If I Just Stepped Aside, Wouldn’t Everything Be Settled Peacefully?

Eleanor is told by someone that if she steps aside, everything will be resolved smoothly — they want her to hand over both her fiancé and her position as heir to her sickly younger sister. Eleanor reflects bitterly that it’s always been her job to manage the estate’s ledgers and beg for extensions on payments, not her sister’s. She responds simply, “Understood,” returns her engagement ring, and leaves home that same night with just one small bag. Arriving in a port town, all she wants is a place to sleep and a job to support herself. But the local lord who saves her when she nearly collapses won’t simply leave her alone. He pushes food on her — warm soup and a grilled fish sandwich — telling her to eat first, that she gets to eat before anyone else. Eleanor, who can balance account books with ease, finds herself at a loss for how to respond to this kind of unexpected kindness. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: If I Just Stepped Aside, Wouldn’t Everything Be Settled Peacefully? — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