Chapter: 04
Kidnapping? No way. Was she kidnapped? Call the police immediately!
I have to inform the master quickly!
Wait, what about the young master? Is the young master safe?
Urgent footsteps echoed through the hallway, and the large door was suddenly thrown open.
“Young Master Antoine! Are you safe—Huh?!”
The pale-faced servants’ eyes flew toward Antoine’s bed.
However, what they found there was not a child sleeping peacefully.
Instead, there was a young girl sitting comfortably with her back against the bed.
“M-Miss…?”
To the servants who looked at her in shock after discovering her, she gave a small smile and raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh. He’s still sleeping.”
Her bluish-purple eyes slid downward and pointed toward the blanket.
Rustle.
A small black silk hill rose and fell slowly.
Matching the movement of the little hill was the tiny, warm sound of breathing.
Adelaide gently lifted the blanket.
When Antoine’s peaceful sleeping face, like that of an angel, was revealed, the servants finally relaxed.
Each of them frowned with relief, sighed, and placed a hand over their chests.
The relationship between Viscount and Viscountess Charmois had begun as a political marriage, just like many other noble couples.
However, their relationship was filled with affection that surpassed even the love of couples who had married for genuine feelings.
No.
They could understand what the other person was thinking just by looking into each other’s eyes.
‘You do it.’
‘No, you say it first.’
‘Isn’t this something the mother should handle?’
‘How is this an ordinary matter? The father should step forward in situations like this!’
‘B-But I’ve never scolded them before…’
‘Then what about me? Do you think I’ve been holding a discipline stick every day?’
When neither of them could say anything, the man who called himself her husband pretended not to notice his wife’s signal at all and looked away.
In the silence, Viscountess Charmois, Eleanor Argent de Charmois, glared at her husband with disbelief.
‘Charles Brode de Charmois! Are you really going to do this?’
Eleanor deliberately poked her husband’s side with extra force.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, her husband trembled like a worm splashed with salt water and looked at her.
This time, it was her turn to ignore him.
‘They really are affectionate.’
Watching the silent performance between the two people in front of me, I naturally let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, my determination to meet my parents with a smile had failed.
How could I possibly smile brightly in front of two people with such serious expressions?
Immediately after breakfast, we were called to the head of household’s study.
“Ahem. Ahem. Adelaide. You left your bedroom without telling the adults beforehand and acted on your own. Why did you do that?”
“Antoine was crying, but nobody came, so I went to him.”
“But what about the nanny? Why did you go instead?”
“The nanny was away. Antoine said she told him she would come after he woke up, but I wasn’t sure, so I slept with him.”
“What? The nanny? No, putting that aside. Then you could have pulled the bell cord and called another maid!”
“Taking care of children is the nanny’s responsibility. If another maid came, I thought the nanny might get in trouble… I’m sorry.”
In reality, I had completely forgotten because I was focused on calming Antoine first.
It was just an excuse I hurriedly came up with.
But my parents did not say anything else.
They only looked at each other and let out a deep sigh.
“You don’t need to apologize. Rather, considering someone else’s position even in that situation is something worthy of praise. We should hear what the nanny has to say.”
When Madame Severine heard that the mistress had summoned her, she bit her lips and paced around anxiously.
‘I’m definitely going to be fired!’
Her heart felt like it was about to burst from despair and nervousness.
‘Why yesterday of all days? Why did that girl have to interfere yesterday of all days!’
Madame Severine glared at the door as if Adelaide herself was standing there and ground her teeth.
Adelaide had always been indifferent toward her younger brother.
No, she had been beyond indifferent.
Even before, Antoine had woken up crying while sleeping, but Adelaide had never cared.
If anything, she would only get annoyed and tell others to make him quiet quickly.
But yesterday, she had not only gone herself to comfort her younger brother, she had even slept together with him.
The entire mansion had been turned upside down since morning.
And it had happened on the exact day she had been away!
Regardless, she could not ignore the mistress calling for her.
Eventually, Madame Severine arrived at the study where the family was gathered and reluctantly raised her hand to knock.
