HWSDR | Chapter 005

Chapter 005

Even after those events, the nanny was not kicked out. It had already been three days.

Furthermore, as if no disciplinary measures had been taken against her, the nanny’s attitude remained unchanged. I wondered what on earth she was doing instead of looking after Hayden at night.

There was even a time when I couldn’t bear the sound of the baby crying at night and went to comfort him, only to be chased out by the nanny. What was it she said again?

‘I’ll take care of the Young Master’s upbringing myself! Do you realize this is an abuse of authority? Shall I inform His Grace the Duke about this?’

Abuse of authority, my foot. I’m the Duchess. However, at the threat of her telling Ceres, I had no choice but to back down.

Seeing as she hasn’t been kicked out yet, she must still enjoy the trust of the Ducal House; if I handled this wrong, I could be the only one ending up in a bloody mess.

Where would I even go? Absolutely not.

I could tell just by how the maid named Tanya treated me.

They say even a dog isn’t disturbed while eating. The memory of having my food bowl snatched away by Tanya was still vividly etched in my mind. I must never return to the Hegest Ducal House.

At any rate, it seemed there was nothing I could do here. Even if I wanted to, it felt like I shouldn’t.

I feel sorry for Hayden, but what can I do? I have no power, Bright-eyes.

It was when I entered the dining room for today’s lunch.

Ceres was not in the dining room; only the nanny and Hayden, sitting in a high chair, were there.

The nanny gave me a slight nod of her head upon seeing me.

“Hello, Duchess. As you can see, I am currently looking after Young Master Hayden. Please forgive my rudeness.”

My tongue nearly tripped at the sight of the flamboyantly prepared feast. Maybe I should be a nanny too. If I got treated like that, it might be worth doing.

I sat down, thinking that living as a nanny wouldn’t be a bad idea once I left the Ducal House.

The maids quickly prepared my utensils and meal.

However, when I looked to see what she was feeding Hayden.

“……Are you feeding that to Hayden right now?”

No matter how much I tried to hold it in, there has to be a limit! The words burst out before I knew it.

The nanny glared at me with venomous eyes. It was a truly thin soup with nothing in it. Just in case, I tasted it; it was a soup made of flour with only sugar added.

Dumbfounded, I looked at Hayden, who was smiling brightly, revealing his four teeth.

“Mamma! Mya! Kya! Mamma-mamma!”

Seeing that pure and harmless innocence made my temper flare up.

“I’ll tell you once again, this is an abuse of authority! This is how he’s supposed to be fed! You don’t know anything! He’s just going to spill it all over and smear it on his face in a mess anyway, so this much is appropriate!”

“What are you talking about! That’s how kids that age grow up! At a time when he should be eating well with balanced nutrients! Do you think flour soup makes any sense? Besides, why is it so sweet!”

I shouted back without backing down.

I was too much of a human being to turn a blind eye while witnessing a scene of child abuse.

Is this woman truly insane?

How could you feed a child something like this?

On the other hand, as the feast the nanny was stuffing into her own mouth caught my eye, I felt like the top of my head was going to flip open.

“How can you put such things in your mouth while shoving this into a child’s?!”

“Wh-what did you just say? If you think there is a problem with my upbringing methods, then make a formal protest!”

What should I do with this woman, truly? I gritted my teeth and glared at the triumphant nanny.

The nanny tilted her chin up to look down at me and then abruptly turned her head away. Looking at her still-flamboyant attire made my head spin.

Author, is this right?

I had no intention of interfering with the original story, nor did I want to meddle in the affairs of Vereidan. It’s hard enough taking care of my own life; why am I being so nosy?

“Mamma! Mam! Ma! Kyaa! Eomma! Mamama!”

Still, Bright-eyes deserved better care. Even if he weren’t the male lead of this world. He’s a baby!

Thinking of Bright-eyes, courage welled up within me. Perhaps at its foundation was anger toward this absurd situation.

