Walking briskly while asking for directions along the way, a familiar path finally appeared.

A path that was once traveled every morning and evening. Of course, the last time she walked this path, she felt miserable.

Not only was she treated like a beggar and a troublemaker, but she was also fired right in front of her eyes.

That’s not all. The money she received as compensation was ridiculously small compared to what she had expected.

The distant feeling of despair she felt at that time was still vivid on the tip of her tongue.

Perhaps that’s why. When she suddenly saw the bright orange exterior walls of the Old Bridge factory in front of her, she had the illusion of a bitter taste spreading in her mouth.

“It’s okay.”

I’m not weak. Eloise repeated those words to herself.

Now that she unexpectedly ended up staying at Ansel Blaine’s mansion, there was no time to sit around sucking her thumb.

She needed to establish a foundation to stand on her own as soon as possible. By using all possible methods, if necessary.

“I had a good feeling from the morning today.”

Muttering softly, Eloise entered the factory entrance when suddenly a cold wind fiercely clawed at her hair and dress.

It was a wind strong enough to make her hands holding the bonnet tremble, but she did not stop walking.

By now, it should be time to slowly wrap up the morning work before the lunch break.

Eloise planned to meet the manager, Mr. Woodley, who would come out for a meal while hiding in the corner.

There was no other way, even if it looked pathetic to hide behind the wall like a frightened cat when she had done nothing wrong.

If she ran into Mrs. Dunn, it was obvious that another commotion would occur.

‘I don’t want to be humiliated in front of my former colleagues.’

The reason she wanted to meet Mr. Woodley was to explain her situation and seek another opportunity.

Although she was treated like a worthless person in front of Mrs. Dunn and the factory owner, the manager who checked the employees’ attendance every day would know well how diligently she worked.

‘Mrs. Dunn said I seduced him to gain unfair advantages.’

The person involved, Mr. Woodley, must know that it was not true.

So if he felt sympathy and a bit of guilt towards her, he might give her another chance.

Just like when she first started working here, there seemed to be occasions when positions suddenly became available at this factory.

The moment her thoughts reached that point, Mr. Woodley’s voice announcing lunchtime was heard.

Thanks to his excellent voice, the sound was quite clearly conveyed even to the wall where Eloise was crouching.

It was as if she had the illusion of threading beads inside the factory until just now.

‘…Gasp.’

At that moment, she saw Mrs. Dunn leaving the factory building ahead of everyone else.

Wearing a dark purple dress with a brown pelisse robe, she majestically exited the main gate, her dress fluttering.

Only then could Eloise feel a little relieved.

Even if someone caught her hiding like this, as long as it wasn’t Mrs. Dunn, she would avoid the worst-case scenario.

‘But why isn’t Mr. Woodley coming out?’

When her legs started to go numb from crouching like a punished child, the female workers began to leave the factory in groups of three or five.

Eloise, who was watching their backs with tense eyes, slightly raised her head and examined the factory building.

But at that moment, a voice was heard above her head.

“Miss Bailey?”

“Ah!”

Startled, Eloise sat down on the ground. Looking up in an awkward posture, there was a female worker whom she had exchanged greetings with a few times while working at the factory.

Her name was Natalie, right? Although they had never had a proper conversation, there was a clear delight in the woman’s olive-colored eyes.

While finding it rather strange, Eloise inadvertently thought of a man with eyes of a similar color.

Of course, his were a little lighter, more transparent, and as smooth as green silk…

“What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Natalie’s lively voice swiftly pulled Eloise out of her thoughts.

“I was so disappointed when you suddenly quit, really! Where have you been? Are you coming back?”

Even while asking that, the woman had a puzzled look on her face.

Well, if she had decided to come back, there would be no reason to hide in such a suspicious manner.

“Well, I had some circumstances and went to my family. I didn’t inform the factory in advance, so it seems my position was cleared. I’m trying to talk to Mr. Woodley.”

“Why are you hiding here then?”

“Oh, to avoid running into Mrs. Dunn…”

“Mrs. Dunn left a long time ago! She was probably the first to leave?”

Natalie, who burst into laughter as if she knew, continued.

“If you’re looking for Mr. Woodley, he’s in the manager’s office. I just had a meeting with him, and he said he’ll skip lunch today due to a severe hangover.”