“L-Lady… You called for me…?”
The person who entered the room was a middle-aged woman who was extremely thin, like a broomstick.
Her lifeless, dried-out eyes looked exactly like a well-dried fish.
“Madame Severine. I heard about what happened last night. Let me get straight to the point. Why did you not come when Antoine was crying?”
Unlike ordinary servants, a nanny was responsible for raising the master’s child and future head of the household.
Because of that, nannies held a position respected not only by servants but even by their employers.
My mother had also treated Madame Severine with polite respect because she had entrusted her with part of her own role.
Although there was undeniable anger hidden in her voice.
“…It was discipline.”
The answer—or rather excuse—that Madame Severine barely managed to say was “discipline.”
“Young Master Antoine will inherit the Charmois family after his lordship. If I run to him every time he wakes up crying, I will only ruin his future.”
“……”
When my mother showed no reaction, Madame Severine seemed to interpret it as agreement.
She straightened her back and raised her chin proudly.
“A person who will inherit a prestigious family must learn patience and self-control. Children are no exception. No, it must begin from childhood.”
Ah.
That old-fashioned…
Hearing those rigid words reminded me.
Madame Severine had been a teacher at a boarding school attached to a monastery.
And boarding schools in this era were places where students were imprisoned inside a school called a prison simply because they were students, waiting for graduation—their release.
In short, this woman was saying she intended to give Spartan training to a four-year-old child.
“That may be true… but… you should have told us first…”
“My lady. You were the one who trusted me and entrusted Antoine’s education completely to me.”
Seeing my mother hesitate, she did not even change her expression.
Instead, she tried to shift the responsibility back onto my mother.
Her attitude was basically saying:
‘You trusted me before, so why are you interfering now?’
I was left speechless.
“Let me make this clear. Sugar and sweets only cloud a young master’s spirit and cause him to grow into a weak man. Toys are the same. A boy playing with dolls? Absurd! If he is to become an excellent soldier or official in the future, he should already be busy memorizing history and ancient languages. Just how long do you intend to continue indulging him, my lady?”
“But Antoine is still young!”
“To raise a child properly, one must educate them. And for proper education, control and discipline must never be spared. Because you have always cherished the young master too much, I overlooked it until now…”
“And this is the result. Good heavens! The future head of the viscount family has become a spoiled child who cannot even sleep alone!”
Enough.
I could not listen anymore.
“Spoiled?”
With a short laugh, my firm voice struck Madame Severine’s ears like a storm.
“My goodness. A four-year-old child should act spoiled, not like an old man! No, what were you thinking leaving a child alone to sleep? What if he got hurt? Do you know how many children die because they suffocate after sleeping face-down on a pillow? What if he fell off the bed and broke a bone? It is only fortunate that the weather is warm. What if it had been winter? What if a spark flew from the heater? Huh? What would you have done? If something happened to him, would you take responsibility?”
Drip.
My father, who had been silently watching the situation while sipping his coffee with a frown, had coffee spilling from his mouth.
Ugh.
That must be hot.
‘Who knew troublesome customers would be useful someday?’
Among the seasonal training sessions at the department store, there had been lessons on how to handle so-called difficult customers.
Every time, the employees acted so passionately that it was almost as if they had possessed the customers themselves.
Who would have thought those memories would become useful like this?
Though I was not particularly grateful.
I sincerely hoped those customers lived long and healthy lives.
“T-This is all for the sake of the young master.”
Madame Severine’s face flushed as if it would burst from embarrassment, but she desperately insisted one last time.
Pfft.
I could not hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Once it started, my laughter quickly turned into an obvious mocking laugh.
“Are you laughing at my method of discipline?”
Madame Severine’s breathing became rough.
“Ah… my stomach hurts… Nanny, do you really think that? That this is for Antoine? Really?”
“Lady Adelaide!”
“What kind of future do you imagine for Antoine?”
Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I leaned back leisurely against the sofa.
At some point, the corners of my mouth had hardened into a cold smile.
