"Pardon me for being rude but...did I do something for you to be helping me so much?"
Rosina shook her head, "No it's just that…" she fumbled around with her fingers for awhile before continuing,
"I saw how you took care of those men when they tried to grab you.."
"Men that tried to grab me..?"
Alec leaned closer to Elenor and whispered into her ear, "I think she's talking about that time you went to the bookstore with your brother,"
"What? But that was so long ago!" Elenor exclaimed.
Rosina nodded, "I was walking around when I stumbled upon that scene. You were really cool and how you flipped him over and started punching him was amazing!!" she eagerly said, her eyes sparkling brightly.
"..." Elenor wished she had looked properly before going on to punch him until his face was almost unrecognizable.
"Elenor did that?" Lloyd asked, not understanding anything up until now.
Rosina nodded aggressively, her eyes still sparkling with passion, "Yes!! Lady Elenor was truly amazing that afterwards I kept wishing to be able to meet her and become friends!"
Lloyd had a small smirk on his face as he turned to Elenor who had her face buried in her palms in embarrassment.
"Hear that Elenor? Lady Rosina wants to be friends with you."
"Shut your mouth before I make Alec do it."
"You can't do it yourself?"
"Alec."
"Understood. How would you like me to shut him up? By punching him or by hanging him upside down?"
"Your choice."
"Hey don't casually talk about punching and hanging me upside down like that!"
Rosina's laugh echoed in the room causing all three of them to stop talking, turning their attention to her.
Elenor was truly in cloud nine. To be able to hear her protagonist she loved dearly, laugh without a care. She was now thanking whoever transmigrated her into her book.
"You two make a fun pair." she commented.
It didn't take them a long time to realise what she meant by that. Elenor and Lloyd pointed at each other and spoke at the same time,
"Us?! No way!"
"See?" she giggled.
Elenor had to clear it up. There was no way she was going to let Rosina think the two are a couple or having a slight interest in each other when they clearly do not. They were in a platonic relationship. Platonic!
"Lady Rosina, I think you have been mistaken. Milady and his highness are not seeing each other that kind of way." Alec spoke.
"Oh..!" Rosina's hand flew up to her mouth and quickly bowed at the two of them.
"Please forgive me for assuming things!"
"It's alright." Elenor replied back, not liking that she was bowing at them over such a small trivial thing.
"Anyway," Lloyd cleared his throat.
"Elenor do you not want to be friends with Lady Rosina?"
"Um…." Elenor glanced over at Rosina who was patiently waiting for her answer.
She turned to Alec, using her eyes as a signal for help. He noticed this and silently gave her a thumbs up. Her lips twitched in annoyance before ultimately deciding her answer.
"Being friends with you would be nice," she started off.
Rosina's eyes grew wider but deflated once Elenor continued her sentence.
"But I don't think we can be friends."
"Oh..I see…" she muttered sadly.
Elenor had a normal expression on her face but inside she was sobbing. As much as she wanted to be friends with her, she knew her existence could put her in danger and she could also get blamed for everything that happened to Rosina. The chance of her dying in someone else's hands were there.
"I apologise Lady-"
"It's alright!! I'll just have to try harder!" she determinedly spoke, her eyes seem to have a burning passion in them.
At that moment, Elenor wished she didn't make Rosina have such a stubborn personality.
'No please don't..let's just be acquaintances..'
Finally, Elenor went back home.
Before she did though, Rosina kept holding her back.
"Please do visit again next time Lady Elenor!! I'll prepare us some tea and we can chat!"
"We can also visit the capital and go to cafes!"
"I'll write to you soon as well!"
Elenor didn't know how to respond to her being so enthusiastic about wanting to be friends with her. She was so keen on being friends with her. Does she not see her resting bitch face or how scary she looked?
"You're so lucky Elenor~" Lloyd muttered, sighing as he stared outside the window.
He decided to follow her in the same carriage since he wanted to hang around her manor before needing to head back to the palace.
"How am I lucky?" Elenor asked, wanting to know his answer.
He puffed up his cheeks, pouting, "Lady Rosina wanted to do all those fun things with you and even write to you yet I got nothing!"
Lloyd was childishly stomping his feet before pointing at Elenor, "I can't believe you're stealing her from me." he accused, making her burst into laughter.
"Lloyd did your intelligence deteriorate?"
Lloyd pouted even more and didn't speak to her anymore throughout the ride back to her manor. When they reached the marquess' estate, the first thing Elenor did was turn to Alec and ordered him to kick Lloyd back to the palace.
"Why!?"
"I'm sure you didn't finish your workplace have you?" she side eyed him who just nervously smiled before looking away.
In the end, Lloyd went back to the palace with a sulky face. Elenor and Alec saw him off before heading inside the manor, finally back home at last after an exhausting event.
"Do you think it was right?" Elenor asked Alec after her bath.
They were doing their usual routine where Alec would dry her hair. He lightly hummed before questioning,
"To have gone to the tea party?"
"Yes."
"Who knows. If you think it was the right decision then so be it. You should choose what you think is best for you."
Elenor chuckled, "You always say such deep things at the most random times Alec."
"But it made you feel better didn't it?"
"Mhm,"
"Then that's all that matters."
That's all that matters.
The phrase itself made Elenor feel butterflies in her stomach. Her face paled in horror. She thought she had strengthened her soul and mind.
"Shit…" she cursed under her breath.
It seems like she really needed to go under a waterfall and recite Buddhist scripts.
