Chapter 21

The next day, Eleonora had to change into a dress and put on makeup to meet Aleksey. The maids who prepared Eleonora were the same ones who did so for the ball, Rira and Larisa. These two were also Eleonora’s devotees.

"Your hair shines like the sun, and your skin is as beautiful as fine porcelain, Lady Eleonora."

As Rira was fixing Eleonora’s hair, Larisa, who was taking care of her nails, nodded vigorously.

"There is no one as beautiful as you in the entire empire. Moreover, Lady Eleonora, you are not only beautiful in appearance but also in heart."

(These two, are they okay? They don’t seem to have any ulterior motives, but did they eat something bad? Maybe they ate some hallucinogenic mushrooms? Laymen shouldn’t eat mushrooms.)

Eleonora, concerned about their well-being, blushed in embarrassment, as she had never been praised like this before.

She was aware of her current beauty to some extent, but in her previous life, she was called a monster. So, as long as her skin wasn’t green and she was wearing nice clothes, she thought almost anyone would look beautiful.

The only exception was Ham-chan, who was more beautiful than a doll.

(When you say beautiful, you mean someone like Ham-chan. When you see that cute Ham-chan, everyone would swoon.)

Still, Eleonora thought she should thank them for the compliments and spoke.

"…That’s quite an exaggeration. But I’m flattered."

Her bashful response was incredibly adorable, and the two maids were moved to tears.

"That’s not true. We are incredibly happy to be able to take care of Lady Eleonora!"

Rira and Larisa nodded at each other, but Eleonora thought there shouldn’t be much satisfaction in taking care of her. In fact, she wondered if it was more like a demotion.

(Maybe they are being bullied by mean servants in the main house? If that’s the case, I want to do something about it.)

"…Are you having a hard time with your work in the main house?"

When Eleonora asked worriedly, the two shook their heads vigorously.

"No! We are happy to be able to take care of Lady Eleonora!"

Eleonora found it even harder to understand.

"…I see. But if you have any problems, please let me know."

Sitting in the chair, she looked up at them and said this, and they responded with a loud "Thank you."

(Maybe they did eat some strange mushrooms.)

In any case, the two maids dressed Eleonora beautifully. The dress was the same one she wore to a tea party before, which was rather cheap for a duchess’s daughter, but it looked luxurious when Eleonora wore it, so there was no problem.

With a sense of accomplishment, the two maids saw Eleonora off as she got into the carriage that was waiting in front of the annex. They bowed until the carriage was out of sight.

Eleonora went to the castle alone, carrying a basket with five pies. Her stepmother had made sure she had no maids to accompany her, but her father seemed completely unaware of this and didn’t think she would go alone.

When she arrived at the castle, the white knight Oleric, who had escorted her two days ago, guided her.

"Let me carry your luggage."

(This isn’t heavy at all.)

"…Thank you for your concern, but it’s not heavy."

(I can’t stand this! Do I have to speak like a lady all day today?! It’s so troublesome!)

Eleonora, who was uncomfortable with both the tight dress and the ladylike speech, lowered her eyes to hide her gloom and replied.

"As a knight, I cannot let a lady carry heavy luggage."

(Knights are supposed to be gentle to women. That’s what the books say. But I was killed by a knight.)

She nodded slightly and handed over the basket.

"It might be a bit heavy for a lady to carry."

(It’s not heavy at all. There are only five pies. I’m worried about the physical strength of the ladies in this world.)

Following the knight, she was led to the rooftop, which was surrounded by walls, indicating that the castle was a fortress. There was a table set up under a large umbrella. After being invited to sit, she waited for a few minutes, and then Aleksey arrived, out of breath.

His appearance reminded her of Ham-chan running through the enchanted forest with a lot of fruits, eager to show them to her.

(He looks just like Ham-chan! Unlike the other day, he’s not looking at me coldly. He looks just like the real Ham-chan!)

Surprised, she stood up from her chair and performed a lady’s curtsy.

"…Thank you for inviting me today."

Aleksey looked at Eleonora closely. Although everything about her was different from the pies, he felt a sense of nostalgia. Not only nostalgia, but standing before her, he felt a painful tightness in his chest, a bittersweet pain that he found strange.

"Please make yourself comfortable. Come, sit down."

Aleksey smiled gently.

(He looks just like Ham-chan! He’s different from the emperor the other day. Why does he look so much like Ham-chan? Is the emperor a close relative of Ham-chan? If so, maybe I can meet Ham-chan! Ham-chan! Ham-chan!)

Thinking that she might be able to meet Ham-chan, Eleonora was so happy that she teared up.

"Hey, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Do you not want to be with me?"

Aleksey, worried, asked her, but she shook her head without speaking.

"…No. I was just reminded of someone very dear. You look a lot like His Majesty. I only know His Majesty’s appearance up to the age of nine, but you look very much like him."

Aleksey remembered that nine was the age when the pies were killed.

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