Episode 69

At those words, Elouise flushed.

It just so happened that, at the moment the question was asked, Katarina was holding two slips in her hands.

One was a provocative pink silk undergarment, overlaid with multiple layers of embroidered lace across the bust. Though it appeared simple at first glance, it would seem exceedingly revealing when worn. The other was a deep green silk slip—comparatively plain. Hence, Elouise assumed the question was meant to help choose between the two garments. She had no inkling of Katarina’s bold and righteous motives.

“We’re in love,” she replied, after considerable hesitation.

She had contemplated whether to say they were married—but the fact that the marriage had not yet been legally registered held her back. Still, moved by a desire to boast of her beloved, she spoke as such. It was a response Elouise wouldn’t have been able to give in the past.

Yet she was overflowing with joy, elated to be reunited with her lover after three long years. Naturally, she answered as she did and gently selected the pink undergarment. Katarina’s expression clouded as she handed the slip to another staff member with the practiced grace of someone well-versed in her duties.

Katarina had already heard the rumors circulating about Marcus Hanger from just days prior—how he had gotten into a shouting match over the duchess’s maid at another atelier. Whether or not he had actually made a move on the duchess’s servant was unclear, but at the very least, it was widely known that he had argued with Duchess Bellona in the boutique. So Katarina began deploying the most refined language she knew.

Assuming Elouise was aware of the rumors about her lover, Katarina proceeded to weave her words with careful tact—naturally piquing Elouise’s interest.

Elouise’s eyes twinkled playfully. Of course, she was aware of Marcus Hanger’s prior foolish escapades before they reunited, but it was her first time hearing rumors that had surfaced after they began seeing each other again.

During the three-day journey to the capital with her, Marcus had thoroughly briefed her on the various scandals surrounding him. It was a strategic move—an attempt to preempt any disappointment she might feel. Elouise occasionally posed questions like, “So what you’re saying is, Sir Hanger is continuing to pursue affairs while his missing wife remains unaccounted for?” To which Katarina responded with zealous sincerity, insisting that everything she did was for Elouise’s sake—even deflecting responsibility with remarkable finesse.

“It’s a rumor known to all, but a rumor is just that... I believe the one closest to him, the young lady herself, is best suited to judge.”

In other words: I’ve said all I needed to; the judgment is yours. With that, Katarina felt a wave of relief. Part of her, as a professional in a prestigious atelier, questioned whether such conduct was appropriate in front of a significant client. Another part of her scolded her own impudence for meddling in someone else’s romance. But Katarina glanced at the other staff members—who gave her a subtle thumbs-up from behind.

Elouise saw it too—and inwardly stifled a laugh. Truly, it seemed her lover scored exceptionally low among other women.

Well, I did run away once too, so it’s only fair!

But now, she had resolved never to doubt him again. On top of that, an unusually optimistic thought occurred to her:

He has so few allies—at the very least, I won’t have to worry about him cheating on me!

Laughter pressed at her lips. Katarina glanced over, puzzled, but continued her duties faithfully as an exceptional employee. She took Elouise’s measurements and finally slipped a pair of beautiful blue silk shoes onto her feet. Just as Elouise stood and took a few steps in them, someone knocked at the door.

She turned and broke into a radiant smile at the familiar face.

“Logan!”

“It’s been a while, Lady.”

Logan offered a courteous bow and instructed Katarina to make the invoice out to Elouise Hanger. Katarina, instantly grasping the situation, looked as though she might faint. Elouise chuckled softly and said to her:

“I’ll come again next time. I haven’t bought enough to sell a whole country just yet!”

Even with those words, Katarina still trembled with unease. Only after Elouise gently acknowledged that she, too, was at fault for not clearly stating from the beginning that they were a married couple, and assured her several times that she had found her comments amusing, sincere, and even elegant—only then could Elouise finally leave the atelier.

Her feet still clad in the blue silk slippers.

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Meanwhile, Gloria had already come to the arbitrary conclusion that the woman who had tormented her extraordinary younger brother for three years must possess quite the formidable character.

After creating a fuss, Marcus had dispatched Logan to the atelier. Gloria observed her remarkable brother make a great scene until the esteemed “Elouise” arrived.

Archibald had questioned his son with a suspicious gaze, but Marcus had insisted—with loud, resounding confidence—that they trust him this once. He then summoned the maids and ordered them to prepare the guest room. He had even commanded a thorough cleaning of the entire Hanger estate.

Watching the flustered maids scramble at the sudden orders, Gloria could no longer stand it and intervened. “Clean up Marcus’s wretched study immediately, and instead of the guest room, ready my old chambers. It’ll be more suitable for a woman alone,” she said, all while eyeing Marcus with skepticism.

In truth, Gloria had first thought it best to prepare the master bedroom. But what stopped her was a single doubt—Does that woman even love him?

For three years, she had watched her younger brother wallow in endless regret, and so her assumptions about Elouise were firmly set: she must be a stunning beauty with a strong personality. And for a woman to have run away like that, surely she couldn’t love Marcus—not truly.

