“Though she may be an outsider, I think her behavior toward Your Grace crossed the line. I’ll speak to her privately.”
The head maid, who had remained behind, added her comment.
“No.”
The unexpected answer made her hesitate. Usually, he would tell his staff to handle such matters themselves.
“She’s been warned already. Prepare a carriage so she can return home safely. More importantly… how is Sheila doing?”
“Her personal maid brought her a meal, but she refused to eat.”
Leaving the room, Yulias instructed the head maid to hurry to the staircase at the end of the corridor.
Elisia could not have gone far yet. He intended to have her escorted home in a carriage.
After that, he planned to visit Sheila’s room.
Sheila May Demint.
Yulias’s younger sister—and his only remaining family.
Perhaps it was because there was such a large age gap between them. Or perhaps it was because she was ten years old and entering adolescence.
Lately, it had become impossible to guess what she was thinking.
As he headed toward the grand staircase, a commotion echoed from the opposite corridor.
“What’s all that noise?”
Sheila’s room was located in that wing.
Predicting the source of the disturbance, Yulias abandoned his route downstairs and strode straight ahead.
Sheila was probably being rude to the servants again.
“Lady Sheila, there’s a guest in the manor right now, so—”
Turning the corner to assess the situation, Yulias’s narrowed eyes widened in surprise.
“Ah, um…”
Dishes and cutlery lay scattered across the hallway floor.
And standing among the mess was Elisia, covered in food as if it had been dumped over her.
Behind her stood Sheila, shrinking back in obvious panic.
“Sheila May Demint! What is the meaning of this outrage?”
Yulias raised his voice.
At the sight of his anger, Sheila recoiled, her face turning deathly pale.
At that moment, Elisia stepped in front of the girl and spread her arms.
“Your Grace, please wait.”
“Move aside.”
A chilling aura radiated from him as his expression hardened.
Meeting his gaze head-on, Elisia trembled ever so slightly.
Anyone would have been intimidated by his overwhelming presence.
Yet her eyes remained calm and steady.
“With all due respect, Your Grace, the one behaving unfairly right now is you.”
“…What?”
A disbelieving laugh escaped Yulias as he glared at her.
“This is absurd.”
Even beneath his sharp rebuke, her gaze never wavered.
“The person behind you is a daughter of House Demint. This is a family matter. Step aside.”
“...Does the Grand Duchy always solve its problems with violence?”
Elisia slowly lowered her outstretched arms.
“This isn’t something that concerns an outsider.”
“...Perhaps I’m overstepping, but you’re trying to punish a child without even understanding the situation.”
“A child?”
Yulias let out a scoff.
“Does a ten-year-old lady still look like a child to you?”
Startled, Sheila instinctively hid further behind Elisia.
Without realizing it, she clutched the hem of Elisia’s clothing, visibly trembling.
“...Your Grace, I don’t think it’s too late to hear what happened before making a judgment. Will you listen to me?”
“…Very well. But your explanation had better be convincing.”
Under his icy gaze, Elisia swallowed hard.
It had happened only ten minutes earlier.
As Elisia headed downstairs to return home, voices from the opposite corridor caught her attention.
Had it merely been servants chatting, she would have ignored it.
But the tone was anything but ordinary.
“How long do you expect His Grace to keep cleaning up after you?!”
Hearing someone being scolded, Elisia followed the sound and collided with a maid rushing around the corner.
The unfamiliar maid frowned, brushed off her clothes in irritation, and walked away.
“Was that really necessary?”
Sighing, Elisia rubbed her shoulder and peered around the corner.
Plates and bowls already lay scattered across the floor.
Standing amid the mess was a young girl.
Her head hung low, both hands clenched tightly in her dress.
Judging by her trembling fingers, she looked seconds away from tears.
“Excuse me, are you alright?”
Concerned, Elisia gently approached her.
The girl looked up and hastily rubbed at her eyes.
“Did something happen?”
The child said nothing.
As Elisia examined her more closely, she noticed the girl’s hands were red and inflamed.
Stepping closer, she instinctively reached out and took one of them.
Startled, the girl yanked her hand away.
“Wait—you’re hurt. Shouldn’t we treat that?”
For some reason, the child remained wary and pushed Elisia back.
Unfortunately, beside them stood a serving cart that had apparently been left unattended.
Elisia stumbled into it.
The remaining food toppled over, spilling all over her and leaving her a complete mess.
That was what had happened ten minutes ago.
“…If anyone deserves to be scolded, it’s not the young lady. It’s the maid who treated her so rudely.”
“I understand.”
Listening with his arms crossed, Yulias gave a curt nod.
Relief softened Elisia’s expression.
“Then if you understand, perhaps we could let this go peacefully—”
“But that doesn’t mean the young lady is entirely blameless.”
“What?”
Yulias faltered slightly at the sudden change in her expression.
“Lady Sheila merely mistook me for a servant. If anything, I was at fault for trying to examine her injuries without permission…”
“I can’t make a judgment based on only one person’s account.”
“Your Grace.”
Elisia bit her lip at his firm response.
Ignoring her, Yulias tilted his chin toward Sheila.
“Lady Sheila May Demint. Tell me yourself.”
“…”
“Is everything she said true?”
Startled, Sheila peeked out from behind Elisia.
Seeing the child hesitate, Yulias’s brow twitched impatiently.
“Sheila.”
“…”
When he called her name again, she seemed to realize she could not keep hiding and slowly stepped out beside Elisia.
With her head lowered, she nodded.
Where the maid had thrown the dish, Sheila’s hand was red as though burned.
Soup stains marked her dress as well.
Only then did Yulias notice.
He let out a long sigh.
Hearing it, Sheila hurriedly hid both hands behind her back.
“How long do you intend to refuse your meals?”
“…”
“Answer me.”
At the weight in his voice, Sheila’s shoulders flinched.
Once again, Elisia stepped between them.
“Your Grace. Now that Lady Sheila has confirmed it, do you understand what really happened?”
“Yes.”
“Then you also understand that the one at fault is the maid, not Lady Sheila.”
“Even so, the fact that you ended up in this state because of her is still her responsibility.”
He kept his arms crossed, dissatisfaction lingering in his expression.
Before he could say anything more, Elisia turned around.
She lowered herself to one knee so she could meet Sheila at eye level.
“My lady.”
“…”
“You had every reason to mistake me for a servant, but you know pushing people can be dangerous, don’t you?”
At Elisia’s gentle tone, Sheila nodded.
She admitted her mistake without hesitation.
The one most surprised by that was Yulias.
Sheila admitted she was wrong so easily?
“It’s alright. I accept your apology.”
Elisia smiled warmly.
Not “thank you for apologizing,” nor “I appreciate it.”
Simply: I accept your apology.
Sheila blinked in confusion.
Then, a loud growl echoed from her stomach.
Her face turned even redder than her injured hands.
At the sound, Elisia held out the small paper-wrapped snack she had been carrying.
“It’s just a snack, but would you like some? Since you skipped your meal, it’s probably better to start with something light.”
Sheila accepted the treat with both hands.
“Please make sure your hand is treated properly.”
As she looked up at Elisia and nodded, Sheila’s eyes sparkled.
