Chapter 01
From: Maricel Manua
Nanny Application
To: His Grace, Grand Duke Morgan Ergana Joachim
“Please make sure this is delivered to His Grace, Grand Duke Morgan Ergana Joachim!”
The butler, thin with white hair neatly combed down, accepted the envelope Maricel held out.
Maricel said nothing more, but her eyes clearly asked him once again to be certain.
Porle felt a little pressured by her gaze. Still, he sensed an unknown desperation in it and gave a gentle smile.
“I will deliver it safely.”
Porle tucked the envelope under his arm and bowed politely.
As he watched Maricel’s back grow smaller in the distance, he thought she was unusual.
In his sixty years of serving the Grand Duke’s family, this was the first time a noble lady had personally delivered a letter.
And Maricel had a reason for visiting the Grand Duke’s estate herself—she wanted to increase her chances of being accepted as a nanny.
Whether the impression was good or simply memorable, what mattered was being remembered at least once more.
That was how desperately Maricel needed the nanny position at the Grand Duke’s house.
And now was the perfect time.
This was the point in the novel “The Grand Duke’s Obsession” when the male lead, Morgan, adopts his orphaned niece Fleur and begins searching for a nanny.
To survive this unbelievable reality—being reincarnated into a novel she once enjoyed reading before she died at thirty-five—Maricel had to act.
“Miss, I still can’t get used to this.”
“There’s no need to rush. You can adjust slowly. I died and came back to life, didn’t I? Isn’t it better that I’ve changed?”
Emma felt uneasy seeing Maricel speak so calmly about something so serious.
What had really happened during her fever?
There had been a brief moment when she stopped breathing.
Just remembering that moment made Emma’s heart drop and her body tremble.
“Emma. This is a chance given by the heavens. I need to live differently now.”
On the way back after submitting the nanny application, Maricel decided to visit the market to lift her mood.
As she walked, she thought.
Maricel. A young baron’s daughter of the Herman Empire, now twenty years old. The body in which Lee Hae-tak had begun her second life.
She was nothing more than an extra. Even her family was an extra-level noble house.
The novel was a typical romance fantasy.
An unbreakable love between the Grand Duke and the Saintess. The male lead’s obsessive devotion to the female lead had made it fun to read.
She had not cared at all about the family that was wiped out by the Grand Duke after being involved in Fleur’s kidnapping.
That family had merely been a device to show how cruel Marquis Zelkova was. It had not mattered.
But now that she had become Maricel, Zelkova—the snake-like villain—was a far greater threat than Morgan.
It was because of Zelkova that the Manua baron family was falsely accused and destroyed by the Grand Duke.
Of course, Zelkova was destined to fall because of the male and female leads.
But until she could escape the trap of false charges, Maricel had to remain under Morgan’s protection to be safe.
If she could endure one or two years as a nanny at the Grand Duke’s estate, the Manua family could survive.
For Maricel, the nanny position was essential for survival.
Please, Morgan, call me for an interview…
The dice had already been thrown. She did not know whether it was God or some higher being who had given her two lives, but surely she would at least receive some small benefit.
As Maricel stepped into the busy market street, she pushed her thoughts aside and began properly looking around.
The sweet scent of fruit drifted through the air.
“Emma! Let’s buy some apples.”
“You mean… eat apples on the street?”
Emma stopped walking with a serious expression.
“Yeah. Why not?”
Maricel grabbed Emma’s hand and led her toward the fruit stand.
Then—
“Kyaaah!”
A sharp scream came from not far away.
They both stopped and turned toward the sound.
Smack!
A harsh whipping sound followed.
A carriage stood there, and a rough-looking coachman was whipping two young boys.
“Stop!”
Maricel shouted urgently.
The coachman froze for a moment and quickly looked around.
“Tch!”
Whiish—
The whip cut through the air again.
It happened in an instant. Maricel had no time to think.
She quickly took off her shoe and threw it with all her strength.
Thud!
“Argh!”
Her shoe struck the coachman’s wrist holding the whip and fell to the ground.
His face turned red and blue with anger.
“Which bastard dared to throw this?!”
He glared fiercely at the crowd.
The people quickly avoided his eyes, afraid of becoming his next target.
