Though I stretched her neck with an arrogant air, I could feel the cold sweat between the feathers of my wings. I hadnt only decided to keep Haniel in a fit of anger, but since I only had one life remaining I couldnt help but get cold feet about my decision.


    You see, Selene-


    Please dont speak like that, Your Ladyship. Its like youre trying to make me an aplice to something.


    Maybe its a good thing that you got off with just a transformation curse.


    Because if you hadnt, you wouldve gotten your throat slit with thosements of yours.


    I said the bitter words to the ever-sensible and ever-aware Selene. But I couldnt raise a baby swan by myself.


    I was the mother, but she needed a nanny! Duh!


    Ive never seen a princess in a storybook with a nanny.


    A nanny was easy-going but warm-hearted, ready to die for the princess with her own life at a moments notice.


    Your Ladyship, why are you looking at me with that weirdly fond look.


    Selene, Im going to say something now, so try not to be too surprised.


    *Tap Tap.*


    As I saw her already trying to sneak away, I extended my wings wide.


    I was giving her a really nice smile, but we both knew that for a mard duck, running smack into a ck swans wings had a huge risk for injury.


    Wh-what is it, Your Ladyship.


    You probably were wondering about this too. Why our cy has a bearing superior to all the others.


    Though her face said that she wasnt really curious, her instinct for survival was excellent.


    Knowing that if she said no shed get hid by a wing, she cheaply gave in, quickly nodding her head like a robot.


    Y-yes, o-of course. Of course Im curious.


    And you probably wondered why I kept doing everything I could to find her guardian, didnt you?


    And why would I have needed to look for the guardian of such a cute and pretty child!


    I turned the basket so Selene could get a good look at the sleeping Haniel with the ribbon.


    Honestly, I was going to do that until today. After all, when I heard that her brother was here, I even went to the wee party to find him. It wasnt that I didnt want to raise her, but that I didnt even dare to think that I could.


    Wait, Your Ladyship, just wait a second-


    Of course, I never meant to tell you. What good would it be for the child to have rumors flying around about her.


    Th-then itll be good for you to not say it. You know me. Ill probably gossip about it here and there-


    Even though her brothers the emperor?


    Id expected her to be surprised to a certain extent.


    But I didnt expect her to harden like a piece of ice like they do in cartoons.


    Keu-uhhhhhhhhk!


    Selene!


    Just as all the blood seemed to drain from her, Selene made an ugly sound and then started running away.


    Even if the manor was lit on fire, shed be running slower than she was now.


    I watched as she then tripped and fell, rolling down in the mud, until she reached theke and buried her head in the water.


    Selene, what are you doing! Youre not even a pheasant!


    Blurgh! I just want to pretend I didnt hear anything. I heard nothing, alright! Nothing! I would never know such a matter-


    What do you mean? That Haniel is Rohans one and only princess?


    Ku-huk!


    The head that had peeked out went right back into the water.


    I can see your body floating in the water, just where do you think youve sessfully run off to.


    Instead of trying to persuade her, I only kept watch until Selene had to raise her head, water dripping everywhere.


    How is this even possible, Your Ladyship! Theres no way!


    But Selene, didnt you know about this already?


    W-what did I know!


    If you really believed what I was saying was a lie, you wouldnt need to plunge your head into the water like that.


    Yeah, thats right.


    I picked off a leaf stuck on top of Selenes dumbfounded head.


    She was rmed even when the Emperors name was casually brought up, so I understood her shocked reaction to Haniel being the Emperors sister.


    I-I cant do this anymorebut how did Your Ladyship find out about this? Did the childno, the princess, tell you herself?


    No. Shes still a baby. She probably doesnt know anything specific like that.


    I glossed over theplicated details, speaking vaguely. Even if Id half-forced her to trust me, I couldnt tell Selene about the truth of my transmigration.


    Even if she waspelled to believe me, in reality, if Id told her about how Id swapped bodies or read about her in a book, she would have a harder time believing that Haniel was a princess.


    Should I say its just a kind of destiny. The heavens are the ones to decide whos the parents of which children.


    Why is Your Ladyship the Princesss parent? The child has white feathers and Your Ladyships are ck!


    Hmm, Selene. Have you ever heard of the saying that if your eyeballs burst, youll be colorblind?


    Hup.


    I put my beak right up to her eyeball as I spoke, so my words had a pretty big impact.


    The huping Selene tried tough, but she was really shaken up.


    Anyway this must have been how our Haniel felt.


    I have ck feathers, you have white feathers!


