Thirty Minutes Earlier...
Orlando had just finished his grueling daily sword-training session. Tossing his practice blade aside, he headed straight for his private chambers to wash away the sweat and fatigue.
Before stepping into the steaming bath, he gave his usual, strict instructions to the hallway attendants:
"No one is to disturb me under any circumstances. Unless the estate is literally burning down, I expect absolute silence."
Because of this ironclad rule, the maids outside knew better than to cross him. When the mild commotion echoed down the hall from Eleanor's room, the muffled thump of her clumsy fall and the hurried scurry of staff, none of them dared to interrupt Orlando's bath to report it.
Twenty five minutes later, Orlando emerged, refreshing himself and slowly buttoning up his fresh, high-collared tunic. As he stood near his doorway finishing his attire, the quiet murmurs of three estate maids whispering anxiously in the corridor drifted to his ears.
"...Do you think we should tell Young Master Orlando?" one maid whispered nervously, wringing her hands. Another one said, "maybe He is still in a foul mood from training."
"Are you insane?" another hissed back, shaking her head frantically. "You know how much he despises hearing her name! If we bring up Lady Eleanor and whatever trouble she's stirred up again today, he'll be in a murderous temper for the rest of the day. Just keep your mouth shut."
"Yes, exactly," the first one said. "Let's pretend we heard nothing at all."
BAM!
The wooden door swung open wide, slamming against the stone wall. Orlando stepped out into the hallway, his face darkened into a menacing scowl, his sharp eyes locked onto the terrified maids.
"What in the world are you gossiping about?" Orlando demanded, his voice chillingly low. "What did Eleanor do now? What sort of trouble has she caused?"
Hearing his cold tone and the dreaded name, the three maids immediately dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the cold floor in sheer terror.
"P-please have mercy, my Lord!" one of them sobbed, trembling violently. "We were out of line! We won't ever speak her name again, please spare us!"
Orlando took an involuntary step back, raising a hand in anger. "Get up, all of you. I'm not going to punish you. Just stand up and tell me what you were whispering about. What happened to Eleanor?"
For years, the household had walked on eggshells. Because the original Eleanor had been a constant source of trouble, heartbreak, and scandal, the mere mention of her name was enough to sour any Valerius family member's day. The servants naturally assumed Orlando's anger meant he still despised her just as much as before but they did not realize that things had fundamentally changed over the past week.
Trembling, one of the maids lifted her head slightly, but her voice was still shaking.
"W-we don't know the full details, My Lord... we only overheard whispers that, a few moments ago, our Lady took a hard fall from her bed. Her personal maid rushed in right after, and that is all we know!"
The moment those words left her mouth, the color drained entirely from Orlando's face.
Any lingering irritation or annoyance vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden, sharp spike of absolute panic. Without waiting to hear another word, without grabbing his jacket or calling for an escort, Orlando turned on and sprinted down the corridor like a madman, his boots thundering against the floorboards as he charged blindly toward Elanore's room.
Present Time
"...I only came here because I heard a commotion and thought you were causing some new trouble, as usual!" Orlando snaps defensively, crossing his arms and glaring away from me. "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't wrecked half the room, that's all. Don't flatter yourself!"
He desperately leaves out the part about the frantic maids, and his blind sprint down the hallway because he knows that if Eleanor ever caught wind of how panicked he actually was, she would tease him about it for the rest of their lives.
If it were the real Elanore, she would have stop here after hearing his unreasonable excuse. But Sara is different. She always teases his brother in her world. Now Orlando's behavior reminds her of her brother. She understands that he is hiding something.
Sara blinks innocently, shows an exaggerated grin.
"Oh? Is that so? Oh my, oh my..." I say, my voice dripping with honeyed sarcasm. "Are you really telling the truth, dear big brother? Then why are your ears glowing bright red? Why are you blushing like that if you're so innocent?"