Chapter 01
Tick, tick…
The steady sound of a clock’s second hand echoed through the room.
Other than that, there was nothing but the two of them staring at each other. Neither showed any intention of speaking.
At this rate, they’ll be here until dawn.
Standing some distance away, Elysia watched the pair.
The atmosphere inside the office was so heavy it felt suffocating.
Yulias sat behind his desk without moving an inch. He merely stared at his much younger sister.
It felt like thirty minutes had already passed, yet neither of them seemed willing to open their mouths.
Unable to bear it any longer, Elysia gestured toward Yulias.
‘You said you’d apologize today.’
Understanding her signal, Yulias twitched his eyebrows.
His look clearly said he knew already and that she should stop pressuring him.
If you know that, then why not try starting the conversation first?
Elysia let out a quiet sigh.
However, within the silence, it sounded unusually loud.
[Are you busy?]
What caught his eye was the sentence written on a sheet of parchment.
Sheila, the Grand Duke’s only younger sister and the sole young lady of the household, held up the paper.
She was still a very young child who had not even made her debut into society.
But perhaps because they were siblings, the way she looked at Yulias was far from ordinary.
“As you can see.”
Yulias turned his gaze toward his desk.
It was piled with documents that needed his attention, though he had already cleared much of it to make time for this conversation with his sister.
[Yes.]
As if she had prepared it beforehand, Sheila flipped the page over.
Yulias’s brow furrowed as he read it.
His already cold appearance became even more intimidating.
After glancing at his desk, Sheila finally looked at his face and hesitated.
When Elysia saw her take a step backward, she quickly signaled with her hands.
‘Smile. You need to smile. We practiced this!’
Faced with Elysia’s burning stare, Yulias pressed a hand against his forehead.
“Sheila.”
After thirty minutes of silence, Yulias finally called her name.
Their orange eyes, reminiscent of the colors of a setting sun, met once again.
“So…”
It was Yulias who looked away first and stumbled over his words.
He clearly wanted to say something but seemed unable to bring himself to do it.
Rather than avoiding him, Sheila simply continued watching him.
Maybe if he just tried a little harder?
Elysia looked at Yulias with hopeful eyes.
‘You can do it! Just say, “I’m sorry for being cold to you yesterday!” You can do it, Your Grace!’
Cheering him on inwardly, Elysia clenched both fists.
But the words that left Yulias’s mouth were completely different.
“How long do you plan on skipping the Academy?”
“…”
This man is starting again.
Elysia squeezed her eyes shut, while Sheila openly looked away with an expression of exhaustion.
Her face clearly said she was tired of this and had expected nothing else.
It was an expression difficult to imagine on such a young child.
Yulias himself let out a low groan, as though he knew this was not what he should have said.
“You… you’re the daughter of a Grand Duke, aren’t you? If you continue refusing to attend, you’ll eventually be expelled from the Academy.”
As the conversation veered entirely in the wrong direction, Elysia muttered to herself.
We’re doomed.
“Y-Your Ladyship, what His Grace means is…”
Elysia was just about to step in and offer some excuse.
But Sheila looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Seeing her expression, Elysia hurriedly opened the office door.
“Your Ladyship, would it be alright if I spoke with His Grace for a moment?”
When Elysia asked cautiously, Sheila tugged at the hem of her clothes.
It was a signal telling her to leave with her immediately.
“Just… just a moment, please.”
Elysia spoke awkwardly.
In response, Sheila slammed the office door shut and walked away.
…Now even I got caught in the crossfire. Do you know how much effort it took to build her trust?
Sighing, Elysia turned toward Yulias.
He looked restless, like a puppy that knew it had done something wrong.
“You said you’d definitely apologize today, Your Grace.”
“…I’ve never done something like this before. I’m simply inexperienced.”
“Inexperienced? You didn’t apologize at all.”
“How can I just suddenly start by apologizing?”
