In the end, it was a day I overslept a little. That day was exceptionally clear.

After finishing lunch, Eloise rolled up her sleeves to feed the ducks, saying she wanted to shake off her drowsiness.

“Eat slowly, little ones. There’s plenty.”

Eloise scattered the golden grains diligently, speaking words her father would likely say at dinner time.

Her movements were as lively as if she were dancing a waltz.

This was strictly one of Mrs. Hurst’s daily tasks, but Eloise, who had adored the ducks since childhood, often helped the lady.

Mrs. Bailey couldn’t stand seeing her grown daughter mixed among the ducks, and to soothe her mother’s mood, Sarah willingly opened the piano cover as always.

It was during such a peaceful afternoon.

“Eloise!”

Amidst the flowing melody from the window and the quacking of ducks, a faint voice was heard.

“…Arch?”

Eloise turned her head towards the sound, unable to hide her delight.

Her flushed cheeks under the dazzling summer sun were as red as ripe apples.

“Why are you here? It’s not even Sunday yet.”

“Should I go back then?”

The man wiped the beads of sweat on his nose bridge with the back of his hand and grinned. The dimple on his tanned cheek looked innocent. Naturally, Eloise smiled along with him.

“What? That’s not what I meant!”

Seeing no sign of him coming closer, Eloise scattered the remaining feed around and quietly slipped out from among the ducks.

“Be careful, Elsi. Don’t fall…”

Archibald mumbled absently as he watched her wheat-colored hair and plain poplin dress flutter in the early summer breeze.

Eloise Bailey seemed both unchanged from her small, young girlhood days and completely transformed.

When did time pass like this?

While he was lost in thought, Eloise, who had quickly closed the distance, froze as she was fixing her wind-tousled hair.

Archibald Hicks was a servant of Fairmont House before being her longtime childhood friend. She had belatedly remembered this fact.

Fairmont House was located in Longfield, not far from Mayberry.

The owner of that magnificent mansion was the Earl of Huntington, and his only grandson was Ansel Blaine.

The beautiful guest who came to Longfield every summer to spend time with his grandfather.

Only when Eloise heard the news of his return did her summer truly begin. From that first summer they met until now, over a decade later, it remained so.

Summer was undoubtedly the busiest season for the young Bailey sisters.

The guest from the capital would leave abruptly before the hot season even ended.

So they would spend those few weeks he stayed more busily and joyfully than any other season.

He was the one who made them eagerly await the hot summer and ultimately fall in love with that season.

Although several years had passed since she no longer associated with Ansel, when the rose-blooming season came to Mayberry, Eloise’s heart would inevitably flutter.

It just happened without reason.

“Arch, surely you don’t…”

“I just called out while passing by. Since I happened to see you.”

“…What?”

Eloise, who was about to ask if his young master had returned, even though they were no longer on speaking terms, asked back with a slightly disappointed tone.

“Why are you passing by here?”

“Running an errand.”

“…You’re being silly. Don’t let me disturb you, go on. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”

As she was about to turn away, Archibald’s calm voice stopped her again.

“Curious if the young master has returned?”

“…”

“You know, you used to like Ansel.”

As if she had heard something she shouldn’t have, her eyes, bluer than the summer sky, widened.

“Arch.”

She should have laughed it off casually as usual, as if he had suddenly appeared and said something nonsensical.

But Eloise missed that chance.

“When we were young, we mingled without any hesitation, but now we’ve grown so distant, all because of those feelings. Am I wrong?”

“…”

Eloise was at a loss for words, finding Archibald’s sudden statement unfamiliar, uncharacteristically only moving her lips.

There was no mistake in his words, which made her even more speechless.

But there was another decisive reason why she had grown distant from Ansel Blaine.

“It’s because of the gap between him and us. When we were young, we mingled without knowing better, but now…”

“…”

“Anyway, you and I are still friends, right? Isn’t that enough?”

She playfully hit his flat chest, but Archibald didn’t back down.

“The reason you can remain friends with me is because you don’t have feelings for me, Elsi. Unlike with the young master.”

