Chapter 07
The Lord of Royster
It was a completely unexpected proposal.
Eleanor was shocked.
She had never thought of Arlo that way.
Besides, fourteen was far too young to be thinking about marriage.
“I’m not saying we should get married right now. I’m still young too. We’ll probably wait until after I graduate from the Academy. But I was worried someone else might try to take you if I didn’t make a move.”
She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him she had no interest in marrying him. But, of course, she didn’t have the right to make that decision. Even when it came to her own marriage.
The Duke of Astria happily accepted the marriage agreement with the royal family of Juvenile. And just like that, Eleanor became the prince’s fiancée, without any say in the matter.
There was only one good thing about being engaged:
Her father stopped beating her. Not entirely, but now he only hit her occasionally and kept it to less visible places, and no more than ten times at most.
The Duke seemed to be in a much better mood after she got engaged to Arlo.
Sometimes, he even praised her.
It was then that Eleanor realized what her father meant when he talked about her “usefulness” all these years. This was it.
Arlo continued to visit the mansion during school vacations, but as the years went by, he came less and less frequently.
At some point, his attitude toward her changed. It probably started after he was chosen as the Crown Prince, overtaking the first prince.
That’s when the once-bright smile disappeared from his face.
Not that I ever want to see that smile again, she thought.
As she watched Arlo smiling warmly at Nora, Eleanor slowly opened her mouth to speak.
“Arlo.”
“…Eli!”
Arlo, who had been leaning against the railing, quickly straightened up as soon as he noticed her. The hands that had been touching Nora’s slipped apart.
“Eli, you arrived late. We were just talking while waiting for you.”
He made some excuse, looking a bit guilty.
Eleanor bit the soft skin inside her lip. His excuses made her feel disgusted.
But instead of confronting him, she smiled.
“It’s time to leave. You know how Count Lambert is.”
The strict Count Lambert hated guests who were late, and Arlo knew that well.
“Yeah, let’s go,” he said, nodding with a puzzled look. He seemed surprised that she was smiling at him.
Eleanor gave him a sweet smile and started walking toward the drawing room. She could sense Arlo hurrying after her.
But then Nora’s playful voice stopped Eleanor in her tracks.
“Have a good time, Your Highness.”
Nora’s farewell sounded like she was sending off her husband, completely ignoring Eleanor’s presence.
Hilda, the maid, gasped in shock.
It was a blatant act of provocation.
Eleanor let out a small chuckle.
She would have loved to respond, but unfortunately, she didn’t have the time.
And besides, it’s still Monday.
There were only a few hours left until the end of the week, when she had promised herself to just observe.
***
On the way to the party, Arlo couldn’t wait to start talking.
“Eli, I don’t have anything against you,” he said as soon as the carriage set off.
“I just got involved to find out the truth. I never meant to hurt you, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
Eleanor stayed silent, looking at his smooth-talking face.
She had been curious about what he would say. It was their first time alone since that night, and she wondered how he would start the conversation. What kind of excuse would he make?
Perhaps, in an impossible twist, he will even apologize to her?
Apologize for betraying her, for breaking his promise, for falling for Nora and hurting her?
But of course, that didn’t happen.
If he were that kind of man, he would not have been in her house with another woman, calling her name and spending the night with another woman who was dressed in her clothes.
Eleanor couldn’t help but mock her own foolish imagination.
The man in front of her was one of the reasons she had come to hate the name Astria.
Even knowing what he had done, she had let herself imagine him apologizing. How idiotic.
“…Misunderstand what?”
“Well, you know, don’t think I was doing anything out of personal feelings. I just acted based on the facts, and I wasn’t taking sides. I’ve been trying to stay neutral.”
Neutral? The man who snuck into her room in the middle of the night because he couldn’t control himself?
She almost laughed out loud at the thought.
“I understand,” she said, turning her head away. Looking out the window was far more pleasant than staring at his annoying face.
“…What?”
“I said I understand. You’re trying to stay neutral, and you don’t have any personal feelings involved.”
“Oh, right. Good.”
Arlo seemed a bit flustered. He had probably expected her to argue, maybe even had some counterarguments prepared in advance.
Too bad for him, but she was done with this conversation.
She had promised herself to act wisely, but it was clear she wasn’t ready.
She still felt too nauseous to handle this properly.
It had only been a week since that night, so it made sense.
If she pushed herself too hard now, she might make a reckless mistake, so she decided to wait.
Eleanor stayed silent for the rest of the ride to Count Lambert’s estate, ignoring Arlo’s fidgeting.
He seemed like he had more to say, but she pretended not to notice and kept staring out the window.
Even at the party, it was the same.
Eleanor smiled gracefully and chatted with other nobles, but subtly kept her distance from Arlo.
She only answered his questions when necessary, with short, simple responses. She didn’t initiate any conversation or even look at him.
She noticed Arlo’s expression growing darker as the evening went on, but she didn’t care.
As time passed, the party’s atmosphere became more lively.
The nobles were getting louder, fueled by wine and jokes, and the music played by the orchestra grew louder to match.
It’s suffocating, she thought.
It was a large party, and the hall was packed with guests and servants.
Eleanor wasn’t fond of crowded places, and she couldn’t wait to leave.
I’ve done what I needed to do. I should take a break, she decided.
She had greeted the important nobles and dropped a few hints about the wine business to Count Lambert.
She would have liked to go home right then, but leaving too early would draw unwanted attention, so it was better to find a quiet place to rest for a while.
Unfortunately, the balconies were already full. And she didn’t want to go to the powder room, where her friends would likely be. She wasn’t in the mood for that right now.
After thinking for a moment, Eleanor decided to head to the garden.
Since the weather was still chilly, there probably weren’t many people outside.
It seemed like the best option for some peace and quiet.