Eloise awkwardly nodded at those words, and the female worker grinned at her.

“I hope you have a good talk. Actually, I’ve always wanted to become friends with you, Miss Bailey.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

Eloise, who inadvertently widened her eyes, answered hesitantly, and Natalie turned around with a cheerful step and walked away towards the main road.

‘She wanted to be friends.’

Somehow my heart feels ticklish.

With that thought, Eloise stood up, her body stiff.

She suddenly felt like a fool for not thinking of approaching others first, even though she had sang so much about wanting to make friends in the capital.

‘If I can work here again, I will definitely make friends this time.’

Eloise, who had a bold ambition, stretched as if bracing herself.

Today, the factory was very quiet, as if no one had skipped a meal to work.

Eloise took determined steps towards the manager’s office.

As soon as she pushed open the heavy wooden door with a creak, what caught her eye was the figure of the manager, Mr. Woodley, lying face down on the desk piled with documents.

He said he had a severe hangover and would skip a meal, so his condition must be really bad.

But the fact that he came to work means he can still handle his duties.

Eloise decided to believe so. After all, she didn’t come all the way here to return empty-handed.

“Mr. Woodley.”

“Ugh…”

When she carefully approached Mr. Woodley, whose hair was as messy as a bird’s nest, and called his name, he let out a painful groan while shaking his body.

Feeling like she had done something terrible, Eloise took a step back, and at that moment, the manager sat up.

“Ba…?”

He couldn’t finish his words and kept rubbing his red, bloodshot eyes. Eloise, who neatly clasped her hands together, calmly responded.

“Yes, it’s me, Mr. Woodley.”

“Oh, Miss Bailey…”

A mixture of bewilderment and delight floated in the manager’s tired eyes.

Relief shone on Eloise’s face, who had been inwardly anxious that he might ignore her and turn away.

At least he didn’t seem like he would insult her like Mrs. Dunn.

“I’m embarrassed to be seen like this. Are you feeling better?”

“Feeling better?”

“Didn’t you take a break from work because you weren’t feeling well? I was worried when you didn’t show up after that!”

“Ah…”

Eloise finally remembered that on the last day she went to the factory, she had left early due to poor health.

The next day, she received a vacation with the manager’s consideration, but even she herself didn’t know that she would end up leaving the capital like that.

‘He came that night. That rainy night…’

After recalling the memories that already felt distant, she answered in a calm tone.

“I’m fine. Thanks to you.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re okay. Then, the reason you came today is…”

Mr. Woodley scratched his unshaven, rough chin and asked.

“…to blame me?”

There was a faint sense of guilt in that question.

It seemed clear that the favor he had shown her had turned into a bad rumor, as he had somewhat expected after listening to what Mrs. Dunn said.

If his usual conduct had been proper, this wouldn’t have happened, so it wasn’t surprising that Mr. Woodley showed a sense of guilt.

“No, Mr. Woodley. I wanted to apologize for suddenly disappearing the other day. At that time, I had no choice but to leave the capital abruptly due to a family matter.”

“A family matter? Is everything okay now?”

“Yes, for now. Anyway, it’s been weighing on my mind that I was absent without explanation. Even if it’s too late to say it now…”

Seeing that there was no resentment in Eloise’s eyes, the manager’s expression became much more relaxed.

He belatedly ran his hand through his thin brown hair and spoke.

“If it’s too late, then…”

“Mr. Woodley, I know it’s shameless of me, but could you give me another chance to work here? You know well that I was a diligent employee. You told me that even though I was still a novice, you could feel my enthusiasm and had high expectations for my future.”

“…”

“I was even told by Mrs. Dunn that I seduced the manager to gain unfair advantages. Please give me a chance to directly clarify with my attitude that it’s not true. I beg you.”

Mr. Woodley stared at Eloise blankly.

The woman in front of him had clearly changed from the image in his memory.

Her lovely face was the same, but he thought there was a fresh and naive feeling about her. How could she change so much in just a few months?

Her voice was desperate, and he indeed felt pity hearing that she had been badmouthed by Mrs. Dunn.

But even while thinking that, Mr. Woodley shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but it would be difficult to grant that request, Miss Bailey.”