《I Will Take Responsibility for the Welfare of the Male Lead》


 Chapter 1

    I Will Take Responsibility for the Welfare of the Male Lead


    Lee Jiha


    Chapter 1


    ¡°You idiot! What are you doing?¡±


    It was about time for breakfast, so I prepared myself and went down to the dining room on the first floor.


    Despite having the dynamics of soybean flour[1], this family emphasized the importance of eating breakfast and dinner together as a family, so those meals must not be missed even for a single day.


    It was the rule of the house to attend unless someone was seriously ill or absent.


    Currently, the voice of a boy that I was getting used to hearing rang out. I sighed when I heard it.


    ¡°Not an idiot but your elder sister, Adolf.¡±


    But Adolf didn¡¯t seem at all convinced by what I said.


    Far from that, he was smiling and snorting even more triumphantly.


    ¡°Huh! Like you¡¯re my sister.¡±


    After saying so, Adolf tackled me.


    However, I wasn¡¯t one to fall for that.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    I counted to three inside and patiently sidestepped his tackle.


    ¡°Ackk!¡±


    As a result, Adolf lost his balance and fell face-first on the floor. His pristine shirt and dainty cravat crumpled up badly.


    It had been a week since Adolf¡¯s challenge began. What I realized in the meantime was that Adolf¡¯s tackle had certain rules.


    So one day I would walk to the left, the next day I would walk to the right, the next to the left, and so on.


    Even the timing was always the same. There was never an exception to this rule.


    (e/n: Ahaha what an adorably stupid kid! <3)


    (read only on www blackcattranslation.wordpress.com)


    ¡®This future swordsman is so simple.¡¯


    Although he was so simple and ignorant, Adolf was surprisingly talented in swordsmanship to the point of winning prizes in all kinds of competitions. Perhaps the competition opponents he had met so far had not yet identified this regularity.


    I didn¡¯t want to create any more unnecessary disputes, so I swallowed that thought and walked toward the dining room as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Hey, stop there!¡±


    However, the incarnation of simple ignorance quickly followed me. I could see blood flowing from one of his nostrils.


    (e/n: love this mc already ^u^)


    ¡°Laria¡­ Laria, how¡¯d you avoid it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t call your sister by her first name, Adolf.¡±


    ¡°Noisy!¡±


    Adolf shouted a constellation of curses bitterly.


    Oh, my ears ached.


    ¡°Tell me! What happened?¡±


    ¡°¡­When you play rock, paper, scissors, you always use the same type first, right?¡±


    ¡°What? What are you saying!¡±


    You kept asking how I avoided you, but you got upset when I gave you hints.


    I was too lazy to deal with him, so I ignored him and made my steps faster.


    When I finally reached my destination, I saw a large, hall-like dining room with a very long table.


    The seat of the Earl of Sherwood at the head of the table, the seat of my father, was empty, and on either side of it sat a woman in her mid-30s and a man in his mid-20s facing each other.


    They were my stepmother and brother Norman.


    My stepmother, who seemed to be having a conversation with Norman, looked at me and made a bitter face.


    When I first saw it, I was a little scared. I wondered how a person¡¯s expression could change so rapidly, but I got used to it after seeing it for a week.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming because you were late again. Do you have an arse for feet?¡±


    My stepmother twisted her soft red lips up.


    ¡°Goodness, what kind of house would even take such a lazy and useless thing?¡±


    It was ridiculous.


    I definitely arrived 5 minutes before the scheduled time, even if Adolf interfered so annoyingly.


    If it were the ¡®real Laria¡¯ hearing her words, she would have been crushed. She would freeze up speechlessly, eventually apologize to her stepmother with a sad face, then sit in her chair.


    But I didn¡¯t really intend to. I wasn¡¯t even Laria in the first place.


    ¡°Yes. I am lazy and useless, so I can¡¯t get married and be sent away. It¡¯s all because I inherited the blood of my lowly mother. Everything Stepmother said is correct.¡±


    I¡¯d already memorized her repertoire, which I think I¡¯d heard about 70 times in the past week.


    Saying it the 71st time would be tiresome and would hurt her mouth, so I relieved her of all the trouble. Where else would they find this kind of filial piety?


    (e/n; God, she¡¯s such a riot lol i love her personality)


    However, the atmosphere in the dining room had completely frozen due to my filial behavior.


    ¡°¡­Lowly blood? Did you call Laria lowly because of our mother?¡±


    My brother Norman asked with a stiff face.


