On the second day of leaving home, Eloise was composed without shedding a single tear. It was the same for her family, as they simply exchanged calm embraces and kisses one by one.

Even in sorrowful times, one could become accustomed to it. The sudden realization brought a small comfort to her aching heart.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes. Take care of yourself…”

“Write to us, Ellie. Alright?”

Since the sudden confession, there had been no meeting with Archibald.

He wouldn’t have had a reason to seek her out, and Eloise hadn’t gone to church since then.

Therefore, when the coachman offered to take Eloise, she firmly refused his kindness.

As she had left all her luggage behind, there was no heavy bag to carry, and she wanted to walk and ponder over various thoughts.

Reflecting on the heart-wrenching past for a while, and then contemplating the unfathomable future for some time. Walking like that, silently taking in the vividly clear autumn, she soon reached the stopping place for the stagecoach.

The coach, arriving shortly, was bustling with quite a few passengers.

When she first took the stagecoach a few months ago, it was very early in the morning, so there were hardly any people. Naturally, it felt quite unfamiliar.

In fact, compared to that day, Eloise herself had also changed.

Leaving her family and going far away now felt quite indifferent to her.

Compared to that day when she sat in the corner seat with a frightened rabbit-like face, she was now calm enough to be mistaken for a different person.

Back then, she had been fearful due to rashly leaving home, but now it was different.

That was because Brightonham was no longer an unimaginable unknown world to Eloise. If she closed her eyes, she could vividly feel the streets of the capital.

The sensation of the wind, cool for summer, brushing against her cheeks, and the bustling afternoons in the central square.

The busy noise of the bead factory and the musty smell inside Mrs. Mullitch’s house. And even the figure of a man standing in front of that house’s gate on a rainy night…

‘Eloise.’

The refreshing scent that became more distinct in the rain, the hot body temperature she felt when embraced in his arms, the trembling breaths and the low resonating voice, the transparent green eyes that held only her.

She now had to forget all of that, and she would forget. Because the only thing that hadn’t changed was the fact that she was leaving to forget him.

Because overcoming the time she was captivated by him was the only way she could be happy beside her precious loved ones.

“Miss, are you alone?”

Eloise knew from prior experience that the coach would stop in a remote area far from the bustling streets.

She also knew that in the capital, there were enough low-quality men to trip over.

And despite her desperate desire to hold onto time, she had unwittingly become a grown woman.

‘Although Miss Bailey is undoubtedly a beauty, you’re the one who drives men crazy…’

Eloise tightly closed her eyes, recalling a memory she didn’t want to recall.

As if triggered by that face, a man with a sleazy appearance blocked her way, twitching one eyebrow.

“Huh? Miss, can’t you hear me? I’m asking if you’re alone.”

“…I have a companion.”

Eloise replied without even looking at the man and passed by him. Thinking that she would soon meet Mrs. Mullitch again, it wasn’t a lie.

‘Ugh, it reeks. Did he down alcohol until morning?’

This time, she had deliberately made sure to arrive in Brightonham in the morning, but experiencing this even in the morning was simply irritating.

It might be a side effect of being a crowded and bustling city, but it was truly tiresome.

“Where is your companion? It’s no fun if you’re lying.”

“Seriously, what the…”

Eloise, who had spent more than a day and a half in a crowded stagecoach, was extremely fatigued. Her entire body was stiff.

However, Eloise was confident that she could at least run better than that staggering man.

Tying the laces near her ankles tightly, she took a short deep breath and began running with all her might.

“Hey, hey! Look here!”

As expected, the man couldn’t keep up with her. When it felt like her lungs were about to burst, Eloise stopped her swaying legs.

“Haa…”

The central square that had greeted the morning could be seen in the distance. Gentlemen and ladies dressed in various styles, horses and carriages, and pedestrians wearing old hats were busily passing by.

Now that she felt safe, Eloise suddenly felt sad.

‘If that man hadn’t been drunk or if I couldn’t run well, I would have had to endure a terrible experience as soon as I arrived in the capital.’

Living as a woman is quite a difficult thing. In Maybery, one could live relatively peacefully, but there was no freedom.

Especially for women, even a small incident quickly became a rumor. The people there had so little entertainment that they were excessively interested in others’ every move.

On the other hand, here in Brightonham, there was freedom. But there were too many men who approached in a rude and vulgar manner. Of course, the story would have been different if she had been with family or companions, but it didn’t apply to Eloise, who was completely alone.

