It was soft white wheat bread, unlike the hard bread maids usually have .

Becky had hidden it in her apron when she was ordered by her superior to throw away the leftover food.

Eleanor was speechless for a moment , when she received the bread.

Suddenly, I felt hotness at the back of my throat.

“How did you…?”

“It will be a big trouble if the eldest madam finds out, so hurry up and eat.”

Even though they were the only ones in the room, Becky, who was worried that she might be caught, kept looking around.

Eleanor, hesitating, tore the piece of bread. She got choked up and couldn’t swallow properly , so she gulped down water to force it through .

“Eat slowly, so that you won’t have an upset stomach later.”

Eleanor put the glass of water down and looked at Becky.

Becky had eyes as black and pure as the night sky , and sunburned black skin.

Both in the Past and present, Becky felt sorry for her madam .

She didn’t make up an excuse , but a sincere expression.

Eleanor felt a heavy heart while blaming herself for trying to stay away from her.

Why did Becky do that back then?

The most shocking thing before returning was Becky’s betrayal. Eleanor was so unfamiliar with the way she accused her of being a murderer at the trial that she could not speak properly even though she was given a chance to refute.

“Um… well, Becky”.

“Yes, young madam.”

“What’s the most important thing to Becky?”

What is behind her betrayal?

Becky, who was shouting loudly in the courtroom, had an unprecedented sense of urgency.

The reason why she had to be desperate.

What made her do such a thing ?

Becky smiled awkwardly at Eleanor’s unexpected question.

“Family.”

“My family , I have a mother and a younger brother.”

Becky’s feelings were slightly awakened by the question she was asked for the first time. It’s the first time someone’s interested in her. Moreover, it is not a maid of her age who asked her affectionately , but an elegant duchess of a high rank that could not be compared to her .

Becky had been exhausted by the cold surroundings after joining the Mecklen family.

Her cheeks , while talking about her family , her only support, were slightly flushed.

“My brother’s name is Nicky. There’s a big age gap between us, he’s only 10 years old now.”

“Do you live together?”

“Oh! no. The maids here have to live within the residence no matter what . My brother is in another province . The duchess probably never heard of it , Muinton is a really small town.”

“Muinton.”

Eleanor recited the name Becky had mentioned , as if not to forget it.

“Don’t you miss them?”

“Of course! I miss them. I don’t know how my mother is doing . Her legs were weak , so I was always next to her until I started working here.”

Once the conversation flowed , Becky started chattering about herself and family. Then with a slightly red face, she murmured quietly.

“It’s already been five years since I’ve been here.”

‘If only I cared a little more.’

Eleanor thought to herself.

Becky of the past was the only person in this mansion close to her. She secretly came to help when I was hurt, and she was very affectionate.

I loved and relied on Becky, even though we were of different social status. So her betrayal remained as a shock and a wound.

‘Becky must’ve loved her family very much.’

At that time, I was mentally exhausted from Carolyn’s bullying, and I didn’t know anything about what the person who gave me the most , liked , or what kind of life she had.

Eleanor chewed on the bread in her mouth again. I felt much better after having some bread .

“Becky.”

“Yes, madam.”

“I’ll definitely help you.”

“What?”

“I’ll let you go home.”

Upon hearing ‘home’ , Becky opened her eyes wide like a rabbit.

I couldn’t believe that naive and cute child had testified so harshly against me in court , before returning to the past.

And that gap made her build a certain will. *

[TN : * she’s talking about the gap between them like she mentioned earlier , and how she would narrow it down , so that becky would trust her ]

“So please tell me if anything bad happens to your family.”

“What ? What do you mean…”

“You’ll find out later. At that time I’ll help you no matter what. I want you to trust me and tell me.”

Maybe it’s a long way from now.

Becky, who took Eleanor’s words vaguely , looked curious.

However, Eleanor did not elaborate further and drank the remaining water.

✰✰✰

On the following day , Carolyn got ready to go out early in the morning.

Ernest was still in the mansion , but it wasn’t difficult because it’s what she always does.

As soon as Eleanor entered the study, Carolyn quickly poured out her duties for today .

“Get this all sorted out before I get back.”

“……Yes.”

“Oh, when it’s all over, put it in the bookshelf, and never mix it.”

“Okay.”

Eleanor’s face, that answered quietly, could not be seen well because she was lowering her head.

Carolyn looked down at her.

“You answer well.”

“…….”

“We’ll see later if you can really do it.”

Carolyn was sure that Eleanor would not be able to do this. The documents she ordered her to organize weren’t small enough to be solved in one day.

Lowering her hat at an angle, Carolyn said in a joyful voice.

“See you in the evening.”

[TN : joyful voice because she was waiting for her to mess up and reprimand her..]

Eleanor bowed her head.

As always, Carolyn turned away with blatant disregard.

Bam!

“phew.” (sigh of relief)

As soon as the sound of the door closing was heard , Eleanor raised herself . The tangled blond hair blocked her view and she couldn’t see well .

She tidied her messy hair with her hands.

If Carolyn, who had gone out laughing, came back and saw her like that , she might have screamed.

There was a light smile on the pink lips. It was a rare sight of her , who consistently had a gloomy expression . Eleanor sat in front of the brown mahogany* desk. She tied her long hair high with a pre-prepared hair-tie so that it wouldn’t distract her while working.

[TN : * Mahogany : dark red-brown wood used to make furniture]