The maid could not hide her bewilderment upon hearing that the ‘guest’ who had come to the mansion in a disheveled state and fallen asleep in the bathtub would end up staying here.

Yesterday, after finishing dinner with that woman, the master immediately requested for the attic to be cleaned up.

Knowing that it is a virtue of an excellent maid not to question, she did not argue, but the master easily recognized the question that arose on her face.

‘It’s only for a short while anyway.’

The young master told her that the woman would come back down before long.

The maid could not understand why he would have her stay there while going through the trouble of tidying up the attic, but as always, she bowed her head deeply to comply with his order.

Thus, as she began to silently clean the attic, the woman appeared with an old suitcase and abruptly rolled up her sleeves, saying she would help. The maid found her attitude peculiar.

Who on earth was this woman? It was certain that she was not a noblewoman…

Although he called her a guest, that must have been a guise.

Her master was not the type to bring guests into the house. Moreover, there was no way he would truly bring in such a woman as a guest.

Even though the master seemed flawless, he was still a man in his prime after all.

Despite the rampant rumors that he was openly enjoying a romance with a young lady from a distinguished family, the master had never brought that young lady to this house even once.

So when she first encountered this woman, the maid thought it might be the master’s secret taste.

After seeing her appearance when she came out after washing up thoroughly, that speculation gained a bit more strength. Although her lips were pale blue from being in the cold water for a long time.

Well, if he wanted to keep a woman with nothing by his side, at least his eyes should be pleased. Thinking that way, it finally felt like the pieces were falling into place.

But as soon as she had that thought, the maid heard from the master to have that woman stay in the dirty attic.

That order instantly shattered the meticulously built-up hypothesis.

The attic was located at the top of a steep staircase in the corner of the second floor of the mansion.

Not only was the interior small, but the ceiling was slanted following the triangular shape of the roof, so the height near the far wall was at best only as tall as a young child.

It was not even suitable for storing unused household items, and in the first place, due to the master’s disposition, there were no unnecessary furnishings in this house.

Naturally, the attic had been a dead space all along.

Wasn’t it excessive mistreatment to have someone who was not even a servant of this household stay in such a place?

Anyway, it seemed certain that the mysterious woman with well-ripened wheat-colored hair and autumn sky-blue eyes was not a guest who needed to be treated with the utmost care, but the next morning, as the master was preparing to go out, he abruptly asked if she had woken up.

Surprised that he, who was usually so taciturn, spoke first and even brought up that woman, the maid immediately shook her head and asked, ‘Shall I wake her up?’ The master replied to let her sleep. A brief request followed.

‘Take good care of her.’

His voice was indifferent, but somehow, it seemed that his words to take good care of that woman were not sincere.

Just seeing that he had her stay in the attic with only a mattress laid out, without even a proper bed, it was evident that the master did not hold her in high regard.

So the maid decided not to pay much attention to that woman. She would simply act as if she were there and not there, no different from before she came to this house.

Not long after reaching that conclusion, to be precise, about an hour after the master left the house, the woman came downstairs.

Even though an hour had passed, due to the master’s early departure for work, it was still early.

The maid, who was changing the water in the vases placed throughout the house, naturally had this thought.

‘She seems to be more diligent than I thought.’

It seemed she had been looking for a servant, as the woman peeked her head inside the drawing room and spoke with a slight blush on her face.

“Um, hello.”

A soft voice echoed in the drawing room. Her face, which seemed a bit tense for some reason, was fresh.

Despite her slender figure, there was a strange child-like innocence to her youthful face.

Perhaps it was because of her delicately beautiful lips, but she resembled the roses in the vase.

Lost in such thoughts, the maid forgot to answer, and the woman gently added.

“I’m sorry, but could you prepare some breakfast for me?”

“……”

“I need to go out soon, so I was hoping to eat something before then….”

The young master of this mansion only drank a strong cup of tea before going out and did not have breakfast.

So the maid hastily prepared and served something simple that could be readied immediately.

The woman, who expressed her gratitude profusely, ate cleanly without leaving anything behind, as if that meager meal were some grand cuisine.

