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Chapter 27
The Male Lead’s Devoted Maid Is Too Competent
The First Night
Elisha was sitting in the chair where Roella used to sit.
Kristan lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was clearly the same chair, the same position, the same time—yet everything felt unfamiliar. That was likely because of the person sharing this space with him.
Elisha. He had heard she came from the slums. Even the sound of a woman’s breathing felt strange.
Elisha sat with a tense expression, both hands neatly folded on her knees. Her light green eyes cautiously swept over Kristan. Even that was different from Roella.
From the very first day, Roella had sunk deep into that chair with a blissful expression. She had placed her feet on the footrest and muttered that it felt like heaven.
At the time, Kristan had found that sight both absurd and intriguing. Roella had been bold and unrestrained, as if she feared nothing.
Thinking of Roella, Kristan let out a faint smile. Seeing that smile, Elisha gathered her courage.
“Your Grace.”
Elisha spoke carefully.
“May I… hold your hand?”
Kristan gave a short nod. He knew it was something that had to be done. Still, he couldn’t understand why he felt so hesitant.
Elisha cautiously reached out. The trembling of her cold, slender hand was conveyed to Kristan as well.
Different.
Roella’s hand had been smaller than this one. And Roella’s body temperature had been quite high. She had casually fiddled with Kristan’s hand—comparing finger lengths, stroking his palm.
“Your Grace, your hands are really big. Wow, they’re like twice the length of my fingers. Please share some with me.”
She had said things like that without hesitation. Sometimes she would clasp Kristan’s hand with both of hers, rub it against her cheek, and fall asleep just like that.
At first, Kristan had been flustered by her rude behavior. But before he knew it, he had grown accustomed to it. Eventually, he had even begun to look forward to it.
What will Roella do today to fluster me?
“Your Grace…”
Elisha’s trembling voice reached him. Kristan turned his head and looked at her.
Elisha was gazing at him with tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, her face filled with emotion.
“To think that I can truly help Your Grace… It feels like a dream.”
She seemed completely sincere. And yet—
Kristan unconsciously turned his head away. Elisha’s sincerity felt heavy. The tears she shed for reasons he couldn’t understand made him uncomfortable.
Swallowing a sigh, Kristan furrowed his brow and sat up.
His body had not fully recovered yet.
The magical power that had been writhing inside him began to drain away, but the moment he released Elisha’s hand, it started to condense back inside his body. Kristan ran a hand through his hair.
“Elisha.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Let’s stop here for today.”
Elisha’s eyes widened.
“Pardon…? But—”
“Starting tomorrow won’t be too late. And it seems I forgot that I still have work to do.”
Kristan’s voice sank colder than usual.
Elisha bit her lip in confusion. Still, she dared not stop him. She carefully stood up and bowed.
“Then… I will see you tomorrow, Your Grace.”
“Very well.”
Elisha left the bedroom.
The sound of the door closing echoed, and silence returned.
When Roella had been there, the room had always been full of presence. Roella was always doing something—humming to herself, or occasionally even snoring.
Kristan had never thought those sounds were noisy.
Rather, he had welcomed them.
They filled the bedroom, warmed the vast and cold space. But now, the enormous room was filled with chill. Simply because Roella was gone. That difference struck Kristan’s heart like a blow.
He let out a sigh.
His chest felt tight. It wasn’t because of the magic. When Elisha held his hand, the magic had definitely drained away. The 98% compatibility rating had not been a lie.
And yet, it felt as though someone had intruded upon his bedroom. As if an unwelcome guest had entered and left the space that belonged to Roella and Kristan alone.
Kristan stared at the chair Roella always used to sit in.
Elisha had sat in the exact same spot. That displeased him more than he expected.
She really loved that chair.
Kristan muttered a curse under his breath.
He wasn’t used to behaving in ways he couldn’t understand.
In the end, he left the bedroom.
His footsteps echoed down the hallway.
They headed toward his study. It didn’t seem like he would be able to sleep tonight, so he planned to work—just as he had told Elisha.
Kristan stopped in front of the study. A faint light leaked through the crack in the door. Someone was still working.
Peering through the gap, he saw Roella moving diligently as she worked on something. Kristan stared blankly at her twitching fingers. It was one of her habits when she concentrated.
Kristan’s hand closed around the doorknob. Then, for some reason, he felt like he didn’t want to disturb Roella. He released it and leaned against the wall beside the door, quietly listening.
The sound of pages turning drifted through the door. Along with Roella’s murmuring voice.
“This part… I’ll mark it here… Ah, this one needs Mister Aidan to check it…”
A small, gentle voice. Roella’s.
Kristan’s irritation melted away in an instant.
He closed his eyes.
Just listening to her voice made his chest feel lighter.
How long had he been standing there?
Suddenly, the door opened.
“Oh…?”
Roella spotted Kristan standing there and widened her eyes.
“Y-Your Grace?”
Kristan slowly opened his eyes.
Roella was looking up at him with a startled expression.
“At this hour—why…? What about Elisha? Aren’t you sleeping? Then why are you standing out here instead of coming in?”
Kristan didn’t answer. He simply gazed at Roella.
Her slightly disheveled hair. Her eyes faintly bloodshot from reading documents. Her ink-stained fingers. All those small, trivial things she always showed.
“Your Grace…?”
Roella called him with a worried expression.
Only then did Kristan speak.
“…Couldn’t this wait until tomorrow? Why are you still awake?”
“I just couldn’t fall asleep. I thought maybe working would help.”
In truth, Roella had been thinking of Kristan as well. When night came, the man who was always by her side wasn’t there, and it felt strange and awkward. And boring. Whenever she couldn’t sleep, she used to pester Kristan for late-night snacks—but now she couldn’t do that anymore.
“Hm.”
Roella rolled her eyes thoughtfully, then smiled brightly.
“If you have work to do too, Your Grace, shall we do it together? And I feel a bit hungry.”
She shrugged.
“How about having some snacks? Late-night work calls for snacks, after all.”
Kristan burst into laughter without realizing it.
“Very well.”
“Come in quickly, Your Grace!”
The study that welcomed Roella felt more comfortable than the bedroom.
As if he had returned to his space once more.
It was truly strange.
