“I’m telling you, this is it! How many times do I have to say it?”

The capital’s coachman grumbled with an irritated voice at Eloise’s muttering.

Then, after glancing at the house before them, he gave her a sympathetic look, as if he understood her feelings.

“What circumstances would bring a young person to a place like this… Look, miss. You’re not actually planning to stay in this abandoned house, are you?”

The coachman clicked his tongue as he spoke.

Abandoned house.

Yes. There was no better phrase to describe the building before her eyes.

The pale yellow paint on the walls had peeled off completely, and the ivy that had climbed those walls was so untended that the house looked as if it were buried in a thicket.

The wooden front door was warped and deeply cracked, seemingly incapable of keeping out wind and insects.

The broken windows scattered throughout added to the mansion’s desolate appearance.

“Someone was… supposed to be living here.”

But there was no sign of habitation anywhere.

Suddenly, Eloise remembered what her father had said about this mansion.

“He seemed displeased about my inheriting it, but readily gave it up when he was leaving. I suppose he was embarrassed about making such a fuss over this.”

Still, thinking that a three-story mansion in the capital would be burdensome, Eloise had suggested that she should visit the place herself to check on the residents and send part of their rent to their godmother’s children.

But looking at the mansion now, it seemed like she would be paying hefty inheritance taxes rather than collecting any rent.

“What will you do? Are you going to stay here? Or should I guide you to another lodging? I know a good inn where refined young ladies often stay—a proper establishment. It’s a bit expensive, but you’ll certainly like it.”

Why would such refined ladies stay at an inn? It seemed the coachman was planning to take her to an inn he had connections with and overcharge her.

‘Magazine novels are helpful in situations like this.’

Stories about women who had just arrived in the capital being overcharged in this manner appeared tediously often at the beginning of novels.

Recognizing the coachman’s shallow trick, Eloise shook her head and opened her bag.

After rummaging through it a few times, she produced the address her mother had written down.

“Please take me here instead.”

When she handed it to the coachman, his eyes widened.

It was an area lined with luxurious mansions, and the place Eloise wanted to go was Baron Fairfax’s mansion—a place every coachman in the capital knew well.

“Oh my, so you’re acquainted with nobility! No wonder your speech is so elegant.”

The coachman, making belated flattery, hurriedly loaded Eloise’s luggage back onto the carriage after having unloaded it.

Even though many titles had been handed out during the war, diminishing the prestige of nobility compared to before, the Fairfax family still had considerable history and tradition.

Being able to visit such a noble house so confidently likely meant she was of similar status.

The coachman arranged the luggage with a much more respectful attitude and took his seat. Eloise also boarded the carriage and closed the door.

‘I had hoped to stay here if possible.’

The last time she had met Baroness Eugenia Fairfax was a few months before going down to Feltham.

Before that, when she lived in the capital, the Baroness had been quite affectionate, but when told that Eloise was going to stay in Feltham for a long time, she had responded with incomprehension.

“Oh, Grace. Feltham? You’re leaving for a place I’ve never even heard of? You, who was called one of the ten roses of society? Why don’t you just hire a nanny and send Eloise down alone? She’s old enough to manage by herself now.”

As she said this, her gaze toward Eloise had contained a hint of annoyance.

She probably didn’t like the fact that her close friend was leaving the capital because of her daughter.

‘And she sent dozens of letters about me not making my social debut!’

When Eloise turned sixteen, the Baroness had frantically sent letters to Mrs. Surberton, urging her to bring Eloise back to the capital as soon as possible.

But since Eloise’s illness had not fully recovered at that time, Mrs. Surberton had declined her friend’s invitation.

After that, the Baroness’s letters became less frequent.

Perhaps that was why Eloise felt somewhat reluctant to go to her house now. Unless they were close, going to a distant relative’s house who had been estranged for so long would look like she was imposing.

‘I need to find out about Ryan and Philip as quickly as possible.’

If she went to the Army Headquarters, she might be able to learn where the two had gone and what had happened.

Thinking of her lover’s face that she would soon see again, Eloise looked out the window.