“…Arch, what are you trying to say?”

“But the young master’s heart was actually with Miss Bailey.”

At that moment, Eloise unconsciously recalled an incident from ten years ago.

The summer when the Earl’s grandson turned fourteen, it wasn’t Ansel who came to Longfield, but only his letter.

On the back of the snow-white envelope was written only her sister’s name along with the Bailey family address.

Sarah, who usually didn’t show her emotions well, couldn’t hide her joy upon receiving that letter.

Of course, Eloise wasn’t surprised. She had long noticed her sister’s feelings.

‘What does it say?’

When she asked in a casual voice, this was the response she got.

His handwriting is very beautiful, Eloise. And the sentences are very elegant and polite. Just like adults’ letters…

But it seems he won’t be able to return until next year. He’s going abroad.

Eloise still vividly remembered how Sarah’s face bore a rare, sorrowful light as she said this.

She also remembered how Sarah added this after composing herself shortly after.

‘He kindly included greetings for you as well.’

By then, things had already started to become awkward between her and him.

Partly because she realized that mingling freely with boys wasn’t ladylike behavior, but also because she could no longer pretend not to know about Ansel’s background, that he was someone beyond their station.

So Eloise suppressed the urge to snatch the letter right away.

There might be secret stories between the two of them in the letter. Above all, not wanting to reveal her futile feelings for him, she didn’t even bother to ask how he had inquired about her.

So it remained her secret alone that she had lost sleep imagining the sentences he might have written for her.

Sometime after that, Eloise saw that letter again in the room.

More precisely, it was lying on top of Sarah’s small drawer, probably because her sister had forgotten to put it away after reading it several times.

And at some point without realizing it, Eloise found herself reading it before she could even think that she shouldn’t sneak a peek.

It was a simple letter. Polite greetings, recent news, and information about going abroad for two years due to excellent grades were written in neat letters.

It was much later that she learned he was attending the most prestigious private school in the capital at the time.

“P.S. Please give my regards to Miss Eloise Bailey as well.”

The greeting he had left for her was just one sentence.

It was so disappointing that she thought perhaps her sister hadn’t shown her the letter out of consideration, not wanting to disappoint her younger sister. Nevertheless, Eloise was overjoyed.

Perhaps it was because his handwriting was so beautiful.

But as much as she was happy, her guilt for reading the letter secretly also grew, and before long, she ended up confessing the truth to her sister.

‘I’m sorry! I read that letter. I saw it lying out and before I knew it… He seems to really like you.’

When she said that, Sarah smiled brightly and said it was okay.

Cheeks like rose-colored paint had spread. The smile, enveloped in pure happiness, was exceptionally beautiful.

Eloise felt relieved but at the same time, distressed.

Indeed, there had been quite a few incidents between Ansel and Sarah in their childhood.

Though not particularly grand, they were pretty and special events that sparkled like jewels in a small box.

Eloise knew about these incidents as well as the parties involved.

For her, each one was a memory that pained her heart.

However, it wasn’t just her who couldn’t be with the Earl’s grandson.

The same was true for her sister, said to be the most beautiful in Mayberry.

A duck cannot be a swan’s mate. It was a natural principle.

Eloise finished her thoughts and dropped her shoulders weakly.

“I know too. But no matter what, our family can’t be connected with him. So it’s all futile…”

“The young master will be coming to Longfield soon.”

At that moment, Archibald abruptly cut her off. His tone was calm, unlike his strangely flushed face.

“Along with some surprising news.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s all I can tell you. See you next time.”

He reached out his hand, deeply tanned by the sun, and tousled her fine wheat-colored hair.

Then he strode away in the direction he had come from.

“Arch! Didn’t you say you were just passing by? What about your errand…”

Archibald had always been very quick on his feet, both then and now.

Left alone in an instant, Eloise turned back with a bewildered sigh.

She thought as she readjusted the sack of duck feed in her arms.

Well. I don’t think I’ll be particularly surprised. Unless it’s news of a marriage or something.