The slightly puffy hair that wasn’t completely dry was bothersome, but Eloise tried to maintain a composed expression as she descended the stairs.

However, when she finally reached the dining room, that feigned composure disappeared without a trace like sugar in black tea.

Ansel Blaine was waiting for her in a precisely fitted military uniform.

It was the same uniform he had casually draped over her trembling shoulders a few days ago.

Perhaps because of that, the atmosphere in the dining room felt quite different from yesterday.

In the pungent smoke filling the space, he was utterly distinct.

‘……Too…….’

The man before her eyes was so perfect that Eloise had nothing else to say.

The beautiful boy who had stolen her heart on the hill path in early summer when they first met was still so wonderful that she couldn’t take her eyes off him, even now that he had grown into a man.

No, at least back then, just looking at him didn’t make her feel this dizzy.

It didn’t make her heart tingle like this. It didn’t make her harbor embarrassing desires that she could never express out loud.

He, who had stood straighter and more upright than anyone else in front of his subordinates, was now sitting in a relaxed posture, leaning back with his legs crossed.

The smoke lazily rising from the cigar between his lips exuded a momentarily decadent atmosphere.

Although he was wearing the same uniform, this disheveled appearance seemed like a privilege granted only to her.

Because no one else who worked with Captain Blaine would be able to see him like this.

That fact subtly stimulated a corner of her heart.

“Why are you standing there like that?”

Exhaling a faint trail of smoke, he gently lifted his smooth chin. It was a strange gaze, looking up yet seeming to look down at the same time.

A faint smile played on his lips, as if he was simply pleased by Eloise’s presence as she stood absentmindedly at the doorway.

“Come here.”

“…….”

As Eloise obediently approached the table and sat down, she felt like she had somehow lost. It was strange.

To begin with, she and he weren’t even fighting, and they weren’t competitors either, so why did she feel this way?

‘Well, it’s strange enough that I’m sitting face to face with him like this……’

Just then, Ansel, who had been twirling the cigar between his fingers, mouthed, ‘Do you dislike it?’ and Eloise quickly shook her head.

After briefly looking down at her palm where the wound was healing well, she placed both hands on the table, gently pressing against the distinctly grained surface.

The sensation finally parted her lips that had felt as if they were glued together.

“Good evening, Captain Ansel. You must have worked hard today as well.”

“Ha.”

At her greeting, which sounded somewhat like a sulking child, the man’s gently curved lips added a refreshing smile.

That smile was simply dazzling, causing Eloise to narrow her eyes. His response was uniformly concise.

“Same as always.”

“But why did you call for me when dinner hasn’t even been prepared yet?”

“Why? Are you hungry?”

“Pardon?”

Instantly, both of Eloise’s cheeks turned as red as ripe wild strawberries.

She must have looked like a young child caught stealing candy.

She wanted to fluster him at least once, but every time, she was the only one getting flustered.

“That’s not it, I……”

Eloise’s train of thought, which had been busy piecing together an excuse in her head that she had only acted diligently last night out of consideration for the effort he had put into preparing the meal, came to an abrupt halt at that very moment.

“I wanted to see you.”

“…….”

“Is that not allowed? From what I can see, it doesn’t seem like you had any urgent business to attend to.”

After reciting those words, he smiled again.

As Eloise’s hands that had been spread out on the table slowly curled inward, Ansel gently added,

“It suits you well.”

“…….”

The scarlet lips that had barely parted closed tightly once again.

He was smiling so leisurely, yet she herself was at a loss, going back and forth between winter and spring with each of his casual remarks.

It was thoroughly inept of her.

Once it passed, it would eventually become just a fleeting memory. Even this man would someday become a hazy recollection. For now, there was no choice but to rely on this powerless hope.

“I’m… a little burdened by gifts like this.”

Eloise replied in a weak voice. It sounded strangely like a complaint.

“I had no choice but to wear it since my clothes disappeared when I came out of the bathroom.”

“I knew you would say that, so I refrained from including outdoor clothes as well.”

“…….”

Yes, if she had received a dress for going out, it would have been far more burdensome.

Because he would have definitely chosen something that only noble young ladies in high society would wear.

Along with a bonnet, gloves, pelisse, and shoes to match the dress.

But what was his intention behind suddenly gifting her clothes? Even as she harbored such doubts, the sensation of the fabric against her skin was so dreamily soft that her body involuntarily shrank back.

“Were my clothes that unpleasant to look at?”

“Of course not.”