    He usually remained on the sidelines, simply watching whenever Stepmother or Adolf bothered me, to the extent that I could never say he was on my side. But now, our mother was mentioned.


    In other words, the insult our stepmother had directed at me, which mentioned our biological mother, was an insult to him, too.


    And while our stepmother was not afraid of me, she was scared of Norman. Stepmother¡¯s face turned paler than paper.


    ¡°Oh, no, Norman! I mean¡­ No, I did not.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Laria. Did Stepmother usually talk to you about our mother?¡±


    Norman asked me, turning away from our stepmother. I¡¯d never seen him pay this much attention to me in the past week.


    I glanced at our stepmother, wondering what was going on.


    She waved her hands with a very pale face behind Norman, pretending to cut her neck with her hand.


    ¡®Is that a threat?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell if that meant ¡°Be honest, and you¡¯re dead to me¡± or ¡°Be honest, and I¡¯m dead to Norman.¡±


    If it was the former, I would have accused Stepmother of being guilty and told Norman all the insults I¡¯d heard so far, but it wasn¡¯t easy to do so now.


    Because today was the day my week¡¯s plan came to fruition.


    I didn¡¯t want to disrupt my plans for the past week by raising the issue for nothing.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Should I tell him or not? It was when I was deliberating.


    Bang! The door of the dining room opened with a loud noise. Adolf appeared behind the door.


    He was probably late because he had to clean up his nose after the nosebleed.


    The commotion seemed to sound like an angel¡¯s trumpet to his mother.


    ¡°Goodness, Adolf! Aren¡¯t you late!¡±


    Stepmother welcomed Adolf with an exaggerated  response.


    ¡°What, what¡¯s all this fuss about? You¡¯re embarrassing. Go away.¡±


    Adolph, who was an adolescent, pushed her away as if his mother¡¯s overwhelming behavior was embarrassing..


    Norman glanced at our stepmother with suspicious eyes, but he seemed to have decided to postpone the topic for later.


    Adolf sat next to Stepmother, and I sat next to Norman. Earl Sherwood was away on a business trip, so the four of us started our breakfast.


    After breakfast in the awkward atmosphere, I went back to my room.


    Then I lifted the carpet and removed one of the marble tiles covering the floor.


    Then, the luggage I had hidden under it appeared.


    ¡®I need to get out of this soybean flour of a family.¡¯


    I put on an outdoor coat after picking up my bag.


    ¡®This is my chance now that the Earl isn¡¯t here.¡¯


    I set the floor back and sneaked out with my bag hidden under my coat.


    Of course, the Earl of Sherwood had a private carriage, but it could not be taken because it would leave traces.


    I walked all the way to the city and rode a hired carriage.


    ¡°Go to the Grand Duchy of Blackwell, please.¡±


    The restraint of ordinary aristocrats was that they did not receive pocket money. This was because if they had something to buy, they had to charge their family for the expenses.


    But I couldn¡¯t hire a carriage and charge it to House Sherwood without leaving a trace.


    So instead, I took one of the rings off my fingers and gave it to the coachman.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need change.¡±


    The carriage set off toward Blackwell Grand Duchy.


    I settled inside the uncomfortable hired carriage and looked out the window, enduring the pain in my hips.


    Large plazas, shopping streets, stalls, farmers who came out to sell agricultural products, and women who came to shop in the market. Ladies in gorgeous dresses¡­


    Scenery that I just couldn¡¯t get used to.


    The view of the city outside the window was reminiscent of Europe from the 17th to 18th centuries.


    Yeah, I¡¯m saying this because of course I¡¯m not a part of the world.


    It had only been a week since I became a person ¡®here¡¯.


    My original name, before I was called Laria Sherwood, was Nam Joo-hyun, an ordinary office worker in Korea.


    What was unique about me was that I loved romance fantasy novels.


    When I opened my eyes as usual, it was shocking and frightening to realize that I became Laria Sherwood, the villainous daughter of Earl Sherwood.


    I actually experienced the ridiculously unscientific and unrealistic situation that I¡¯d only ever heard of, which was ¡®transmigration¡¯, but¡­


    ¡®Why did I have to be a wicked woman who¡¯ll be killed in two years?!¡¯


    That¡¯s right.


    ¡®If I was going to possess someone, a female protagonist would¡¯ve been better!¡¯


    I had a two-year time limit.