As soon as she stepped outside, a cool spring breeze tickled her nose.
Thanks to the thick shawl she wore, she didn’t feel too cold.
She walked slowly, admiring the garden.
Early spring flowers swayed in the wind, filling the air with a light, sweet fragrance.
The blue flowers looked like upside-down wisteria blooms. They were lupines, the symbol of Count Lambert’s estate.
As she walked along, following the gently swaying flowers, the tightness in her chest eased just a little.
But her brief moment of peace didn’t last long.
An unwelcome visitor appeared.
“Eli.”
Arlo had followed her into the garden and approached her with an angry expression. He grabbed her wrist roughly.
“How long are you going to keep acting like a child?”
Eleanor instinctively looked around. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone nearby.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been ignoring me since we got in the carriage. You haven’t even looked at me once. What do you think the Count and his wife will think of me?”
“They won’t think anything. I’m usually quiet, after all.”
“Damn it, that’s not what I’m talking about!”
Eleanor bit her lip.
Then what is he talking about?
She couldn’t understand what he wanted from her, or why he was cursing in front of her.
“What do you want me to say, Arlo? What exactly do you want to hear from me?”
“Anything, as long as it’s not that damn silence! You must have something you want to ask me, right?”
“No, I—”
“We’ve been engaged for eight years. Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? It’s obvious you’re jealous! Stop pretending and just say what’s on your mind!”
Jealousy? Jealous, he thought?
How could he possibly think I’d be jealous?
She wasn’t just shocked; she was furious.
Losing a pathetic man like him wasn’t something to be jealous about—it was something to be grateful for. In fact, she wanted to thank him for ruining someone else’s life instead of hers.
But Eleanor held herself back. Arlo was possessive, and if she expressed how she truly felt, he might become unpredictable. Instead, she decided to act jealous in order to get information from him.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll give you a reaction. When did it start? When did you begin seeing my maid behind my back?”
Arlo immediately looked around, checking to see if anyone was nearby. He stepped back and, after confirming no one else was around, spoke again.
“Watch what you say. She’s not your maid anymore.”
“Oh, right. My mistake. Let me ask again, then. When did you start seeing Nora, who was previously nothing more than a servant you despised? When did that start, Your Highness, despite how busy you are?”
“Seeing her? I already told you—there are no personal feelings involved. I thought you understood, but I guess it was just your pride talking,” Arlo said, frowning, as if he actually believed his own lie.
“Really? Because Nora says otherwise.”
His face twitched with surprise. He had not considered the possibility that Nora had told Eleanor about their relationship.
Of course, she hadn’t. But Eleanor had seen everything.
“Would you still say that if Nora were standing right here? That nothing’s going on between you two?”
Arlo clamped his mouth shut.
Eleanor wanted to describe the scene she had witnessed in detail, but she decided against it.
She did not want to talk about that disgusting memory right now—it would be more useful at another time.
“You only graduated from the Academy two years ago. So, you must have fallen madly in love in a very short time, enough to betray your fiancée of eight years. Or… was it before you graduated?”
Arlo’s eyes twitched slightly.
Eleanor caught the small movement and raised her voice, pretending to be shocked.
“You were seeing her before you graduated? That long ago?”
“No! We met for the first time during the last break!” he blurted out.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his face twisted in embarrassment. He became aware that he had just made a confession.
“No personal feelings, huh?”
“That’s…!”
“And the last break? That was when you were supposedly too busy preparing for graduation to even visit me. I didn’t even know you were in Cardiff.”
He’d told her he was swamped with work, yet he had secretly been seeing Nora the whole time.
Eleanor recalled how often Nora had been absent around that time, and she smiled bitterly.
She had been so kind to Nora, clueless about what was really going on.
Arlo’s expression darkened.
“Why does it matter when we meet?” he snapped.
A moment ago, he had claimed there were no feelings involved, but now he was getting defensive.
He had clearly decided to just be shameless about it.
His voice rose as he continued to complain, “Stop suffocating me, Eli! It’s no wonder I started looking elsewhere when you act like this!”
“I only asked a question, as you suggested. Am I suffocating you?”
“Damn it, stop mocking me! You think I’m happy about this? We’ve been engaged for years! But Nora remembers things you don’t! Like how we first met!”
“Are you sure it’s Nora who remembers?” Eleanor asked, her curiosity piqued.
This was what she really wanted to know.
“Arlo, are you sure you didn’t tell her?”
Was Arlo just a victim of Nora’s lies, or had he become an accomplice, throwing away his fiancée for her?
It might have sounded far-fetched, but after spending eight years with him, Eleanor knew Arlo well enough to suspect he was capable of doing such a thing.
So she carefully watched his reaction to the question.
The first emotion that crossed his face was confusion.
Then came something else…
“Eleanor Astria!”
Rage. Pure, undeniable rage over being questioned by someone he considered beneath him.
Arlo’s eyes burned with rage as he took a threatening step toward her.
It looked like he was about to slap her, and Eleanor instinctively took a step back.
Suddenly, memories of the past flooded her mind—memories she had tried to forget. The worst ones.
“Stop squirming! Hold still!”
She remembered the hot, strong hands that had restrained her as she struggled. The memory of those repulsive touches made her freeze up.
Arlo’s hand was almost upon her when—
“Hey. What’s going on here?”
A deep, commanding voice cut through the tension between them.
Eleanor let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Her body, frozen in fear, finally relaxed.
She turned her head toward the source of the voice.
Standing beyond the blooming blue lupines was a tall man.
He wasn’t unfamiliar to her.
He had jet-black hair like the night, a face so perfectly sculpted it almost didn’t seem human, and deep red eyes that were locked onto Eleanor.
“Do you need help?” he asked in a cold voice.
It was Karsian Royster, the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Royster.
