Chapter 17

When Elwin arrived, several servants came out into the garden to greet him, yet all of them wore troubled expressions. Alfred the butler looked especially distressed.

“Mr. Alfred. Did something happen while I was out?”

“Haa, that is… Young master, it concerns Miss Eleanor.”

“Eleanor? Why? What happened?”

Alfred looked pained, as if he could not bear to say it aloud. Fearful that something terrible had happened to his beloved sister, Elwin forgot even to change out of his rain-soaked jacket and hurried into the manor.

“Where is Eleanor? Eleanor, Eleanor!”

“Brother, you are back?”

Looking toward the voice, he saw Eleanor walking out of the corridor near the bathroom, her face damp as if she had just washed it. Selena followed after her, but unlike her usual cheerful self, she was hunched in on herself, watching Elwin’s expression with obvious guilt.

“Eleanor, did something happen?”

At Elwin’s question, Eleanor avoided his eyes, and the maids hesitated, unable to speak. It was a moment that called for the person with the loosest tongue in the house.

“Toby. Tell me.”

Toby, who had been pointed out, confessed as if he had no choice. “Miss Selena… put makeup on Miss Eleanor!”

What on earth does that mean?

Startled, Elwin looked closely and saw faint red traces of rouge on Eleanor’s lips and pale powder marks on her cheeks.

Elwin was horrified. Even among adult noblewomen, the ideal was makeup so subtle it looked as though one had not applied any at all. Red rouge and white powder were commonly associated with actresses or women of the pleasure quarters.

Moreover, Eleanor was only thirteen, far too young to make her debut in society. To Elwin’s eyes, she did not look thirteen, but rather like a toddler of three who had only just begun walking.

“Th-this… Eleanor, why on earth…”

Seeing Elwin trembling with shock, Eleanor looked frightened. Given that Alfred the butler had already made a fuss as though he might faint, she knew she had committed a grave error. But now even her older brother, who was always kind and gentle, was reacting like this, and she seemed to realize the gravity of her actions all over again.

“I am sorry, Brother. I asked Miss Selena to do it.”

“Miss Eleanor said she wanted to cover her freckles, so I only put on a truly small amount of powder.” Selena wrung her hands. “Since we were at it, I tried just a little on her lips and eyelashes too…”

Eleanor bowed her head deeply. Beside her, Selena hesitantly stepped forward as well. She offered a fleeting apology for the incident, but the bewildered look on her face made it clear she had no idea why the entire household was in such an uproar.

Catching the implication of her words, Elwin’s eyes widened in disbelief. She did something to her eyelashes too?

“Haa… Miss Selena.”

Had he followed his instincts, he would have demanded to know what she had done to his innocent sister, but he swallowed the words. Selena was Dwight’s companion, meaning he had to treat her with the utmost courtesy. Moreover, considering her subtle relationship with Dwight, Elwin, who was secretly plotting to win the man for himself, carried his own share of guilt.

Sensing Elwin’s hesitation, Selena seized the opening and launched into a pouty complaint. “I am sorry, Sir Elwin, but please understand my position! I was so dreadfully bored I simply could not help myself.” She crossed her arms with a huff. “Look at us even now. The two gentlemen went gallivanting off somewhere, while I have been cooped up in the house this entire time. Where did you two go, anyway? You didn’t go anywhere amusing and leave me behind, did you?”

She wants to go out at a time like this? Elwin suppressed a sigh. What was he supposed to do with this childish young lady? Were noble girls of her age typically this self-absorbed? Eleanor’s very existence proved that could not be true.

A dull throb began to pulse behind Elwin’s temples.

“We went to the farming village to distribute seedlings.”

“Ah…” Only then did Selena seem to notice Leon standing behind Elwin, looking like a drowned rat. She nodded dismissively, as if concluding the excursion must have been dreadfully dull.

Just then, Dwight’s voice cut through the tension. “What is going on?”

