Chapter 1

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The steady sound of the clock’s second hand echoed through the room.

Other than the silent exchange of glances between the two occupants, no one spoke a word.

At this rate, we’ll be here until sunrise.

Standing several steps away, Elysia watched them both.

The atmosphere inside the study was suffocatingly heavy.

Yulias sat rigidly behind his desk, unmoving. His gaze remained fixed on his younger sister, who was far smaller than him.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed, yet neither of them showed any sign of speaking first.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Elysia discreetly gestured toward Yulias.

You promised you'd apologize today.

Understanding her signal, Yulias twitched his brow.

His look clearly said: I know. Stop rushing me.

If you know, then why not start the conversation already?

Elysia let out a quiet sigh.

Yet in the oppressive silence, even that tiny sound seemed unusually loud.

A sheet of parchment appeared in Yulias's line of sight.

[Are you busy?]

The words had been carefully written in neat handwriting.

Sheila, the Grand Duke's only daughter and still very young, held up the paper for him to read.

She had not even made her debut in society yet.

But perhaps siblings truly did resemble one another—the look in her eyes as she stared at Yulias was anything but ordinary.

“As you can see.”

Yulias shifted his gaze to the mountain of documents on his desk.

There was still plenty of work waiting for him, though he had already finished much of it in preparation for this meeting with his sister.

[I see.]

As if she had prepared it in advance, Sheila flipped to the next page.

Seeing the new message, Yulias frowned.

His naturally cold expression became even more intimidating.

Sheila glanced at his desk before finally looking at his face. She hesitated, taking an unconscious step backward.

Watching her retreat, Elysia hurriedly gestured again.

Smile. You need to smile. We practiced this!

Faced with Elysia's fervent stare, Yulias pressed his fingers against his brow.

“Sheila.”

After thirty minutes of silence, he finally spoke her name.

Orange eyes, reminiscent of the fading glow of sunset, met once more.

“So…”

Yulias was the first to break eye contact.

He clearly wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Sheila didn't look away. She simply waited.

Just a little more.

Elysia looked at Yulias expectantly.

‘I'm sorry for being cold to you yesterday.’ You can do it, Your Grace!

Clenching both fists, she silently cheered him on.

But the words that came out of his mouth were nothing like what she had hoped for.

“How long are you planning to avoid going back to the academy?”

“…”

This man… not again.

Elysia squeezed her eyes shut.

Sheila openly turned her gaze away, her expression filled with weary resignation.

As if everything in the world was a nuisance.

As if she had expected this all along.

Disappointment clouded her young face—a look no child should have worn.

Even Yulias seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing, letting out a low groan.

“You… you're the daughter of the Grand Ducal House, aren't you? If you keep missing classes, you'll be expelled from the academy.”

His words had veered entirely in the wrong direction.

We're doomed, Elysia thought.

“Y-Your Ladyship, what His Grace means is—”

She stepped forward, trying to smooth things over.

But Sheila looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing her expression, Elysia quickly opened the study door.

“My lady, could I speak with His Grace for just a moment?”

When she asked gently, Sheila tugged at the hem of her dress.

It was a clear signal.

Let's go back.

“Just… just a moment longer.”

Elysia smiled awkwardly.

In response, Sheila slammed the study door shut behind her and stormed off.

Great. Now she's upset with me too. Do you know how hard I worked to earn her trust?

Suppressing another sigh, Elysia turned toward Yulias.

He looked as restless as a puppy that knew it had done something wrong.

“You said you would apologize today, Your Grace.”

“…I'm simply not used to this.”

“Not used to it? You didn't apologize at all.”

“How can I start by apologizing out of nowhere?”

“Of course you can. You could say, ‘I didn't realize how difficult life at the academy was for you. I want to help you from now on.’ That's all you had to do.”

“Then you should have told me to say that earlier.”

“...Was I supposed to explain that too?”

“Yes. Then I could have prepared.”

Does this man need instructions for absolutely everything?

He could command armies, handle endless paperwork, and deal with monsters without hesitation.

Yet he couldn't manage a single apology to his little sister.

“Your Grace…”

Elysia swallowed the many things she wanted to say.

Perhaps the world really was fair.

A man blessed with such looks and intelligence knew absolutely nothing about his own sister's feelings.

After a moment's thought, Elysia stepped closer to his desk.

“Lady Sheila is waiting. Let's practice once more. Repeat after me.”

“…”

“‘I'm sorry for everything until now, Sheila. I'll do my best to become a better brother from now on.’”

“…”

“Go ahead.”

As if even repeating the words was difficult, Yulias opened and closed his mouth several times.

Patiently, Elysia waited.

“Until now…”

She held his gaze.

After hesitating for a long moment, Yulias pressed a hand to his forehead and continued.

“Don't you think it's a waste to throw away all those years at the academy?”

“…”

Hopeless.

Did he have any intention of apologizing at all?

Even Elysia found herself looking at him coldly.

Yulias groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

“Is an apology really necessary? Can't I show it through my actions?”

“Judging by your actions so far, absolutely not.”

“Why not? I've supported her financially without fail, and I even buy her gifts.”

“Your Grace, I've told you before—material things aren't everything.”

“If a few words could solve everything, then why do wars happen?”

There he goes again.

Once more, Elysia was reminded that Yulias was a man utterly incapable of understanding a child's perspective.

Knock. Knock.

Someone rapped on the study door.

Or rather, it sounded less like knocking and more like impatient pounding.

Since Sheila hadn't returned to her room on her own, she was clearly demanding that Elysia come out immediately.

As Elysia gave a formal bow and turned to leave, Yulias called after her.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think…”

What now?

The atmosphere between those siblings had already been completely ruined.

“If I force her back to the academy… will our relationship get even worse?”

“…”

Elysia had long since given up trying to understand how his mind worked.

She opened her mouth, closed it again, then simply nodded.

Absolutely. Without question.

Bang! Bang!

The pounding on the door grew louder.

Whether Sheila was knocking or kicking it was impossible to tell.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“You really do want to become close with your sister, don't you?”

“That's why I had you sit here with me… and practice, isn't it?”

Why was he hesitating over the word practice?

Was he embarrassed?

Or perhaps his pride had been wounded.

...Hopefully not.

“What?”

“Huh?”

Realizing she had been staring at him, Elysia blinked.

Yulias narrowed his eyes as though asking why she was still there.

“Go on. Sheila's waiting.”

They really are siblings.

After giving him a respectful bow, Elysia left the study.

Sheila, whom she had assumed had already gone back, was waiting outside, leaning against the wall.

The young girl immediately grabbed Elysia's hand and pulled her along.

“You've been waiting, haven't you? I'm sorry, my lady.”

Without a word, Sheila crumpled the parchment in her hand and threw it onto the floor.

Elysia picked it up and forced a smile.

“Why are you picking that up?”

“Don't worry. I keep them organized.”

“You can throw them away. I don't need them.”

The young lady, who communicated with everyone else through writing, spoke aloud to only one person.

Elysia.

She had joined the Grand Ducal household only three months ago as a new maid.

But restoring the siblings' relationship wasn't the only thing weighing on her mind.

...What excuse am I supposed to give this time for why the paper got crumpled?

The Grand Duke, who barely spared his sister a glance, secretly read every single note she wrote.

And Elysia was the only person who knew that secret.