~Chapter 33~
It Feels Like Something Dangerous Might Happen
After the incident with the fake earring, the servants’ attitude toward Eleanor noticeably became more friendly.
“It seems like they felt guilty after hearing about how you suffered, my lady.”
Hilda thought the servants had changed their behavior out of guilt after hearing what Eleanor had gone through. However, Eleanor had a different opinion.
The same servants who had been stealing food meant for her and bringing her cold bathwater wouldn’t suddenly grow a conscience just from hearing a story. They had simply noticed something.
They had figured out that Nora’s position in the Astria household wasn’t as secure as they thought. Even though Eleanor had been pushed out of the family, the Duke still trusted her.
So, the servants quickly changed their attitude and began treating her kindly and respectfully again, just as they did when she was still the official young lady of the house.
It was a good outcome. After all, the purpose of this plan was to make Nora’s position in the Duke’s residence unstable. Still, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel disgusted every time she saw the same servants who once tormented her now smiling as if they had done nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, it seemed that Damien hadn’t learned anything from this incident.
Only after being reminded twice, and threatened that she would complain to the Duke, did he finally give one of his dress shop appointments to Eleanor.
But the shop he sent her to wasn’t one she had ever heard of before. It didn’t seem to be new, but it also wasn’t known among the nobles.
And the conditions they set were strange as well.
“They want you to go in person to get the dress fitted? How ridiculous! How dare they make such demands of Lady Eleanor?!”
The shop had refused to visit the Astria residence. Instead, they insisted that Eleanor come to them if she wanted the dress.
Hilda was furious at the thought, but Eleanor remained calm and replied indifferently.
“There’s no other choice. If I make a big deal about it, Damien will surely run to Father and complain that I’m being difficult. For now, I’ve agreed to go there in two hours. Hilda, it’s best if you don’t come with me.”
“What?! Why not?”
Hilda’s blue eyes trembled with shock. She was worried that Eleanor would return with another strange outfit if she went alone, just like last time.
Eleanor understood that concern. But she had a clear reason for not bringing Hilda.
“I feel like something dangerous might happen today.”
She had provoked both Nora and Damien with everything she had, and now they were probably plotting some kind of revenge. And Eleanor’s trip outside would be the perfect opportunity for them.
Even more so because the shop Damien recommended wasn’t located in the usual central area. It was in Declan, a district about 30 minutes away from the main city, where development had suddenly stopped, leaving the streets dirty and nearly deserted.
“Then I definitely have to go with you! If something dangerous happens, I’ll protect you!”
Hilda puffed out her chest, tapping it confidently. Despite being smaller than Eleanor, her confidence was as big as a giant’s.
“I’ll be fine. Sir Ernst will be with me for protection.”
“Ahem, well, Sir Ernst is certainly a reliable knight… but I just can’t feel at ease if I don’t come along too.”
Hilda’s voice wavered slightly when mentioning Ernst. She seemed to have misunderstood something after seeing Eleanor fix Ernst’s hair the other day.
“No, I can’t let you come. You could get hurt.”
“Please! Let me go with you!”
Even though Eleanor kept trying to dissuade her, Hilda stubbornly insisted. She said she could never compromise on this matter, no matter how much she trusted and followed Eleanor.
Knock, knock.
Amid their argument, someone knocked on Eleanor’s door.
“My lady, Butler Samuel has come to ask your opinion regarding the debutante ball.”
Samuel. Eleanor recalled the details about him from the documents Hilda had given her.
He was someone who loved to flatter the Duke and had been on Nora’s side from the start.
“Let him in.”
When Eleanor granted permission, the young butler carefully stepped into the room. He placed a bundle of documents on the table and spoke.
“Lady Ellie, per the Duke’s orders, I have brought all the documents related to the upcoming debutante ball. Please start by reviewing the budget at the top.”
Unexpectedly, Eleanor had been given charge of organizing the debutante ball, something she hadn’t anticipated. It was a fortunate outcome thanks to Damien irritating the Duke so much.
Judging by the fact that she was entrusted with Nora’s most important event, it seemed clear that Nora had truly fallen out of the Duke’s favor.
Eleanor intended to make the most of this opportunity. She glanced through the documents with excitement, but the more she read, the more her almond-shaped eyes narrowed.
Eventually, she concluded clearly, “This is a mess.”
The budget proposal was completely disorganized. Had they even done proper market research? It seemed they hadn’t checked the budget used for last year’s ball, or if they had, they chose to ignore it. There wasn’t a single proper item listed.
The biggest problem was that too much money had already been spent on the dresses and the ball decorations. Eleanor had thought her father was just stingy, but at this point, even a more generous person would be upset.
Even Samuel, who was on Nora’s side, couldn’t bring himself to disagree with Eleanor’s criticism. He just lowered his head.
