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Chapter 28
The Male Lead’s Devoted Maid Is Too CompetentBreakfast Time
Elisha followed a maid’s guidance toward the dining room.
Last night, she had held Grand Duke Kristan’s hand. She had felt his magical power flowing out through her body. It was exactly the same sensation she had felt in her dream. But not long after, she had been dismissed. It seemed the Grand Duke found her uncomfortable.
That can happen.
After all, it was only the first day. There was no need to rush. Just like in the dream, with time, they would naturally fall in love. Elisha believed that.
With a fluttering heart, Elisha entered the dining room. She thought she would be alone—but she wasn’t.
“Oh, Elisha! Good morning!”
A woman seated at the table waved and smiled.
It was Roella.
Roella greeted her with the same bright expression as always. The moment Elisha saw her, her mind went blank.
Why?
Wasn’t Roella supposed to leave?
Why was the person who had lost her position still in the Grand Ducal residence? Elisha froze, unable to make sense of it.
“Elisha?”
Roella tilted her head slightly as she asked.
“Are you not feeling well? Please sit here. Once you have a hearty breakfast, you’ll feel better. Your face is so pale.”
Roella patted the seat beside her. Her face was clear and free of any malice.
Elisha smiled awkwardly. She wasn’t even sure if she was smiling properly.
Roella’s attitude was strange.
She didn’t look like someone who had been replaced. Nor did she seem like someone who was about to be driven out.
Rather, she looked comfortable—almost as if she were the owner of the castle. Elisha hesitated before sitting down.
Roella scanned the table and spoke.
“What would you like for breakfast? The bread here is good, and the soup is really excellent. Oh, you should try the fruit too. Northern fruit is surprisingly sweet. They say it’s because it grows in harsh conditions. You know how people say fruit gets sweeter during droughts? Apparently, it’s like that.”
Roella skillfully served food onto Elisha’s plate.
Elisha stared at her blankly. Roella was acting as if she would continue staying here.
“Roella…”
Elisha spoke carefully.
“When are you leaving?”
At that question, Roella’s hands stopped.
“Leaving?”
Roella asked back, eyes wide. Flustered, Elisha nodded.
“Yes. Since I’m the compatible one now…”
Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. In truth, she wanted to curse and drive Roella out. The Elisha she used to be would have done exactly that.
But she couldn’t reveal her true nature. Wearing the mask of a gentle lamb, Elisha put on a soft smile. Completely unaware of Elisha’s inner thoughts, Roella replied.
“Oh, that? I’m not leaving. I work as Grand Duke Kristan’s aide. So I’ll be staying here from now on.”
“Aide…?”
“Yes. I work for Grand Duke Kristan. This place is basically my workplace.”
Roella said it with pride.
Elisha’s thoughts grew tangled.
In her dream, Roella didn’t exist. But now, Roella was here. Whether she was an aide or whether this was her job didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Roella could threaten Elisha’s position. Unaware of Elisha’s turmoil, Roella chattered on cheerfully.
“I organize documents, prepare meetings, and work on business planning too. I don’t just work for Grand Duke Kristan—I work for the North as well.”
Elisha couldn’t say a word.
This isn’t right.
It was different from the dream. In the dream, only she had been by Grand Duke Kristan’s side.
Roella couldn’t stay here. Only Elisha was supposed to be next to Grand Duke Kristan.
“Let’s get along well, Elisha. If you ever need help, just tell me anytime. I’ll do my best to help. Let’s be close.”
Roella smiled brightly. From Roella’s perspective, she was trying to build a friendship with the female lead. For her future to go smoothly, she believed it was important to get along with Elisha.
She’s going to be the Grand Duchess of the North. Whew, I really want to be best friends.
Completely unaware of Roella’s inner thoughts, Elisha nodded awkwardly.
“Yes…”
But something was writhing inside her chest.
“Oh, right, Elisha. How was last night? Holding Grand Duke Kristan’s hand for the first time can be surprising, right? You can feel the magic flowing out. I was startled too at first.”
Roella said with a laugh.
At that moment, Elisha realized something that should have been obvious. Roella had held Grand Duke Kristan’s hand before—and had stayed by his side for a much longer time than Elisha. If that was the case…
Could the owner of the dream change to Roella?
It felt as if the blood in her body was turning cold.
“Were you okay? It’s hard to adjust at first, but you’ll get used to it soon.”
Roella spoke kindly.
Elisha found it deeply uncomfortable and repulsive. The very existence of Roella irritated her. Elisha’s instincts were whispering that Roella would become an obstacle in her life.
The fork in Elisha’s hand trembled slightly. She forced her gaze down to the food on her plate.
It looked delicious, but her appetite suddenly vanished. No matter what she ate, it would feel like chewing sand. This was the first time she had ever hesitated with food right in front of her.
Elisha clenched her teeth.
How did this happen?
Something unpleasant writhed in her chest. And Elisha knew how to eliminate emotions of this kind.
You uproot the cause.
* * *
It was the third day since I had started sleeping alone in my bedroom.
On the first day, I failed to fall asleep, went to work instead, ran into Kristan, and ended up eating a late-night snack together. Yesterday, I was tired enough to sleep, but today, I couldn’t fall asleep at all.
It was strange. I was clearly tired, yet my eyes were wide open.
I had grown too accustomed to chatting with Kristan, eating late-night snacks, and fooling around together. That had to be why I couldn’t sleep alone anymore.
“Ugh.”
I sighed and sat up. It looked like sleep was out of the question again tonight.
Lying here would just waste time. It seemed better to work instead. It wasn’t like there was any media here to pass the time.
I put on my robe and left the room.
The corridor was silent. Only a few lamps emitted dim light, barely pushing back the darkness.
I headed toward the study—now a place I was very familiar with.
Today, I should probably review the Northern Merchant Guild contracts again. It would also be good to check the quarry transport routes. There was really so much to do.
When I reached the study, I hesitated.
Light was leaking out through the crack in the door.
Did someone forget to turn off the lights?
I cautiously opened the door and peeked inside—then froze.
Grand Duke Kristan was sitting at the desk, reviewing documents.
What is this, telepathy? Why do we keep running into each other here? Strangely—very, very strangely—I felt happy to see him.
“Roella?”
Kristan rose with a startled expression.
“Why are you here at this hour? Aren’t you sleeping?”
I laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.
“I couldn’t fall asleep, so I thought I’d do some work. But why are you here, Your Grace?”
Kristan fell silent for a moment.
“…I couldn’t sleep either.”
A comrade-in-arms, then. That made sense. Feeling a little excited, I stepped into the study. Pulling an all-nighter was always more fun with company than alone.
“Then shall we continue the conversation we were having earlier today?”
