Your Ryan - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

By the time the discussion about the seating arrangement was roughly concluded, the clock pointed to ten o’clock.

“Oh my, it’s gotten quite late. Here, take this with you.”

Mrs. Parker handed Eloise a heavy basket.

As Eloise took hold of it and staggered slightly, Ryan, who had just returned after changing his clothes, immediately took the basket from her hands.

“I’ll carry this until we arrive. Oh my!”

He exaggerated his movements, pretending the basket was much heavier than it actually was, which caused Mrs. Parker to burst into laughter.

“The carriage you arrived in will be sent back tomorrow with our coachman. For now, it’s best if you ride on horseback.”

“I agree.”

Traveling by horseback was indeed preferable on such a night. One never knew where a large rock might be on the road, and if any issues arose, dealing with them would be even more difficult.

Soon, the coachman brought out the two horses from Blissbury that were most accustomed to traveling at night. Seeing them, Eloise approached with a delighted expression, reaching out to stroke their noses.

“Eclipse, Silvermoon. I’ll be counting on you again today.”

“You even know their names?”

“Of course. I’ve been looking after them since they were foals.”

As if to prove her words, the two horses nickered and nuzzled their faces against Eloise’s in greeting.

After mounting her horse, Eloise waved to Mrs. Parker.

“Goodbye!”

“Yes! Do visit more often!”

At Mrs. Parker’s words, Eloise simply smiled without responding.

After entrusting the carriage to the coachman for tomorrow, she and Ryan left Blissbury, soon finding themselves surrounded by a field filled with the sounds of crickets.

However, the road was not too dark. Fortunately, the nearly full moon shone brightly in the sky.

Even so, if she had been traveling alone, she wouldn’t have been able to move so leisurely.

‘There have still been frequent rumors about deserters lately.’

Not long ago, an elderly gentleman traveling at night in the northern part of Camborne was suddenly attacked by an assailant who leaped out from the bushes.

The attacker took not only his money and belongings but also his clothes before fleeing. That alone was terrifying, but the criminal also killed the gentleman’s horse.

It seemed the attacker feared that the gentleman would quickly ride back to town and report the incident.

‘But killing a horse for that reason alone isn’t easy.’

Horses are large, intelligent creatures. If its owner was harmed, it would have sensed the danger. The fact that the attacker managed to subdue and kill the horse sent a chill down her spine.

The gentleman had managed to escape in a panic, but what if that deserter attacked someone else? Would the next victim be as fortunate?

People assumed the deserter had fled further north.

“The militia has begun searching the surrounding forests, so he must have decided he could no longer stay here. I think he’ll try to hide in one of the northern industrial cities. Those factories are always short on workers, so they even take in criminals.”

“In those kinds of slums, more than ten people sleep in a single room without even knowing each other’s names.”

“It’s the perfect place to disappear.”

Listening to such conversations among the townsfolk, Eloise also believed the deserter had likely headed north.

Besides, Feltham was located south of Camborne, closer to the capital. Since it had better security and well-maintained roads, the chances of a fugitive criminal coming this way were relatively low.

‘Still, I should remain cautious until I hear that he’s been caught.’

With that thought, Eloise glanced to her side.

Under the moonlight, Thornton’s face appeared more sharply defined with deep contrasts.

She had always thought he was handsome, but seeing him like this made his good looks seem even more striking. If another woman from Feltham had been here, she might have been utterly mesmerized.

“What are you staring at?”

Noticing her gaze, he turned his head toward her. His features looked even more refined up close.

Since he hadn’t been eating well for a while, he looked slightly thinner than when she had first met him, but that only added a sharpness to his already striking appearance.

“Your face.”

Eloise continued to stare directly at him without turning away.

She knew it was impolite. But at this point, no matter what she did, could she appear any less dignified than she already had in front of him?

So, she decided to disregard etiquette entirely and treat him however she pleased.

“Why? Because I’m handsome?”

“Humility doesn’t seem to be a virtue among soldiers.”

“You’re not denying it, I see.”

“Even if I did, you wouldn’t believe me. You must hear it from others all the time anyway.”

Even if she didn’t say it, others surely did. So denying it would be meaningless.

Eloise shifted her gaze away from him as if she had no particular thoughts. At that moment, she realized something.

He was still irritating, but not as much as when he had suddenly rushed to Blissbury.

‘Is it because I told him everything?’

Since she had thrown away all pretense of dignity and just blurted everything out—Fine, do as you please!—there was no longer any hesitation or fear in dealing with him.

It felt somewhat refreshing.

Besides, Thornton was the first person she had ever revealed everything to so completely. He was also the first person to know something she should have kept to herself.

‘Well, at least he’s someone who will eventually return to the capital.’

He was a soldier sent here to recover. Hadn’t he already shown signs of being fed up with this rural place? Once he returned to the capital, he would forget about this place within days. And surely, he would forget about her just as quickly…

‘…He will, right?’

That would be a great relief, so why did she hesitate?

For some reason, the thought unsettled her. Forgetting would be a good thing, yet the idea of Blissbury being completely erased from his memory somehow bruised her pride.

This place might be quiet and uneventful, but it was still beautiful—wasn’t forgetting it a bit too much?

As Eloise drifted deeper into her thoughts, he spoke again.

“Having a striking appearance isn’t always a good thing. That’s why we have to disguise ourselves during infiltration missions.”

“Infiltration missions?”

At the word “mission,” Eloise’s eyes lit up. Seeing this, Ryan smirked.

“As expected, your eyes change the moment military stories come up.”

“Anyone can hear war stories from the retired soldiers in Camborne, but stories about infiltration missions are much harder to come by. So, tell me—where did you get an infiltration mission? Was Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave with you?”

“Well… he was present.”

It was a vague answer. Determined to get the details she wanted, Eloise pressed him with more questions.

****

Had she been alone, the journey would have been a tense and frantic run. But now, as Eloise reached the entrance of Feltham, she was so excited that she raised her voice in excitement.

“My goodness! So, the victory at the Battle of Halifax was…”

“Yes. Our unit played a significant role.”

At Ryan’s words, Eloise’s eyes sparkled. She looked like she had just heard the most thrilling and moving story in the world.

What Ryan had told her was one of the unpublicized achievements of the 57th Infantry Battalion.

His father, the Earl of Wallace, who commanded the 31st Division, had stolen the credit, so the names of the soldiers of the 57th Infantry Battalion had barely been mentioned in the military newspapers.

Within the military, they all knew each other, and since the credit had already been taken, no one spoke much about it. But to Eloise, who was hearing this for the first time, it was a gripping and thrilling tale of heroism.

“Truly… Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave is incredible…”

She murmured absentmindedly, her face filled with admiration. Then Ryan spoke.

“So, are you going to write him another letter?”

The moment he mentioned letters, Eloise, who had been entirely excited, burst out in exasperation.

“Hey! Ryan Thornton!”

Laughing, Ryan dodged her as she lunged at him. Their playful chase continued until they entered Feltham.

“Miss!”

“Huh? Emily!”

At the village entrance, Emily stood holding a lamp.

“Why are you out here instead of sleeping?”

“How could I sleep when you hadn’t returned? And Madam was also worried with all the talk about a deserter, so I came out just in case.”

“A deserter?”