#13. On a Night Like This, When the Stars Twinkle (12)

House Béarn’s townhouse was famous not only for its elegance and grandeur, but also for its ridiculously immense size. Naturally, the mansion alone couldn’t fill such a vast plot of land, so the garden surrounding it was equally expansive.

The two women’s pace gradually slowed, a stark contrast to how briskly they had set off. The culprit was Eleonore. As her steps grew heavier, Eugenie gradually slowed down to match her pace.

It seemed her feeble stamina wasn’t enough to make it all the way around the garden without stopping.

“Sorry, Eugenie.”

Eleonore came to a careful stop, wearing an awkward smile tinged with embarrassment. She had made such a fuss about going for a walk, only to give up before Eugenie.

“Oh, what are you apologizing for?”

Eugenie gently chided Eleonore, then looked behind them. Sophie was following at a distance, far enough away that she was only just visible. Eugenie beckoned her over.

“The young lady’s tired. Go and bring us some chilled tea.”

Though they had walked at the same pace, Eugenie’s voice, unlike Eleonore’s, remained perfectly steady and poised. Sophie bowed at her words, then hurried off toward the mansion.

So my stamina really is terrible, Eleonore thought, trying to steady her ragged breathing as she watched Sophie’s figure grow smaller in the distance...