Around the time the gentle sun peeked over the ridge, Eloise bathed with the help of Mrs. Hurst, who came to her room early in the morning.

When she was very young, Mrs. Hurst used to help her bathe like this.

The kind and talkative lady was always a great conversation partner, and it was Eloise’s routine to chatter away to her about the things that happened that day.

Everything from the interesting, the joyful, to even the disappointing.

Being so emotionally sensitive, sometimes she would burst into tears in the middle of speaking.

‘Ansel went back to the capital today, Mrs. Hurst. I miss him already…..’

‘It’s alright, Ellie. Summer will come around again soon.’

‘But I don’t think I can bear the seasons without him.’

She had completely forgotten that she said such things to Mrs. Hurst.

Fortunately, as she grew up, she stopped having such embarrassing conversations, but the two still shared many talks.

Sometimes even the most trivial things became great conversation topics.

But for some reason, at this moment, Eloise couldn’t utter a single word.

As if a large thorn was stuck in her throat.

Mrs. Hurst was also unusually quiet. Her usual talkative demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

Eloise could only guess that she, too, had a lot on her mind, just like herself.

Thus, aside from the splashing sound of water, no particular words were exchanged in the bathroom, but even so, Eloise felt as if she had received sufficient comfort.

Perhaps it was because the answer Mrs. Hurst had given her in those young days was still vividly etched in a corner of her heart.

‘What are you worried about when you have your elder sister? Sarah won’t leave you in any season.’

Yes. There was no mistake in those words. Sarah had insisted on staying close to home even after marriage. The one who left her was none other than herself.

Nevertheless, her elder sister who diligently wiped her face that was dirty with tears.

Eloise couldn’t possibly fathom the depth of her heart. Even though she must have been carrying a tsunami-like wound and despair, she didn’t let a single ripple show outside.

Last night, she cried out in tears that she would live for her elder sister and family, but in fact, Eloise didn’t know what she had to do to keep that promise.

Should she now, as the second daughter, go out and find a marriage partner who can support the family in place of the eldest daughter who had been carrying all the burdens alone? Or should she stay by her family’s side without meeting any man until she dies?

Whatever it is, she should live as her family wishes. Even as she thought this, she was afraid of what her parents would say……

‘If they get angry and ask about the situation, I’ll have to tell them the truth.’

The truth is that she had harbored feelings for that person for a long time without even knowing the subject, and because of those feelings, she couldn’t remain indifferent by his side and left home.

She wouldn’t be able to deny the fact that his postponing the wedding and leaving for the capital was due to her wrong choice.

At that moment, Mrs. Hurst opened her mouth for the first time about a topic other than bathing.

“It seems like a lot has happened.”

It wasn’t a question, so should she say it was fortunate?

Eloise didn’t know how to answer, so she just stared at the rippling water surface.

“Your eyes are swollen, your face is only half, and your ankles and heels are a mess.”

“……”

“If the visible parts are like this, I wonder how your invisible heart is.”

Mrs. Hurst’s voice was so calm that it wouldn’t be strange if it belonged to someone else.

“……I’m sorry.”

Eloise answered in a choked voice.

“For making you worry….. And for coming back like this……”

“There’s nothing to apologize to me for, dear.”

“Won’t you ask me anything?”

Then Mrs. Hurst rubbed Eloise’s wet shoulders and said,

“You’ll be having a lot of conversations with your family soon, so there’s no need to lose strength from now.”

“……Mrs. Hurst. Are my parents very angry?”

“Well. I don’t think they had time to be angry.”

“Ah……”

Eloise lowered her head weakly.

If their anger could be appeased by scolding and harsh words, it would be better. If she could beg for forgiveness that way.

“I must say this, dear.”

Then Mrs. Hurst continued.

“There are things in the world that never change, and that’s the relationship called family. While living, things worse than this can happen plenty. But no matter what happens, the fact that you are the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey and Sarah’s only younger sister won’t change. You know that, right?”

“……Yes. I know.”

When she answered in a watery voice, Mrs. Hurst smiled softly.

“Yes. Remember it well.”

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, sitting at the breakfast table early in the morning, weren’t very surprised to see Eloise waiting for them.

Since she had caused such a commotion last night, it was hard not to know that their second daughter had returned.

Eventually, Eloise sat across from her parents with a visibly nervous face.

