#12. At the Edge of a Dream (5)

Eugenie neatly combed Eleonore’s disheveled hair and even applied fragrant oil to it. Eleonore wondered if all that fuss was really necessary when she was still recovering, but despite that thought, she didn’t resist Eugenie’s hands.

Well, she really would have to live as a woman from now on. There was no need to let the men waiting outside the door see her looking disheveled.

After one last check of Eleonore’s appearance and the way her white nightdress sat, Eugenie stepped outside and told the men she was ready.

The bedroom door, which had been firmly shut, soon opened with a soft creak.

Following Eugenie into Eleonore’s bedroom, the two men were just as flustered by her appearance as the people who had been there moments before.

She had been through a great deal, and her face and body looked terribly drawn. Even so, Eleonore lifted the corners of her mouth in a faint smile, looking like the heroine of a classical tragedy, unbowed by hardship and adversity.

Especially that smile, which brought an air of grace and freshness to her face despite the scratches.

The smile with which Eleonore welcomed them was so elegant that it was hard to believe she was a young lady who had just been abducted and rescued.

“Lord Julian, and Dmitri. Thank you for all the ways you’ve gone out of your way for me.”

While the two men were still standing there, dazed by Eleonore’s appearance, she was the first to bow her head to them...