    No wonder Haniel looked at me so sadly whenever I treated her coldly. It was enough to make my eyes start to sting.


    Um, Selene. You see, I-


    Your Ladyship, if you cry on top of everything else youve done today, I really wont be able to handle it. Please dont.


    Uh, alright then, back to what we were talking about.


    Hear me out.


    Selene seriously listened to what the situation was roughly like. I skipped the most sensitive parts, like who had cast Haniels curse and what would happen in the future, and tried to rte the story as close to the truth as possible.


    Hooh.


    Though she sighed deeply, the fact that she wasnt screaming her head off like she was at the beginning told me that Selene now understood the severity of the situation.


    To be honest, though Im saying this now so its in hindsight, I always thought she was different from the others.


    Mmhm.


    She even mmed up her previous statements that used to mean something like, the child is a little slow, so they sounded like glorious praises of the princess instead.


    But Selene still seemed at a loss and stuck her beak out as she spoke.


    Even if that was the caseplease return her, alright? You meant to give her back in the beginning! You were so set on that, why are you like this now.


    Well, I met her brother. But


    Nope. He fails as a guardian.


    I shuddered thinking of the Emperors red eyes Id seen just a short while ago.


    Whenever I thought of him, I felt nauseous and as if my stomach dropped. It was like entrusting a baby chick to a lion.


    The only he had inmon with Haniel was in that god-like appearance of their family.


    It was pointless to even try exining what he was like to a person whod never seen his face before.


    Anyways, I cant do it. If she was so happy, why would she have ran away. Youve suffered because of Lania, you should know how hard it is to live under like that.


    Okay, butah, I cant do this, not me.


    After appearing to ponder for a long time, a bewildered Selene finally shook her head hastily.


    Sympathy is sympathy and life is life, and I could see how hard she was trying not to look at Haniel.


    Your Ladyship also knows but I just finished adapting to life in thiske. I have no intention of leaving. And I dont want to be a worm. But out of consideration for your efforts, I wont spread the news. Then, considering the circumstances this time.


    Twenty carps () a month.


    *Halt.*


    The waddling mard ducks shoulders tensed.


    T-twenty carps?


    That and ten more small carps too ().


    My voice was haughty as I tried to grab her attention.


    I had to make it seem like she was getting a good deal in this negotiation, like how the bigpanies do during the annual sry negotiations.


    Fine if you dont want to. If its this kind of a deal, theres a bunch of other people whod take the offerNow, then Im going to go and ask Baroness Hamilton-


    N-no! When did I ever say I wasnt going to do it?


    Well that was fast.


    Selene begin walking quicker as she returned back to me.


    Just looking at her face, both of her cheeks were puffed up as if she was already imagining how many carps she could fit in her mouth.


    Baroness Hamilton is a quail. Our princess will grow quickly, how could she take care of the princess with the small body of a quail? No way. You must think of the princesss future, Your Ladyship.


    Alright?


    I will now go look for a suitable nket for the princess.


    Do as you wish.


    Though I had been thinking of offering as much as fifty carps, well.


    I giggled as I watched Selene hurriedly waddling along.


    But she probably epted my request not only because she was enamored by the promise of food.


    In truth, there was no other person in theke who knew about bullying incidents and other hardships better than Selene.


    You made a good decision.


    I patted Selenes back as she stalked back with a pale expression that showed she already regretted agreeing to this.


    This incident is a secret going forward as well. Theke inhabitants will probably think I took her in, but her identity should never be discovered. Though the chances are slim that this will happen, but if this news reaches Lanias ears were all finished. Got it?


    I already feel like Im doomed


    Oh dear, Selene.


    What kind of irresponsible talk is that.


    Well, there was no better cure for such fears than seeing a childs recently awoken face.


    And just then, the child woke up.


    Before Selene could go back on her word, I grabbed her neck and pushed her in front of Haniels bright eyes.


    Child, Ive caught a nanny for you~


    Looking down at the Winter Lake from the window, the expression in Rashids eyes was as dark as the winter season. He looked down, as still as a frozen statue, with his hands sped behind his back.


    That statue then turned around and red at the kneeling viscount trembling before him.


    Your Majesty.


    How long has it been since the Dion family was manager of this ce?


    Our household was given the task of taking care of the Winter Pce since it was built, so it must be since over 200 years ago at the very least, Your Excellency.


    If thats the case, that was enough time for you to at least figure out who your master is, isnt it.


    At Rashids meaningfulughter, caretaker Viscount Dion lowered his head.