Bringing the cigar in his hand back to his mouth, he exhaled white smoke through his teeth.

The hazy, fog-like substance dissipated before reaching her, but Eloise felt as if she was fully facing that smoke with her face.

“I just felt bothered by having you stay in such a place. I wanted you to at least sleep comfortably.”

Perhaps it was because his gaze was fixed on her without any gaps…

“…The room is very comfortable. Thank you.”

Eloise replied, putting emphasis on each word.

Then, after exhaling the remaining smoke from his mouth, he placed the cigar on the tray and slightly tilted his head back.

As if he was looking deep into her transparent eyes to see the sincerity behind them.

“You’ll wash it well and return it, won’t you?”

“Ah…..”

Only then did Eloise realize that she had been unintentionally expressing anger.

And that she had been acting childishly ever since facing Ansel today. The reason he was speaking to her in a voice that seemed to be soothing a young child must have been because of that.

Yet, his expression remained as cold as ice.

His gaze, which momentarily felt even high-handed, made her fingertips tingle for no reason.

“I’m sorry. I must have been a little tired.”

“Is that so?”

Ansel, who had casually counter-questioned, rested his chin on his hand. After a brief silence, a faint smile formed on his face, which was distinct yet had soft curves in various places.

Fortunately, he didn’t ask what the apology was for. He merely asked,

“It seems like you had a very busy day? I heard you only returned in the evening.”

“Yes.”

Eloise readily acknowledged it, thinking he must have heard it from the maid. As his cool gray eyes gradually narrowed, they resembled eyes looking at a very small and docile animal.

However, his face turned as cold as a wintry wind with her next words.

“I went to look for a job.”

“What?”

Eloise immediately realized that he was expressing unfiltered displeasure.

It was due to his icy sharpness that instantly overturned the leisurely atmosphere.

Eloise felt her heart tighten without any resistance, but at the same time, she felt a secret sense of elation.

Ansel was clearly agitated. The man who had been perfectly cold and indifferent, as if he had been carved from a statue decorating the gates of heaven, finally showed a crack. The one who had created a fissure in his reason was none other than herself.

Even if this was evidence of his instinct to keep her within his range of control, she didn’t mind.

To forget Ansel Blaine, she had to overcome him, and she needed to shed her fear of him.

He must have a weakness somewhere.

She couldn’t miss the opportunity to exploit that opening. As her thoughts reached that point, her lips parted on their own.

“I went to the place I used to work at before and fortunately, things went well, so I was introduced to a new job.”

“What kind of work are you saying you’ll do?”

At his retort, which sounded genuinely absurd, Eloise’s eyes turned vivid.

Fierce words of rebuttal seemed to bubble up in her chest, ready to pour out of her mouth at any moment.

‘Are you looking down on me because I’m a woman? Or do I still seem like a thoughtless child to you? If not, do you also think I’m a troublemaker? Like what Mrs. Dunn said?’

However, instead of firing those aggressive words at him, she calmed her mind with a quiet deep breath.

She had finally gained half of the initiative in the conversation. She didn’t want to become a laughingstock again due to immature excitement.

So, calmly.

“Is there anything I can’t do? Even you, a nobleman, work for a living.”

“……Ha.”

Sighing coldly, he slowly rubbed his eyelids. Then, he replied in a deeply subdued low voice.

“The situation is different. In my case, it’s a bit complicated. Although it’s true that it’s directly related to my livelihood for now, ultimately, I work to gain recognition. To set everything right.”

It was rare for him to speak this much.

Eloise felt that he was making his own efforts to persuade her. It was a good sign.

“It’s no different for me, Captain Ansel. For the exact same reasons as you.”

“Don’t play word games, Eloise.”

“It’s not a word game.”

Her voice, which had been as soft as a song, had now become a little firmer.

“Work holds more meaning than just a livelihood for me too. I had been living without even knowing that such a world existed, but I finally realized that I can lead my life rather than depending on someone else. The sense that I’m achieving something with my own strength is something I desperately need right now.”

“……Lead? Good.”

Ansel, who had quietly lowered his gaze, suddenly let out a hollow laugh, causing the smoke rising from the cigar on the tray to waver faintly.

It was probably a misconception, but for some reason, Eloise thought it seemed like self-mockery rather than a sneer directed at her, who had just made a rather grandiose statement.

“So.”

Right then, with a face that seemed to have lost all emotion, Ansel threw the biggest challenge.

“What is this great job that leads your life?”