The Grand Duke's Maid Writes a Consultation Log Today - Chapter 72

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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 Chapter 072
Elysia walked slowly down the hallway, holding Sheila in her arms.
The small body was still trembling faintly.
The sobbing heard from within her embrace grew softer, but ironically, that made it feel even more pitiful.
“You’ll feel better after a little rest.”
Elysia continued to gently pat Sheila’s back.
Sheila gripped the hem of Elysia’s clothes tighter and tighter with her fingertips. The emotion of not wanting to let go was directly conveyed.
Before long, they arrived in front of the room.
-Creak.
As the door opened, a familiar sight came into view. It was the room Elysia and Joshua shared.
Elysia carefully sat Sheila down on the bed.
Yet, Sheila did not let go of her hand until the very end.
Her face looked as if she would be left completely alone again the moment she let go.
Elysia hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside her on the edge of the bed.
“……Lady.”
Beneath her drooping silver hair, only her reddened eyes were slightly visible.
Elysia did not force her to make eye contact. Instead, she slowly rubbed the child’s back.
“You were upset, weren’t you?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Sheila’s shoulders flinched noticeably.
Like someone whose barely contained emotions had just been discovered.
Elysia continued quietly.
“It could certainly have sounded that way to you.”
“…….”
“Because you really like the Grand Duke, Lady.”
At those words, Sheila’s fingertips trembled slightly.
After a long silence, the child moved sluggishly.
Bringing over the paper and pen that had been placed beside the bed, Sheila paused right there for a moment.
Hesitating several times, the child barely managed to write something down before thrusting the paper toward Elysia.
[I guess I was a burden.]
For a split second, Elysia’s breath caught.
She really…… took it that way.
Elysia could not answer right away.
Instead of offering hasty comfort, she slowly lowered her gaze to look at the paper. Then, she gently covered Sheila’s hand with her own.
“So that is how it felt to you.”
Sheila’s eyes shook.
Elysia offered neither a denial nor an excuse. She simply accepted it exactly as it was.
The corners of Sheila’s lips trembled minutely.
A beat late, Elysia continued in a very low voice.
“……It must have been very hard on you.”
It happened at that exact moment.
Plop.
A single small tear dropped onto the paper.
Sheila hurriedly lowered her head, but it was already too late.
The tears began to spread in an instant.
Biting her lower lip tightly, the child began to weep silently.
Without hesitation, Elysia pulled Sheila into her arms.
“……It’s alright.”
A low, soft voice echoed gently through the room.
“It can be hard.”
As if she could no longer hold it in, Sheila buried her face in Elysia’s chest.
Her small hands gripped her clothes with all her might.
Elysia slowly patted Sheila’s back to show her that it was alright.
A long while later, just as the crying finally began to subside.
Sheila picked up the pen and paper again.
This time, her movements were much slower and more cautious than before.
[Yulias is always busy.]
[He looks tired.]
The tip of the pen paused for a moment.
[I thought all I had to do was stay quiet.]
Elysia silently took the words into her eyes.
[So that I wouldn’t get in the way. But I always made things noisy.]
[I teased the maids and even refused to eat.]
[It makes sense that Yulias would dislike me.]
Elysia slowly closed and opened her eyes.
She felt like she finally understood a little of how long that young child had been swallowing everything alone.
Gently brushing away Sheila’s damp bangs, Elysia spoke in a calm voice.
“Lady.”
Sheila looked up at her with a tear-stained face.
Elysia smiled very slowly.
“The Grand Duke does not dislike you.”
“…….”
“On the contrary, you are so precious to him that he simply doesn’t know what to do.”
Sheila’s eyes shook. Her face showed that she could not easily believe it.
Looking at the child, Elysia let out a small laugh.
“This is a secret, but to be completely honest with you…….”
She leaned in slightly.
“The Grand Duke is actually incredibly clumsy.”
Sheila paused.
She knit her brows as if asking what on earth that meant.
With an unwavering, warm gaze, Elysia continued.
“It’s true. Even I was completely startled at first.”
At that, a tiny breath leaked out from between Sheila’s lips, looking as though it might burst into a laugh or a sob.
Sniffling, Sheila moved her pen.
[Don’t give me useless pity for no reason.]
Elysia let out a soft chuckle.
“……There is no way I would pity you, Lady.”
With that, she gently wrapped her hand around Sheila’s, slowly stroking the back of the small hand with her thumb.
“Does it…… look like my actions come from pity?”
Sheila shook her head slightly.
Only then did Elysia exhale quietly, looking relieved.
“……Can you stay by yourself for just a moment?”
Instantly, Sheila grabbed the hem of Elysia’s clothes and looked up at her.
It seemed a sense of anxiety still remained.
Elysia gently stroked the child’s hair.
“Joshua went to the Dining Hall, right? He probably doesn’t know we’re here and might be looking for us. ……I’ll bring Joshua back right away.”
It was a soothing voice. It was closer to words of reassurance than persuasion.
After hesitating for a long time, Sheila reluctantly nodded her head.
Elysia laid Sheila down on the bed and carefully pulled the blanket over her.
“Now then, close your eyes and rest. I’ll be back shortly.”
Looking up at her with anxious eyes, Sheila spoke in a very small voice.
“……Come back quickly.”
Elysia’s eyes widened in surprise, and then a smile bloomed on her face.
“……I’ll be back as fast as a bullet.”
At the joke, which was so like her, Sheila pouted her lips but ultimately let the corners of her mouth turn up.
After stroking Sheila’s hair one more time, Elysia slowly stood up.
And she closed the door behind her as she left the room.
Stepping into the hallway, the tension dissolved all at once, and a shallow breath escaped her.
Elysia looked down at the floor for a moment, then slowly raised her head.
And she caught her breath at the gaze she locked eyes with.
A person was standing there, leaning against the opposite wall.
It was Yulias, and there was no telling how long he had been standing in that spot.

* * *
Elysia inhaled sharply without realizing it.
It was different from usual.
His face, which was always cold and flawless, was heavily shadowed with an expression she had never seen before.
Without taking his eyes off the closed door, Yulias spoke.
“……Edward has returned.”
After those words, a brief silence fell between the two of them.
With his jaw clenched tight, he was still staring only at the door.
Like someone trying to hold onto even a trace of the presence beyond it.
Elysia quietly watched him before slowly opening her mouth.
“……Today, you were in the wrong, Grand Duke.”
It was a calm voice.
However, that single statement settled into the hallway with more weight than expected.
Yulias’s gaze slowly turned toward her.
“……I did not mean it that way.”
“I know.”
“…….”
“But that is how it sounded to the Lady.”
Elysia continued carefully.
“Young children remember things for much longer than you think.”
“…….”
“Especially when it comes to the words of someone they love.”
Though it was impossible, it felt as if a wind had swept through the end of the hallway.
After a brief silence descended, Yulias parted his lips.
“I must protect that child.”
As if holding onto himself, it was a statement that sounded almost like a declaration.
Elysia stared at him for a long while before quietly asking back.
“Is that truly all it is?”
At that single sentence, the air changed minutely.
Yulias’s gaze slowly drifted to her.
At first, he seemed not to understand, but his expression soon hardened slightly as if he had read the underlying meaning of her words.
“……What do you mean by that.”
His voice carried a much sharper edge than usual.

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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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