Some time later, when the maid returned to the drawing room to clear the empty plates and glasses, the woman was quietly gazing at the flowers on the table.

Did she like these flowers that resembled herself? If so, it would be fortunate. The only flowers the master allowed to be kept in the house were these pink roses.

“I will clear away what you have eaten.”

“…Ah, yes.”

The woman put down the tableware she had been holding in her hand the entire time after finishing her meal, as if she had been burned.

As the maid neatly stacked the plates, saucers, and teacups with a gentle touch, the woman seemed to be fiddling with her neatly tied-up hair, then gently parted her lips.

“Um….”

After a brief hesitation, the woman asked various questions.

The questions were about personal matters such as how long ago the master had acquired this house, how many servants worked in this house, and what time the master left the house and returned home.

The maid, having concluded that there was no potential for problems, readily provided the answers.

After all, the master had instructed her to take good care of this woman.

However, even in the midst of that, she could not hide her bewilderment.

It was because the woman’s eyes were too clear for an attempt at a secret investigation.

It seemed she had no talent for hiding her emotions, so it was as if the desire for that handsome man would be exposed on those blue eyes while listening to the answers…

“So you’re saying he comes back around that time every day?”

“In principle, yes.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

No matter how one looked at it, rather than desire, there was a transparent tension in her eyes, like a child listening to instructions.

The maid, who had become lost in thought for some reason, concluded that she would postpone defining the relationship between this enigmatic guest who had suddenly fallen from the sky and her master for a while.

When she left the house, it was a clear morning with the sound of birds outside.

Indeed, this neighborhood was as clean as if it were a completely different world from the gloomy district she had encountered upon arriving in the capital, and it had a sophistication that could not be compared even to the area near Mrs. Mullitch’s two-story house in Northtown.

The landscaped scenery of the streets, the antique mansions unified by a well-organized style.

Even in the attire and gait of the people walking the streets, a genteel dignity could be felt.

It seemed that the likes of those who had pestered her or men like Mrs. Mullitch’s son would not dare to set foot in this district.

After all, this area seemed to belong to the affluent part of the capital.

‘It would cost a lot of money to stay in a place like this without relying on someone, right? Two times the rent I paid to Mrs. Mullitch? No, maybe three times?’

Eloise somehow felt her vision going dark. It was because she realized that once she left this mansion soon, she would never be able to live in such a place again.

‘Breakfast was delicious too. Such a sophisticated dessert. Needless to say, last night’s dinner was amazing.’

Even in the midst of the tension from the confrontation with Ansel, she had tasted all the dishes on the table without fail.

By the time the meal was over and she was about to leave, Ansel had even gently pushed the plates that were out of Eloise’s reach towards her.

Despite feeling embarrassed, Eloise willingly picked up the fork again, judging that she could not ignore his consideration.

‘Anyway… it might be better than I thought….’

The reunion with him was more straightforward than expected. Thanks to him being a gentleman, what she had worried about did not happen.

The attic, which she had hastily tidied up last night, was also quite cozy and to her liking, especially the fact that she could see the moon and stars through the small window on one side of the slanted ceiling.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Although she never intended to end up staying at Ansel’s house, sharing a part of daily life in close proximity might help her treat him as insignificant.

On the contrary, in Maebury, far away from him, didn’t the shining memories linger like stars, making it difficult to let him go?

“Somehow, I feel like I can handle this well.”

Eloise muttered as if making a resolution and left the alley with light steps. Then, a smooth gravel-paved avenue came into view.

Eloise suddenly realized that the capital no longer felt unfamiliar to her.

The city, where even taking a step had been hesitant, now felt somewhat comfortable.

Eloise walked out into the bright light without hesitation. She no longer felt awkward about asking a stranger for directions.

“Hello, I’m sorry, but which way should I go to get to the central square?”

“The central square, you say?”

“Yes, actually, I’m trying to go to the Old Bridge.”

Eloise smiled as if feeling awkward. Somehow, it felt like a good day.