Chapter 12
They didn’t hear what those maids were saying, right?
Elisia worried as she followed Sheila from behind.
More than that, where on earth had Joshua gone for Sheila to know his location?
As she walked behind the small figure, they headed deeper into the part of the mansion she had never seen before.
Going up the stairs and down the end of the corridor, Sheila stopped in front of a door and gestured.
It meant Joshua was inside.
When Sheila opened the door first, Elisia’s mouth fell open at what was revealed.
It was a study as large as a public library.
The room was divided into two floors, reaching up to a high ceiling, and countless books were tightly packed into the shelves.
As Elisia couldn’t stop admiring and looking around, Sheila tugged at her clothes.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just so fascinating… uh, this way?”
Sheila, expressionless, held onto the hem of her skirt and led her forward.
They passed between the bookshelves and reached a secluded corner.
There, Joshua was lying on the floor, surrounded by books spread everywhere.
Elisia felt relieved seeing him sleeping peacefully.
“So this is where you were, Joshua— huh?”
As she tried to call out to wake him, Sheila tugged at her clothes again, more firmly.
As if telling her not to wake him, Sheila shook her head strongly.
“Are you saying not to wake him?”
When Elisia asked for confirmation, Sheila nodded quietly.
Only then did she let go of Elisia’s clothes and silently moved toward Joshua.
For some reason, Elisia couldn’t move as she watched her.
Even though it was just a small child walking away, an inexplicable atmosphere surrounded her, overwhelming her.
Sheila picked up a pen from among the scattered books and wrote something on a sheet of paper.
When Sheila stared at Elisia, she slowly approached, knelt down politely, and handed her the paper.
The message was firm.
[He just fell asleep, so don’t wake him.]
Elisia looked between the two after reading it.
Joshua, who seemed to be deeply asleep, perhaps even talking in his sleep.
And Sheila, silently watching him with calm eyes.
Elisia returned the paper and asked,
“…But won’t he get cold sleeping on the floor? He could catch a cold.”
As if she hadn’t considered that, Sheila’s shoulders flinched slightly.
She looked around hurriedly, searching for something, acting just like a child.
Sheila pulled out what seemed to be a blanket that had been buried under books, grunting as she dragged it out.
Elisia silently helped move the books aside, and Sheila spread the blanket over Joshua.
She looked back at Elisia as if asking if that was enough, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
Elisia smiled slightly and nodded.
Maybe he just fell asleep after eating too much.
While Elisia was watching Joshua sleep soundly, Sheila suddenly held out another paper.
Elisia blinked and read it.
[Why did you just ignore what those people said earlier?]
“Those people…”
She meant the maids who had been talking beyond the corner earlier.
Elisia hesitated before answering, and Sheila wrote again.
[Weren’t you upset hearing something so unpleasant?]
“If you mean unpleasant words… ah! But I didn’t actually pay for anything to be here.”
Elisia waved her hands to deny it.
But Sheila’s expression subtly changed.
As if displeased, she quickly scribbled something and showed the paper.
[Back pocket.]
“…Back pocket…”
It was the word those maids had laughed and said was vulgar.
Elisia looked troubled and shook her head.
“I don’t really understand noble slang… ah, slang means…”
Did she even understand the meaning of slang?
Before Elisia could explain, Sheila wrote again without giving her a chance.
[It means butt.]
“…Pardon?”
For a moment, Elisia almost thought the princess had written it wrong.
Sheila let out a short sigh and tapped the paper with her pen.
Then the meaning of what those maids had said…
It was not just unpleasant, but something difficult to even speak aloud.
Elisia froze and couldn’t say anything.
She was shocked not only that they could casually say such things behind someone’s back, but even more so that Sheila knew the meaning of that word.
“How… do you know something like that?”
Sheila looked at Elisia quietly.
Her expression seemed like she was thinking, or perhaps like she was testing her.
Elisia quickly added, thinking she might have said something wrong.
“Of course, as a princess you might know these things… but, it doesn’t seem like it’s a good kind of meaning. So, um…”
“……”
“If it was a rude question, I apologize.”
Elisia lowered her head obediently.
Even if she was a child, she was still a princess.
She shouldn’t place herself on the same level, and treating her like a child would be even more inappropriate.
Would she be scolded? Usually, mistakes were punished…
Elisia unconsciously tensed her legs.
Then Sheila slowly wrote again.
When Elisia saw the content, her eyes widened.
She looked back and forth between the paper and Sheila, as if unable to believe it.
[I’ve heard it before.]
The deliberately tiny, messy handwriting made her doubt her own eyes.
“W-where… did you hear something like that…?”
Elisia stammered but couldn’t finish the question.
The moment she saw Sheila’s expression, she no longer had the courage to ask.
Standing in the shadow with the sunlight behind her, Sheila’s face looked strangely hollow.
Not smiling, not frowning—just empty.
As if all emotion had been torn away.
If Joshua had ever made that expression…
Even imagining it made Elisia’s chest tighten.
She pressed her lips together, then let them go.
And then she crumpled the paper in her hands and threw it aside.
Sheila’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden action.
Elisia pulled her into a hug.
Even sitting like this, she fit completely in her arms.
Where had such a small child learned something like that?
Startled by the sudden embrace, Sheila froze stiff like a startled cat.
But Elisia gently patted her back.
“…It’s okay.”
It’s okay. It’s okay.
She kept repeating it.
Little by little, the tension in Sheila’s body began to loosen.
At night, after the lights in each room had been turned off.
Elisia covered the sleeping Joshua with a blanket and sat down at her desk.
“…What a chaotic day.”
She had already clashed with the staff on her first day.
Joshua suddenly disappeared, and she had to rush around looking for him.
And…
Elisia thought of Sheila and scrunched her nose slightly.
Then she remembered the metal plate she had brought with her—the notebook.
After confirming Joshua was deeply asleep, Elisia took the notebook out of her bag.
There had definitely been a section about emotions when she first saw it.
Maybe she could understand Sheila’s feelings through it.
Elisia opened the notebook and checked the screen.
“Huh?”
『Counseling Journal Entry No. 01 has been activated!』
Seeing that the number had changed, it appeared as if it already knew what she would check.
『Today, you hugged a friend and felt “sadness” while trying to “empathize.”
What about your friend’s situation made you feel sadness?』
『Friend in need of conversation: None
Friend being listened to: sadness, shock, fear
Recommended action: If you want to understand your friend, try recording the emotions you felt while looking at them.』