The coachman angrily picked up the fallen shoe and waved it in the air.
“Who threw this shoe?!”
It was clearly a noble lady’s shoe, but he was too furious to think properly.
“I did! I’m the one who threw it!”
Maricel stepped forward proudly, growling back at him.
Even though she was missing one shoe, her balance did not falter.
Rather, she walked with bold confidence, like a model on a runway.
The crowd began whispering.
“Wow. Who is that lady? She looks like a noble.”
“No idea. But she’s really beautiful.”
At that moment, a breeze blew, making her fine platinum hair flutter beautifully.
To the onlookers, she seemed like a savior who would defeat the villain.
More curious eyes gathered.
The coachman instinctively stepped back at her presence.
“Uh… uh…”
Her clothes clearly showed she was from a noble family.
He regretted not recognizing it from the shoe earlier. But it was too late.
One word from her could cost him his job—or even his life.
Realizing his situation, he began to tremble.
“I’m right here. What are you going to do about it?”
Her voice was low. Though she was smiling, her eyes were sharp and fierce.
“Th-that…”
He stuttered awkwardly.
A noble lady throwing her own shoe to protect common children? It made no sense.
Was she really a noble? Or just a wealthy commoner?
If she owned the shoe, she should be limping.
Was she truly the one who threw it?
He was confused.
“I asked what you’re going to do!”
The coachman immediately dropped to the ground and bowed deeply.
“I-I’m sorry, Miss! Please forgive me!”
He repeatedly lowered his head, begging.
Maricel crossed her arms and asked his name and affiliation.
“I-I work as a coachman for Baron Arthur’s family. My name is Hans.”
“Good. Hans.”
Hans pressed his forehead to the ground, waiting for her next words.
“….”
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
Maricel slightly lifted her skirt, stretched out her right foot, and gestured with her chin.
Only then did he understand. He hurriedly picked up the shoe and put it back on her foot.
Emma, watching from the side, was shocked.
Her lady had always been too kind and gentle to even speak harshly to servants.
“By the way, it seems your master is much more generous than you, staying quietly inside the carriage. Take me to your master.”
Maricel pretended to be relaxed.
She only dared to do so after confirming it was another baron’s family.
She had acted without thinking, but she had worried about the consequences.
If it had been a higher-ranking noble, things would have been more complicated.
My meddling nature is really a problem!
She scolded herself.
But how could I ignore children being whipped right in front of me?
That was impossible.
The coachman quickly stood and bowed.
“The carriage is empty. I was just returning after escorting Lady Kieran…”
Kieran? Who is that?
No matter how hard Maricel searched her memory, nothing came to mind.
Maricel, you really should have been more active in society. With a face like this, why were you a homebody? At least you could have memorized a noble directory.
Even after seeing the tulip emblem on the carriage, she could not recognize the family.
She decided she would memorize the noble directory once she returned home.
You should always check where you’re lying down before stretching your legs. What if it had been a high-ranking noble?
Still, she decided to believe heaven had helped her because she had done a good deed.
“That is fortunate. At least your master did not have to witness something so unpleasant.”
The coachman immediately fell flat on the ground again.
“Ah! Get up!”
“Y-Yes!”
At her sharp command, he stood straight.
“Even if the children did something wrong, whipping them is not the answer. Right?”
“Yes! Yes, that’s correct. It was my mistake. I will never do it again.”
“Good. And since your whip has already taken their punishment, you should apologize to them and leave quietly.”
“Pardon? Yes. Thank you, Miss.”
The coachman, who had been imagining the worst, nodded gratefully at her mercy.
He apologized to the boys he had whipped, bowed once more to Maricel, and quickly left.
“That nasty fellow ran off with his tail between his legs!”
“That felt so good to watch!”
“I’ve never seen a noble help commoners like that before.”
“Me neither.”
“Servants working for noble houses act like they’re nobles themselves.”
“Exactly. He could’ve stopped earlier, but he even drove the carriage faster.”
“If that noble lady hadn’t stepped in, those boys would’ve been beaten half to death.”
“They were lucky today.”
“Well, looks like it’s all settled. Let’s go.”
As the villain disappeared and only the two boys remained, the crowd slowly dispersed, each leaving with a few words.