In this unfamiliar city, the only person she could trust now was herself.

* * *

After a long journey, the carriage arrived at Baron Fairfax’s townhouse.

She had thought it was quite an impressive mansion when she was young, but seeing the Fairfax townhouse again, it was remarkably splendid.

The wisteria climbing up the entrance, the matching lavender-colored walls, the spotlessly maintained window frames and clean glass, and even the garden.

Anyone could tell that this house belonged to someone extremely wealthy.

After the carriage dropped Eloise off and departed, she went to the entrance and knocked on the door.

A moment later, someone who appeared to be the butler came out, looked at Eloise, and said:

“Do you have an appointment?”

His eyes clearly conveyed the message: what business do you have here when you’re obviously not expected today? Faced with his cold gaze, as if he were dealing with a peddler, Eloise straightened her shoulders and spoke confidently.

“No, but please tell Baroness Fairfax that Eloise Surberton is here.”

“…I understand. This way, please.”

Perhaps cowed by her confident attitude, the butler subtly withdrew his haughty manner and guided Eloise to the reception room.

Though all noble houses have impressive reception rooms, the Fairfax family’s was particularly splendid.

It was filled with hunting trophies, presumably from past barons’ hunts, and portraits of family members who had been renowned military figures in the past—people whose identities were immediately recognizable just by looking at them.

‘When I was young, I just thought it was a wealthy home.’

Nothing in the reception room was placed there without purpose. Everything conveyed the wealth and leisure of the Fairfax family.

‘Mother must have lived like this too.’

The house where the three lived when they were in the capital, though not quite to this extent, had been quite respectable.

Her mother had spent her entire life in the world of people who lived in places like this.

Seeing it again, Eloise found it hard to believe that her mother had left all this splendor behind to go to Feltham. To leave all of this behind to save her daughter…

‘Baroness Fairfax must have found that regrettable too.’

That must be why she didn’t write to her mother asking when she would return.

Lost in these thoughts, Eloise waited for Baroness Fairfax.

After sitting there for quite some time, no one entered the reception room except the maid who had initially brought tea.

Eloise looked up at the clock. It had been over an hour since the butler had gone to deliver her message.

‘Surely she hasn’t forgotten about me?’

It seemed quite possible, given that no one had entered the reception room.

Should she go out and look for the butler again? But that would be impolite.

‘I can’t just keep waiting!’

She wanted to leave her luggage and go straight to the Army Headquarters.

Just as Eloise was beginning to tap her foot impatiently, the sound of someone walking down the corridor could be heard.

A moment later, the door opened and Baroness Fairfax, dressed elegantly, entered.

“Oh my, Eloise! It’s been so long. Do you still remember me?”

The lady approached Eloise as if delighted to see her and lightly embraced her. However, she seemed reluctant to make full contact, keeping a slight distance.

At her behavior, Eloise briefly looked down at her own clothes, wondering if they were dirty, but they were fine.

Baroness Fairfax stepped back and examined Eloise from head to toe.

At that moment, Eloise noticed the slight upward curl of her lips. It was a smirk.

‘What’s that about?’

Just as she wondered if she had seen incorrectly, Baroness Fairfax quickly composed her expression and said:

“I received your mother’s letter. You need to stay in the capital briefly for some business?”

“Yes. It won’t be long. About a week or so…”

Just as she was thinking that would be enough time to find out about Ryan, Baroness Fairfax spoke again.

“A week? Nonsense. You’ve been living in that countryside since you were young—there must be so much to see in the capital. Besides, our Beatrice is here for the winter social season. Do you remember Beatrice?”

She had a vague recollection. A girl younger than herself, Baroness Fairfax’s daughter.

“You won’t know your way around the capital, so Beatrice will be a great help. And…”

Baroness Fairfax looked at Eloise with what appeared to be pity and said:

“An unmarried lady past her prime age shouldn’t go around alone if she wants to avoid gossip, so be sure to go with her.”

At those words, Eloise realized.

In Baroness Fairfax’s gaze, there was a mixture of sympathy and slight mockery directed at her.