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Listening to his question, I nodded without much ado, hesitant to correct him, fearing it might escalate the issue.

"Yesterday, I still had frequent headaches, but today I feel better," I replied.

Alger nodded slightly at my answer. "At least try the medicine I bought later."

I wanted to ask what medicine, but the Eleanor I remembered from my brother's novels was a girl who struggled to find topics of conversation and maintain a flow. Therefore, I chose to remain silent and continue walking, still accompanied by the young man beside me.

'He is still very young. Is he the same age as my brother...?' I thought, unable to stop myself from glancing at the handsome figure beside me.

'No wonder I feel a bit reluctant to call him "brother". How can I refer to someone the same age as my little brother as "brother"?'

'... Here I was, in my 30s mentally, yet forced to play the role of a little sister to young men the same age as my younger brother. It felt like I'd been cast in some medieval drama. Truly, my life seemed like one big cosmic joke right now. But no—snap out of it! I'm in Eleanor's body, and by all accounts, I'm 19 years old. Forget my actual mental age. Focus, and deal with the situation at hand!'

As I fought to maintain my sanity and self-esteem in the midst of my thoughts, Alisa, the Marchioness, spoke warmly, breaking into my musings.

"There you are! I was worried something happened since you took so long to arrive." Her soft, motherly voice made me silently blame the young man beside me.

Though Marchioness Alisa looked worried, her lips curled into a smile upon seeing her daughter's hand wrapped awkwardly yet affectionately around her son's arm.

"Did your conversation go smoothly?" asked Marquis Elandro, echoing his wife's concern. His stern expression softened as he observed the rare interaction between his children.

Alger simply snorted before offering his help, guiding me to the couch where Marchioness Alisa sat, her warm smile ready to welcome me. As I took a seat beside her, Alger settled in next to Marquis Elandro.

"I just asked her what really happened at the academy, in case there's something Eleanor can't share with you two but can tell me as her big brother." With that, he reached for his cup of tea and took a quiet sip.

I merely chewed on the chocolate cookies Marchioness Alisa had casually offered me, not wanting to interrupt Alger's words.

Alisa and Elandro exchanged glances before nodding.

"We're very relieved that Elen can remember you, Alger. That is a good sign that the chance of her suffering from 'partial memory loss' is lessening."

Upon hearing that, Alger fell silent for a moment before speaking calmly. "Is there anything Eleanor forgot during her examination with the doctor?"

"Eleanor doesn't remember Cecillia," Marchioness Alisa replied with a sigh.

Alger's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of Cecillia, the only daughter of Duke Emmeline and Eleanor's childhood friend.

"You can't remember her?" Alger asked, seeking confirmation from me.

I swallowed hard and nodded with determination.

"... A little. I don't want to force myself to remember, as it might trigger my headache again." I offered a bittersweet smile.

'Forgive me for lying, but I plan to maintain this facade for at least a month to avoid the Heroine!' I thought to myself, feeling a flicker of guilt at the sad, anxious, and worried expressions on the faces of my family in front of me.

Marquis Elandro, sensing his daughter's discomfort at the mention of Cecillia, cleverly shifted the topic, turning his gaze toward Alger.

"Alger, don't repeat this behavior again. You can't act on impulse while you have a superior to respect and rules to follow." He reprimanded him regarding Alger's recent escape without regard for his duties as the vice commander of the imperial military's second division.

Alger, unhappy that his mistake was brought up in front of me, could only groan softly in response. "I know, father. But I'm not a cold-hearted brother like Eiser, who didn't even react to what happened to my sister."

"Don't speak like that. Eiser cares and worries a great deal about Eleanor, especially after he learned what she has been going through," Marquis Elandro insisted, his expression firm. He shot a brief glance at his daughter, secretly anxious about the possibility that Eiser, the eldest son of the family, truly remained indifferent to her suffering.

In his heart, Elandro, much like Alisa, vowed to send another urgent letter to Eiser, urging him to return home without delay. He no longer cared about the risk of offending the crown prince; his daughter's well-being took precedence over everything else!

'After all,' he thought, 'if the Crown Prince truly aspires to be a great leader for this empire, he will surely understand the gravity of Eiser and Eleanor's situation and grant him permission to return without hesitation!'

Meanwhile, I continued to chew my cookies peacefully, completely unfazed by the tense atmosphere in the family room.

