Chapter: 05
“Of course, he would be the Charmois Viscount respected by everyone.”
“Can someone who has never once received a warm touch or a kind embrace during childhood truly become someone respected by everyone?”
Madame Severine was rendered speechless for a moment.
While she hesitated, I drove the final nail in with a mocking tone.
“Yes, perhaps Antoine raised under your discipline might become an excellent viscount in the future. Someone intelligent, cold, and capable of distinguishing what benefits his family.”
“Exactly. That is why he needs proper education from now on…”
“But I want my younger brother to grow up loved, to share that love with others, and become someone respected by everyone because of it.”
It was a story you often heard.
Stories where parents who had beaten their children when they were young were abandoned later in life when they became old and could no longer control their children through force.
If Antoine became someone like that in the future, I would have problems too.
The original story already made it painfully obvious which countries and places it was modeled after.
And if it followed the actual history of the country it was based on…
The image of a cold guillotine blade flashed before my eyes, making my body tremble for no reason.
‘If I had to reincarnate, I should have chosen to be the dog or cat of some rich family.’
Anyway, that was why I had to raise him properly from now on.
I strengthened my resolve once again.
“Well, even that requires a qualified teacher. And in that regard, you are disqualified both as a teacher and as a nanny.”
I pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from my clothes and tossed it in front of Madame Severine.
The moment she recognized it, a strangled sound escaped between her teeth.
“Hic…”
“Adelaide? What is that?”
“Evidence showing where the nanny was last night.”
“M-My lady! No! That is… that is nothing!”
“Give it to me.”
Mother immediately unfolded the paper and began reading.
“…When the midnight bell rings, I will wait in the stable. Please swing the rod of love for me like you did before…? W-What is this? Madame Severine! Explain yourself! What is this disgraceful letter?”
“No! No, my lady! I am innocent! This is unfair!”
“Now I see. The one who became corrupted was not my son, but you.”
Mother’s voice finally rose.
“How could you! I… I trusted you…!”
“Eleanor, getting angry is bad for your health. Calm down, calm down…”
“Do I look like I can calm down right now? Haah… ha…”
Her face quickly became flushed from shock and anger.
“Call the stable master immediately… Cough!”
In the end, Mother clutched her chest and collapsed into Father’s arms.
Father eventually took control of the situation.
“Madame Severine. I think it would be better for you to find another household. I apologize, but I cannot provide you with a recommendation letter.”
Madame Severine protested in despair as if the world had collapsed.
“H-How could you! My lady! I truly did my best for the young master! Please give me one more chance! Just one more!”
“You have worked hard until now.”
Madame Severine, who had instantly become as barren as a dried fish, only opened and closed her mouth repeatedly.
And perhaps after realizing that no excuse could change this situation, she lowered her head and left the room.
“Antoine. It’s all over now. You must have been scared, right? I’m sorry. If I had known this would happen, I would have left you in your room.”
Even though he could not understand the adults’ conversation, Antoine seemed to sense the serious atmosphere and had buried his face in his sleeve.
“Sniff… Hrk!”
Hrk?
No way.
Surely not.
Carefully, I pushed Antoine’s head away.
And then I screamed.
“Antoine! I told you not to get your nose running on silk!”
“Sigh. I thought I had finally found someone trustworthy. I feel like dying because I’m so sorry to Antoine. And Adelaide too… She must have been struggling all this time, trying to consider her sick mother’s feelings and keeping quiet. Wouldn’t it be better if we raised them ourselves?”
After finally calming down, Eleanor rested her forehead against the window to cool herself and let out a deep sigh.
Her heart still ached from the betrayal and shock.
Charles glanced at Eleanor before picking up his pen to write an announcement for a new nanny.
“Don’t say things like you’re going to die. You’ll collapse again. We can simply find someone better. More importantly, Ellie, doesn’t Adelaide seem a little… how should I put it… different today?”
Charles almost said “unfamiliar,” but quickly thought of a better word.
“Love… and respect…”
What had I learned at Adelaide’s age?
Charles searched through his memories.
He could not remember clearly, but it was probably not much different from Madame Severine’s education methods.
No.
Since there had only been boys in his family, his childhood had practically been like the military.
Strength.
Power.
Wealth.
He had lived according to a strict schedule designed as though those were the only methods to earn respect from others.
Unable to endure it any longer, he ran away from home.
Only after traveling all over the world and becoming an adult did he realize that those things were not the only ways to gain people’s respect.
Eleanor, who was right beside him, was proof of that.
She was much weaker and gentler than him, yet whenever Charles entered her room, he unconsciously fixed his clothes.
“Yes. If what that woman said was true, then the person most respected by everyone should be on the battlefield right now. Not in a cathedral.”
But how had Adelaide, at only ten years old, realized something that he himself had only barely understood after becoming an adult and broadening his perspective?
It was difficult to believe it was simply the result of a child’s innocent way of thinking.
Adelaide’s expression had been far too serious.
As if she had experienced it herself.
Charles’s thoughts were interrupted by Eleanor’s scolding.
“Of course the children feel unfamiliar! You’re hardly ever home! That’s why I told you to visit more often!”
“Do you think I enjoy leaving my own home and wandering outside?”
Although he raised his voice in disbelief, Charles still felt guilty for leaving his wife alone.
He put down his pen and carefully glanced at her.
Just as his wife said, every time he returned from a journey, the children had grown so much that it surprised him.
Especially Adelaide.
Because she had barely been able to wear the dresses and shoes he brought her as gifts before she outgrew them, Charles could not help worrying about her changes.
“I didn’t know Adelaide cared about her younger brother so deeply.”
“Well… Adelaide is ten now. It’s the age when children start becoming mature.”
“If she matures twice more, she’ll be able to defeat even her own parents.”
“Dear!”
Eleanor widened her eyes like a rabbit and raised her voice.
Charles chuckled and approached his wife, resting his head against her shoulder.
But today’s Adelaide felt different.
It was not simply that she had grown physically.
The moment he met his daughter’s eyes, where violets and the sea seemed to swirl together, the child in front of him felt strangely unfamiliar.
Had she truly matured?
Or had something happened?
“Should we look for a way for me to work from home?”
“I would like that… But sigh, before you leave, we still need to find a new nanny.”
“Hmm. Speaking of my business trip, now that Adelaide has matured, how about giving her a nice gift as praise?”
“Well… that’s not a bad idea. Then we should call the merchants soon…”
The thing the children truly wanted was something else.
Eleanor swallowed the rest of her words and also buried her head against her husband’s chest.
Madame Severine and the stable master were expelled that very day.
Until a new nanny was found, Antoine and I had to remain inside the mansion.
However, I never felt bored or trapped.
It was not only because the Charmois mansion and garden were enormous.
Everywhere I looked was my beloved home.
A place I thought I would never see again.
A sight I thought I had lost forever.
Especially the enormous fountain in the center.
Because the weather was getting warmer, it became the place Antoine and I visited most often.
“Big sister! Let’s play at the fountain again today. Okay?”
“Are you trying to get scolded again for getting your clothes wet?”
“Ehehe…”
With an embarrassed smile, Antoine grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
Did he get a little stronger already?
Or was it just my imagination?
“Huh…?”
Antoine, who had been running ahead, suddenly stopped and tilted his head.
“Who is that man?”
“That person is definitely…”
Today, there was already a guest at the fountain.
And not just any guest.
A very, very welcome one.