She loved the free-spiritedness of the capital, but when difficult situations occasionally arose, she often had to rely on luck like today.

She didn’t want to resent being born a woman, but…

‘Still, at times like this, I can’t help but feel dejected.’

Eloise, who was already exhausted from riding the coach for a long time in an uncomfortable posture, now felt like she could collapse on the street at any moment.

Tapping her legs that felt like they would burst, Eloise thought it was a splendid new beginning. Of course, it was ironic.

“Ugh, it’s cold…”

Moreover, as the sweat that had lightly formed cooled, she even felt a chill.

Forgetting that the weather here was cooler than in Maybery was the root of the problem.

Wearing only a thin poplin dress with a shawl draped over it, Eloise shivered like a wet cat, hugging her arms.

“Let’s hurry.”

Neither Mrs. Mullitch nor her cat seemed likely to welcome her warmly, but at least Eloise felt like she would be glad about everything in that house.

Especially that cozy bed.

She had neatly put away the thought of going to the factory later today.

It seemed better to rest well today and visit the factory early tomorrow morning to talk with the manager, Mr. Woodley.

With those busy thoughts in mind, as she ran through the crowd, she soon found herself in front of the red brick house at 4 Northtown.

The long, trailing vines seemed to have slightly deepened in color.

Eloise, who had run up the dozen stone steps in one breath, knocked hard on the door.

“Madam! Mrs. Mullitch!”

Eloise felt moved by the fact that she had a place to return to in this unfamiliar city.

Yes, this was quite a splendid start. With that thought, she was about to knock on the door once more when it swung open with a creak.

Eloise couldn’t even withdraw her hand hanging in the air as she smiled brightly.

“Madam! I…”

But the one who opened the door was some rough-looking man. Eloise’s smiling face froze.

“What, you?”

The strong smell of alcohol and his extremely flushed face reminded her of the young man she had encountered as soon as she got off the coach.

However, the man in front of her had half his hair falling out and a protruding belly, looking to be at least in his fifties.

He was even holding a bottle filled with brown liquid in one hand.

The alcohol in the glass bottle swayed as if it would spill at any moment when the man flailed his arm roughly.

“Who are you, I asked?”

“I, I’m Eloise Bailey, lodging in this house… Is Mrs. Mullitch inside?”

Even as she obediently answered the man’s brusque question, Eloise was suddenly frightened.

His wide-open eyes were so bloodshot that it sent chills down her spine. It was clear that he was in a state of heavy intoxication, to the point where conversation seemed impossible.

“She’s not here!”

Eloise’s shoulders involuntarily flinched at the man’s fierce reply.

She couldn’t understand why such a person was here, but she didn’t dare to ask, and even if she did, it seemed unlikely that he would answer willingly.

The thought that he might be the owner of the occasional arguments heard from the entrance hall briefly crossed her mind, but if so, it was even more unrelated to her.

Eloise parted her lips, thinking of going upstairs to rest her body first.

“…Then I’ll wait inside.”

At that moment, the man, who had been intently staring at Eloise’s face, abruptly stretched out his arm and grasped her left shoulder.

Eloise, startled, screamed and shook off his hand.

“Wh, what are you doing?”

The rough touch made her feel unpleasant and fearful. Was he trying to chase her out?

That thought was wrong, which she could tell as soon as she heard the man’s next words. More precisely, the moment she saw his lecherous smile.

“I’m in a foul mood since morning, and then you showed up. If you’re a lodger, you must have come from far away. Did you not have this much expectation when coming to the capital alone as a woman?”

“What…”

The man’s hand gripping her shoulder roughly fondled her delicate arm.

When Eloise’s face turned deathly pale, the repulsion overpowering her fear, the man’s hand holding the bottle approached.

It looked as if he was trying to embrace Eloise like that.

“Kyaah! Let go!”

Eloise, tightly closing her eyes, let out a shrill scream and pushed the man away.

But the dull impact sound that followed and the sound of the glass bottle shattering made Eloise’s spine turn icy cold.

As she lifted her trembling eyelids, what entered her sight was the man tumbling down the stairs, shards of glass scattered everywhere, and the bright red blood seeping from his head, soaking the ground.

“Oh, no…”

Eloise’s body collapsed limply to the floor at the sight of the calamity that unfolded in an instant.