Chapter 78
“Princess, are you all set?”
“Yes! I think I’ve got everything!”
Today was the day Eloise’s parents were being discharged. It seemed Eloise had a home in a place called Hampstead in North London, and Ophelia, who had somehow gotten an international driver’s license from the British Hunter Association and all that, had agreed to drive me there.
“Heehee, thank you for wrapping the gift, Ophelia.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The doll we were giving Eloise had been neatly wrapped by Ophelia in a square box with a ribbon and all that. Honestly, I even wondered if it was small enough to fit in a gift box...? Still, you can tell it was made with care.
It wasn’t my effort, though, but I can just say I did it.
We’d set off already, so I should DM Eloise. I should save the gift talk for after we’ve had fun; if I say it first, her expectations might shoot through the roof and she could end up disappointed after all that excitement.
-_Princess_Eve : I’m on my way now
-Eloise_Official : Be careful on the way
-_Princess_Eve : How are Mom and Dad??
-Eloise_Official : They seem to be doing well
-Eloise_Official : They said they’ll be back to work in a week
-_Princess_Eve : Then you’ll be alone at home every day again?
-Eloise_Official : I need to work too
-Eloise_Official : And they get off work
-Eloise_Official : around 5 o’clock
-_Princess_Eve : That’s early
-Eloise_Official : I think that’s late, though
Saying 5 o’clock was late... I guess Eloise only lives in England, so her sense of work-life balance doesn’t quite match Korea’s. If it were 5 p.m. in Korea, that’d be amazing. I used to start at 10 and get off at 6, after all.
Of course, I mean starting at 10 p.m. and getting off at 6 a.m. the next day.
“How long does it take to get to Hampstead?”
“About 30 minutes, I think.”
“Oh, I see.”
Going from Mayfair to Hampstead wasn’t that far. The car wasn’t a rental or anything; it was one the British Hunter Association had lent us, and they said we could just bring it back when we head home to Korea.
“Oh, come to think of it, today’s the day I head back home.”
“That’s right.”
I’d been so focused on hanging out with Eloise that I’d even forgotten today was the last day. I actually took a surprisingly large number of photos, but still, now that I’m really leaving, I guess I’m a little sad.
“Mm! Nice! I’m going to spend today with no regrets!”
“If you need anything, I’ll be happy to help out.”
“Yep, good.”
I should start by taking some pictures of London’s streets.
ㅡClick!
“The atmosphere really is very different from Korea.”
There aren’t any colorful neon signs plastered all over the street, and the buildings themselves all have this old-fashioned feel to them. Come to think of it, the streets really are beautiful.
When I first came here, I felt a little uneasy because I wasn’t used to it, but after about a week it somehow feels even prettier. Like it’s my neighborhood or something.
ㅡBip..!
“Huh? What is it? Ah, you want that!”
ㅡBip-bip!!
“Nope. We’re going to Eloise’s house today to eat something delicious. Just hold on a little longer.”
The pup had been barking like crazy at a chicken sandwich being sold on the street, but you can’t give in to that so easily.
Ophelia said she’d cook for us at Eloise’s house too, right? Eloise’s parents were only just discharged, so Ophelia’s going to go make something delicious for them.
“We’ll arrive soon, Princess. Please be ready to get out.”
“Oh, got it!”
* * * * *
“Wooooow....”
Hampstead felt like an incredibly wealthy neighborhood, different from Mayfair. Of course, given Eloise’s income, it probably really is a wealthy area, but it also feels like a neighborhood with a lot of breathing room.
I was told it was definitely still inside London, but there are hills and everything, and overall it’s very green.
ㅡScreeeech
When Ophelia’s car stopped and I looked to the right, there was a big house built of red brick. The lawn was trimmed so neatly it looked freshly cut, and the whole place was surrounded by a pretty white fence.
My house is nice too, but since it’s an apartment, it just doesn’t give off this kind of vibe. Eloise’s house looked like something out of a painting.
“Oh! It’s Eloise!”
I quickly undid my seatbelt and flung the door open, and Eloise, who had been standing on tiptoe and peering uncertainly at our car, broke into a bright smile and came over when she saw my face.
“Eve! Over here!”
“Eloise—!!”
I’m used to only seeing her show up on set first, already changed and finished with styling, so seeing Eloise in comfy casual clothes like this is really strange. It’s kind of like running into a coworker outside of work?
Coworker, huh? I guess that does make me sound a little grown-up. I am an adult, and coworker is technically right too.
“You found it just fine? That’s a relief.”
“Yep! Ophelia drove me!”
“Heeey, Ms. Ophelia can drive even in England?”
“An international license? I think there’s something like that?”
“I see? Let’s go say hello to Ms. Ophelia.”
Eloise walked over to Ophelia, who was carrying a box packed full of food from the trunk, and bowed her head in greeting.
“Hello, Ms. Ophelia.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Eloise.”
“Would you like some help?”
“It’s fine. Where should I put the food?”
At Ophelia’s reassurance, Eloise nodded and came over to link arms with me. Sure enough, when she stood there, Eloise was just a tiny, tiny bit taller than me—by about an ant’s poop’s worth. Well, we are a whole year apart in age, so I guess there’s nothing to be done about that.
