Exhausted after a long day, Eileen felt restless after Marlena's departure.
As the crowd gathered outside dispersed after Michelle fired her second shot, she smiled, still holding some green oranges she had knocked from the trees.
From now on, if anyone comes here, they'll think twice, knowing they could get shot.
After dispersing the soldiers, Michelle had dinner with Eileen, only to further confuse her thoughts.
— But, my lady, when will you be going to the Archduke's mansion?
Well… I'm not the archduchess yet…
— Well, of course! I'll start training right away. Your Grace, Archduchess…
After dinner, Michelle — drawing on her experience as a former employee at the prince's palace — cleaned the entire house in the blink of an eye before leaving.
Alone in the now-gleaming house, Eileen sat on the sofa for a moment. The archduke's knights were valuable assets. Wasting their time on trivial tasks was truly a waste of efficiency.
And, in a more bitter thought, Eileen concluded:
'And that is precisely what His Highness hates most.'
Cesare considered it absurd to waste time on unnecessary tasks. However, these inefficiencies were already occurring because of him. With her confidence waning, Eileen shook her head.
She got up from the sofa and went to her father's room. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
— Get out. How long are you going to stay in there?
There was a noise behind the door. Creak. Her father finally opened it and came out.
It was truly pathetic. The image of her fat body immediately came to mind, but she pushed it away.
It seems the guests have already left.
His father tried to act naturally, as if nothing had happened between them.
In the past, she might have accepted the olive branch he offered. But today, she didn't want it. Eileen stared directly at him.
Why did you do that?
The father's eyebrows furrowed. Unable to hide his discomfort at his daughter's audacity, he exploded, furious:
I never intended to sell it to you!
Eileen took a step back, but then straightened up, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Even in this situation, her father remained defiant.
— I just wanted to resolve an urgent problem. Of course, I expected His Highness to help you, so it was a calculated move. In the end, isn't everything going wonderfully now?
*Cough cough * — he coughed lightly and gave Eileen a look of disdain.
Because now you're going to become an Archduchess…
It was already obvious from the way her eyes rolled. The inflated expectations that her daughter would enjoy immense wealth and glory as an archduchess.
'That's why I didn't want to get married.'
A future in which her father would tarnish Cesare's name with all sorts of scandals was unfolding ahead. Perhaps it didn't matter much to Cesare. But for Eileen, the fact that she was a stain on his name was agonizing.
I'm going out for a bit. Just have a beer.
His father grabbed his hat and coat and left. Avoiding uncomfortable topics and shunning conversations was his way of dealing with things.
It had always been like that. Even when her mother was alive, if they argued, he would simply yell and leave. So Eileen had to endure her mother's anger alone.
'But he's not going to gamble for a while now, right…'
The money he earned from selling it seemed to have been almost entirely spent at that expensive bar.
Eileen, lost in her own thoughts, hunched her shoulders in overwhelming frustration. If she continued like this, her mood would worsen, so she decided to seek refuge in the garden to catch some of the evening breeze. Sitting under the orange tree, she hoped to calm her mind.
Wrapped in her shawl, Eileen went out to the garden. She sat in a wooden chair and gazed sadly at the lawn.
Her marriage was real, and there was nothing wrong with that. Still, she didn't know how to deal with her father. It was even harder because it wasn't a problem that could be solved with money.
Originally, Baron Elrod was wealthy, but his father had squandered his entire fortune on gambling. The ideal solution would be for his father to change, but that seemed nearly impossible.
His concerns grew until they converged in the conversation he had with Marlena earlier.
— …
Eileen extended her left hand and looked at the empty fourth finger.
She clenched her teeth, feeling the humiliation of not even having an engagement ring when the wedding was announced. Marlena had cursed the archduke for his indifference, even cruelty.
Eileen was getting married, so she hoped to receive a ring from Cesare someday. But that wasn't the reality now.
'I can't ask him to buy it right away.'
Although the marriage was a transaction, the balance was severely skewed. She already owed Cesare countless things, but she couldn't even mention the ring. That would be shameless. It was better to trust Cesare and wait.
While thinking about him, another memory surfaced: the smoke in the club where he went to look for his father.
The Empire rigorously enforced drug controls, but focused primarily on opium. Substances like hashish were not a major concern.
Since Cesare had taken up the habit of smoking cigars, he hadn't commented much on the subject, so it was probably a combination of legal substances…
Lost in thought, Eileen suddenly saw a flash of light in the dark garden. It was the headlights of a vehicle.
Uniformed soldiers got out of a familiar military vehicle.
Normally, people would be apprehensive about the arrival of soldiers. However, Eileen, who was more accustomed to them than anyone, stood up with a smile. The soldiers greeted her respectfully as she entered the garden.
— Miss Elrod.
Upon hearing the greeting, Eileen hesitated for a moment, but responded without showing any emotion.
- Goodnight.
— Your Grace requests your presence.
- Now?
Yes. We will escort her.
Eileen nodded slightly to hide her feelings. Then, she clenched her fist to conceal her trembling hand.
After being kidnapped at age twelve, Eileen underwent intensive training with Cesare. One of the lessons was:
"I won't send just anyone to come get you. I'll send people whose faces you recognize."
But most of the soldiers who had come to get her were strangers. There was only one she recognized, and he was alone, back there.
He had also been given a title. Normally, the soldiers called her "Miss Eileen," but it was rare for someone to use "Miss Elrod" with such formality.
'That's strange.'
Becoming Archduchess also meant becoming a target for Caesar's enemies. But who would dare?
No, now was not the time to speculate. Eileen shook her head quickly.
— I'll just change and be right back. Please wait a moment.
She thought it best to return home first. When Eileen turned to leave, she was abruptly stopped.
Wait a moment.
Her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Startled, Eileen pulled away with all her might. The soldier, caught off guard and clearly not expecting resistance, released her.
Eileen ran inside the house, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Outside, the soldier was hitting her so hard it felt like the door would break. Anxious, she stumbled and almost fell. Recovering, she got up from the table and ran away.
Spotting an opening in the backyard, Eileen saw her chance to escape.
Clink!
The sound of shattering glass filled her with terror. Soldiers in uniform stormed the house, their military boots echoing on the floor.
The only soldier whose face Eileen recognized was the first to leap out, grabbing her by the hair. As he pulled her, her back slammed against his chest. He held her by the waist with one hand and by the neck with the other.
— Huh!
The squeeze was relentless. The pressure on her carotid arteries caused her to lose strength. Her hand, which had previously resisted, fell. Without oxygen, consciousness faded. Her vision darkened.
'I need to escape…'
In a whirlwind of disjointed thoughts, Eileen fainted.
To be continued…