The banquet didn’t end until after 2 a.m.

The guests marveled at the more diverse and refined menu than last year, praising Mrs. Surberton’s excellent taste.

Normally, most hostesses would respond with modest thanks.

But Mrs. Surberton was honest.

“What did I do? Eloise and Mrs. Parker took care of all the cooking. And our Emily helped quite a lot, too.”

Emily, who had come up to help the kitchen maids clear the dishes, grinned and shrugged her shoulders at Mrs. Surberton’s words, then skipped lightly downstairs.

***

Ryan was saying goodbye to those boarding the carriages.

“It was a delightful evening! I look forward to next year!”

People greeted him as if it were only natural that he would continue as the manager next year as well.

It wasn’t just Ryan and Mrs. Surberton who saw the guests off.

“Farewell, Miss Patricia. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Richard, who had sat next to Patricia at the banquet, naturally escorted her to her carriage and kissed the back of her hand.

Patricia’s face turned so red it was obvious even beneath the dark night sky.

It wasn’t only Patricia. Julia, who had sat beside Philip, as well as Noella, Liliette, Charlotte…

Richard bid farewell to every unmarried woman who attended the banquet, greeting each one politely and warmly.

Eloise, Abigail, and Philip watched the scene from the entrance.

“He’s… very sociable, isn’t he?”

At Eloise’s admiration, Philip ran a hand over his face.

“Yes. The problem is that his sociability only works with certain people.”

Abigail, standing beside him, chuckled as if amused by Philip’s words.

Eloise watched in surprise.

Abigail was always lively and fun when she was with Eloise, but around others—especially men she didn’t know well—she tended to stay silent.

It wasn’t that she was afraid, but more that she kept her distance, finding such situations distasteful.

Eloise couldn’t blame her friend. Eloise herself was considered “unsuitable” in the marriage market, just like Abigail.

Eloise didn’t have any obvious marks against her, but the moment Abigail used her crutch, people’s gazes shifted from pity to contempt.

So Abigail naturally avoided gatherings with men of similar age.

Yet, today, Philip—whom she’d just met—made her laugh so freely.

Eloise thought it was rather unexpected.

As Eloise pondered this, Ryan returned after seeing off the last guest.

“Richard, Philip. It’s been a while—let’s talk among ourselves.”

Anyone listening might think he simply wanted to enjoy a friendly chat with old friends.

But Eloise caught the chill in his voice.

She realized she wasn’t mistaken when even Richard and Philip, who had been smiling and waving at the departing carriages, suddenly wore serious expressions and followed Ryan into the house.

‘Didn’t they say they were friends?’

But judging by the way Richard and Philip acted around Ryan, it looked more like subordinates before a superior than old friends.

‘Their ranks aren’t that different, as far as I know.’

So why did they seem so nervous?

“I’ll go back to my room now. Mine’s still available, right?”

Abigail’s words brought Eloise back to herself.

Most of the Camborne guests had returned home tonight. The summer gala, starting the day after tomorrow, was a social event that even the tenant farmers attended

Because of that, the guests from Camborne’s high society, who valued appearances, only enjoyed the banquet and then left.

But the Ogilvy family was different.

It wasn’t that they didn’t care about appearances—after all, they were the most prominent family in Feltham after the Surbertons.

But the Ogilvy family had lived in Feltham for over a hundred years, and their identity was closer to friendly neighbors than to a family obsessed with status.

So the Ogilvy family always attended the summer gala, and Blissbury provided rooms for them.

This year was no exception, and the family headed to their rooms with the maids’ guidance. Of course, Abigail’s room had been prepared.

“Of course. It’s next to mine, just like always.”

Abigail smiled brightly at Eloise’s words. Knowing how hard it was for Abigail to climb stairs, Eloise always made sure her room was on the first floor.

She’d expected the room to be reassigned since Abigail wasn’t supposed to attend, but it seemed it had been left just as it was.

Seeing her friend’s cheerful face, Eloise felt relieved.

‘I was worried she might be very ill.’

Thankfully, Abigail was her usual self. While the two of them ate in the drawing room, Abigail looked apologetic but also somehow reassured.

“Go ahead and rest. I’ll help tidy up a bit before coming.”

With that, Eloise headed to the banquet hall.

After the guests had left, the hall was a mess. No matter how polite the guests, the traces of dozens of people dining always left things in disarray.

While the maids cleared the dishes, Eloise carefully moved the fragile decorations from the table to the display cabinet.

Then she counted the silverware that the maids had washed and brought back. Fortunately, nothing was missing this year.

Eloise called Mr. Palmer and handed over all the silverware, then looked at the now almost-cleared table.

She had dined with Abigail due to the seating, but as one of the hosts, she couldn’t avoid showing her face at all.

Fortunately, during dinner, an elderly lady had needed a break, so Eloise was able to sit in for a while.

As soon as she sat down, she checked on the guests who had arrived just before the banquet.

Richard was already chatting excitedly with those around him, having quickly made friends. Philip, on the other hand, still seemed a bit unfamiliar, though he was managing to converse with those nearby, which was a relief.

Next, Eloise watched Ryan.

He chatted cheerfully with those around him, but occasionally glanced across the table with a slightly annoyed expression.

But whenever someone spoke to him, his irritation vanished, so it seemed no one else noticed.

‘He can’t dislike having his friends visit.’

She had only overheard a bit, but she’d heard that Richard and Philip had fought many battles alongside Ryan.

Their ranks were similar, so they must have been close and spent a lot of time together. Surely, Ryan was glad to see his friends…

‘Maybe he was a little disappointed?’

She thought of Julia and Patricia, whose disappointment had been obvious.

Patricia seemed to cheer up while talking with Richard, but Julia, seated next to Philip, did not. Richard tried to include Julia in the conversation, which helped a bit, but the disappointment of having to move from her seat didn’t seem to have disappeared completely.

So, in the end, the problem she’d been worrying about was resolved in a rather anticlimactic way.

Eloise touched the corner of her mouth with her finger.

Pathetically, the moment she recalled Julia and Patricia’s disappointed faces, she felt a bit relieved.

“Sigh…”

Knowing exactly why she felt that way made her heart even more restless.

It was a truly petty jealousy.

After confirming that the banquet hall had been almost completely tidied up, Eloise left.

She glanced at the clock—it was already past 3:30.

‘I need to change and go to bed quickly.’

She’d been staying in Blissbury lately, trying to stick to the banquet schedule as much as possible. Still, she usually kept the same hours as the Feltham farmers.

With the banquet that had caused her the most anxiety finally over, she felt more exhausted than usual.

Eloise walked back down the corridor toward her room, then suddenly stopped.

She saw the door to the room where Ryan and his friends had gone in earlier.

‘Are they still talking?’

They hadn’t seen each other in so long, there must be plenty to discuss.

‘Ah, I need to tell them about their rooms!’

They were unexpected guests, but fortunately there were spare rooms, so she’d asked the maids to prepare them before the banquet. They’d said everything was ready before the banquet ended, so she needed to guide the guests to their rooms.

Knock, knock.

Eloise knocked on the door. After a moment, Ryan opened it.

“Eloise? What is it?”

“I just thought I should show the guests to their rooms…”

“The rooms?”

Ryan gave a cold smile.

“A hardy Albion soldier doesn’t need a cozy room. Just give me the key to an empty barn.”