“You can. Just say, ‘I didn’t realize how difficult life at the Academy was for you. I’d like to help you from now on.’ That’s all.”
“Then you should have told me earlier that I was supposed to say something like that.”
“…Was I supposed to tell you that too?”
“Yes. Then I could have prepared myself.”
Does this man really need instructions for every single thing?
A man capable of handling paperwork, monsters, and military command with ease couldn’t even manage a single apology to his younger sister.
“Your Grace…”
Elysia let out a strained groan, holding back the countless things she wanted to say.
Perhaps the world really was fair.
A man blessed with looks, intelligence, and talent understood absolutely nothing about his sister’s feelings.
After thinking for a moment, Elysia walked over to his desk.
“Your Ladyship is waiting. Let’s practice once more, briefly. Repeat after me.”
“…”
“‘I’m sorry for everything until now, Sheila. I’ll do my best to become a better older brother from now on.'”
“…”
“Go ahead.”
Even repeating someone else’s words seemed difficult for him.
He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally speaking.
“Until now…”
Elysia watched him patiently.
After hesitating for a while, Yulias pressed a hand against his forehead and continued.
“Do you really not think it’s a waste, all the time you’ve spent at the Academy?”
“…”
It’s hopeless.
Did this man have any intention of apologizing at all?
Even Elysia could only stare at him with cold eyes now.
Yulias groaned and ran a hand through his hair.
“Do I really have to apologize? Can’t I simply show it through my actions?”
“Based on the actions you’ve shown so far, absolutely not.”
“Why? I’ve provided everything she needs and even made sure to send her gifts.”
“Your Grace, as I’ve told you before, material things aren’t everything.”
“If a few words were enough to solve problems, then why do wars happen?”
Here we go again.
Elysia was once again reminded that Yulias was a man utterly incapable of understanding a child’s perspective.
Knock, knock.
A sound came from the office door.
Since Sheila had not returned to her room alone, it felt like someone was urging Elysia to come out quickly.
As Elysia offered a formal bow and prepared to leave, Yulias hurriedly stopped her.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think…”
What else could there possibly be to discuss?
The atmosphere between those siblings was already completely ruined.
“If I force her back to the Academy, do you think our relationship will get even worse?”
“…”
I don’t think I’ll ever understand the way this man’s mind works.
No, I should just give up trying.
Elysia opened her mouth, then closed it again before simply nodding.
It meant absolutely, unquestionably yes.
Bang, bang!
Whether someone was knocking or kicking the door was hard to tell.
It was clearly Sheila staging a protest and demanding that Elysia come out.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“You really do want to become close siblings with Her Ladyship, don’t you?”
“That’s why I had you sit here with me… and even practiced, didn’t I?”
Why was he hesitating so much when he said the word “practice”?
Was he embarrassed?
Or perhaps…
No, surely not.
It couldn’t be wounded pride.
…Hopefully.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
As Elysia stared at him intently, Yulias narrowed his eyes as though he had only just remembered she was still there.
“Go. Sheila is waiting.”
Like brother, like sister.
After giving him a respectful bow, Elysia left the office.
She had thought Sheila might have already gone back, but the girl was waiting while leaning against the wall.
The moment Elysia appeared, Sheila grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
“You waited for me, didn’t you? I’m sorry, Your Ladyship.”
Without saying a word, Sheila crumpled the paper in her hands and threw it onto the floor.
Elysia picked it up and forced a smile.
“Why are you picking it up?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been keeping them organized.”
“You don’t need to. Just throw them away.”
The young lady who communicated through written notes only spoke aloud to one person.
Elysia was a new maid who had joined the Grand Duke’s household only three months ago.
Her mind was troubled not only by the siblings’ strained relationship but by another reason as well.
‘…What excuse am I supposed to use this time for why the paper got crumpled?’
The Grand Duke, who rarely even glanced in Sheila’s direction, actually read every single note she wrote.
And Elysia was the only person who knew that secret.
