“H-how did you know that……”

Julia had intended to mock the flustered Eloise, but instead found herself stammering in surprise.

“Did you think Emily wouldn’t tell me after hearing that?”

“……”

She had thought Emily wouldn’t tell Eloise.

That loyal maid couldn’t bear to see her mistress suffering.

She had expected Emily to keep quiet, suffering alone and wondering what to do, but…

As Julia stood there speechless, Eloise clicked her tongue briefly before speaking.

“You must have had a hard time holding back from telling me directly all this time.”

Her tone was unmistakably mocking. Julia felt a surge of irritation at Eloise’s voice.

“I was telling you because I was worried! There’s no need to be sarcastic!”

“Worried?”

Eloise stopped organizing her luggage and glared at Julia.

Her gaze was so sharp that Julia, who had been speaking loudly and angrily, actually flinched and took a step back.

“If you were so worried, why didn’t you tell me the day you heard it?”

“That’s……”

“Julia, just be honest. You enjoyed watching me wait for Ryan’s letters every day.”

Julia’s face reddened at those words.

It was true—every time she saw Eloise sitting at the village entrance all day waiting for the postman, she had felt a sense of satisfaction.

Thinking she alone knew the truth made her feel superior, and Eloise’s behavior seemed ridiculous to her.

“And now you’ve come running here because you thought the time was finally right.”

As Eloise continued to speak with contempt, Julia shouted again.

“If I had told you earlier, you wouldn’t have believed me!”

“You’re right.”

Once again, Eloise responded calmly to her words.

“So, will you believe me now?”

“Julia. Why did you think I wouldn’t believe you if you told me such a thing?”

“T-that’s……”

Julia couldn’t answer Eloise’s question.

She knew very well why everyone would doubt and disbelieve her words.

If she had spoken up, people would have thought she was lying out of jealousy and envy.

Not just Eloise, but her own mother and sister as well.

“And did you think I would believe you now that you’re finally telling me?”

Julia’s already red face turned even redder at those words. She wanted to retort but couldn’t find the words. The more she spoke, the more embarrassed she felt.

“If you’re done talking, would you please leave? As you can see, I’m busy.”

Eloise turned away from Julia and resumed packing.

Julia clenched her fists and shouted.

“Do whatever you want! I tried to stop you from making a fool of yourself, and you call me a liar! Go ahead and humiliate yourself in the capital!”

After blurting out her true feelings, Julia spun around.

The sound of her angry footsteps thundered down the stairs as if they might collapse. Then came the sound of her taking out her anger on someone to move aside, followed by Emily’s voice grumbling, “What’s wrong with her?” after Julia had left.

“Haah.”

Eloise stopped packing again.

Although she had put on a brave face and spoken confidently to Julia, her mind was in turmoil, like being caught in a storm.

Even Emily hadn’t told her right away.

Emily had only carefully broached the subject with “Um, miss. Actually…” when Eloise returned after hearing Abigail’s story and said she needed to go to the capital.

That was just a few hours ago, and now Julia had come to upset her as well. It would have been more surprising if she had remained calm.

‘Could it be true?’

She didn’t think Julia had completely fabricated the story.

She knew too many details about Richard’s urgent nighttime visit for that to be the case.

But still, she couldn’t believe that Ryan had another woman.

For a moment, Eloise recalled female characters from novels who were blinded by love and refused to face the truth.

Those women would not believe or listen when others repeatedly told them that their partners had other lovers.

What had happened to all of them?

In the end, hadn’t they all turned away after seeing their partners happily together with other women?

‘Not that I plan to do that.’

Her grip tightened on the clothes she was packing.

She would never just stand by and watch. She would rush over, grab Ryan by the collar, and slap him across the face.

That wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her—she’d prefer to punch him, but that seemed difficult.

Her hand trembled just imagining it.

Eloise put down the clothes and took slow, deep breaths.

Imagination was just imagination.

‘And…’

Eloise still trusted Ryan.

He was the man who had risked his life to save her when the landslide came.

When they were alone in the house during the downpour, he had confessed his feelings with the most sincere look in his eyes.

Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could still see his back as he tended the fireplace to keep her warm.

Apart from her parents, she had never seen anyone do so much for her.

If what Ryan had shown her then was just for a brief amusement, she thought she wouldn’t mind being such a playmate for life.

‘So I’ll go find out for myself.’

Why his communication had suddenly stopped. Who this Sylvia person was. And what was happening with Philip as well.

She was determined to go and find out for herself.

***

The next day, Eloise boarded the carriage. Mr. and Mrs. Surberton, who had come to see her off, looked at their daughter with worried faces.

“Do you really have to go yourself?”

Mr. Surberton spoke with concern as Eloise closed the carriage door.

“Yes. I need to check on the house your godmother left you anyway.”

“That’s true, but……”

Normally, Mr. Surberton would have offered to go himself, or at least to accompany her.

But his elderly body was quite exhausted from his long period away from home. The fear of nearly losing his family was likely another factor that had sapped his strength.

So he found it difficult to go up to the capital right away.

“That may be true, but… will you really be all right? Wouldn’t it be better to send someone to inquire?”

Because Rosie had told the Surbertons what Emily had heard, they too had heard about Ryan and the woman named Sylvia.

Therefore, it was all the more difficult for them to hold back their daughter from going to the capital. Her heart must be more troubled than theirs.

Besides, she really did need to check on the house his godmother had left them.

As Mr. Surberton couldn’t let go of his worries, Mrs. Surberton comforted her husband from beside him.

“Don’t worry too much, dear. I wrote to Eugenia asking her to take good care of Eloise. Eloise, you remember Baroness Fairfax, don’t you? Be on your best behavior.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Eugenia Fairfax was Mrs. Surberton’s relative who had married a baron. She had a female cousin younger than Eloise, and they used to visit and play together often when they were children.

For this reason, Mrs. Surberton hoped that Eloise would stay there during her time in the capital.

‘But I remember she was quite nagging…’

That’s why Eloise preferred to stay at the house his father’s godmother had left them if possible.

“I’ll visit her after I’ve stopped by godmother’s house.”

“Yes, and……”

Just as Mrs. Surberton was about to repeat the instructions she had given all night, the coachman announced their departure and pulled on the reins.

The horses began to walk as they recognized the signal to depart, and the carriage started moving.

Eloise waved to her parents as they receded into the distance.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be back soon!”

No matter how open-minded parents might be, they wouldn’t want to send their daughter to the capital alone.

Nevertheless, her parents had allowed her to go to the capital, knowing how desperate she was.

‘I’ll finish this as quickly as possible.’

And when she returned, she wanted to come back with Ryan.

The carriage picked up speed. Under a sky filled with gray clouds that looked like snow might fall at any moment, the carriage raced forward.

* * *

One week later.

“Is this… really the right place?”

Eloise looked with disbelieving eyes at the house their godmother had supposedly left them.