HWSDR | Chapter 004

Chapter 004

It felt as though the reality behind the things that had felt uncomfortable all this time was finally coming into view. Ceres blurted out words even he hadn’t expected. He felt quite embarrassed by himself.

After all, he never imagined he would be asking questions about the nanny, and to Roana—the daughter of Hegest, of all people.

“……You must have met the nanny. What do you think of her?”

Roana’s lips parted slightly, her face clear and innocent.

“Hmm, honestly?”

Ceres nodded.

Contrary to her initial hesitation, Roana immediately offered her impressions of the nanny.

“I thought she seemed more like…… a noble lady than a nanny. Her nails are grown long with decorations attached; I wonder if she can even change a baby’s diaper. A baby’s skin is so fragile. Besides, she was wearing heavy makeup. I don’t think that’s good for the baby either. Plus, she had trinkets dangling all over her clothes. She lacks a sense of professional duty……”

Roana glanced at Ceres and smiled.

Then, she paused her fluent stream of words for a moment and added softly.

“……I think.”

“The nanny said she is someone who would do anything for the Young Master and Vereidan. That everything she does is for Hayden and Vereidan.”

“I think there are no words easier to hide behind than those. It’s such a convenient phrase to use—hiding behind the lie of doing something for someone else’s sake while manipulating them. I believe one should peel back those words to see the reality before making a judgment……”

Roana glanced at Ceres again and smiled.

Then, trailing off her sentence once more, she added.

“……I think.”

Ceres wiped his mouth.

He didn’t know what kind of strategy this was.

But the important thing was that the strategy had worked.

Ceres gave a bitter smile. It was a moment where he felt utterly embarrassed by how coldly he had snapped at Roana, who had only just arrived.

He felt so powerless in front of a baby he had never raised before.

Ceres spoke with a hint of bitterness.

“Thank you for the advice.”

* * *

Ceres summoned Mrs. Eurain and issued an order.

“Bring the person among those working in the mansion who has the most experience in caring for children.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Mrs. Eurain hurriedly selected a person and headed to the office. The situation was unusual.

As if conscious of the heavy atmosphere, a maid entered the office, cautiously reading the room.

Ceres observed the maid.

“……I heard you have a lot of experience caring for children.”

“Yes. I have many siblings, so I grew up taking care of them since I was young.”

“Then you must be accustomed to looking after children.”

“That is correct.”

The maid answered in a trembling voice. For someone of her status, simply exchanging words with the Duke was a surprising event.

“……You must have seen, even from afar, how the nanny has been raising Hayden. Tell me about it.”

The maid glanced around tentatively. Mrs. Eurain spoke in a low voice.

“You may speak honestly.”

The maid hesitated before speaking awkwardly.

“……I believe the nanny’s method of upbringing is not right.”

The maid spoke with her eyes squeezed shut. A cold sweat trickled down the back of the maid as she bowed her waist deeply.

“……But why has no one spoken up until now? Not to Oliver, nor to Mrs. Eurain.”

“People like us must not have any thoughts before being granted permission. We cannot speak out recklessly.”

The maid spoke in a trembling voice.

Ceres let out a hollow laugh and brushed back his hair roughly. The nanny must have taken advantage of that loophole. He felt as though this was the very definition of “covering one’s eyes and shouting ‘meow'” (deceiving oneself and others).

* * *

Ceres was a man who would not yield on even the smallest matter regarding Hayden. At least, that was what he had thought until now.

However, it seemed the efforts he had made were futile. A sense of guilt that could not be easily resolved filled his heart.

Was he not the only child left by his deceased older brother? Protecting that child was as good as Ceres’s mission.

‘The baby’s mother was a healer I met on the battlefield. And she died giving birth to the baby there. Ceres, I entrust our Hayden to you. There is no one else I can ask but you.’

Ceres could not turn away from the gaze of his dying brother, whose face was pale and drained. Thus, he made up his mind to raise Hayden as his own child.

His brother, who was much older, was a man who lived his whole life as the pillar of the Ducal family. After losing his wife, he had wandered from one battlefield to another.

He had laid down his responsibilities and burdens in that manner. Ceres, who had been on the battlefield, had to return to the Ducal House in place of his deceased brother.

Ceres had suddenly been entrusted with the family, but he had no complaints. Because he, too, was a son of Vereidan.

Still, he had truly never imagined that his brother would leave forever, leaving behind only a newborn baby.

