“Raise your standards higher next time.”
Sinclair lifted his teacup with an elegant flick of his wrist. His voice pulled Eleanor out of the memories she had been lost in.
Watching Sinclair drink tea as beautifully as a painting, she suddenly wondered if he even remembered that Edward Hans had once competed in the same tournament as him.
Then again, since it hadn’t involved Lydia, he probably didn’t.
“Your second fiancé as well—”
“To be honest, I don’t plan on marrying anytime soon, so it’s fine.”
Eleanor smoothly cut Sinclair off with a gentle smile. She had no desire to dredge up old ties now.
Sinclair looked as though he wanted to say something more, but after seeing the firm look in Eleanor’s eyes, he merely took another sip of tea instead. Lowering his long lashes, he silently turned his head away.
“I don’t know how long Edward will keep acting like this, but please take good care of Lydia for me. Seeing my ex-fiancé behave that way makes me feel guilty toward her for no reason.”
“You should feel guilty. If it weren’t for you, would some nobody like Hans have ever dared aim for the Stikov family?”
“But I’m glad Lydia isn’t alone. Ernst, Sinclair… I’m counting on you.”
“…Are you ignoring what I just said? And why don’t you ever ask me?”
Eleanor naturally ignored Vincent’s provocation as well. Pretending not to hear him, she deliberately looked elsewhere. Vincent’s handsome brow furrowed immediately, but Eleanor acted as though she hadn’t noticed.
Hurry up and come back, Lydia.
Her younger sister had fluttered away insisting on bringing back cake no one had even wanted. Just how long was she planning to take? Eleanor glanced toward the direction Lydia had disappeared in.
Being the extra older sister of a romance novel heroine meant this was the only kind of treatment she ever received from the male leads. Being together was torture for both sides.
“It’s fortunate you’re going down to the provincial estate.”
Leopold, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
His voice carried more weight than the silence he had maintained all this time. Without realizing it, Eleanor clenched one hand tightly and looked at him.
Sunlight streamed down through the drooping leaves overhead, pouring over Leopold.
His jet-black hair gleamed beneath the light, while his flawless skin looked as smooth as polished glass.
The sharp bridge of his nose, the clean line of his jaw, the steep curve of his throat—every strand of hair falling across his forehead seemed deliberately arranged to perfection.
And yet, despite standing beneath the sunlight, his deep violet eyes remained cold and sharp as they fixed on Eleanor.
“The more disgrace you bring upon yourself as Lydia’s older sister, the more it will damage her. At the very least, if you’re gone from Beyren, there will be fewer chances for her reputation to suffer.”
Eleanor held his gaze for a moment before lowering her eyes. Staring too long at royalty without permission was a grave discourtesy.
“Yes, Your Highness. As her older sister, it’s time I set a better example. Knowing that Your Highness will take good care of Lydia while I’m away puts my mind at ease above all else.”
Eleanor gently curved her lips upward. It was a fairly convincing smile.
Among the four male leads, Leopold was the one she was especially careful around. In her opinion, he was the true protagonist most likely to end up with Lydia.
Which made sense. He was the Crown Prince—the position everyone dreamed of falling in love with. Whoever stood beside him could someday rise to become Empress of the Empire.
And considering Lydia was the heroine of a romance novel, there could hardly be a more romantic or unattainably lofty place for her.
So Leopold belonged to Lydia more than anyone else.
The fact that he rarely spoke in front of Eleanor, and that when he did, his words struck like icy daggers—
Every bit of it made perfect sense.
“I brought the cake!”
Lydia came running back from afar, fluttering toward them. Hugging the cake in her arms, she looked as adorable as a squirrel.
If even Eleanor saw her that way, then the four men surely saw even more.
“Your Highness, I have a headache. May I excuse myself and rest now?”
Eleanor addressed Leopold politely. In the presence of royalty, it was proper etiquette to ask permission before leaving.
She wanted to go back and rest already. Every second she had spent here felt like an entire year.
And now that Lydia had returned, Eleanor’s presence here was no longer necessary anyway. The existence of an extra character carried less weight than air.
Without taking his eyes off Lydia, who was running toward them with a bright smile, Leopold slowly parted his lips.
“…Very well.”
“Thank you. It was an honor seeing you before my departure to Oclama. I’m glad I could see everyone else as well. I hope we’ll meet again someday.”
The moment permission was granted, Eleanor rose from her seat and bowed politely. She had to willingly return her place to the true owner of it.
Lydia’s pink hair swayed softly. Eleanor opened her arms toward her younger sister. Though confused, Lydia stepped into her embrace.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so my head hurts a little. I think I should go upstairs and rest.”
