“Is it because of the rain? Don’t worry. Feltham has never been flooded.”

At that moment, Julia, who had followed behind, let out a sigh of relief as if she’d been startled.

“But if you look at the map, it’s lower than you’d expect,” Philip added in a concerned voice, supporting Richard’s opinion.

Still, Julia didn’t back down.

“If you only look at the map, it might seem that way. But there have only been a handful of times when it rained enough for the river to overflow. I heard it happened in my grandfather’s grandfather’s time. Oh, and that was during the great southern-central flood that’s mentioned in the history books. Since then, Feltham has never flooded.”

“Julia is right,”

Eloise, who had just come downstairs, said.

“Since the great flood long ago, Feltham has never been submerged. The explanation is a bit complicated…”

With that, Eloise unfolded a map of the area around Blissbury and called Ryan over. It was always kept on a desk in the drawing room to help explain the local area to first-time visitors.

“Do you see this part of the landscape here? This is where, during the great flood, sediment from upstream flowed down and piled up. Thanks to that, it acts as a levee now. Even ten years ago when there was heavy rain, the surrounding villages suffered damage, but Feltham was fine.”

“If that’s the case, then it should be alright…”

But Ryan’s expression was still clouded.

“But if it rains enough to overflow that levee, wouldn’t it be even more dangerous?”

“…That’s true.”

As Ryan said, if the water ever rose above the levee and flowed down, it would be a serious problem. Still, since it hadn’t rained that much in a very long time, nobody worried too much.

Just then, Julia jumped back into the conversation.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much. It’s not the first time it’s rained like this in summer… Eloise, don’t make such a fuss. You’ll only make the guests worry for no reason.”

Being called dramatic, Eloise could say no more.

And as Julia said, while it wasn’t common for it to rain like this in summer, it wasn’t unheard of either.

Patter, patter.

Meanwhile, the rain grew heavier.

Knowing this, Eloise still muttered hopefully.

“Yes, it’ll stop soon.”

…

The next day, Eloise awoke to the rumble and vibration of thunder.

It was dark outside, as seen between the curtains.

It was so dim that she could barely make out anything, and Eloise slowly got up and blinked. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she glanced at the clock.

6 o’clock

Except for the kitchen maids, everyone else would still be fast asleep.

At home, she was an early riser, but since coming to Blissbury, she tried to match the household’s routine.

The others wouldn’t get up for breakfast until around noon.

‘Should I try to go back to sleep?’

While she hesitated, another distant thunderclap sounded. Eloise rose, put on an outer garment, and walked over to the window.

When she pulled back the curtains, she saw raindrops streaming down the glass.

‘I thought it would ease up a little overnight.’

If anything, the raindrops seemed even bigger now.

Even the window was rattling. Looking out into the blurry outdoors, she could see tree branches shaking.

It looked like the summer storm was going to last a while.

After gazing out for some time, Eloise felt a chill.

‘I should have some tea.’

She gave up on going back to sleep. It seemed better to fetch some hot tea from the kitchen and read a book.

Eloise headed for the kitchen.

With only the sound of rain filling the mansion, everything felt strangely lonely.

‘Is it because the banquet ended so recently?’

The memories of the banquet were still vivid. Children running everywhere, music filling the hall, people’s laughter, the sound of lively dancing feet. And Ryan…

Eloise pressed the back of her hand to her flushed neck.

How long had it been since she’d danced so joyfully?

Other than the opening dance, she’d never even considered dancing. So at every banquet, she was always busy helping or, if she had free time, keeping Abigail company.

But this year, both Eloise and Abigail enjoyed the ball. They danced, laughed, and chatted like all the other guests.

She suddenly remembered clinking glasses with Abigail, both wishing that next year would be just as delightful.

‘Will it be possible?’

Eloise paused and fell into thought.

A few days ago, she’d overheard a conversation in the drawing room between Ryan and his friends.

They were talking about the army and what would happen this winter.

“…There’ll be a transfer before the year ends. We’ll need to be back at headquarters by then.”

“I know.”

“Do you? If you knew, would you just be hiding out in the countryside without a plan? Honestly, you should be heading to the capital to prepare already… Oh, Miss Eloise.”

Richard had stopped talking when he noticed Eloise entering.

After that, Richard only talked about seeing a large stag near Blissbury or children fishing by the river, never mentioning the army again.

‘Ryan didn’t say anything in particular.’

He had just quietly listened to Richard.

‘He must be planning to leave, after all.’

That thought weighed on her heart.

Of course he’d leave. He’d said so from the beginning. And while all three insisted they were just officers with unclear positions, Eloise was certain they were no ordinary soldiers.

This time was no different. Most people who visited Blissbury only asked about the prettiest scenery or nearby villages—no one cared about the geography.

But when Richard spoke, the three of them immediately looked at the map and pinpointed the area he mentioned. They had memorized the lay of the land perfectly.

And whenever old battles came up, all three would exchange serious, intent looks and discuss them gravely.

Every time, Eloise remembered the other returning soldiers she’d seen in Camborne before the three arrived.

None of them had responded or moved as sharply as these three.

“I’m so glad my wretched army life is over. You ladies can’t imagine the misery. How hard it was in battle…”

Those who’d left the army always boasted loudly about their exploits, to the point it hurt your ears.

But Ryan, Richard, and Philip rarely spoke about their own battles.

If asked, they’d answer, but only with facts—never with tales of hardship or descriptions of their feelings at the time.

Because they were so reserved, Eloise knew they had experienced the real horrors of war far more deeply than those who bragged about it.

And that they had borne much greater responsibility.

‘They’ll probably leave soon.’

Eloise recalled the night of the banquet, when she danced with Ryan.

She could vividly remember how many times their hands touched, how close their faces brushed past each other.

When the music slowed and their bodies drew near, he had let out a hot sigh.

Then, when the dance required them to break apart, Ryan hadn’t let go of her hand.

She looked at him, thinking he’d made a mistake, but Ryan wasn’t smiling.

He was just looking at her with the most serious expression.

The moment their eyes met, Eloise knew.

It hadn’t been a mistake.

For a while, they stood there, not dancing, just looking at each other as the music played.

They only snapped out of it when the music ended and people began to applaud.

Only then did Ryan slowly turn his gaze away and release her hand, very slowly, as if he regretted the music ending.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Eloise pulled her outer garment tighter. The sound of rain outside grew even louder.

She was certain Ryan liked her. And she knew he was aware that she liked him, too.

But since the banquet, as if it had all been a dream, Ryan hadn’t come as close as he had that night.

‘Was I mistaken?’

Suddenly, she felt as if she’d been doused with cold water. Julia’s excited declarations that someone liked her came to mind.

Whenever that happened, Eloise would sigh and ask,

“Did he say he feels the same way about you?”

And Julia would always insist she could just tell, without needing to be told. But in the end, the other person never felt the same as Julia.

Back then, Eloise had wondered how someone could be so sure without confirmation, and thought it a little foolish.

Now, she realized she was making the same mistake as Julia.

‘What should I do?’

Should she just wait for Ryan to say what he felt?

But a week had passed since the banquet, and he hadn’t said anything. It didn’t seem like he would confess his feelings anytime soon.

‘In that case… should I ask him?’

The moment she thought that—

“Eloise?”

On the stairs leading to the kitchen, Ryan was looking at her.