4
Your Ryan
<Episode 4>
Eloise got up as if possessed and took down the portrait hanging on the wall.
Neatly combed-back bright blonde hair. Clear blue eyes. In those large, round eyes, one could glimpse the strong conviction that did not fear even tens of thousands of enemies, and from the firmly closed lips, the determination that led the infantry battalion seemed to be revealed.
In the past, Emily had commented, "Isn't he just a handsome blonde man? I really don't get it," but as long as he was Ryan Wilgrave, he could only appear as the most wonderful man in Eloise's eyes.
Her father and mother thought that Eloise, who had grown up in this countryside, envied the heroes who had achieved great feats in the wide world.
That was true. But the feats of him that Eloise loved were a little different from what people praised.
'He always kept casualties to a minimum.'
Collecting newspapers that arrived in Feltham a month after they were published, Eloise organized all of his movements.
Where his battalion had moved, who he had helped, and how many casualties there were afterward.
The 57th Infantry Battalion had few casualties, but the battles he participated in recorded significantly fewer casualties compared to other battles.
Occasionally, newspaper editorials criticized him for saving his own life and making a quick retreat in battles where he should have bravely advanced.
At first, it was just a few people talking, but after the war ended, the talk resurfaced during the process of organizing merits for medals.
People's hearts change when entering and leaving, they say.
Those who had shouted his name during the war seemed to have been swept away by the atmosphere after the war, and they posted statements withdrawing their past support for him.
At the same time, they published editorials close to lecturing, saying that the current trend of young women being fascinated by his appearance and sending unilateral support was pathetic.
"Ah, this is not the time for this."
Eloise, who was thinking about the editorials on Lieutenant Colonel Ryan, relaxed the wrinkles on her forehead and busily moved her hands again.
Of course, what Eloise had picked out were male nudes with Lieutenant Colonel Ryan's face redrawn.
As soon as she returned home, she would burn all of these!
'First, I need to load this onto the baggage cart.'
Eloise hurriedly tied the bundle of drawings roughly with string and picked it up.
When sorted one by one, the light papers were quite heavy when gathered and tied together. Moreover, the volume was so large.
If it were anything else, she would have called a servant for help, but she could never do that with this.
Eloise, who came out of the Painting Room, muffled her footsteps and carefully headed for the stairs.
The moment she took a step down the stairs.
"Stop there, thief."
A strange man's voice was heard.
"Ah!"
Eloise screamed in surprise at the voice that came from behind without a sound. At the same time, her foot, which was about to take a step down the stairs, slipped, and her body staggered.
She should throw away what she was holding and grab something with her hands, but.
'No!'
Eloise hugged the drawings in her arms even tighter.
Her body leaned forward.
Knowing better than anyone how solid the Blissbury stairs were made of stone, Eloise closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain that would come. But.
Whoosh.
Someone grabbed Eloise's arm and pulled her. Her body, pulled up so easily like a child's doll, stood right next to the stairs in the hallway.
"......Huh?"
When there was no impact she had expected, Eloise slowly opened her tightly closed eyes. Who on earth.......
Then she saw the man standing next to her. At that moment.
"Kyaaaaaaak!"
Eloise screamed even louder than before, loud enough to shake the mansion.
A man with dirty clothes and gleaming eyes was looking at her.
Eloise panicked at the messy state, which was worse than that of a street bum.
Who is he? How did he get into Blissbury? More than that, is he holding my arm right now.......
Eloise's gaze turned to her arm. A dirty hand with dried mud was holding her exposed arm, which had nothing on it.
Even though she lived like an unbridled colt, Eloise was a lady.
That is, she was not someone who would not feel shame even if she was defenselessly grabbed by a man she didn't know.
"Let go!"
Eloise roughly knocked the man's arm away with what she was holding in her arms.
Thud! With a sound, the man let go of her hand and stepped back.
At the same time, the string that tied the bundle of papers that hit the man came undone, and they poured down the stairs.
"No!"
The moment Eloise saw her drawings scattered on the stairs, she bent down and hurriedly swept them up.
Fortunately, the drawings were not scattered much. The moment she finished organizing the last drawing and turned around.
"This, Ryan Wilgrave?"
"......!"
Eloise was horrified and raised her head at the man's voice.
The man was holding one of her drawings in his hand, when he had picked it up. The man looked at Eloise with a face full of contempt.
