The morning of summer arrives earlier than any other season.

As expected, my eyes seemed swollen. Eloise slowly blinked her heavy eyelids. Then she saw gentle rays of light streaming in diagonally from above.

Her dry lips murmured.

“So it wasn’t a dream?”

Even after waking up, the world remained the same.

The dreamlike event of Ansel Blaine – grandson of the Earl of Huntington, son of Viscount Monmouth, knight of the kingdom, and promising talent at the military academy – getting engaged to the daughter of the Bailey family, turned out not to be a dream after all.

As Mr. Bailey and his eldest daughter Sarah had gone to town at dawn to buy new hats and shoes, breakfast was served for just Mrs. Bailey and Eloise.

“Can you believe it, dear? That someday Sarah will become the mistress of that splendid Fairmont House.”

The lady, perfectly dressed in an elegant navy dress even at this early hour, opened the conversation. Her tone was slightly higher than usual.

Eloise paused while buttering her bread and replied.

“That mansion would go to Mr. Blaine’s parents first, wouldn’t it? I mean Ansel’s parents.”

“Oh, you. Do you think those people will leave the capital? It was certainly not an easy decision for Ansel to wrap up his life in the capital and come down here.”

It seemed the lady had already decided to call him by his first name. Her voice continued, sounding pleased as if she had gained a proud son.

“You’ll see. After the Earl passes away, Ansel and Sarah will manage that place. They’ll essentially become the owners.”

“…But sister doesn’t like that mansion.”

Eloise muttered without realizing, then opened her eyes wide.

“Hm? What did you say, dear?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

The second daughter of the Bailey family smiled brightly. Her half-lidded eyes sparkled like jewels.

“So, it seems you had an enjoyable time yesterday.”

Eloise continued speaking while taking a bite of bread.

Usually, this would have earned her a scolding about not forgetting her awareness as a lady, but perhaps due to the newfound ease in her heart from her eldest daughter’s engagement, the lady merely stirred her soup with a relaxed expression.

“I heard you returned around evening.”

“Ah.”

At that moment, the lady put down her utensils with a short sigh.

Judging by the tension in her coal-black eyebrows, it seemed an unpleasant story was about to follow.

“We just had dinner there and left. We didn’t even have tea. As you know, the master of the house is quite taciturn, and we were so nervous…”

Eloise nodded as if she understood.

“After leaving Fairmont House, we went to Mrs. Fullam’s house.”

“To announce sister’s marriage?”

“Yes. The news will spread quickly, and if we stay silent, people will surely gossip as they please.”

“Indeed, it’s better to explain clearly. Especially to a gossip like Mrs. Fullam.”

Mrs. Fullam had risen to become a key figure in Mayberry after marrying her daughter to a man known as a wealthy person in the neighboring area a few years ago.

Her mansion served as one of the few social venues in this area.

Occasionally, balls or tea parties were held there.

“When we arrived, everyone was already gathered.”

“You mean Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Taylor? Was Grandma Lydia there too?”

“Mr. Wilson and his daughters were there as well.”

“My goodness. What sort of day was it?”

Eloise, wearing a playful smile, thought as she stroked her cloud-like wheat-colored curls.

So why did mother end up feeling upset?

“Since everyone was gathered, I thought it was a good opportunity, so I announced that our Sarah had received a proposal from the grandson of the Earl of Huntington and would soon be married, but…”

“You must have received great congratulations.”

“Congratulations? Not at all! Would you believe Mrs. Fullam insulted us? In front of all those people!”

“Insulted?”

“She said that Sarah would end up supporting a family without a decent dowry, and that I had a talent for business!”

“What? Is that true?”

Eloise, who had been busily chewing her bread, swallowed it with a gulp and put down her milk cup with a thud before she could drink it.

Her clear face had suddenly turned slightly red.

“Business? What on earth does that mean? And then? What did you say, Mother?”

“‘Your words are too much, madam. If you’re envious, you should simply say so,’ is what I told Mrs. Fullam.”

Mrs. Bailey reenacted exactly what she had said to Mrs. Fullam, her head held high.

Indeed, it was an elegance that would have surely provoked the innate frivolous nature and inferiority complex of Mrs. Fullam, who had become wealthy thanks to her youngest daughter but couldn’t change her inherent shallow personality.

“Then, she opened her fan like this.”

Mrs. Bailey put her palm diagonally to her mouth and added one more line.

“‘Oh my, did I say something I shouldn’t have? Our Susan was in exactly the same situation, you know,’ she said.”

“Ha, how shameless…”

“She seemed to enjoy seeing that we were upset. Poor Sarah’s face turned pale, and she was just trembling her lips.”

“If I had known, I should have gone too. I could have said something back…”

Eloise clenched her small hands tightly.

It was obvious that not only her mother, who valued appearances, but also her father would have been too intimidated by the tense battle of nerves between the women to say a word.

How upset must her sister have been, facing such an unexpected insult? Imagining her feelings made Eloise’s heart ache.

“But why did she deliberately provoke us like that? If it’s the same situation as Mrs. Fullam said, then isn’t she essentially insulting herself?”

