Chapter 03
Without a carriage, she walked for a long time through a dense stretch of coniferous forest.
When she finally reached the end, a massive and magnificent mansion came into view in the distance.
Sweating profusely, Elysia arrived at the enormous front gate.
As she looked around, a nearby guard approached her.
“H-Hello! I’ve come to see His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Do you have prior business arranged with him?”
“…Uh, no.”
Since he was such an important person, perhaps she should have exchanged letters beforehand.
Despite her flustered expression, Elysia answered honestly.
“Please wait a moment.”
The guard gestured to another soldier, who seemed to understand immediately and nodded.
Fortunately, the front gate opened, allowing her to enter the estate.
“Wow. The garden is as big as the central plaza.”
Elysia looked around with wide-eyed curiosity.
Following the guard farther inside, she arrived at an entrance hall just as grand as the front gate itself. Shortly afterward, a man emerged.
He was neatly dressed, wore glasses, and had his hair tied back.
“Assistant Hillmyton.”
The guard approached him and whispered something in his ear. As Hillmyton listened, he glanced toward Elysia.
Noticing his gaze, she awkwardly bowed her head in greeting.
“I am Hillmyton, the assistant who manages this estate. I hear you’ve come to see His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Ah, yes. My name is Elysia. Um… my father used to serve in the knight order here. His name was Galfon.”
Hillmyton looked her up and down.
“And you did not arrange any contact with His Grace beforehand?”
“No…”
“What brings you here?”
“I have something I wish to tell His Grace.”
Elysia clasped her trembling hands tightly in front of her.
Hillmyton nodded as though satisfied.
“His Grace is currently out for a short time. Please wait inside.”
“Thank you.”
Elysia bowed deeply.
Hillmyton smiled at the sight of her offering such a sincere greeting without hesitation.
Once inside the mansion, the interior was even more extravagant.
An expensive chandelier, luxurious flooring, and a grand central staircase leading to the upper floors.
‘…How much would all of this cost?’
Thinking that, Elysia hurried after Hillmyton, afraid of losing sight of him.
After reaching the second floor, he led her to a room meant for receiving guests and quietly informed her,
“His Grace is expected to return shortly, so please wait here for a while.”
With that brief explanation, Hillmyton left the room.
Now alone, Elysia looked around.
Even if it was only a guest room, everything inside was luxurious.
After some hesitation, she sat on the sofa. It was so soft that it seemed perfect for falling asleep on.
“I wonder what it feels like to live in a house like this.”
Leaning back against the plush sofa, Elysia finally relaxed a little.
“It’s been three years since we last met… I wonder if I’ll be able to speak properly.”
She had to ask for work, any kind of work.
Surely working at the Grand Duke’s estate would be treated better than laboring in the marketplace.
“By the way…”
As she sank further into the sofa, the tension drained from her body and her vision gradually blurred.
Simply sitting there made her feel drowsy.
“Is his return being delayed? My eyes keep closing…”
Elysia failed to notice her voice growing softer and softer.
How much time had passed?
“What is this now?”
A cool voice broke the silence.
But the voice never reached Elysia.
Two men stood looking down at her sleeping peacefully on the sofa.
Assistant Hillmyton, and the man standing beside him.
The man was tall enough to stand out at a glance, with broad shoulders and an imposing build.
Dressed neatly in uniform, his hair was slicked back.
His narrow orange eyes stared directly at Elysia.
Smiling awkwardly, Hillmyton spoke.
“This is Miss Elysia, daughter of Knight Galfon.”
“I’m asking why Galfon’s daughter is sprawled out here sleeping.”
Scratching between his brows, Hillmyton replied,
“…Perhaps she’s tired?”
Yulias frowned.
“Shall I wake her?”
“No.”
Seeing Hillmyton watching his reaction, Yulias sat down in the seat opposite her with an exasperated look.
Then he made a familiar gesture.
It meant to bring him the urgent documents he needed to review after returning.
Even while Hillmyton brought over the paperwork and set it down, Elysia showed no sign of waking.
“Another bowl, please…”
Apparently sleeping very deeply, she was not only talking in her sleep but also curling up like a cat and smacking her lips.
Yulias let out a short laugh and began reading the documents.
Yet every so often, he glanced at her over the papers.
After reviewing one page, then two, and eventually around five pages—
“Mmm… hmm… huh?”
Elysia finally woke up.
