As If I've Never Loved - Chapter 61

Her cheeks were as red as a ripe tomato, breathless from the frenzied rush.

Her hair was a complete mess, so disheveled that it was impossible to tell if it had been tied up or let loose.

Moreover, as soon as she opened the door, the first thing she said was…

“I’m sorry! Could you prepare a bath for me first?”

“Ugh…”

Ansel’s maid reflexively furrowed her brow.

It was exceedingly rare for her to break the maid’s virtue of not expressing emotions too strongly or asking too many questions.

“What is this smell? And what on earth is that stuck to your clothes?”

“Ah, it’s chicken feathers. I tried to pluck them off for a while, but…”

Eloise could only give the maid’s disgusted face an innocent smile.

There wasn’t much time left to give a detailed explanation.

“I need to wash up quickly before Sir Ansel returns. Please.”

“…”

The maid was not at all inclined to let a guest reeking of a foul odor into the mansion that she had beautifully and cleanly maintained with her own hands.

However, it was equally unacceptable to present this woman in such a state to her master and have them dine together.

If she had to weigh the severity, the latter was worse…

“…I understand. I will have to heat the water, but don’t go anywhere else and head straight to the bathroom to take off your clothes first.”

“Yes, thank you…”

As the maid abruptly turned around, Eloise also quietly entered the house.

Stepping into this magnificent home covered in sweat and livestock odor was undoubtedly an embarrassing affair, so her small feet heading to the bathroom were more hurried than ever.

Had she ever bathed this diligently in her life?

Eloise had already poured water over her body and scrubbed it with soap until it squeaked several times.

Her once pale skin had turned red in places, and some spots were even slightly stinging to the touch.

‘Even after doing all this…’

Yet, when she brought her hand to her nose and inhaled, she could still smell the chickens.

It was inevitable, as she had been handling chickens all day long. But what if the chicken smell permanently soaked into her hands?

Eloise sniffed various parts of her body like a dog that had just turned into a human.

Her shoulders, wrists, even the delicate flesh inside her elbows. Fortunately, the smell seemed to have dissipated except for her hands.

‘This should be fine. It’s not like he’s going to kiss the back of my hand.’

When her thoughts reached that point, her face flushed involuntarily, but Eloise quickly shook her head to chase away the inappropriate notions.

Jewel-like water droplets scattered in all directions from her wet hair.

After busily drying her body, blotting the moisture from her hair, and putting on the prepared indoor dress, Eloise quickly took out her diary before Ansel returned.

She had to hurriedly capture today’s emotions about successfully completing her first day at the meat factory in her diary, or they would soon fly away.

After that, only boredom would remain before long.

However, Eloise was unable to write sentences in pretty handwriting as usual.

Her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts throughout the process of writing the diary, making it meaningless that she had taken out the diary after a long time.

He will surely ask how today went. What should I say in response?

If she answered too frankly, she might receive sharp words or even a disdainful gaze.

Today was filled with countless things that even she, who was neither a noble nor anything, would narrow her eyes at.

How much more so for the noble Ansel Blaine?

Above all, most of the stories about her day at the factory were unsuitable for the dining table.

For example, what she discovered when she opened the slaughterhouse door early in the morning, or that plucking chicken feathers was a battle not only with the feathers but also with chicken excrement, or what kind of smells emanated from the workshop…

“Sigh, how can I tell him these things… I can’t do it.”

Eloise, covering her face with her palms, swallowed a painful sigh.

The faint chicken smell that seemed to linger on her hands made her even more agitated.

In the end, Eloise resolutely nodded her head, deciding to only share the good stories as much as possible.

She had no intention of lying. Despite the poor working conditions, the new job had an aspect that made her determined to work even harder in the future.

‘It seems that who you work with is more important than how hard the work is, after all.’

This was a precious lesson she would not have learned if she had not come to the capital, that is if she had lived with her family in peaceful Maybury and become the wife of an ordinary man.

A little later, upon hearing the maid’s voice from downstairs, Eloise carefully descended the narrow, steep stairs and diligently headed to the dining room.

At the end of a long day, waiting for her was dinner with Ansel Blaine.