And so, at last, Elouise arrived.

Logan had fetched her in the most splendid, grand carriage the Hanger family possessed. Marcus, having spotted it from afar, sprinted straight to the main gate. Gloria watched her brother nearly trip in his haste and muttered to herself,

“Unbelievable.”

“My thoughts exactly,” her father echoed.

Marcus, in his exaggerated manner, received her as if welcoming a princess. And the woman who stepped down from the carriage, hand in his...

“…Oh my.”

Gloria’s first impression of Elouise Starwood could be summed up in that single exclamation.

She wasn’t unattractive—on the contrary, she was beautiful.

But she wasn’t the dazzling, overwhelming kind of beauty Gloria had envisioned.

To put it kindly, she was refined. To put it bluntly, a modest countryside beauty. Her manner, while escorted by Marcus, was elegant and composed—but her eyes trembled ever so slightly as she looked their way. Gloria concluded she was clearly not the type accustomed to being the center of attention.

A bare face with no makeup, and a faint trace of sun spots—likely the result of long exposure without shade. Her shoulders were gently rounded, and her cheeks had a healthy fullness, which was appealing.

The hair the atelier staff had styled was merely decorative, and Gloria noticed the rough skin on the fingers that peeked from beneath her sleeve. The dress, of course, was proper—Marcus had gone through such a fuss buying it, so it would’ve been odd if she wore anything shabby.

And still, her aristocratic poise was impeccable. The way she stepped from the carriage, walked toward them, and carried a soft smile on her lips—

“Welcome.”

Archibald was the first to greet her. He, too, was somewhat nervous to meet his daughter-in-law for the first time in three years. Perhaps others wouldn’t notice, but Gloria knew that her father always cleared his throat when anxious.

What was even more amusing was Marcus.

Never in her life had she seen her brother so nervous. He’d been utterly smooth even while courting the king’s niece, and yet now, standing with Elouise before their father and sister, he was visibly tense. Gloria had expected him to make a graceful and grand introduction—but was immediately proven wrong.

“Th-that is… Father,”

Marcus then fell silent. His eyes darted about, clearly unsure what to say. Gloria was speechless. Over the past three years, her brother had exhibited his fair share of strange behavior, but—

Is Marcus seriously nervous in front of Father and me?

But she quickly realized the truth—it wasn’t them. He wasn’t anxious because of his family. He was hesitant and uneasy about introducing them in front of Elouise.

Unbelievable! Gloria barely resisted the urge to scoff.

Even if she and her brother had spent their lives as sworn enemies since the womb, watching him flustered before a complete stranger was still deeply vexing. Gloria, while secretly finding it a bit amusing, also began to resent the woman just a little.

After running off for three years, what gives her the right to show up now?

What’s more, the woman was the daughter of a baron. A noble, yes—but what if she had ties to commoners she was ashamed of? Could that be why she ran away?

Gloria’s irritation grew. Even Elouise’s graceful demeanor now seemed vexing. Look at her—walking lightly as if she were faultless.

“This is Elouise Starwood, everyone.” Marcus finally declared.

At last, Marcus introduced her. Considering how tense he had been, the greeting was remarkably simple.

His father, too, cleared his throat once more and proceeded to introduce himself.

“…A pleasure to meet you. I am Archibald Hanger.”

Only then did she, who had been standing a step behind Marcus, offer a polite curtsy, placing a hand gently over her chest.

“I am Elouise Starwood. Allow me to first offer my sincerest apologies.”

Gloria nearly felt her eyes pop out of their sockets. Even she hadn’t expected Elouise to begin with an apology.

Generally speaking, nobles were a class largely unfamiliar with the act of apologizing—particularly the sort of noblewomen, like Gloria herself, who remained in the middle class yet moved freely within palace circles thanks to their wealth. Elouise, however, extended a genuinely formal apology for not having come to the capital until three years had passed.

“It would have been proper to greet you at the outset, but the cough I caught from the sea breeze proved difficult to recover from.”

A cough? What on earth? Gloria, perplexed, soon came to a realization. Marcus had stirred up a storm at the estate, dragging both Archibald and Gloria into this performance. Naturally, the entire staff of the Hanger estate was now assembled in formation behind them.

Among them were the butler and Archibald’s secretary—people who likely knew at least some of the truth—but the majority were ordinary servants, eagerly observing the new mistress of the house who had taken three years to come to the capital after marrying the young master, allegedly due to a lingering cough.

In that sense, Elouise had indeed played her part well.

Gloria noticed the faint tremble at the corner of her eyes. If it had been her, she would have promptly shifted all the blame onto Marcus and held her head high, claiming complete innocence. And, in truth, the sequence of events did justify such a stance. It was precisely that temperament that had made Gloria such an effective and formidable matron of the Deveres household.

Yet for that very reason, she felt the strange knot of resentment she had held toward Elouise begin to dissolve.

She herself would never have begun an introduction with an apology before a crowd of strangers. Perhaps this woman wasn’t so bad after all, Gloria thought.

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