“If you go home, that defeats the whole purpose.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Yulias tilted his head slightly.
His expression clearly seemed to say, Then why are you hesitating if you already know that?
He wasn’t wrong.
But the way he said it made it sound strangely meaningful.
Pushing aside her awkward feelings, Elysia smiled.
“If anything happens, report it to Hylmaiton first.”
“Understood.”
After Yulias left, Joshua looked up at her.
“Is the Grand Duke busy?”
“Yeah. Very busy.”
Elysia remembered the mountain of documents piled up in his office.
It was an amount that no one could possibly finish in a single day.
Is that what it means to be a Grand Duke? Having to deal with that much work all the time?
“Then when does he rest?”
“I don’t know…”
Surely he slept at least.
People had to sleep if they wanted to keep working.
Smiling, Elysia ruffled Joshua’s hair.
After returning to the room together, she spent time talking with him as usual.
“And then Mr. Hylmaiton said—!”
Joshua enthusiastically led the conversation while Elysia listened, responded, and asked questions.
Meanwhile, Sheyla quietly watched them.
Like a cautious stray cat, she sat at the desk and observed from a distance.
“Oh! The young lady’s hand!”
As if suddenly remembering, Joshua clapped his hands and looked toward Sheyla.
The moment their eyes met, her shoulders stiffened.
“Your Ladyship, did you get treatment?”
Both Elysia and Joshua turned their attention toward Sheyla.
Startled, she shook her head and quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper.
[Don’t worry about it.]
The handwriting was rushed and messy, but still readable.
Come to think of it, Elysia had never actually heard her speak.
Does she simply not want to talk?
While Elysia stared at the note, Joshua continued.
“I gave her ointment! Mr. Hyl-mai-ton gave it to me!”
“Did you put some on yourself too?”
“I don’t need it! Look!”
The lively atmosphere continued filling the room.
For Sheyla, it felt strangely warm.
Like sitting beside a campfire she had never experienced before.
Eventually, Joshua became tired from talking.
While chatting from the bed, he began nodding off.
Once Elysia and Sheyla both fell silent, Joshua quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
Seeing him asleep, Sheyla stood up from the desk and opened the door.
“Good night, Your Ladyship.”
When Elysia greeted her, Sheyla glanced back briefly.
Without replying, she left the room.
Elysia quietly stared at the closed door.
“Does she… not want to talk?”
Throughout the entire conversation between her and Joshua, Sheyla hadn’t spoken a single word.
She flinched whenever their eyes met, but she never ran away.
She simply watched.
“Mm… Noona…”
Joshua shifted in his sleep.
Coming back to her senses, Elysia carefully pulled the blanket up around him.
After turning off the lights, she lay down beside him.
Not long afterward, Elysia fell asleep as well.
The next morning, Elysia woke up at dawn and headed straight home.
She planned to return to the Grand Duke’s estate before Joshua woke up and started looking for her.
More importantly, judging by the date, she knew someone would definitely be coming to her house today.
The moment she arrived at the shabby little home, she froze.
“The door is open…”
A chill ran down her spine.
She hurried inside.
An all-too-familiar face was waiting for her.
“Elysia. I thought you’d run away.”
A rough-looking man tapped a ledger against his palm.
The inside of the house had already been turned upside down.
“…Isn’t it a little early to visit?”
“That’s easy for someone to say when they owe this much money. So what? You’re going to ask for another three days?”
The man looked down at her arrogantly.
Elysia lowered her head and remembered a previous conversation.
“Please just give me three more days. My brother’s treatment still…”
“One more kid collapsing isn’t going to stop the world from turning.”
Remembering his cold response, Elysia’s hands trembled.
She quickly pulled out the money she had checked countless times to make sure was still there.
“Here.”
“One Belan? What kind of work got you this much money?”
“That’s everything settled now, right? Don’t come back here again.”
“Hah.”
The man chuckled while flipping through his ledger.
Elysia desperately wished he would leave.
“The principal has been paid off.”
He smiled.
“But what about the interest?”
“The interest?”
“Come on, Elysia. Don’t play dumb. Do you know how much interest piled up while you couldn’t pay? You’ll need at least three more Belans.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
The moment Elysia shouted, the man grinned unpleasantly.
“What, did you think we’re a charity? Want me to say something even more ridiculous?”
The man took a threatening step forward.
Elysia instinctively stepped back.
An old table rattled and tipped over behind her.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she clenched her teeth.
“You know better than anyone that your organization isn’t exactly legal either. Neither of us wants this going to court.”
“You can’t even afford a lawyer, but you sure talk confidently. You’ve paid the principal. Now all that’s left is the interest, young lady.”
After the man finally left, Elysia hurriedly searched through the house.
A few dishes.
Some kitchen supplies.
Clothes.
Anything that could be sold had already been sold.
The only things left were a few books and some old fairy tales she and Joshua had read together as children.
Every book was filled with doodles.
The corners were worn and frayed.
“What book would our little princess like to read today?”
“Elysia, books are nice, but it’s time for bed. Go lie down with Joshua.”
Elysia gently ran her hand across the books.
They weren’t just memories of Joshua.
They were memories of her parents too.
She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.
Then she carefully wrapped the books and placed them in a bag.
“This isn’t about making money…”
Her voice trembled.
“It’s about surviving.”
Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry.
Instead, she took a slow breath.
She could only hope no one would actually buy these books.
With that thought, Elysia hurried toward a used bookstore.
Ding.
“Please buy all of these books. Please.”
Setting her worn bag on the floor, Elysia pleaded.
The bookstore owner looked at her face and immediately softened.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew about her circumstances.
“…These are in pretty bad condition. Lots of scribbles too.”
The owner flipped through a few pages before closing the book again.
Watching nervously, Elysia spoke desperately.
“I know they’re not worth much. But even one Ren per book would help.”
One Ren was barely enough to buy a piece of bread or a single fruit.
The bookstore owner stared at her for a moment before sighing.
“Fine. One Ren each. And take this too. It never sells, but for some reason I feel like getting rid of it today.”
“Something that doesn’t sell?”
The owner reached beneath the counter and lifted out an object.
It was a flat silver metal plate.
Dust covered its surface.
Faint golden lines intertwined across it.
Its folding structure made it look almost like a book.
“…What is it?”
“I have no idea. It’s been here for decades. It’s not a magic book, and it doesn’t seem to contain mana either. Nobody’s ever wanted to buy it.”
Elysia accepted it.
The moment she touched it, a strange sensation flowed through the cold metal.
She placed it into the empty space inside her bag.
Then she left behind the books filled with memories she could never replace.
By the time she returned home, dawn had fully broken.
Whether it was a book, a magical artifact, or simply scrap metal, Elysia couldn’t tell.
Yet she found herself strangely drawn to it.
She placed it on the table and unfolded it.
Suddenly, a faint blue light swept across the surface.
“Wha—”
Startled, Elysia instinctively pulled her hand away.
At that exact moment, words appeared across the glowing surface.
『Activating Counseling Log No. 00!』
“W-What? What is this…?”
Elysia stumbled backward in shock and swallowed hard.
Nervously, she looked at the writing beneath the metal plate.
The letters were unfamiliar.
Yet somehow, she felt as though she could read them.
“…Laptop?”
