Interlude 6: Eleanora
A week after Yumiella and Patrick left the Royal Capital, Eleanora Hillrose was scurrying down a hallway in her beloved father’s estate. Her urgency could be laid at the feet of the duke, who had summoned her with the message that there was something important they needed to discuss.
Eleanora reached her father’s room, then burst in without so much as a knock. “Father!” she exclaimed. “I have! Arrived!”
The duke pressed a hand to his forehead. “Eleanora, you need to knock when you enter a room. Also, you need to be quieter.”
“Understood!” she energetically responded.
The duke sighed and instructed her to sit, and Eleanora grinned with excitement as she plopped herself down on a chair. Once she was settled, the duke then handed her a large envelope, which she accepted with both hands. She gave the letter a bewildered look, and had just begun to open it when her father spoke up and stopped her.
“Hold on, that’s not for you,” he said, voice exasperated. “I’d like you to go and deliver it to Ronald.”
“So...it’s a letter for my brother?”
Duke Hillrose nodded. “Yes, that’s correct. You should know that after you deliver it to Ronald, you will henceforth be in his care.”
“O-Okay...?”
Seeing the confusion on Eleanora’s face, the duke sighed again and decided to explain to her what he’d meant in clearer terms. “By that, I mean that you shall be living with Ronald for a while. You should take anything of importance to you along with you when you go.”
“Ronald and I are going to have a sleepover?!”
Eleanora’s eyes glimmered as her heart filled with joy, and she happily began to muse aloud about the many items she supposed she should bring with her. The duke interrupted her, giving her a stern warning.
“Remember, you should only be taking the things that are truly valuable to you. Pick your items with care, as you would if you knew you weren’t going to be able to return.”
Eleanora’s face wrinkled in dismay. “What? But I don’t want that! If I can’t return, I wouldn’t be able to see you, father!”
“I didn’t say you weren’t going to be able to return; I just said you should pack as if you couldn’t. Don’t fret—we’ll see each other again. I love you, Eleanora.”
“I love you too!” Eleanora called back cheerfully, exiting the room without looking back.
Sadness and pain washed over her father’s face, but with her back turned, Eleanora didn’t notice a thing. Little did she know that meeting had been her last chance to see her beloved father.
Duke Hillrose, now alone in his room, closed his eyes and desperately held back tears. There was no time for him to cry—he had a mission to accomplish. Taking a deep breath, then releasing it, the duke managed to bring himself back to a calm place. He forced the corners of his lips to curve.
“The time has finally come to carry out this household’s mission—to lead a rebellion against the royal family. We’re ready to go, and all we have left to accomplish is to find someone who will continue to work toward our goals.”
The duke was completely certain his plan would succeed. He believed that his son would handle things properly upon receiving the documents he’d just sent with Eleanora, which explained the details of his plan.
“It seems it is time for me to head to Dolkness County, then,” the duke muttered to himself, finally climbing to his feet.
His reasoning for traveling to Yumiella’s county was simple—it was the territory that housed the person the duke had his eye on to become his successor. His plan had actually been perfect up until this point...though in one aspect, it seemed to have fallen short.
◆◆◆
After meeting with the duke, Eleanora had headed to her own room, as she’d been told, and was now going through her belongings, picking out what she needed for her sleepover. As she worked, a knock came at her door, followed by the voice of one of the servants who worked at the duke’s estate.
“There’s a letter for you, my lady.”
Eleanora paused. “A letter? Who is it from?”
“It’s from the countess of Dolkness.”
“From Yumiella?!”
Eleanora ran over to the door and practically snatched the letter from the servant’s hands, overjoyed to receive a missive from her best friend. It was a rare thing for Yumiella to reach out first—typically, Eleanora was the one who did the reaching.
Jubilantly tearing open the letter, Eleanora ran her eyes over the words scribbled onto the stationary within.
“It’s happening!” she exclaimed, suddenly pumping her fist into the air.
“Please calm down, my lady,” the servant said tiredly.
But Eleanora could do no such thing—the letter had contained an announcement of Yumiella and Patrick’s upcoming marriage, which would be held in six months. Overcome with joy, Eleanora gleefully evaded her servant’s attempts to restrain her, bouncing happily about her room.
“Oh, what a happy occasion this is! I absolutely must visit Yumiella and congratulate her right away! Please prepare a carriage—I’m heading to Dolkness County!”
And so, Eleanora departed the duke’s estate at a run, with little more than the clothes on her back in tow. Carrying the large envelope her father had given to her under one arm, Eleanora rushed to the place where her friend lay in wait, in desperate need of congratulations.
This was how Dolkness County became the grounds for the commotion about to sweep the country of Valschein, which had originally been meant to begin and end in the Royal Capital.
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