"Not only a thief but also a perverted and lewd person. Do you enjoy a secret night alone with these drawings?"
Eloise, who had been frozen by the shame of having her drawings discovered, did not understand what the man was saying for a moment.
And after a while, the moment she finally understood the meaning of what the man had said to her, her face turned red all the way to the tips of her ears.
This was the first time in her life that she had been insulted like this!
Even a drunken bum wouldn't throw out these words!
Eloise was sure. Dirty appearance, vulgar words, and rude attitude towards women.
This person was definitely a bum who had entered Blissbury with bad intentions. If not, a dishonorable deserter!
The moment she gained certainty, Eloise did not hesitate any longer.
"Mrs. Parker! Mr. Warren! Mr. Palmer! There's an intruder here!"
The voice she shouted with all her might echoed through Blissbury.
Manners of a lady and everything else had already disappeared from her mind. Blissbury was a place she cherished as much as her own home, or perhaps even more.
An intruder in such a place. She could never allow it.
Fortunately, she heard the sound of people running in. Eloise glared at the man and grabbed a small stone statue next to her. As if she would use it as a weapon if necessary.
The other person looked puzzled at Eloise's actions and looked at her up and down. He had an expression that he didn't understand why she had called people.
Then people ran down the stairs. Eloise pointed at the man with a look of having gained a thousand troops and shouted.
"This bum!"
"What is this maid?"
The man also asked the people who ran up the moment Eloise shouted.
The two said, bewildered by each other's words.
"Bum?"
"Maid?"
It was a murmur as if to say what nonsense.
The people who had gathered looked at the two alternately and had troubled expressions.
Then Mr. Palmer, who was the first to grasp the situation, cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"It seems that the two of you have had a misunderstanding. Miss Eloise, this is the newly arrived Sergeant Ryan Thornton. And Sergeant Thornton, this is Miss Eloise Serverton, the daughter of the caretaker, Sir Burton."
At Mr. Palmer's words, the two slowly turned their heads to look at each other. And said at the same time.
"This maid is the caretaker's daughter?"
"This bum is the new caretaker?"
Both of them had voices as if they couldn't believe Mr. Palmer's introduction at all. But at the same time, they were aware of what their appearances were like.
Eloise hurriedly straightened her clothes and tidied her disheveled hair, and Ryan shook off the mud on his clothes.
But that didn't change much about the two's appearances.
The two, who looked at each other again, greeted each other with a completely different attitude than before.
Eloise grabbed the hem of her skirt and slightly bent her knees, and Ryan put one arm in front of his chest and bowed.
It was a perfectly disciplined greeting, as if to prove their identities to each other.
But that gentleness was only temporary. The actions were still perfect, but the eyes glaring at each other were still sharp.
The first to open his mouth in the midst of the sparking gazes was Ryan.
"I'll return this."
This? At his words, Eloise's gaze went down. To be exact, to her drawing that he was holding.
"......!"
The moment she faced her shame again, which she had forgotten for a moment, Eloise snatched her drawing from his hand, regardless of etiquette or anything else.
Her heart was racing like crazy.
'Surely Mr. Palmer or Mrs. Parker didn't see it?'
Eloise hurriedly looked around, and fortunately, the others just seemed to be wondering what was going on and didn't seem to have seen the drawing inside the paper.
Just as Eloise was about to let out a sigh of relief, Ryan opened his mouth again.
"You've never actually seen a human body, Miss Eloise."
He glanced down at his lower body and said.
"It's not that small."
Having said that, he turned his body as if he had nothing more to do with Eloise.
Mr. Palmer, who was watching him walk away with large strides, hurriedly greeted Eloise and followed him.
"Oh my, look at that. Miss Eloise. That's why you should have put on a shawl or something. Why is your hair so messy......"
Mrs. Parker was scolding her from the side that she was likely to be misunderstood, but Eloise didn't hear the voice. Only Ryan Thornton's actions from a moment ago were repeated in her head.
Not that small? What?
Then, the moment she glanced at her drawing that he had handed her again.
"......!"
Eloise's face turned redder than an autumn apple.
Ryan Wilgrave in the drawing she had drawn was standing facing forward, without a single thread on his body.
And below him was what Eloise had closed her eyes tightly several times while drawing.
This is, small?
