"Are you telling me not to interrupt?"
Yulias looked away from the note and stared directly at Sheyla again.
As the two exchanged stubborn gazes, Yulias ran a hand through his hair.
"Then shall we talk here?"
"..."
"Today, I think it's better if you know who I met. Sheyla, I just returned from the Imperial Palace."
"...!"
Sheyla's face immediately darkened.
It was the same expression she had worn when she looked at the maids earlier.
Yulias, however, seemed too distracted by his growing headache to notice. He simply pressed his fingers against his temple.
"Princess Aresina was worried about you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Just a moment."
The first person to notice Sheyla's reaction was Elysia.
She stepped between them and interrupted the conversation.
"Lady Sheyla."
As the hostility gradually rose in Sheyla's eyes, she turned toward Elysia first.
"Please finish your meal with Joshua. I'll be back soon."
Sheyla lowered her gaze.
Then she abruptly released Elysia's hand.
Before Elysia could study her expression, a piece of paper was thrust in front of her face.
[Go.]
Even though it was only a single word, Elysia could clearly feel the emotions behind it.
She stared at the hastily scribbled letters and unconsciously examined Sheyla's face.
The cold sweat and the dark expression on the girl's face made it difficult for her to leave.
After a moment, Elysia gently took the paper from Sheyla's hand and instead pressed a handkerchief into her palm.
"I'll be back."
After leaving the banquet room with Yulias, Elysia found herself still clutching the note.
The stiff parchment had become damp from the sweat in her hands.
Sheyla had definitely changed the moment the Imperial Family, and especially the princess, had been mentioned.
What had happened?
Worry for the girl filled her mind like an incoming tide.
Just then—
Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping brought her back to reality.
She looked up and met Yulias's gaze.
He had been silently watching her.
"Forgive me, Your Grace."
"I didn't call you here to hear an apology. I heard there was a disturbance involving the maids."
"If you're referring to what happened earlier, I didn't see the beginning of it, but—"
"Yes. Sheyla must have been causing trouble, as usual."
The certainty in Yulias's voice made Elysia uncomfortable.
The maids had certainly caused trouble.
And she had personally witnessed Sheyla throwing dishes while Joshua tried to stop her.
But could it really be called simple misconduct?
To Elysia, it had looked more like an act of self-defense.
Yet Yulias seemed to dismiss it as nothing more than Sheyla's stubbornness and temper.
Frowning, he let out a tired sigh.
His face showed clear signs of exhaustion.
Still, there were things that needed to be said.
Muttering in a weary voice, he added,
"This isn't the first time something like this has happened."
Elysia heard him clearly.
"Did Assistant Hillmayton report everything to you?"
"If he did?"
"Then you should also know the terrible things those maids said."
Elysia looked directly at him.
The sunlight pouring through the hallway windows made her green eyes shine even brighter.
As Yulias stared into those eyes, he remembered Hillmayton's report.
"It seems several maids, led by one named Branda, have been bullying and isolating Elysia."
"Lady Sheyla noticed it first and ordered Branda and the others to personally deliver her lunch."
Yulias's gaze slowly moved.
From Elysia's eyes...
To her face...
And finally to the small injuries on her hands.
"Lady Sheyla won't speak, and Joshua's hearing is poor. They apparently insulted her right in front of him."
Remembering the rest of the report, Yulias could easily picture what had happened.
Sheyla had overturned the meal.
Joshua had tried to stop her.
Then Elysia had arrived and handled the situation.
Slowly exhaling, Yulias placed a hand on his waist.
Sensing the tension, Elysia decided to steer the conversation herself.
"Your Grace, if it isn't inappropriate, I'd like to ask something."
Yulias gestured for her to continue.
"Are the Grand Duke's family and the Imperial Family on bad terms?"
Instead of answering, he asked,
"Why do you ask?"
"When you mentioned the Imperial Family and the princess... Lady Sheyla's expression changed completely. It was worrying."
As Sheyla's face came to mind, Elysia unconsciously crumpled the note in her hand.
The note Sheyla had written with feelings she couldn't even begin to imagine.
Yulias let out a short sigh.
"Is Sheyla's expression really what matters right now? Do you think this is the first time she's done something like this?"
"...No."
"Exactly. You've seen it yourself even before I hired you."
If she backed down now, things would only get worse.
Elysia quickly continued.
"I understand your position, Your Grace. But from where I stand, beside Lady Sheyla every day, I feel like the two of you could at least try talking to each other."
"Talking?"
Yulias let out a dry laugh.
It wasn't amusement.
It sounded closer to bitter disbelief.
"That note she showed me just now was the first thing she's ever directly shown me."
There was an indescribable emotion in his calm voice.
Beyond frustration and resentment, it sounded like the exhaustion of someone who was close to giving up.
"Then... it sounds as though you're saying it's become too difficult to keep trying with her."
"Perhaps."
His vague response made Elysia lower her head.
The hand clutching the note trembled slightly.
"But since you entrusted me with Lady Sheyla's care... I want to do this job properly."
Yulias silently watched her.
Then he turned away.
"I don't remember hiring you as a nanny."
Instead of arguing, Elysia nodded.
He wasn't wrong.
She was merely a maid assigned to attend the young lady.
There were limits to how deeply she could interfere, unlike a true caretaker.
Yulias rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"Go back."
"Your Grace, what was it you wanted to discuss with me...?"
"Later."
His expression looked exhausted.
"The young lady is waiting for you."
He clearly wanted to end the conversation.
His complexion looked worse than before.
Elysia quietly bowed.
Yulias watched until the banquet room door opened and closed behind her.
Then his gaze fell to the floor.
A piece of paper was lying there.
It was the note Elysia had slipped into her pocket after bowing.
[Take her after we've finished eating.]
Yulias stared at the note thoughtfully.
Then a question occurred to him.
When was the last time he had actually heard Sheyla's voice?
As far as he could remember, it had been sometime after her first academy vacation.
Their timing had never aligned after that.
And immediately after a monster-subjugation campaign, he had been buried under work.
That day, too, he had remained locked in his office.
"Brother... are you busy?"
What had he replied?
Had he told her he was busy and that they could talk later?
Or perhaps...
The memory was so distant he couldn't clearly recall it.
The only thing he knew for certain was that Sheyla's voice was gradually fading from his memories.
Alone in the hallway, Yulias slowly clenched and unclenched his fist before rubbing his face.
"Ha..."
He didn't know where things had started going wrong.
Which meant he didn't even know what needed to be fixed.
For a long while, he simply stood there staring at the paper.
Then he casually turned it over.
Besides the single word written on it, he noticed several heavily scratched-out markings.
[Go.]
Something else had clearly been written before being furiously crossed out.
The original words were difficult to make out.
Sunlight happened to be streaming through the window, so he held the paper closer to the light.
Faintly, three words emerged.
[Don't go.]
Yulias silently stared at the words.
Then he carefully folded the note.
Only after tucking it into his inner pocket did he finally walk away.