All that occupied my mind was confirming Eiser's personality as I had read in the novel, mixed with bits from Eleanor's memories.

'Hoo... Eiser is indeed as cold-hearted as I had imagined,' I acknowledged to myself, quietly recalling a few scenes of Eiser from the novel in my mind.

"Hah, he must have just asked how Eleanor was as small talk—" Alger began, ready to insult his older brother during this rare moment. However, as soon as he caught the sharp smile from Alisa, his beloved mother, he immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Marquis Elandro similarly hesitated, wanting to clarify to Eleanor that Eiser wasn't truly ignoring her; he was just overwhelmed with work.

"…"

Both Alger and Elandro, father and son, began to sweat under the sweet yet piercing gaze of Alisa, leaving them to sip their tea in silence.

I had just finished devouring a few chocolate cookies with a relaxed expression when I noticed Alger, who was awkwardly pretending to sip his tea.

"Oh, right! What medicine did Brother Alger bring earlier?" I asked innocently.

Alger exhaled a sigh of relief and hurriedly answered my question. As he explained what he had bought during his trip back to Gwendolyn's residence, his scholar aura radiated strongly, highlighting that Gwendolyn's lineage was certainly impressive. It made me wonder why he had chosen a career in the military instead.

Listening to the conversation, I couldn't help but smile a little, secretly heaving a sigh of relief that this meeting with Alger had gone smoothly, contrary to my earlier worries.

Time passed, and I found myself relaxing on the balcony of my chamber, enjoying the tea and macarons Alger had brought for me.

I admired the lush green scenery and occasionally glanced at the gardeners and servants passing by in the courtyard of this lavish residence.

Meanwhile, Alger and Marquis Elandro were in the study discussing tedious political matters that I had no interest in, and Marchioness Alisa was attending a tea party hosted by Count Belmond's wife, a vassals noble from the Gwendolyn.

This left me alone to relish my freedom, and I was grateful for the chance to relax in such luxurious surroundings—something I seldom experienced.

'I don't want to admit it, but I'm quite happy to be able to rest comfortably like this, even if it's a bit awkward being waited on by young maids...' I thought, glancing at the two young maids near Tina.

"Come here, you three. Let's enjoy tea together," I called out.

Tina hesitated, feeling it was impolite to sit at the same table as their noble employer. However, seeing the gentle expression on my face and the enthusiasm of the two maids beside her, she sighed heavily.

"Thank you for the invitation, My Lady. We would be happy to accept it." Tina bowed respectfully before leading the two maids to sit down, followed by herself.

The four of us sat in silence, enjoying the melodious chirping of birds and the warm sunlight, which was fortunately shielded by the roof of the balcony.

"I'm bored. Can you tell me something?" I asked randomly, causing the three maids to flinch in surprise, nearly dropping the expensive teacups they were setting down.

"Uh, does Lady Eleanor want to know about the rumors circulating in this territory...?" one of the young maids, Adel, asked awkwardly.

'Rumors?' I glanced at Adel, curiosity sparkling in my eyes, though I maintained my composure.

'What kind of rumors have been floating around while I was sick?'

Tina quickly reprimanded Adel. "Lady Eleanor would never be interested in such lowly gossip."

The two maids exchanged determined glances, neither willing to back down, until I intervened with a gentle, elegant laugh typical of a lady of status. "Haha, what kind of rumors?"

Taking a deep breath, Tina relented and let Adel answer my question.

With a mix of innocence and anticipation, Adel gathered her words before speaking softly. "... Rumors about your fiancé, My Lady."

"It's not really about Lady Eleanor's fiancé, but just noisy gossip concerning someone who looks like him and is up to no good!" Tina quickly added, anxious that Eleanor might overreact, fearing it could worsen her headache.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss; despite Lady Eleanor's illness and the dire need for support, her fiancé—the one who should have been closest to her—had never once come to visit.

Tina's instinct as a trained maid was that the Marquis and Marchioness also had never mentioned him because they didn't want to stress Eleanor further. Therefore, she had no intention of stirring trouble and desperately sought to change the subject for the sake of her lady's health!

"Do not worry, Lady—"

However, when she saw Eleanor's beautiful face turn completely pale as if she had just received terrible news, panic instantly swept over Tina and the other two maids.

"...!"

Fear and hysteria flickered in their eyes as they looked at me.