Just making eye contact made her eyes burn, which was quite troublesome, but she didn’t want to show a childish appearance at a moment like this, so she clenched her fists tightly and held back her tears.

The first to speak was Mr. Bailey.

He asked Eloise if she had known in advance that this would happen. Eloise answered that she didn’t know.

Next, Mrs. Bailey asked if she had met Ansel in the capital, and Eloise said that while he did come to see her, as soon as he found out the wedding was called off, he left the capital right away and she didn’t have any special conversation with him.

Of course, she added that she didn’t know where he was now, that she would do anything for her elder sister, and that she hoped all of this would pass quickly.

That was all. In the end, she did show a little tears, but through this morning, Eloise had finally returned home.

As if the things in the capital and her elder sister’s marriage were all just her own dream.

Working at the factory every day until she was exhausted, trying to sleep amidst the cat’s interference, it all felt like a distant memory.

Strangely, it did. Perhaps it was because the home she returned to kept the same appearance as in her memories.

The only thing that changed was that her elder sister’s fiancé would no longer visit this old and harmonious place.

And the talk of marriage that decorated the dining table every day disappeared like a lie.

Sarah hardly spoke, and the same went for Mrs. Bailey.

To begin with, they were far from talkative personalities, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

After all, starting conversations was usually Mr. Bailey’s job.

“……By the way, I heard Mrs. Fulham is hosting a tea party this weekend.”

“Again? Oh my!”

At Mr. Bailey’s words, Mrs. Bailey, who became upset, stabbed a piece of bacon with her fork. It was a sunny afternoon a few days later.

“Anyone would think something celebratory happened in that house.”

Eloise quietly ate her boiled beans, trying not to show any reaction to her mother’s irritated grumbling.

No one here wouldn’t know the reason why Mrs. Fulham was acting so high and mighty and childish, so there was no need to bring it up.

If it were like before, Eloise, who would have slammed down her water glass and criticized Mrs. Fulham, felt somewhat embarrassed and focused on her meal without a word.

But rarely, Mrs. Bailey showed her anger.

“She’s going around saying that the dress she spent over a month making has become useless, that she can’t even put it out anywhere, and what to do? She should be ashamed of herself. The same goes for the fools who associate with Mrs. Fulham.”

“……What? She said that?”

In the end, Eloise couldn’t hold back and opened her mouth. The hand holding the fork was trembling slightly.

“Yes! When our Sarah is so young and beautiful, what nonsense is she saying? She should keep it safe and bring it out to wear when the time comes, why would she put it out, put it out?”

When the topic of marriage, which was an unspoken taboo, came up, naturally everyone became quiet. Mr. Bailey broke the silence with an awkward applause.

“Well said, dear! That woman is just jealous of us. There’s not a day without arguing in that house, so aside from gathering people every day, there’s nothing fun for them. But we are like this…… happy, aren’t we?”

At those words, silence flowed again. Mrs. Bailey even sighed.

While Mr. Bailey was at a loss for what to add, Sarah, who had silently put down her utensils, parted her lips.

“That’s right, Father.”

“Y-Yes, it is.”

“Yes. Eloise has also returned safely, and we’ve gathered together like this again. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for our family’s ordinary meals together. The simple happiness I feel every moment is more precious to me than anything else.”

Sarah’s kind confession naturally quelled the commotion of midday. Of course, it was a temporary resolution.

Due to the unexpected midsummer storm, the Bailey house had been creaking here and there frequently these days.

But Eloise felt the same love and warmth in this house.

As Mrs. Hurst said, the relationship called family would never change. Even if a bigger storm came, these lovely people would embrace each other and grow even stronger.

Even after that, Eloise constantly strived to return to the self that everyone remembered.

Mediating her parents’ arguments, enthusiastically admiring delicious meals, and even causing a commotion while feeding the ducks. She considered such trivial things to be the most important role given to her.

Thus, laughter gradually increased in the house again.

The family never uttered the word forgiveness, but Eloise knew they had already forgiven all her immaturity.

Like that, the not-much-remaining summer passed quietly.

The Bailey family was definitely happy. So Eloise was happy too.

Although sometimes at night, the sound of her mother sobbing could be heard, and whenever that happened, her elder sister’s smile as she comforted her, saying it wasn’t her fault, had a sad light, but even so, having each other……