Chapter 13
“…My feelings.”
Elisia recalled the emotions she had felt while looking at Sheila.
That emptiness she had never expected to see on a child’s face.
Her hands trembled several times above the keyboard, unable to type easily.
After staring at the screen for a long while, Elisia finally began typing one letter at a time.
『The moment I saw Lady Sheila’s expression, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
Even if she is a young lady, she is still only a child. Yet her face looked so empty, as though she had given up on everything.
Like someone standing on the verge of letting go of life itself.
I still do not know what is causing her pain, nor why she communicates only through writing instead of speaking.
However, one thing is certain: Lady Sheila has experienced something incredibly difficult.
I do not know whether it is presumptuous of me to try to learn the reason.』
After taking her hands off the keyboard, Elisia let out a sigh.
The reason she hesitated was not simply because Sheila was young.
When she thought of the deeper reason, Elisia pressed a hand to her brow, unwilling to remember certain memories.
Then it happened.
『Counseling Journal Entry No. 01 has been registered!』
“Registered?”
Elisia immediately snapped to attention and looked at the screen.
『Friend in Need of a Story: Sheila May Demint』
『Friend’s Condition: Selective Mutism, Paranoid Personality Disorder (Partial Similarity), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder』
“What… what does this mean?”
Selective? Disorder?
Did that mean Sheila had some kind of disorder?
Unable to hide her confusion, Elisia leaned closer to the screen.
The words displayed on it slowly began to change.
As she followed the changing text with her eyes, Elisia slumped back into her chair.
She stared blankly at the words appearing on the laptop screen, her mind going numb.
She could not fully understand what everything meant, but from the terms and explanations listed there, she could make a rough guess.
Lady Sheila was not simply refusing to speak.
Perhaps some incident had caused her to stop speaking.
Leaning weakly against the chair, Elisia stared at the screen for a long time.
One particular sentence stood out to her.
『Commonly Suspected Causes: Violence, Abuse, Parenting Methods, Difficulty Forming Peer Relationships』
Unable to bear it any longer, Elisia snapped the laptop shut.
Even though she had seen it with her own eyes, she found it difficult to believe what she had just read.
‘I heard it too.’
She remembered the words Sheila had written on paper.
The expressionless face from which no emotion could be read surfaced in her mind once more.
The moment it did, she fled to the bed as if escaping.
After checking on the sleeping Joshua, she lay down beside him.
As though sensing her presence in his sleep, he burrowed into her arms.
“Noonaa…”
Silently patting Joshua, Elisia pulled him closer, afraid he might drift away.
‘That kid can’t hear.’
‘Can’t talk either?’
‘Always pretending to be normal by speaking loudly.’
‘That’s because his sister…’
The memories crept back like smoke.
Elisia squeezed her eyes shut.
It’s okay.
Ignoring the memories, she focused on the warmth in her arms and repeated the words to herself.
It’s okay.
Again and again.
Thud.
“Move out of the way. You’re getting on my nerves.”
She had expected it, but the harassment from the maids who had disliked her from the start continued throughout the day.
Even though she was Sheila’s personal maid, Elisia was still a newcomer.
A maid with neither family nor money had somehow gotten lucky and immediately become the young lady’s attendant.
To them, she was more than just unpleasant—she was an eyesore.
Whether she was collecting laundry or cleaning, Elisia did her best not to draw attention to herself.
But the more she tried to stay invisible, the more openly they targeted her.
One day became two, then three.
By the time nearly a week had passed, it no longer stopped at shoulder bumps.
They hit her in the back with objects as they passed.
Sometimes they even stuck out a broom to trip her.
“Isn’t this getting a little too much?”
“What can you do?”
The other maids knew the situation was getting worse, but no one stepped in.
There was nothing to gain from helping.
Small injuries gradually accumulated on Elisia’s body, though they remained hidden beneath her clothing.
Should she be grateful for that?
Elisia became even more determined not to react.
A reaction was exactly what they wanted.
More importantly, Joshua and Sheila were often together.
‘It seems Her Ladyship has taken a liking to your younger brother.’
‘Lady Sheila?’
When Hilmaiton had said that, Elisia had found it strange but could not completely deny it.
Every time she brought meals to Sheila’s room, Joshua was there.
The odd thing was that they never seemed to do anything together.
They always sat far apart.
Whether Joshua was asleep or chattering endlessly, Sheila simply watched him.
Almost as though she were observing him.
It was closer to a friendly attitude than anything else.
At first, Elisia had tried to take him out of the room, but Sheila had firmly refused.
[Leave him alone.]
[Bring his meals here too.]
Joshua seemed happy to have someone his age around, but Elisia could not understand Sheila’s intentions.
“Elisia, Lady Sheila’s dinner is ready. Take it up.”
“Yes, Chef!”
Quickly putting aside what she had been doing, Elisia headed to the kitchen.
She loaded the food onto a cart and headed to the second floor.
Then—
Clatter!
“Ah!”
Someone suddenly bumped into her shoulder while passing by.
The cart jolted violently.
The food itself remained mostly intact, except for one thing.
The soup spilled over and splashed onto the back of Elisia’s hand as she gripped the handle.
Startled by the burning sensation, she looked up.
The culprit had not even left yet and turned around to look at her.
“Oh dear, sorry. But you’re making such a fuss over nothing.”
Giggling, the woman walked away.
Elisia stared after her.
Branda.
She was the ringleader of the group that had been bullying her.
Arm linked with another maid her age, Branda laughed merrily as she disappeared down the corridor.
Elisia hurriedly wiped the soup from her hand, the cart, and even the tray with her clothes.
She was short on time and needed the meal to look presentable.
The best she could do was move the soup to the lower shelf and place the main dishes on the upper shelf instead.
‘She’ll definitely notice.’
Feeling anxious, Elisia knocked on Sheila’s door.
When it opened, she greeted her with the same smile as always.
“Lady Sheila, I’ve brought your dinner.”
Sheila nodded slightly and opened the door wider.
As Elisia entered, Joshua closed the book he had been reading on the bed.
“Noona!”
“Joshua. Your meal is here too.”
Acting as though nothing was wrong, Elisia arranged the dishes one by one on the table near the window.
Joshua and Sheila sat facing each other, eagerly watching the food being placed before them.
As Elisia poured water into their cups, Joshua sniffed the air and tilted his head.
“Noona, did you eat soup?”
“Huh?”
Elisia froze for a moment.
“You smell like soup. You ate some without me, didn’t you?”
“Haha, of course not. I was just in the kitchen.”
“But there’s no soup today…”
Joshua pouted when he noticed the soup was missing from the meal.
Pretending not to notice, Elisia smiled.
Quietly observing the two of them, Sheila shifted her gaze.
Once she had finished setting everything up perfectly, Elisia stepped back and said,
“I’ll go ask the kitchen for another serving of soup. I must have forgotten it. I’m sorry, Lady Sheila.”
Sheila merely stared at her in silence.
Taking the hint, Elisia quietly left the room.
Fortunately, it seemed Sheila had not noticed the hidden bowl on the lower shelf.
She would have to return to the kitchen and ask for another serving.
Just then, the door opened slightly, and Sheila stepped outside.
“Lady Sheila?”
Still staring at her intently, Sheila suddenly grabbed her hand.
It was the same hand that had been scalded when she was bumped into earlier.