That fact felt unusually surreal today.

Ansel, in a white shirt, was solemnly looking into a neatly folded newspaper.

He usually slicked his hair back neatly, but this evening, his naturally hanging black hair lightly covered his handsome forehead.

As Eloise hesitantly entered the dining room, he stubbed out the cigarette he had been holding diagonally between his teeth.

As expected, the meal was not yet prepared.

“Good evening.”

“Sit down.”

At those words, Eloise quickly pulled out a chair and sat down. Naturally, their eyes met.

The moment Eloise quietly held her breath, the man with the eyes she loved most in the world put down the newspaper while maintaining eye contact.

With eyes like a clear blue lake, Eloise opened the conversation with an appropriate question.

“…Was there any interesting news?”

Interesting news. Ansel’s gaze briefly turned to the void.

While not exactly interesting, there were a few things worth discussing.

However, that was only when the other party was senior officers from the military office.

Above all, Ansel had no intention of wasting this time, the only meaningful part of his day, on not particularly important stories.

Even if filled only with stories about each other, the evening would still be regrettably short.

“Not really.”

“Hmm…”

Not really? But it seemed like he was reading very intently. Could it be a topic he doesn’t want to talk about?

Eloise fidgeted her innocent fingers, feeling awkward.

Being his conversation partner was part of the agreement, not just dining with him.

Simply responding to his questions couldn’t be what he wanted in a good conversation partner.

‘So I should also lead the conversation to some extent…’

Feeling a sense of responsibility and pressure, Eloise hesitantly parted her lips.

“Are you perhaps curious about what kind of day I had today?”

Instead of answering that cautious question, Ansel gave a slight smile.

As if he had been waiting for those words. The moment his lips gently curved seemed to stretch long as if deliberately drawn out.

Eloise, who had no choice but to admire his lips, covered her face with both palms and muttered.

“I’ll say in advance, it won’t be a very impressive story.”

“The more trivial, the better. Complaints would be even better.”

“…Pardon?”

Eloise slightly furrowed her brow and raised her head at the strange answer. A relaxed baritone voice crossed the table.

“Because I’m just waiting for the day you give up on leaving here on your own and completely rely on me.”

“Ha.”

A soft, empty laugh unintentionally escaped at his attitude, as if there was nothing to be concerned about.

She couldn’t help it, even though she knew it was rude.

Eloise, deciding not to apologize as Ansel didn’t seem to mind, replied calmly.

“Talking like that only makes me more determined.”

Then Ansel chuckled lowly and rested his chin on the table.

It was table manners more befitting a child than an elegant noble or military officer. Surely this was also a side of him that only she could see.

‘Perhaps because he doesn’t need to be polite in front of me at all.’

Anyway, sensing that it was time to start the story, Eloise slowly opened her mouth.

“First of all, the work was harder than I thought, but I felt it was a really good place.”

“That’s disappointing news.”

Along with a joking reply, his body leaned a little more forward.

That gesture was so languid that her heart unknowingly thumped, but Eloise continued as if unbothered.

“For the first time, I realized that no matter how hard the work is, it can be enjoyable if the people you work with are good. You started working before me, so you must know this well, Sir. You must be working with excellent people.”

“…”

Ansel, who had no particular interest in those he worked with, let alone felt any noteworthy emotions, couldn’t relate to her words at all.

However, he readily nodded as Eloise looked pleased.

In fact, there was only one thing Ansel cared about right now.

“What are the people you work with like?”

“Ah! A total of four people, including me, do the same job, and they are all kind people. They approached me first, carefully taught me the work, and even suggested we eat together. It’s amazing how it already feels like we’ve known each other for a long time after working together all day.”

“…”

“Alicia, Melanie, Pumpkin. They are all really, really good people.”

Ansel, who had been silently watching Eloise as she excitedly introduced her colleagues, even spreading out her fingers, suddenly frowned slightly.

“Pumpkin? What kind of name is that?”

“I’m not sure either. Everyone called her that. It’s probably a nickname. She has a playful and fun personality.”

“…”

It was immediately after Eloise finished speaking that Ansel’s transparent grey eyes suddenly narrowed coldly.