“It’s not the same situation, that’s why.”

Mrs. Bailey let out a faint sigh. A hint of laughter was mixed in her breath.

“Ansel is a nobleman. Is it common for a noble and a commoner to marry? Moreover, while the youngest daughter of the Fullam family became the second wife of a man over twenty years her senior, Ansel is a fine young man who shares the same feelings with Sarah. Love, Eloise!”

Although there was nothing wrong with each point, it was unclear why the area around her heart was stinging.

Eloise shook her head lightly to chase away her thoughts and rested her chin weakly on her hand.

“But that aunt is someone who prioritizes wealth above all, isn’t she? More than status or love. She became wealthy herself thanks to her daughter marrying an extremely rich man, so there’s not much to be jealous of…”

“Oh, I didn’t mention this,”

“What?”

“Ansel’s family is much wealthier, Elsy. How could you compare a local wealthy person to a noble family in Brighton? The mansion in Longfield is just a part of the fortune he will inherit.”

“…He’s wealthy too? Of course, I didn’t think he would be poor, but…”

“When he came to see your father that day, he apparently told him everything about the family’s assets. Even I didn’t know it would be to that extent!”

“And you told Mrs. Fullam about this?”

“I did. She was asking with fire in her eyes…”

Eloise nodded quietly. She now perfectly understood why Mrs. Fullam had acted out.

The news of the eldest daughter of the Bailey family’s engagement was enough to stir up the peaceful Mayberry.

Not only because it was a marriage that crossed social classes, something you’d only see in novels, but also because Sarah’s fiancé, Ansel Blaine, was an exceptionally outstanding young man.

The young master of Fairmont House, who suddenly appeared one day, was a beautiful boy.

Appearing only in summer, he was more like a fairy living in the forest than a boy.

For some reason, he was already acquainted with the Bailey sisters from the moment he first appeared in Longfield.

Was he a distant relative of that family?

People whispered, but that couldn’t be the case.

They wouldn’t be unaware if the Bailey family had noble relatives.

So they must have become friends by chance, but unfortunately, he didn’t let anyone else near him except for those sisters.

It was the stubbornness befitting the old Earl’s only grandson.

No one knew why those sisters were the exception. At least not at that time.

The boy grew more handsome with each passing year. His delicate face gradually filled out with strong features.

By the time he reached the end of his boyhood, there wasn’t a single woman in the area who wasn’t waiting for that summer visitor.

When Ansel returned after about two years of studying abroad, he no longer associated with anyone here.

He must have found a woman in the capital. Or perhaps his grandfather had issued a stern order to stop mingling with those who weren’t refined.

In any case, now that he was alone, separated from the Bailey sisters, the ladies of Longfield and even Mayberry couldn’t help but harbor hopes.

Even if it was a vain hope, it couldn’t be helped.

Ansel Blaine was a perfect gentleman with an appearance and dignity that elicited admiration, and it was difficult not to admire such a person.

But then he proposed. To the eldest daughter of the Bailey family!

So he had been in love with Sarah for a long time already.

The fact that he didn’t mingle alone with her since childhood, but always brought along her younger sister and even a young servant, was all consideration for the shy Sarah.

Where else could you find such romance?

People were captivated by the story of the two.

Of course, there were those who were jealous, like Mrs. Fullam, but most blessed Ansel and Sarah’s engagement.

No one questioned how the eldest daughter of the Bailey family, who was kind, beautiful, and as pure as a pink rose, had captured the heart of this splendid gentleman.

Naturally, laughter increased in the Bailey household.

While there was the fundamental reason that a long-standing worry had disappeared, Eloise could assure that if Sarah hadn’t wanted this marriage, her parents couldn’t have been this happy.

It was clear that the Bailey couple was taking this opportunity to boast about their eldest daughter to their heart’s content.

In any case, it was an incredibly happy event.

During the brilliant summer days that followed, more dazzling than ever before, Eloise willingly shared in her family’s joy.

But the problem was that when she was alone, painful emotions invariably visited her.

She clearly loved her sister and wished for her happiness, so there was no reason to be sad, yet her heart would sting as if cut by something sharp, and tears would come without warning.

Eloise was confused. Every day was an ordeal as she tried to hide her unsettled feelings.

Sometimes, the perceptive Mrs. Hurst would catch her in such a state. Just like today.

“You’re actually upset, aren’t you?”

The fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end at once. Eloise’s trembling lips parted blankly.

“Pardon?”

“They say it’s a perfect match, but in any case, you’ll be living apart from your sister in three months.”

“Ah…”

“It makes my heart feel empty just thinking about you sleeping and waking up alone in that room, Elsy.”

Eloise answered, tightly clenching her trembling hands.

“…You’re right. I’m already tearing up.”

But of course, the reason she often ended up crying in secret like this wasn’t just because her sister would soon be leaving home.

Eloise hated herself for this. She felt as if she was choking on her own inner conflict.

Still, she had the shallow thought that she would be able to endure somehow. At that time, she sincerely believed so.