“Since you keep crossing the line like this, I’m quitting. I’ll tell His Grace the Duke! You, Duchess, can look after the Young Master yourself then!”

I gritted my teeth.

This damn household. These damn people.

No matter how I looked at it, this woman was definitely one of those who contributed to the path of thorns in Hayden’s future.

I can’t take it anymore.

Lord, I’m sending one person to Your side today.

Just as I was about to say something based on that surging courage and anger.

“……Are you serious about those words?”

Ceres appeared.

Seeing the nanny’s face brighten, I quickly suppressed and tucked away the courage that had surged up.

If you get kicked out, you have nowhere to go.

Behave yourself.

I’m sorry, Hayden. I’ll look after you secretly from time to time.

“Your Grace……! Please hear my grievances and……!”

“I asked if you were serious about what you just said.”

“Pardon?”

“It is a truly grateful thing that you are leaving on your own feet.”

The situation…… seems to be flowing differently from my expectations. I kept my mouth shut like a clam and observed the situation.

Ceres continued, glaring coldly at the nanny.

“I hope never to see you in Vereidan again. Regarding this matter, I plan to make a formal protest to the family that introduced you to the Ducal House, so you’d better look forward to it.”

So he was listening to our conversation the whole time.

“Because I need to know the reason why a woman with not a shred of experience was seated as a nanny in my house.”

“Y-Your Grace……!”

“Leave everything you gained and received here and get out. If you don’t, your next destination will be prison.”

As Ceres’s shout ended, the nanny slumped to the floor.

Watching that sight, I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Phew. I’m not getting kicked out.

Hayden, who met my eyes, smiled brightly. The four tiny, white teeth revealed were so cute.

“Myam! Mya!”

It seems that in Hayden’s eyes, I look like food.

* * *

Diane burst into tears and clutched her bag. The head maid, Mrs. Eurain, who had always been kind to Diane, was staring down at her with a cold gaze.

“I-if you kick me out, who will look after the Young Master, Mrs. Eurain! Please, don’t do this! This all happened because that witch-like Duchess blinded His Grace the Duke!”

Diane clung tightly to Mrs. Eurain’s legs. She didn’t even have a moment to cling to Ceres.

“Please listen to my story just once, Madam! I am truly wronged!”

“Are you truly wronged?”

“Yes! If the Southern nobles find out that you are mistreating me like this while only believing the words of that Hegest woman, what do you think will happen!”

Diane shouted while struggling. This was a threat. She intended to spread rumors that the leader of the South had fallen for the witch of Hegest and was persecuting a Southern noble.

However, Mrs. Eurain silenced Diane at once.

“They wouldn’t lend an ear to the words of a woman with a criminal record of fraud, would they?”

Mrs. Eurain spoke coldly. She was from the Nellis family, a vassal family of Vereidan.

Mrs. Eurain, who began working at the Vereidan Ducal House from the time she was old enough to know better and rose to the position of head maid, was deeply involved in the overall management of the family.

That meant she enjoyed Ceres’s trust.

As soon as the background check on Diane was completed, Ceres summoned Mrs. Eurain and the head butler and shared everything that had happened.

He also conducted an investigation into those who had previously investigated Diane. For it was clear they had also conspired in this matter.

‘It seems we were serving a Princess rather than a nanny.’

In the documents Ceres revealed along with scathing criticism, the details of Diane’s expenditures were written clearly. The budget she had taken under the guise of buying supplies for Hayden had all been used for her own luxuries. Dresses, shoes, jewelry, and skincare.

‘Not even most noble ladies buy luxury goods to this extent. I heard rumors have even spread among the noblewomen. That the nanny is either the daughter of a very wealthy man or has become the Duke’s mistress.’

It was a truly appalling rumor. He was so ashamed of the fact that he hadn’t known until now.

Who else had been bribed to blind Ceres and his vassals? It was truly staggering.

Once the roots were grasped, many things came up like a vine.

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