“Really? That’s too bad… I wanted to eat cake with you, sis.”
Lydia’s eyes drooped with obvious disappointment. Eleanor gently fixed the strands of hair that had fallen loose and smiled tenderly.
“We can eat together next time. You should enjoy my share with your friends instead.”
“…Okay. Get lots of rest, and I’ll see you at dinner!”
“Alright.”
After tucking Lydia’s hair behind her ear, Eleanor withdrew her hand. Lydia immediately passed by her and returned to the male leads.
The feeling of the wind brushing past her palm lingered strangely, and Eleanor found herself absentmindedly clenching and unclenching her hand.
“I brought the cake. Ta-da! What do you think?”
“Oh, that looks delicious.”
“Not bad. The strawberries look fresh too.”
“What’s with the little rabbit decoration? Did you make that, Lydia?”
“Yep! I asked the chef to do it for me.”
Behind Eleanor, the voices of lovely Lydia and the male leads doting on her blended together like an orchestra.
Their intertwined voices harmonized beautifully. Lydia’s clear, bright laughter rang out like the high notes of a piano.
It was as though everyone had already forgotten that the cake had originally been made for Eleanor.
Eleanor took a step forward.
With every step she moved away, the voices of the protagonists grew fainter and more distant. The sounds that stubbornly clung to her heels finally disappeared once she entered the main manor.
At last, cut off from every protagonist’s voice, Eleanor let out a breath that was somewhere between a sigh and relief.
Tomorrow, even this daily life would end. While she stayed in Oclama, she would be free.
Holding onto that thought alone, Eleanor climbed the stairs and returned to her room.
From the capital city of Beyren to Oclama took a total of twelve hours by train.
That included the time needed to transfer once midway through the journey.
If she wanted to arrive by evening, she had to leave quite early. Eleanor woke at dawn, while the world was still dim with early morning light. After eating a light breakfast, she changed her clothes.
Lisa tied a lavender bonnet beneath her chin. Wearing low-heeled shoes, Eleanor descended to the first floor, where the two knights assigned as her escorts were already waiting with the luggage.
“Big sister.”
Just as Eleanor was about to leave with the knights and Lisa, a voice called from above. Lydia appeared on the second floor, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Liddy, you’re up early.”
“If you left without saying goodbye, I’d be sad.”
Pulling her shawl tighter over her nightdress, Lydia smiled softly. She usually loved sleeping in, yet somehow she had managed to wake before even most of the servants had properly started their morning duties.
Meanwhile, their parents—the Count and Countess—had already given their farewells the night before.
Lydia descended lightly, as though walking atop flower petals, and stopped in front of Eleanor.
“Have a safe trip, sis. And make sure to write me letters.”
As Lydia wrapped herself around her, Eleanor hugged her back and nodded.
“Go back inside and sleep some more.”
“Mmm… okay. Be careful.”
“I will.”
Eleanor waved with her usual smile. Lydia, her eyes still half-closed, waved weakly back before disappearing upstairs again.
The moment her sister vanished, Eleanor hurried toward the door. The carriage prepared to take her away was already waiting outside.
Lisa and Eleanor boarded first. One of the knights climbed in after them and shut the carriage door, and the coachman soon urged the horses forward.
The carriage carrying the four of them raced toward Beyren Station.
It took an hour by carriage to travel from the Stikov estate to the train station.
Even though she had woken much earlier than usual, Eleanor still felt refreshed by the time they arrived. The crisp morning air had awakened her completely.
But the moment she boarded the train, her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Eleanor lay weakly with her head resting in Lisa’s lap. Though it was a compartment for four people, the knights remained outside guarding the door, so only the two of them occupied it.
Lisa carefully wiped the cold sweat from Eleanor’s pale forehead.
“My lady, are you alright?”
“My stomach feels awful…”
Eleanor murmured weakly, her lips already drained of color. She had barely eaten breakfast knowing this might happen, but it seemed to have done little good.
Lisa fanned her anxiously. They had even removed Eleanor’s bonnet and set it aside on the opposite seat, yet the sweat on her skin refused to stop.
“Oh, my poor lady… what are we going to do about this motion sickness?”
Lisa could not hide her worry. Her mistress became terribly ill whenever she rode trains.
She could travel for days by carriage without issue, yet couldn’t even last an hour on a train before collapsing like this.
But traveling to Oclama by carriage was far too difficult. The roads were harsh, cutting through mountains and wilderness. The journey would take not days, but weeks.
The disadvantages were simply too severe, so Eleanor had chosen to endure this one weakness of hers instead.
