The Grand Duke's Maid Writes a Consultation Log Today - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Grand Ducal House Maid Writes a Counseling Log Today – Episode 003
Without a carriage, she walked for a long time through a dense, unending coniferous forest.
When she finally reached the end, a massive and magnificent residence, recognizable to anyone, appeared in the distance.
Elysia arrived in front of the grand main gates, dripping with sweat.
As she looked around, a sentry standing nearby approached her.
“Ah, hello! I came to see the Grand Duke.”
“Is this business you discussed beforehand?”
“……Uh, no.”
Since he was a person of high status, she supposed there should have been some letters exchanged.
Elysia answered honestly, despite her flustered expression.
“Please wait a moment.”
The sentry gestured to another guard, who nodded as if understanding the intent.
Fortunately, the gates opened, and she was able to step inside the residence grounds.
“Wow. The garden is as wide as a central plaza.”
Elysia was busy looking around this way and that with wide, fascinated eyes.
Walking further along with the sentry, she reached an entrance hall just as grand as the main gates. Shortly after, a man stepped out.
He was a neatly dressed man wearing glasses with his hair tied back.
“Aide Hilmaiten.”
The sentry approached his side and whispered something. Hilmaiten, listening closely, glanced over at Elysia.
Noticing his gaze, she gave an awkward, polite bow in greeting.
“I am Hilmaiten, the aide who manages the residence. I heard you came to see His Grace, the Grand Duke.”
“Ah, yes. I am Elysia. Um, that…… My father used to work here in the Knights Order. His name is Galpon.”
Hilmaiten scanned Elysia from head to toe.
“And you have no prior contact exchanged with His Grace.”
“Yes…….”
“What brings you here?”
“I have something to tell the Grand Duke.”
Elysia gathered her nervous hands in front of her and clasped them tightly.
Hilmaiten nodded as if it were fine.
“The Grand Duke is currently out for a short while, so please wait inside.”
“Thank you.”
Elysia bent her waist and bowed deeply. Hilmaiten smiled at the sight of her bowing without hesitation.
* * *
Stepping inside the residence, the interior was even more splendid.
From the expensive chandeliers and luxurious flooring to the central staircase leading to the upper floors.
‘……How much does all of this cost?’
With those thoughts, Elysia tagged along right behind Hilmaiten, terrified of losing him.
After coming up to the second floor, Hilmaiten guided her into a room meant for receiving guests and gave her a slight tip.
“He is expected to return soon, so please wait here for a moment.”
Hilmaiten spoke briefly and left the room. Left alone in the room, Elysia looked around her surroundings.
Even though it was a room meant for receiving guests, every single thing about it was high-end.
Hesitantly, she tried sitting on the sofa, and it was so plush that it felt perfect to lie down and fall asleep on.
“What does it feel like to live in a house like this?”
Elysia leaned against the cushiony sofa and relaxed her tension for a moment.
“It’s been three years since we last met……. Will I be able to speak properly?”
Even if it was backbreaking work, she had to ask for employment.
Working at the Grand Duke’s Residence would definitely offer better treatment than working in the market marketplace.
“By the way.”
As Elysia leaned her body into the sofa, her tensed muscles relaxed, and her vision grew blurry.
Just sitting on the sofa completely drained her tension away, and she felt a drowsy sensation creeping through her body.
“Is his return delayed? My eyes keep closing…….”
Elysia did not notice her own voice growing softer and softer.
How much time had passed?
“What is this now?”
A voice cut coldly through the quiet atmosphere. However, that voice did not reach Elysia.
There were two men looking down at Elysia, who was sound asleep on the sofa.
It was Aide Hilmaiten and the man standing beside him.
He possessed a tall stature and broad shoulders that would catch anyone’s eye.
The man, whose build alone was extraordinary, wore a crisp uniform with his hair neatly slicked back.
His narrowly slit amber eyes were staring intently at Elysia.
Hilmaiten spoke with a troubled smile.
“This is Lady Elysia, the daughter of the knight, Sir Galpon.”
“I’m asking why that Galpon’s daughter is sprawled out sleeping in here.”
Hilmaiten scratched between his brows and said,
“……Could she perhaps be tired?”
Yulias narrowed his brows.
“Shall I wake her?”
“Forget it.”
As Hilmaiten tested the waters, Yulias sat down in the seat opposite her with a flat expression. Then he gestured with a familiar flick of his hand.
It meant for him to bring the urgent documents he needed to review after returning home.
Even while Hilmaiten brought the documents and set them down, Elysia showed no signs of waking up.
“Here, one more bowl…….”
Just how deeply asleep was she? She didn’t stop at talking in her sleep, but was curled up like a cat while smacking her lips.
Yulias let out a dry laugh at the sight and looked down at the documents Hilmaiten had brought him.
Even so, he glanced at her over the paperwork a few times.
It was around the time he checked the first page, the second page, and then about five pages later.
“Hmm, mmm…… Huh?”
