# 13
---
“Ah…”
Eleanor stifled her laughter.
Mathias seems to be experiencing smoking cessation symptoms now.
They say the first week is the hardest when quitting smoking.
The hand shakes, it is difficult to concentrate, and in some cases, the person gets a headache.
Even the great villain Matthias seemed helpless in the face of quitting symptoms.
“Should I tease him a little?”
Originally, Elinor tried to avoid involvement with Matthias, the villain of the original story, as much as possible.
This started with avoiding talking to him unnecessarily.
But, does that mean she should pass up a good opportunity to tease him?
After all the embarrassment he caused pretending to be the baby's father?
“I can't miss this opportunity.”
Wasting opportunities is the work of fools.
Elinor approached Matthias without hiding her trembling smile.
“Are you bored, Your Highness?”
“Miss Elinor.”
He seemed surprised by her sudden appearance.
Is he disoriented from quitting smoking?
Usually, he would call her 'baby's mother' to tease her, but he called her name for the first time in a while.
Elinor smiled sweetly and asked:
“What are you doing here?”
“…I was getting some fresh air.”
Mathias ran his hand through his intact hair unnecessarily.
“The weather looks good today.”
Elinor looked at him calmly.
The Duke of Hilliard was known for his high status, but his good looks also contributed to his name value.
A handsome man as if he was made of molten gold.
Some have said that if there was ever a perfect human being, it would be him.
But today Matthias seemed a little far from perfect.
'His skin looks rough.'
Perhaps because lack of sleep was a symptom of quitting, his jade-white skin looked strange and rough.
His hand was moving as if searching for something, folding and unfolding repeatedly.
There was a hidden feeling of tension behind his smiling face.
'It looks like someone has been robbed of all the joys of life.'
It was a slightly pathetic sight, but to Elinor, who had suffered so much from it, it was merely a feeling of satisfaction.
She stifled her laughter and continued innocently.
“Okay. It seemed to me that you were staring at something very intently.”
“Ah, I was looking at the plants too. The innkeeper seemed to take good care of them. I was impressed.”
"Isn't it? Sophie is good at everything. She has a skill for life. She grows carrots and celery in her garden... Oh, this plant looks like tobacco leaves, doesn't it?"
When Elinor directly mentioned tobacco, Matthias' shoulder trembled slightly and he coughed.
“Right. I didn't notice that.”
“Oh my God, it looked like you were about to pick it up and burn it.”
“It looks like the baby's mother is sleepwalking. Did you dream?”
"Well, it's not really tobacco. No matter how in a hurry you're in, you wouldn't just pick some random weed to smoke, would you?"
Elinor smiled sweetly.
“It is not likely that His Highness the Duke will go back on his promise.”
Matthias did not answer.
He looked like he had a lot to say, but he was silent.
“I will go with the child for a little while. Today is the day the traveling merchant arrives.”
"…To where?"
“To the red-roofed house over there. Since the nearest village is far away, a cart loaded with goods comes every two weeks. The baby has run out of milk and some other things.”
“Oh, by the way, I think the merchant ls tobacco too. Do you want to come with me?”
Elinor threw the bait on purpose.
Matthias's lips moved for a moment.
"No no."
“Right? Well, it's best to avoid temptations from the beginning.”
She smiled with her eyes for a long time.
“Then, I'll go. Rest.”
She bowed slightly and happily left the inn.
after a while.
“Ha-ha-ha.”
After she walked away from the inn, Elinor burst into laughter.
“Heh, very refreshing.”
This was the first time she had seen the Duke in a vulnerable position.
He was helpless and couldn't say anything.
At that moment, she understood why he kept calling her the baby's mother and harassing her.
“Kya, kya.”
"Yes, kiddo. You had fun too, didn't you?"
Elinor looked at the baby in her lap and laughed.
“But the Duke is amazing. I thought he would give up quickly.”
“Ah-oh.”
“It's true that he got rid of everything, but he can get more through his followers. I thought he would secretly smoke and lie about it, but he didn't really touch it.”
Elinor was sure he would swerve, so this was an unexpected move.
Elinor touched the baby's soft cheek gently.
“Is he really trying to quit for you?”
“Aww-”
“...No, impossible.”
Matthias was the cruel villain of the original story.
He can't be nice like that.
Elinor shook her head and headed towards the red-roofed house.
Since the weather was good, there were already a lot of people in front of the merchant.
After Mathias' constant teasing, she was happy to see new people.
She raised her hand to greet the locals.
“He certainly seems noble.”
Elinor stopped suddenly.
She was struck by a conversation carried by the wind.
There was no subject in the sentence, but she felt they were talking about the Duke.
She felt anxious and began to quietly listen to the conversation.
“He is definitely a high-ranking noble.”
“Why?”
“Why? Sister! His appearance suggests nobility from the beginning. His skin is as smooth as flour, as if he had never worked a day in his life.”
"Norma's right. Look at his posture. I've never seen anyone stand so elegantly before."
"True, he's very handsome. I think he's prettier than Jeffrey."
“Oh my God, didn’t you say it was a thousand-year love? You went to see that theater actor five times in the city, and now you’ve changed your mind?”
“What should I do if a more attractive man appears?”
The middle-aged women laughed loudly as if they were having fun.
Elinor thought they had discovered the Duke's identity, but they were only talking about his appearance.
Elinor relaxed and relaxed her shoulders.
“But, is the Duke that handsome?”
Elinor remembered Matthias' appearance.
As people said, his skin was flawless.
His bright blue eyes beneath his straight eyebrows reminded her of an icy lake in the north of the empire.
His nose is high, and his jaw line is sharp.
His face is small, but he is very tall, making his body proportions perfect.
“...He's really handsome.”
She felt bitterness in her mouth for no reason.
When Elinor shook her mouth, the child thought she was playing and was happy.
At that moment.
“So what? They said his parents asked Elinor to get rid of the baby.”
The woman named Norma continued speaking in a low voice.
“What? They asked her to get rid of the child?!”
"Hush, calm down. It's a secret."
“Where did you hear that?”
"They are staying at Sophie's hostel. Sophie said the man's parents were strongly against their relationship. He said he was sorry he didn't stand up for her when his mother insulted her, and he even cried."
"Really? Oh my god."
“Oh my God, so the baby’s father didn’t know that Elinor had given birth to a baby yet? So he came to look for her?”
“Isn’t it? Think about it, when Elinor first arrived in our village, she didn’t want to talk about her husband.”
“Maybe she was planning to raise the baby alone?”
“What a pity. Handsome men always act befitting their beauty.”
Elinor was astonished.
'Have the rumors gotten this far?'