Alec didn't seem to notice her dilemma and continued drying her hair with a happy feeling welling up inside of him.
ah yes Elenor, it is time to strengthen your soul and mind, Alec wouldn't totally ruin your plans (●'◡'●)
if you enjoy this chapter or book please do consider giving a vote to this shameless author (〃` 3′〃) it would mean a lot <3
The warm spring breeze weather was growing warmer each day. Spring was slowly coming to an end. Seasonal flowers were slowly withering away and new ones were about to bloom soon.
Summer was coming.
Elenor decided that she was tired of staying in the manor and around the capital. Her body was spread out on her bed lazily. She sighed before turning to Alec who was comfortably sitting on a stool beside her bed, reading a book. She told Alec that he could relax or do whatever he wanted when it was only two of them in a room.
"Hey Alec,"
"What is it?"
"Let's go somewhere."
"Like where?"
"I don't know. You can pick, I'll just agree to anything."
Alec raised an eyebrow at her, "Really?"
She nodded, "Yeah. I had enough of staying inside or just walking around the capital. I have been there so many times it's starting to get boring. Plus it's getting hot in the manor so we might as well head outside."
Alec nodded. He shut his book close and got up from his stool. Elenor only watched, never once moving from her position. He turned to her and held a small smile.
"Would you like to visit my hometown?"
-
The two set off the same day to Alec's hometown. Elenor never expected him to ask such a question. Bringing her to his hometown. It also meant the first time Elenor ever met Alec and took him back with her. If Alec was bringing her to his hometown, that means he trusts her a lot right? He was bringing someone who did make him suffer all his life in dirt and poverty.
"Alec do you trust me that much?" asked Elenor.
He turned to her and kept his eyes on her for a couple of moments before replying back to her,
"Yes."
Elenor pursed her lips together into a thin line, unable to say anything else. At the back of her mind, she reminds herself to find more evidence in order for him to gain back everything that was rightfully his.
She noticed the scenery slowly changing. Less buildings around them and more nature. They rode into a forest which brought an uneasy feeling inside of her but it dispersed once they got out of the forest not long later.
However, Elenor noticed the area looked less bright and more...sullen. As if life around there was being sucked away. It felt dull and gray. She decided to observe outside more until the carriage finally stopped.
"We have arrived." Alec softly spoke, opening the carriage door.
He got down first before extending his hand out to Elenor. She accepted it and also got down from the carriage. She looked around the area, taking in everything. It was a decent size town but it looked more like a village due to how old the buildings were and looked.
The people were wearing worn out clothes, some were even ragged and torn. Without needing to put two and two together, Elenor already knew this place was in a terrible condition.
Regardless of how run down this town was, it was still quite lively. The children were running around, laughing and having fun. The townspeople were chatting and still trying their best to make a small living to get through life.
"This is where I used to live," Alec spoke up, looking straight ahead with an indifferent look on his face.
"And where Elenor took me in." he muttered the last sentence but Elenor could hear it clearly.
She didn't say anything and stood there in silence before Alec finally turned to her and gave a small smile.
"Shall we go to a special place?"
Alec was in front while she was at the back following him. It slowly grew softer, she couldn't really hear the voices of the people trying to call for them to sell their things. When Alec stopped walking, she did as well.
"Cemetery..?" she whispered to herself, baffled. It didn't take her long to realise where he had brought her.
Alec walked into the cemetery without glancing at her. Not knowing what else to do, she followed behind him until he stopped at two specific graves. Of all the graves in the cemetery, these two were kept well maintained but it had many weeds growing around it.
Alec kneeled down and began cleaning up the weeds. Seeing him clean up the weeds, Elenor wanted to help as well, not caring if the dirt stained her dress. She bent down and helped Alec clean the weeds as well.
Yet, a hand stopped her from touching the weeds. She lifted up her gaze at Alec who stopped her.
"Milady doesn't need to dirty her hands."
She shook her hand and offered him a smile, "Alec brought me here. We're paying a visit to your parents aren't we? So it's alright, let me help you out."
Alec wanted to disagree further but when he saw how she looked, he couldn't. She really looked like she wanted to help him. So, the two finished cleaning the weeds around Alec's parents grave.
"If I knew we were paying a visit I would have prepared flowers." Elenor lightly laughed.
"Flowers wilt fast so it was better we didn't." Alec responded.
Elenor nodded, agreeing with his reasoning before turning to his parents grave. She took a step back and politely bowed.
"Good afternoon, Baron and Baroness Cullingford. My name is Elenor Berry Hester," she introduced herself.
"Father, mother today I brought my lady this time. She helped me when I was on the brink of death, I am grateful for her." Alec softly spoke to his parents grave.
Elenor fiddled with her fingers as she didn't know what else to say. Alec didn't speak as well, both of them standing in silence. Usually she wouldn't mind it but being in a cemetery in front of his parent's especially just did not sit right with her.
"Uh...you have raised an amazing child!" Elenor blurted out, hoping the silence would go away.
"Alec always helps me and the household everyday. He's good at what he does, maybe even better than most people. Even if I didn't pick him up, he would have turned into a fine man who would be striving in his life!" At this point, she didn't know what she was even saying.
"But I'm glad Alec is by my side, I wouldn't know what I would do without him." she finally ended her rambling once she noticed Alec's eyes on her.
'Why does this feel like I'm his girlfriend meeting his parents..?'
Alec's eyes were still on her even after she stopped talking. Elenor couldn't take it anymore and turned to him, gazing back at his eyes. His eyes were the same shade as almost every person Elenor had seen in her world yet something about them drew her in. An endless void sucking all light into it.
Elenor's eyes slowly gazed down at his lips. They were a nice shade of pink and looked soft. She realised they were coming closer to her, just a few inches away from her. She took in a sharp breath before her eyes shot back up at his.
"Milady I-"
sorry but it's a cliffhanger ( ̄┰ ̄*)
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