The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 30
Eleanor chuckled softly. Khalid, who had been trailing behind casually, spat out,
“If you think you’re bothering us, don’t come. Uninvited guest.”
“Oh, really? Am I an uninvited guest?”
Her bright, cheerful face was truly charming. Ancia felt a sharp prickle deep inside her heart. The conversation between them felt so natural, it almost made her feel like the guest.
But she couldn’t let that feeling show. Ancia, maintaining an air of calm, gently responded.
“Of course not. You’re Kal’s one and only precious family.”
“Thank you for acknowledging that. But now, I think I should become Ann’s one and only family. Kal still refuses to see me as his older sister.”
“You’re such a precious family member, you crossed the sea alone.”
“Well, you’re not a child. Do you really think I should stay here forever, just because I’m worried about you? Acting all hurt, as if you weren’t the one who left to spread your wings after your pressuring older sister had gone. Since Grandfather passed, we were the only family left. So, getting the news of your marriage second hand really hurt me.”
Khalid clicked his tongue.
“What the hell are you doing here? You said you were having fun over there.”
“I came to see your Heart. Really, didn’t you want to see me at all?”
“Not at all. I’m too busy with my honeymoon.”
“I really missed you.”
As she thought this, Eleanor smiled at her again. Ancia felt another prickle in her chest, a sharp pain. She also felt guilty.
Eleanor was being kind to her. Polite, affectionate, and without crossing any lines. Her speech was gentle, and she was relaxed around others. Just by that, Ancia could tell how graceful she was.
She was treating Khalid easily, but still within the bounds of being a relative. And yet, just because she was beautiful, Ancia despised herself for feeling so envious.
When they arrived in front of the room prepared for Eleanor, she had Niro open the door. The room was the same east wing room she had been shown to when she first arrived at the mansion.
When Niro asked her whether Eleanor should stay in that room, Ancia hesitated. It wasn’t a room that had any particularly special memories, but thinking about how she had first been embraced by Khalid in that bed, it felt awkward to give it to someone else.
But, aside from the Duke and Duchess’s quarters in the main house, it was the best room available. There wasn’t enough time to clean the guesthouse, and considering that Eleanor wasn’t just a guest but the Duke’s closest relative, Ancia couldn’t offer her just any room at the edge of the house.
In the end, Ancia decided to give the room to Eleanor. She only changed the mattress on the bed.
Eleanor took a look around the room and smiled.
“It feels nostalgic, it’s been so many years.”
“Yes…?”
“When I was young, this room was mine. It feels like coming home. Thank you.”
Ancia couldn’t respond. She knew that Eleanor had grown up with Khalid, but she hadn’t known that this room had once been hers. Perhaps Niro thought there was no need to mention it, or assumed Ancia already knew, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of betrayal.
When she was silent for a moment, Eleanor seemed to misunderstand.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not planning on staying long. This place really doesn’t suit me. I’ll be leaving soon. And if there’s anything about my habits that makes you uncomfortable or places I shouldn’t go, just let me know.”
“…Feel free to treat it like home. You’ve lived here longer than I have, after all.”
“When the Madam of the house changes, the rules of the house change too. I know very well that I’m a guest now.”
Eleanor smiled, and Ancia, feeling a little embarrassed, lowered her gaze.
“You can leave your things to the maid, and get some rest. I’ll let you know when it’s time for dinner.”
“This one has been fussing over dinner, even though I said you didn’t need anything.”
Khalid said this as he hugged Ancia from behind. Eleanor smiled broadly.
“Thank you.”
“No…”
“Has the cook changed?”
“No, it’s the same cook who worked here when Lady Eleanor was around. Only one or two apprentices have joined, but otherwise, nothing has changed,” Niro answered in her stead.
“That brings back memories. He used to bake the best madeleines.”
“Can I ask a favor?”
Khalid interjected. Eleanor looked at him, puzzled.
“What’s going on? Are you asking me for something?”
“If you’re going to meet your friends while you’re here, could you introduce them to her? You have good connections, don’t you?”
“Kal.”
Ancia grabbed his arm, signaling him to stop, but Khalid didn’t seem to care. Eleanor nodded and turned to Ancia.
“Connections aren’t much, but if Ann would like, we can go out together. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the capital, and I want to see if any new, good shops have opened. It’ll be fun.”
“Don’t, invite them to the house instead. No more than three people at once, though. Just the important ones.”
Eleanor looked at Khalid with the same smile, and Ancia, for the first time, understood what it meant to feel someone’s gaze like a knife.