The moment she regained awareness, she sat upright and looked around.
Then she immediately spotted Yulias sitting in front of her.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Pardon?”
“I certainly hope so. Judging by how you were sleeping with your legs up in front of a man.”
Had three years really changed him this much?
The youthful face she remembered was long gone.
Staring blankly at him for a moment, Elysia suddenly jumped to her feet.
“M-My apologies, Your Grace.”
Unlike the nervous Elysia, Yulias remained silent.
Hillmyton, still standing nearby, explained.
“She came because she wished to meet Your Grace.”
Yulias’s gaze slowly swept over her.
Elysia rubbed her sleepy face vigorously with both hands.
Her eyes were now bright and alert, but Yulias’s expression remained unchanged.
“I apologize for coming without warning. I really, really wanted to speak with Your Grace… so I came.”
“Hillmyton.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Prepare some tea. Bring suitable refreshments as well.”
“At once.”
Without responding to her greeting, Yulias merely issued orders to his assistant.
He ignored her greeting that easily?
Elysia felt as though she had completely ruined her first impression.
Even so, she refused to give up.
If she had intended to quit at the first setback, she never would have come here in the first place.
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon?”
Yulias looked at Elysia, who was still standing there.
Frowning, he spoke in an irritated tone.
“You came here unannounced. Wasn’t your business urgent?”
“It is.”
“Sit.”
He tilted his chin toward the sofa opposite him.
Without hesitating any longer, Elysia sat down.
With a weary sigh, Yulias loosened his necktie completely.
Watching him from across the table, Elysia finally noticed something.
There were distinct bloodstains on his shirt, as though he had just returned from battle.
“Your business.”
Pressing a hand against his temple, Yulias spoke.
Snapping back to attention, Elysia opened her mouth.
“I want to work for the Grand Duke’s household.”
“Here?”
The request was unexpected enough that Yulias asked again.
“Why?”
Of course he wouldn’t simply agree immediately.
He was asking why he should hire her.
“After my father passed away, my mother raised me and my younger sibling by herself… But recently, we’ve lost all contact with her.”
“Did she leave home?”
“…No.”
Her expression noticeably darkened.
At that moment, Yulias remembered the woman he had seen three years ago at Galfon’s funeral.
A woman who had lost her husband yet concealed her grief and faced him calmly.
And behind her had stood the underage Elysia and her younger sibling.
Yulias showed no reaction.
He neither sighed nor displayed sympathy.
“…She was involved in a ship accident, and even her body was never recovered.”
Elysia continued as calmly as she could.
Yulias folded his arms, silently indicating for her to continue.
“I have to take responsibility for my younger sibling… but I can’t find suitable work.”
“Do you know how people usually become servants in a noble household?”
“You need either a letter of recommendation or some degree of social rank…”
“Exactly. At the very least, a minor noble title. Galfon was an exceptional swordsman, but he was only a member of the knight order. He wasn’t the commander or vice commander.”
“…”
Elysia fell silent.
Yulias let out a long sigh.
She clearly understood what he meant, and judging from her expression, he didn’t need to ask how she felt.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
The head maid entered carrying tea and refreshments.
“Herbal tea and cookies.”
Even after the tea and snacks were placed on the table, an awkward silence remained.
“Once you finish, I’ll have a carriage take you home.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. You seem busy, and I should be leaving as well.”
As Yulias stood first, Elysia also rose and bowed respectfully.
“…Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“If it wouldn’t be rude…”
Elysia’s eyes shifted toward the table between the sofas.
The untouched herbal tea was still warm, faint steam rising from it.
The cookies on the plate were studded with almonds.
Noticing the sheet of food paper placed beneath them, Elysia gestured toward it.
“May I take these refreshments with me?”
“As you wish.”
“Thank you. It’s an honor.”
While expressing her gratitude, she busily wrapped the cookies in the paper with both hands.
“Do you like sweets?”
“Not particularly… My younger sibling likes cookies. I can’t buy them often, so whenever I get a chance like this, I save some.”
“You’d think you’d be concerned about what others might think. Should I call it determination?”
“…For people struggling to survive, worrying about appearances doesn’t put food on the table.”
Elysia gave a bitter smile.
Watching that smile, Yulias said nothing.
Soon afterward, Elysia left the room without lingering and without once looking back.
“…Appearances really don’t put food on the table.”
Letting out a dry chuckle, Yulias stared at the closed door.