But it’s fine! I’m going to be 200 meters tall someday, so Eloise will be the one looking up at me like this later, you know?
“Hehe, what are we going to do when we go in?”
“Yeah? What should we do?”
The front entrance of the house we followed Eloise into even had a little roof over it, and the front wall was made of glass, though the striped blinds inside were half-drawn so I couldn’t see much.
Still, apparently they could see outside from in there, because Eloise’s mom opened the front door and came out to greet us first.
“Welcome, you’re Eve, right?”
“A-ah, hello! I’m Eve! I’m... um, I’m from Korea! I’m Eloise’s friend!”
“Yes, welcome. I heard about it—you saved Eloise when she almost got hurt, right?”
“Gasp, that was supposed to be a secret.”
The fact that I made the London Eye into a golem and subdued the terrorists wasn’t made public. Only a few of the people there, and a few people from the British Hunter Association, would probably know.
“Ahaha, it’s fine. I already heard about it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mm. They said you were an incredibly strong Awakened?”
“Ah, nooo—it’s not that much... hehe.”
Well, at the very least I’m S-rank? If they rated me badly, maybe A+? Eloise’s mom said she was an Awakened police officer too, but I kind of felt mana from her... or maybe not.
Seeing Ophelia behind us carrying a box stuffed with all kinds of big dishes, Eloise’s mom jumped.
“Oh my, let me help!”
“It’s fine. Where should I put the food?”
“Ah, should we all go inside first?”
“Yes!”
As expected, it was a detached house. Since it had a second floor, there were stairs inside too, and according to Eloise, it even had an attic. The kitchen and living room were huge, and Eloise’s room was on the second floor.
If a house looks this complicated, you could probably get lost in it.
“Oh, Eloise. Your friend’s here, huh? You said her name was Eve? Have fun, okay?”
“Yes!! Hello! I’ll have a good time and then go home!!”
“Dad! Get back inside and lie down!”
Mom seemed to have almost completely recovered from her injuries, but Dad still didn’t seem to be in great shape; he shuffled out of the first-floor master bedroom, got walloped by Eloise, and went straight back into the room.
“Dad still hasn’t fully recovered?”
“Overuse of mana? That’s the side effect, apparently. He seems to get a little dizzy if he stands up.”
“Heeey, I see. That must be rough.”
I think I’ve had something like that too, but I just got really sleepy and wanted to sleep. Anyway, if it clears up after a while, that’s a relief.
Ophelia was chatting with Eloise’s mom, and her mom looked a little younger than I’d expected. Is she mixed? It’d be hard to look that youthful as a pure Englishwoman, so Eloise’s future is bright.
“Mom! I’m going upstairs to play!”
“Sure~ I’ll call you when the food’s ready, okay?”
“Yep! Got it. Come on, Eve!”
“Awesome!!”
Come to think of it, we came over because Eloise’s parents had been discharged, but if Mom gets made to work in the kitchen and Dad gets shut away in the master bedroom, what’s even left?
“Eve, do you know how to play Reversi?”
“Reversi? What’s Reversi?”
Eloise snickered and took my hand, leading me to her room on the second floor. The door was already covered in stickers with phrases like ‘Eloise’s room,’ ‘I’ll beat you up if you come in,’ and ‘Dad, keep out,’ and all sorts of things.
There was a bed right in front of a big window, a wardrobe that filled an entire wall, and a cute little desk. A mood lamp or something sat on the nightstand.
“This one. It’s a board game.”
“Huh, isn’t this Othello?”
“Othello? Is that what you call it in Korea?”
“I’m not really sure. Is Reversi the right term?”
“Probably.”
The Reversi Eloise was talking about was, as far as I knew, the board game called Othello. I’m seriously a master at this game. Just guard the corners properly and you can steamroll anyone—even if the Othello creator’s grandpa’s ancestors came at you, you’d still win.
* * * * *
“58 to 6, and I win!”
Maybe Eloise is the one who invented Reversi. To be honest, if I’d thought a little harder and played my moves better, I would’ve won, but I lost by just a hair because I kept missing by the tiniest bit.
“Eloise, do you just play this after meals?”
“Hmm... not really? I just took it out for the first time in a while. We have other board games too—want to play another one?”
“You have a phone, right? Want to play Roblox together?”
“Roblox? I’ve never played that before. I’ve only heard of it.”
“Seriously?! You’re missing out on half your life!”
“Is it really that good? Hmmm....”
Still looking doubtful, Eloise turned on her phone and searched for Roblox in the store. Heh-heh, this is it! I’m the strongest in the world inside Roblox.
If she sees me blasting the people stealing my brainrot with a bee gun and then beating them up with a bat, Eloise’ll probably end up respecting me too, right?
“Ellie! Eve! Come down and eat!”
“Oh, Mom’s calling us. Let’s go down.”
“Whaaaat!!!”
How could you! Eloise, that’s so mean! You were beating Eve with a board game you’re the only one good at, and now that you think you can’t beat me at Roblox, you’re calling Mom...!!
ㅡRumble....
“Ooooh, food.”
Using my brain made me hungry after all. Mealtime approved!