today.”

Ryan spoke as he stood up from his seat.

For the first time in a long while, he actually felt hungry.