Accompanying that indifferent question, Dwight slowly descended the stairs. Judging by his trajectory from the guest rooms, he had likely remained confined to his chambers until now. It was well past midday, a time when the farmers were likely already finishing their labor.

The moment he drew closer, a strange scent struck Elwin, and he flinched. Seeing the maids inhale sharply with startled faces, he realized this was not the scent of pheromones, but a genuine odor.

Whisky? Did this man actually drink in broad daylight?

Looking closer, there was no mistaking it. Dwight’s cheeks, rarely flushed, now held a ruddy tint, and his eyes were cloudier than usual. Since no whisky had been placed in the guest rooms, he must have deliberately ordered a maid to bring him alcohol.

No one in the count’s household particularly enjoyed drinking, so their stores of whisky were limited. The few bottles Elwin’s father had collected as curiosities were all exceedingly precious. To consume such fine liquor without the host’s permission, and to reek of alcohol before the day had even properly begun…

Ah, I truly hate… No. No, that is not right.

Shock and disgust warred within Elwin, but he forced himself to concentrate, smothering the emotions before they could reach his face. By ill chance, he had only just resolved to marry that man by any means necessary in order to protect the estate.

Moreover, Selena had just caused an incident that could have thrown the entire household into turmoil. If Dwight caught wind of it and scolded her, the commotion would only escalate. The young woman was already glancing nervously between Dwight and Elwin, gauging their moods.

How should I salvage this atmosphere? What would that man do at a time like this?

Elwin worked his mind furiously, calling upon the methods of Leon, the master of pleasing others. First, he feigned utter innocence, pretending he could not smell the reeking alcohol at all. Then, he offered Dwight a smile perfectly mimicking Leon’s own and greeted him first.

“Mr. Dwight, you are awake.” Elwin kept his tone light. “It is nothing serious. We were only discussing whether we might venture out, as Miss Selena seems quite bored staying in the manor.”

“Go out? Hmm.”

At the spark of interest in Dwight’s eyes, Elwin’s thoughts raced. Fortunately, a viable idea surfaced.

“If we take a carriage a short distance, there is a lively town center. What would you think of looking around there tomorrow?” Elwin paused, calculating his next words. “It is not very large compared to a great city, but there is an excellent antiquarian bookshop, and…”

Selena’s eyes sparkled at the words town center, only to dim in swift disappointment when bookshop followed. Elwin hurriedly shifted gears, listing the sorts of shops he usually never frequented.

“There are jewelers, perfume shops, and tea rooms as well. Um, and…”

His improvisation appeared to be working; both Selena and Dwight’s expressions brightened somewhat. Having resolved to flatter, it seemed best to commit fully while the mood was lifting. Elwin clenched his fists beneath his sleeves, forcing down the tremor in his voice as he added the final blow.

“And if Sir Dwight, who will soon become the new lord of the estate, takes this opportunity to tour the town, I am certain the residents will be delighted.”

Dwight will become the new lord.

Until this moment, even though Elwin understood logically that his father’s title would pass to a stranger, it had been too agonizing to accept in his heart. He had never once spoken the truth aloud.

The servants’ expressions wavered upon hearing those words, but Elwin forced his own features into a mask of calm. If he revealed his inner turmoil, Dwight’s mood would sour, and the servants’ grief would only deepen.

“…Is that so?” Dwight tilted one eyebrow obliquely upward. He did not openly smile, but the title Sir Dwight clearly pleased him.

“Of course.” Elwin maintained his courteous facade. “If it is acceptable, I will instruct the servants to prepare tomorrow’s outing with the utmost care.”

“Well, that would be fine.”

As Elwin offered a polite bow, Dwight looked even more satisfied. Watching the Alpha make his way slowly toward the drawing-room table with a hangover-soaked gait, Elwin quietly excused himself from the scene.

The immediate crisis had been handled. Now it was time for a lecture.