Waking from her sleep, Elysia snapped to her senses and bolted upright. Looking around, she saw Yulias right before her eyes.
“Did you sleep well?”
“……Pardon?”
“You must have slept well. Seeing how you even had your legs up in front of a man.”
Perhaps because three years had passed, the youthful face she saw back then was long gone.
Elysia stared at him blankly before jumping up from her seat.
“Excuse me, I apologize. Your Grace.”
Unlike Elysia, who was nervously walking on eggshells, Yulias said nothing. Hilmaiten, who remained by his side, explained.
“She says she came seeking an audience with Your Grace.”
Yulias’s gaze slowly scanned her. Elysia rubbed her sleep-laden face roughly with both hands.
In contrast to her demeanor as she looked at him with clear, shining eyes, Yulias’s gaze remained largely unchanged.
“I apologize for turning up unannounced. I came…… because I absolutely, absolutely must speak with Your Grace.”
“Hilmaiten.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Go prepare some drinkable tea. Bring some light refreshments to match as well.”
“Understood.”
Without replying to her greeting, Yulias issued an order to his aide.
To ignore a greeting so lightly?
Elysia felt that she had completely ruined the first impression, but even so, she did not give up.
If she were going to be frustrated by this, she wouldn’t have come in the first place.
“What are you doing?”
“Yes?”
Yulias looked at Elysia, who was still standing stock-still.
He narrowed his brows and spoke in an irritable voice.
“Seeing how you turned up unannounced, wasn’t it an urgent matter?”
“That’s right.”
“Sit.”
Yulias flicked his chin toward the sofa opposite him.
Without a moment to hesitate, Elysia sat down in the facing seat.
He let out a tired sigh and completely loosened his tie.
Watching him from across the table, Elysia only then noticed. As if he had just returned from combat, bloodstains were vividly left on his shirt.
“Your business.”
Yulias said, pressing firmly on his temple. At that, Elysia snapped to attention and opened her mouth.
“I want to work at the Grand Ducal House.”
“Here?”
Yulias asked back at the business that went completely against his expectations.
“The reason.”
As expected, there was no way he would just say ‘Sure, I get it’ and let it drop.
Yulias was asking for the reason why he should bother hiring her.
“That, after my father passed away, my mother looked after me and my younger sibling alone. ……But recently, contact from my mother cut off.”
“Did she run away from home?”
“……No.”
Her expression darkened noticeably.
At that moment, Yulias recalled her biological mother, whom he had seen at the funeral three years ago.
A woman who had lost her husband but hid her sorrow, facing him calmly.
And what he had seen behind her was the underage Elysia and the sibling by her side.
Yulias did not show any reaction. He didn’t let out a sigh or even make a pitiful expression.
“……Due to a shipwreck, not even her body could be recovered.”
Elysia forced herself to calmly continue speaking. Yulias crossed his arms as if telling her to keep talking.
“I have to take responsibility for my sibling, but……. Jobs are hard to come by.”
“Do you know how one usually enters as a maid for a noble?”
“You need a letter of recommendation, or you must be of a certain rank…….”
“Right. You have to at least be a minor noble. Galpon was an excellent swordsman, but he merely belonged to the Knights Order; he was neither the Commander nor the Vice Commander.”
“…….”
Elysia shut her mouth. Yulias let out a deep sigh. She seemed to understand his point, but seeing her expression, he could tell how she felt without even asking.
Just then, a knock followed, and the Head Maid brought in the tea and refreshments.
“Here is some Herb Tea and Cookies.”
Even after the tea and refreshments were placed on the table, an awkward silence hung in the air.
“Once you finish eating, I will lend you a carriage so you can return home.”
“No, thank you. You seem busy, so I shall take my leave as well.”
When Yulias stood up from his seat first, Elysia stood up along with him, bending her waist to bow.
“……Um, Grand Duke.”
“What is it?”
“If it wouldn’t be an imposition.”
Elysia’s gaze turned toward the table that sat between the sofas.
The untouched Herb Tea still seemed warm, with a faint steam rising from it.
And on the plate, the Cookies were studded with almonds.
Elysia gestured as she saw the food-grade parchment paper laid beneath the cookies.
“Could I take these refreshments with me?”
“Do as you please.”
“Thank you. It’s an honor.”
Even while offering her thanks, her two hands were busily wrapping the parchment paper to pack the cookies away.
“Do you like sweet things?”
“It’s not that I like them, but……. My sibling loves snacks. Since I can’t buy them often, I tend to pack them whenever there’s an opportunity like this.”
“You’re doing this when you could easily care about how others see you. Should I say you have grit, or what?”
“……To someone whose priority is just making a living, keeping up appearances doesn’t put food on the table.”
Elysia flashed a bitter smile. Watching that smile, Yulias didn’t offer any reply.
After that, Elysia didn’t waste any time and left the room without looking back.
“……Keeping up appearances doesn’t put food on the table, indeed.”
Letting out a dry laugh, Yulias stared at the closed door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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