Chapter 18

Elwin quietly called Eleanor out into the corridor. He had not yet uttered a single reprimand, but Eleanor already looked as though she might burst into tears. She had shrunk in on herself after causing trouble, and having just witnessed her brother defer to Dwight as the new lord, her heart could not have been at ease.

“I am sorry, Brother.” Eleanor’s voice trembled. “Miss Selena and I were playing at a ball, and… still, we did not touch Mother’s jewels or dresses.”

According to the maids, when Selena and Eleanor played together, they sometimes hovered near their late mother’s room. Had Eleanor already reached the age where she was becoming curious about dressing up? Feeling both pity and affection for his little sister, Elwin lightly pinched her cheek.

“Eleanor, I think your freckles are very pretty.”

Apparently bracing herself for a severe scolding, Eleanor blinked in surprise at his gentle tone.

“Mother had freckles too. You know our mother was a famous beauty, don’t you?” Elwin offered a comforting smile. “I have told you before, you look exactly like her.”

Whenever Eleanor complained about her appearance, as girls her age often did, lamenting that her cheeks were too round or her nose too upturned, Elwin would soothe her by insisting she resembled their mother. Poor Eleanor, who had never properly seen their mother’s face, would always look at him with innocent, shining eyes and ask, “Really?”

This time, however, she tilted her head as if puzzled.

“But Mother’s portrait does not show any freckles.”

At Eleanor’s astute observation, Elwin was momentarily speechless. It seemed he could no longer deceive his sister with the old comforts. In truth, according to Elwin’s own memories, their mother’s skin had been as white and smooth as porcelain. He awkwardly glossed over the discrepancy.

“…They say she had them when she was young.”

“Ah, then does that mean freckles can disappear when you grow up, even if you have them as a child?”

“Th-that is right.”

Eleanor brightened instantly at the answer he had fumbled through. Elwin did not know whether that was medically true, but even if it later proved otherwise, surely by then she would understand her brother’s well-intentioned lie.

Watching Eleanor smile brightly, Elwin smiled as well. His claim that she resembled their mother was no falsehood. Every time he looked at her, he thought of their mother, along with the dying request she had made: to take good care of his sister.

“So, Eleanor, if you wish to wear makeup, do it later, when you are an adult. You are still young, and you must act in a manner appropriate for your age.”

“Yes, Brother. I am sorry for causing trouble.”

Eleanor seemed sincerely remorseful. Elwin wanted to hug his sister tightly, but his clothes were a muddy, rain-soaked disaster. He needed to change first.

Come to think of it, Mr. Leon got even wetter than I did. I should have bathwater prepared first.

Elwin hurried off, only to come face-to-face with the very person in question after a few steps. Even soaked by rain and roughly dried into a bedraggled state, the handsome man possessed an almost painted beauty as he stared steadily at Elwin.

“M-Mr. Leon.” Elwin faltered slightly. “Your wet clothes must be uncomfortable. I will have the bathroom prepared immediately. I should have seen to it at once, but everything was so hectic…”

Leon had been standing right beside him and had witnessed exactly why things had been so chaotic, rendering further explanation unnecessary. As expected, Leon openly mocked him.

“I had no idea Sir Elwin possessed such eloquence.”

The words were unmistakably an accusation: You flatter shamelessly well. A sharp sting pricked beneath Elwin’s chest. Leon was the most skillful flatterer Elwin had ever encountered, so being condemned by him felt particularly wretched.

“To think you put such effort into entertaining your guest.”

Even the added words dripped with ice. Leon was an infuriatingly perceptive man. Ever since the day he had taught Elwin the card game, he had read Elwin’s desperate desire to impress Dwight. Now that Elwin had gone so far as to shamelessly flatter Dwight while publicly proclaiming him the new lord, Leon had likely deduced the entirety of his operation.

Along with shame, defiance flared in his chest. Perhaps even hurt. It was not that Elwin had ever especially wanted to become close to that thug of a rake, but in the short time they had known each other, a strange connection had formed between them.

Yet now Leon’s voice held only frost, as if none of those shared moments had ever existed. As if he were looking at a turncoat.

No. I have no reason to feel hurt.

Elwin repeated to himself that the man before him was merely an uninvited guest who would soon pass through his life. Whether he appeared ugly in Leon’s eyes meant nothing. Elwin had things he needed to protect.

“Mr. Dwight is an important guest. Thank you for the compliment.”

Since he was being treated as brazen, he might as well act the part. Elwin deliberately mimicked Leon’s unreadable expression and answered with forced calm.

An awkward, painful silence hung between them. Leon looked as if he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he pressed his lips together and turned away.

That was probably for the best.

***