Thanks to the deep sleep, her body fortunately felt light.

With a blink, Eloise rose from the bed, lowering the cozy blanket that had been covering her up to her chin. Then, a small tray and wet towel placed by the bedside caught her eye.

“……”

Feeling moved the moment she opened her eyes in an unfamiliar city far from home was quite a novel experience.

However, if it was this kind of bewilderment, she didn’t want to refuse it.

It seemed like she had a strange dream throughout the night, but Eloise decided to focus only on the gratitude she felt now and the peaceful faint chirping of birds.

After all, this was the moment she had always yearned for in her busy daily life.

It was then that she thought she should send the letter she had put off for quite a long time due to the wretched feelings of wanting to escape and guilt.

In any case, she had unexpectedly received a day off.

However, last night she had chosen sleep over dinner, and as a result, her stomach was completely empty.

Unable to ignore the inner voice that seemed to be clamoring to put something in, Eloise staggered towards the stairs. More precisely, she tried to.

At the square entrance at the end of the stairs leading from the second floor, steaming potage, a kettle, and teacups suddenly popped out and clattered to the floor.

Soon, the face of a maid appeared. Her eyes were also rounded in surprise.

“Oh? You’re already up.”

“Ah, yes. I was hungry……”

Eloise, who stepped back to allow the maid to safely come up, returned to sit on the bedding.

Because this attic was not spacious enough and there was no suitable place to sit.

In the meantime, the maid carrying the potage and tea quickly approached and knelt down across from Eloise.

After placing the food on one side of the bed, she solemnly touched the guest’s forehead with a serious expression.

The ticklish touch made Eloise have to suppress a smile by pursing her lips.

What broke the awkward silence was a voice that seemed a bit hoarse but still clear.

“Thank you.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

“Still, thank you. For last night too.”

Eloise smiled prettily with her eyes creased. Despite having a rather slender body at the age of twenty-two, there was something lovable about her face like a child’s.

When expressionless, the corners of her eyes were freshly raised, but when she smiled brightly like this, the area below her eyes softly puffed up, which couldn’t be more adorable.

The maid unconsciously tried to follow Eloise’s smile but stiffened her face upon noticing the tray and wet towel placed near the pillow.

Of course, since she originally had little to no expression, Eloise didn’t notice the odd change in her demeanor.

“You still have a slight fever. Is your day off only for today?”

“Yes. I have to go back starting tomorrow.”

“Then it would be best to eat this and sleep a little more.”

Eloise nodded her head obediently and her eyes sparkled, prompting the maid to hand her the bowl of potage.

“I will take the empty dishes downstairs. Ah, there’s no need to rush.”

The maid gently added, seeing Eloise hurriedly reaching for the spoon.

Eloise, whose face had somehow become shy, scooped out half of what she had lifted.

The woman who deliciously ate the unremarkable food lay down at the maid’s insistence.

She wondered how she could fall asleep again when she had just woken up, but thanks to the warm potato soup warming her stomach, the waves of sleep came rolling in as if by magic.

While covering the blanket for Eloise, who was now yawning long, the maid suddenly felt the air settling on the back of her hand was cold.

It would get a little better in the afternoon, but when night fell, it would become even chillier than now.

‘Before long, when autumn completely fades, the merciless winter winds will blow……’

The maid moved her lips to once again advise the woman, who was blinking on the verge of falling asleep, to use the guest room.

However, at that moment, the memory of last night naturally came to mind, and her mouth closed tightly again.

She couldn’t be sure of the master’s heart or this woman’s heart.

Even if she could be sure, it was not a realm for a maid to dare intervene in. She just had to perform her given role. That was her duty.

The star-like blue eyes were already closed.

The maid, who had been listening to the soft breathing for a while, neatly gathered the empty plate, teacup, and the wet towel that had turned cold by the bedside, and rose to her feet.

“Then rest comfortably.”

“Miss Bailey!”

A familiar voice was heard just as she finished cleaning the slaughterhouse.

The owner of the voice was Harry Claven, with whom she had been quite naturally spending the morning hours.

“Mr. Claven.”

Eloise, who had rolled her abundant wheat-colored hair into a round bun like a golden apple, grinned, revealing her teeth.

At that harmless smile, Harry felt his mind turn mushy like a jellyfish.

Putting strength into his eyebrows to avoid making a stupid expression, he asked.

“Um, have you recovered? I was worried.”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

The face answering like that definitely looked better than the day before yesterday.