“As you can see… there’s no way we can proceed with the ball properly with the remaining budget.”
It was true that the remaining budget was small, but Nora wasn’t foolish enough to have overlooked that. This meant she had a different goal in mind.
“So, Eleanor, please speak to the Duke and ask him to increase the budget.”
They must have thought that if they apologized and requested more money, the Duke of Astria would have no choice but to provide it. Since the responsibility had now fallen to Eleanor, it would also be convenient if she were left to beg for additional funds.
“If we proceed with the ball like this, Astria’s reputation will be tarnished. And when that happens, the Duke will be very upset.”
It was a perfect threat, implying that if the ball failed, the blame would fall on Eleanor as the person in charge.
‘It seems things have really changed. They’re using the name of Astria to threaten me now.’
Eleanor smirked at Samuel’s shameless face, then slowly stood up and spoke calmly.
“No need. I don’t need to talk to my father. The budget is fine as it is.”
“What?”
“As you said, Astria’s reputation is important, but we can’t waste resources on unnecessary things, can we?”
“That’s ridiculous. How could we—”
“Ridiculous?” Eleanor’s voice suddenly turned icy.
“Did I hear that right?”
Gulp. Samuel swallowed hard and looked at Eleanor with trembling eyes.
Even though he was taller than her and she wasn’t standing on a platform, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was looking down on him.
“I asked if the butler of this house just dared to call my words ridiculous.”
Though Eleanor Astria had lost her title, she had not lost her dignity. Samuel realized this too late.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…!”
He tried to protest, but her imposing gaze quickly crushed his confidence. In the end, he bowed and apologized without meaning to.
“I’m sorry, Lady Eleanor. I overstepped.”
“It’s good you understand.”
“But, please, look at the documents again. If you check properly, you’ll see there’s no way we can—”
“Later.”
Eleanor cut him off firmly.
“I have an important appointment right now. I’ll review the documents thoroughly later.”
“An appointment…?”
Samuel couldn’t understand what could be more important than a ball in just two weeks. His confusion showed on his furrowed brow, but Eleanor flashed a cheerful smile, as if her words were completely natural.
“I have to get my dress fitted.”
Getting a dress fitted couldn’t possibly be more important than preparing for the debutante ball.
Samuel seemed to think so, but he didn’t dare say it out loud. After all, fitting a dress was part of the ball preparations, and with only two weeks left, it was true that tailoring was a tight schedule.
So, without any more interruptions, Eleanor climbed into the carriage headed for the dressmaker. And, as always, Hilda, who refused to be left behind, clung tightly to her side.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Eleanor asked.
“Don’t worry, my lady. Just in case, I’ve even brought a club (stick) with me!” Hilda responded with an exaggerated smile, holding up the wooden club she’d packed. Though she spoke confidently, it was obvious she was nervous. Her eyes darted around the streets outside, and her hands were tense and rigid, showing how uneasy she felt. Earlier, she had thoroughly inspected the carriage and spoken with the coachman, likely worrying about a potential accident.
‘If she’s this scared, why did she insist on coming along?’ Eleanor thought with amusement.
Hilda resembled a prey animal suddenly thrown into an open field. Feeling sorry for her, Eleanor gently patted her hand, trying to reassure her.
“The carriage won’t overturn, and it won’t explode. If something like that happened, Nora would be the first one suspected.”
Even if that wasn’t the case, Eleanor didn’t believe Nora wanted her dead. It took a strong resolve to kill someone, and it seemed Nora was more interested in making Eleanor’s life a living hell than ending it.
“Besides, Sir Ernst is with us. He’s a well-known knight in the capital, and he’s not the only one—there are other knights with us, too.”
“Of course, of course! There’s nothing to fear. I’m not scared at all!” Hilda said, trying hard to act unaffected.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Eleanor replied with a smile.
Despite Hilda’s brave front, it was clear she was trying to hide her fear. She wanted to be reliable for Eleanor, but it seemed she was the one needing reassurance. Still, Eleanor’s kind words had somewhat eased her tension. Just knowing the carriage wouldn’t crash lifted some of the weight from her shoulders. Her trembling body finally began to settle.
But it wasn’t for long. As the carriage entered a narrow and deserted alley, Hilda grew nervous again.
“My lady, are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Even Sir Ernst, who had been riding alongside the carriage, seemed to sense something was wrong. He opened the window and asked, “Is this really the right direction?”
“The dressmaker gave us these directions, yes. Considering Damien was the one who recommended this place… it’s probably a trap.”
“I see. Then it was wise to bring several knights. But it’s still dangerous. What should we do?”
Sir Ernst was asking whether they should keep moving forward, knowing it was a trap, or turn back.
“Of course—” Eleanor began, but then paused. Her violet eyes slowly turned to the side.
What she saw was Hilda, nervously glancing around with an anxious expression.