Just as Ceres himself had grown up under the safe and warm protection of his brother, he vowed to ensure the same for Hayden. And he had worked hard toward that goal.

Therefore, he had been introduced to a nanny by a noble lady of a vassal family he particularly trusted.

It was an introduction from the Countess of Yotley; the late Count Yotley had been from a branch family of Vereidan.

The Countess of Yotley was also from an old vassal family. The previous Count Yotley, the Countess’s father, was the former head butler. He was a loyal man who would have given his life for Vereidan.

Count Yotley, the son-in-law who carried on the name, had also worked for Vereidan. Though he met an early death.

Since both her father and husband were loyal subjects, he believed the daughter would also be loyal to Vereidan. That was why he accepted the introduction from her and strictly conducted a background check on Diane afterward. To think such a problem would arise.

‘From where to where were the accomplices? Who else is involved?’

The criticism he received from a stranger who had just entered the mansion was painfully bitter. And he was once again alerted to the situation.

Ceres stared at the nanny prattling in front of him with cold eyes.

“I’m thinking of ordering a new baby blanket for the Young Master this time, Your Grace. After all, the Young Master’s skin is quite fragile. Oh, how sensitive he is. And that’s not all that’s needed. I think we’ll need to tailor new clothes for the Young Master, and I’m also thinking of custom-ordering educational materials. Since I’m trying to meet the standards of the capital, there are many things required. Therefore, I request an additional budget, Your Grace. Of course, I trust you know that all of this is for the sake of Young Master Hayden and the Vereidan Ducal House.”

Her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

She looked quite thrilled, as if expecting something grand.

In Ceres’s eyes, the things Roana had pointed out this morning came into view.

The thick waves in her hair, braided high and decorated flamboyantly, and hair ornaments that looked fit for a party. A dress so luxurious it didn’t match her status. And the long-grown nails with decorations and heavy makeup.

The simple appearance of Roana this morning, who had trailed off her words, seemed much more fitting for a nanny.

“Ha.”

“And I have one more request. Until now, I have only used the minimum amount for my dignity maintenance fee. But as the Young Master grows, I believe I should attend various small gatherings, including childcare meetings, from now on. Meeting children of his age will be a great help to the Young Master’s development, after all. Therefore, I request an increase in my dignity maintenance fee. I trust you will consider this, as it is also for the sake of Vereidan’s prestige.”

Ceres wiped his face.

Since he had hired her, he had granted everything she asked for with the thought of trusting and using her, yet she makes such a brazen demand.

The nanny blinked her eyes wide.

‘To buy the new dress, shoes, and necklace that just came out, I need to pull in more. Hmph, it’s that Vereidan, after all. They must be affluent, so why are they being so stingy with money? Still, if it weren’t for my aunt, would I have even dared to dream of buying such things? To receive such high pay just for watching a little brat who poops. A blanket? Forget that. I should buy a new ring.’

The nanny’s true intentions were exactly that.

Was this not a position she had entered by forging her experience and status in the first place?

‘Listen carefully to what I say from now on, Diane. I heard Vereidan is looking for a nanny. You are to go to that position. Once you gain experience at Vereidan, it will be easy to move to other positions. Besides, do you have any idea how much money Vereidan has? This could be the job that secures your money line!’

Just as Diane, recalling those memories, was about to open her mouth again.

“I shall take it into consideration. You may leave now.”

It was a voice much colder than before.

Ceres, who watched the back of Diane as she left after a cheerful greeting, summoned his aide.

“From now on, prepare a statement of the amounts spent by the nanny. And I want to know everything—who she met and what she has been doing.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Also, look into the Countess of Yotley, who recommended the nanny, and re-investigate Diane’s background. Use a different route and method than before. Be thorough.”

Bogus bowed his head.

“Yes, Your Grace!”

The Yotley family were long-time loyal subjects. If he handled them wrongly without evidence, the vassals of the South might turn their backs on him.

With a war ahead, he could not afford to take such a risk.

Furthermore, it was also dangerous to discard the Yotley family based solely on the words of a Hegest. Verification was necessary.

Ceres summoned more than just his aide. He also called the head maid and ordered her to attach a maid to Diane to investigate her movements.

“And you are to look after Hayden more closely. Everything—what the child eats, wears, and how he spends his time.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Having issued those orders, Ceres clenched his fist tightly.

He would uncover exactly what she had been doing under the mask of a nanny. Without fail.