“I even missed dinner last night and just slept. Maybe that’s why my face seems a bit puffy. Don’t you think so?”

No. You look perfect. You only look pretty as usual. Harry had to suppress his desire to answer like that. It was because he didn’t want to startle her innocent self.

“…… Oh, a little. But only to the extent that you wouldn’t notice unless you look closely?”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

After finishing the most laborious water cleaning of the slaughterhouse, which had to be done in the morning, there wasn’t much left to do.

Skipping the cleaning of Mr. Osborne’s office, which he said was helpful not to tidy up, all that remained was sweeping the quite piled up fallen leaves with a broom.

“Doesn’t it feel good? When you step on the fallen leaves gathered like this.”

Eloise stepped on a pile of fallen leaves she had gathered with the broom and took light steps in place.

Harry, who had been silently watching it, quickly gathered several times more fallen leaves and generously spread them around Eloise’s small feet.

Eloise was standing on a carpet made of fallen leaves in an instant.

“I’ll specially yield my leaves too.”

“Oh, this precious thing!”

Eloise, who leisurely responded to the playful joke, joyfully hopped and stepped on the leaves evenly.

She liked the rustling sound. After concentrating on trampling the leaf carpet for a while, she became slightly out of breath.

With a satisfied sigh, Eloise stopped her legs, and Harry casually asked.

“I heard you were a well-known troublemaker in the village, but it seems you haven’t played this game much.”

“What? That can’t be. It’s the opposite.”

Eloise denied it with a playful face but a firm voice.

“Maybery has incomparably more maple trees than here. You can even make a bed with the gathered leaves.”

“You make a bed?”

This time, when Harry widened his eyes as if he was really surprised, Eloise giggled.

“If I looked happy stepping on the leaves, it’s because it reminded me of Maybery. If you ever get a chance, you should definitely visit there, Mr. Claven. It’s truly a beautiful place.”

“…… I think I already know.”

Harry answered in a low voice. He wanted to say something like, ‘I’d like to go with you if possible.’ But he refrained.

He also refrained from asking, ‘What made you leave that beautiful place and come all the way here?’ thinking it might be rude.

It was because he thought the reason might not be ordinary.

“Miss Bailey. How long do you plan to stay at the house you’re currently living in?”

But he felt it would be okay to ask this much. Of course, if he had known she would make such a surprised face, he would have refrained from this as well.

“What?”

“Well, what I mean is, you said you wanted to work here for a long time, but the rent is expensive in that area and the distance is far. The days are getting shorter and colder now…… Besides, I heard the landlord has severe mysophobia and doesn’t like this place.”

“……”

At those words, Eloise made surprised rabbit eyes again.

Harry found it quite puzzling that she reacted this way to a fact that was already public knowledge to everyone at the factory, not to mention Mr. Osborne.

Was the vacation really too short?

“I mean the elderly couple you said you live with. In order to be mindful of them, you come to the factory an hour early like this……”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Correct.”

Eloise, who had finally calmed down a bit, quickly agreed. Three times, in fact.

“Anyway, even putting aside the landlord being too refined, there seems to be no reason to insist on that house. I’m also worried thinking about you going back and forth alone over that long distance every morning and evening. If it were like Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin working together……”

Perhaps it would have been better not to add the last words. What if it sounded strange?

With that thought, Harry, who was only holding the broom tightly, heard a voice as soft as a feather fly to his ears.

“I was thinking of finding a new place to live soon anyway. I feel like I moved into the current place too hastily.”

Eloise skillfully swept the fallen leaves and gathered them at the base of a large tree.

Since only her back was visible, it was impossible to know with what expression she was saying those words.

For some reason, her voice seemed to have sunk a little……

Harry, who had been standing still absentmindedly, swept the remaining leaves at the entrance and brought them over. Along with a cautious question.

“Um, if it’s okay with you, should I also look for a boarding house? Since you might not be familiar with the capital, if it would be of any help, together……”

Then Eloise, who had been standing still for a moment, twirled around and smiled faintly.

“I would be grateful.”

“……”

At that moment, he wanted to exclaim like this. That his brother was getting married soon and leaving the house. What about moving into that room? His mother would surely like her, and there was no need for rent. So she just needed to bring herself……

But he couldn’t possibly utter such sinister and ominous words.

Harry rubbed his short hair at the back of his head and replied.

“Yes. I’ll let you know if I find a good place.”