In truth, Lisa and the two knights were perfectly fine on the train. Lisa could probably even eat beef stew comfortably in her seat—though she would never dare while her lady’s sensitive stomach was suffering from the smell alone.
“My lady, would you like some water?”
Too weak to properly answer, Eleanor barely moved her lips. Realizing it was agreement, Lisa brought the canteen to her mouth.
After only a few tiny sips, Eleanor rested her head in Lisa’s lap again.
She wanted to open the window for fresh air, but the sharp smell of train smoke only worsened her nausea.
Instead, Lisa diligently wiped away her sweat, massaged her hands, and made sure she wouldn’t slide from the seat.
“My lady, just hold on a little longer. We’ll arrive soon.”
It was the fifth time Lisa had said it, and the fifth time Eleanor chose to believe her. If she didn’t keep telling herself they were almost there, the nausea became unbearable.
The strange sensation of her body bouncing up and down made her squirm weakly.
Outside, the bright daylight had faded into darkness, and lights flickered beyond the windows.
Summoning the last of her strength to suppress the rising nausea, Eleanor finally felt the train pull into Oclama Station. Unlike Beyren, the dense forested landscape was visible even through the darkness.
With a heavy clunk, the train came to a stop.
Eleanor staggered off the train while Lisa hurried after her carrying the bonnet and luggage from the overhead shelf.
Except for the brief transfer midway, it was the first time in twelve hours Eleanor had truly stood on solid ground.
She stood still and inhaled deeply. Fresh air flooded her lungs.
Resting a hand against her waist, Eleanor focused silently on steadying her breathing while Lisa loosely retied her bonnet.
“Lady Eleanor.”
At the familiar voice, Eleanor turned around. The butler of Baron Pomfury, his graying hair neatly combed back, stood there with a warm smile. A faint smile appeared on Eleanor’s lips as well.
“You must have had a difficult journey. The carriage is prepared, so let us head out.”
The butler guided the four of them toward the carriage waiting beneath a streetlamp near the nearly deserted station entrance.
The Pomfury crest—a rabbit encircled by olive branches—was engraved upon its side.
Eleanor and Lisa rode in the same carriage as the butler, while her two escort knights followed in another.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“Mmm… probably?”
The events from her broken engagement up until the day she left flashed quickly through Eleanor’s mind, but she merely shrugged. There was no reason to ramble about such things to an aunt’s butler she only saw occasionally.
“Did the luggage I sent ahead arrive safely?”
“Yes. The maids organized everything in the room prepared for you.”
“Thank you.”
She had personally carried the gifts and important belongings, but the luggage sent ahead contained all the necessities for daily living.
And as the daughter of a count’s family, Eleanor’s possessions were rather valuable. It would have been troublesome if anything had been stolen along the way.
“The Baroness has been eagerly awaiting your arrival since yesterday.”
“Really? Aunt Stephanie has been well, hasn’t she?”
“Yes. She is in excellent health.”
Eleanor smiled as she pictured her aunt, who always walked with perfect posture.
The carriage rolled along winding roads before entering a path lined with towering cypress trees. At the end of this avenue stood Oclama Castle.
Eleanor gazed out the window with growing excitement. The pale white castle gates, faint in the distance, gradually became clearer.
Lanterns hanging by the gates illuminated the entrance brightly.
The moment Eleanor spotted someone standing there, her expression lit up.
As soon as the carriage stopped, she jumped out immediately.
“My lady, be careful!” Lisa cried, but Eleanor didn’t stop.
The figure standing quietly before the gates moved toward her.
“Aunt!”
Her loosely tied bonnet slipped backward slightly, but Eleanor paid it no mind.
“Eleanor!”
Baroness Stephanie Pomfury broke into a radiant smile at the sight of her eldest niece and opened her arms wide. She embraced the girl who had grown even taller since they last met.
“It must have been exhausting coming all this way.”
“No, I’m alright.”
“Liar. I know how terrible your motion sickness is.”
Stephanie pinched Eleanor lightly on the nose before stepping back to look at her properly.
Dressed in lavender bonnet and gown, Eleanor looked far more mature than she had the previous year.
The soft baby fat in her cheeks had faded, leaving her face more slender and refined. She no longer looked like a young girl, but a true lady.
And yet, the bright sparkle in the blue eyes gazing at Stephanie remained unchanged, filling her with affection.
“You must be hungry. Come inside quickly.”
“Yes.”
Following Stephanie, Eleanor stepped into Oclama Castle.
And thus began her long-awaited escape from a world without the heroine.