    The moment I first heard the name Laria Sherwood, I realized where I was.


    I couldn¡¯t help but know.


    Laria Sherwood was my own name. A name chosen after scouring the name dictionary!


    Having read only romance fantasy novels for eight years, I was tempted to have my own work.


    So I wrote a romance fantasy novel. It was self-indulgent trash.


    It¡¯s hard to say it myself, but its popularity on the serial site was pretty good.


    However, my passion quickly ran out, probably because I had no prior experience writing novels or anything.


    I realized that my talent was in reading rather than writing.


    So I threw away my old novel and left it unattended for about half a year. The last time I logged onto the website, the comments section were filled with the cries of the readers who were looking for me¡­


    What could I do if I couldn¡¯t think of anything more for it?


    In that situation, I transmigrated into my old novel. And the supporting villain at that!


    ¡®Is this divine punishment given to the sinful writer who wrote that old novel?¡¯


    I had no choice but to worry about it.


    ¡®Did the readers¡¯ grudges become a curse and return to me like a boomerang?¡¯


    I shouldn¡¯t have done it all year, but I didn¡¯t know it.


    So the price for the crime of causing so many people to agonize and suffer was this!


    Notes:


    [1] ¡°Soybean flour¡± (???) is a slang meaning ¡°discord or disharmony among family members¡±. It apparently stems from the way soybeans don¡¯t clump together.


    Special thanks to Aii and Dusk for helping me out!

 Chapter 2

    Some changes brought from this chapter on:


    The ml holds the title of an ¡®Archduke¡¯ not ¡®Grand Duke¡¯.


    The ml¡¯s name will be Nocton Blackwell.


    Chapter 2


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t have died like this.


    In addition, there was one more problem besides my scheduled death two years later.


    Laria Sherwood is despised in her home. Her father, stepmother, older brother, and younger brother were all itching to eat her alive


    I didn¡¯t want to stay in such a family for another day.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s escape from this soybean flour[1] of a family and avoid death in two years.¡¯


    It was natural that I had this goal.


    Fortunately, I was the original author of the novel. So that means I¡¯m the one who knows this world the best.


    Therefore, I made a plan for the past week using my knowledge of this world.


    To have a successful escape from the Sherwood Earldom and a plan to save my life. And the main factor of the plan was right here.


    Archduke Blackwell.


    ¡°Archduke Nocton Blackwell.¡±


    I quietly spoke his name. It was a more familiar echo than Laria Sherwood, which has been my name for the past week.


    It was understandable. Because he was the main character in my novel.


    The carriage stopped in front of the main gates of the Blackwell Archduchy.


    ¡°Please show me your identification card. Did you make an arrangement for your meeting with the Archduke beforehand?¡±


    At the words of the gatekeeper, I showed the prepared identification plate and the letter of the Archduke.


    ¡°You are Young Lady Sherwood, who was scheduled for 10 o¡¯clock today. Come on in.¡±


    The gatekeeper opened the gate wide. The carriage glided into the great streets without any stop.


    ¡®The mansion is huge.¡¯


    I stuck my tongue out at the scenery seen out of the window.


    Although Earl Sherwood was also a member of the capital, Archduke Blackwell¡¯s mansion was massive. The size of the mansion was eight times the size of Sherwood¡¯s mansion.


    The entrance to the mansion was seen only after a long journey through the colorful garden by the carriage.


    After getting off the porch with the help of the coachman, the top of the mansion couldn¡¯t be seen even if I bent till my back hurt.


    The murals that could be seen were painted with delicate strokes on the pillars, door frames, and even the door handles on the ceiling.


    In addition, the place where the mansion is located at, is also the best place in the capital. Isn¡¯t it similar to a building in the middle of the thousand-pyeong[2] golden land of Seoul, Gangnam?


    It was enough to just look at the luxury and power of Archduke Blackwell.


    Of course I did set it up like that, but¡­it seemed far beyond my imagination anyway.


    An old man, who seemed to be a butler of the Archduke, greeted me at the front door.


    ¡°Welcome to Blackwell, Miss Sherwood. His Grace is waiting for you. Come with me.¡±


    Deureureu-. The marble entrance gate opened, and the butler led me to a room.


    ¡°His Grace is here.¡±


    The butler said in front of the drawing room door.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Have a great time.¡±


    The butler opened the drawing room and I entered the room.


    The plan was thoroughly planned, but I couldn¡¯t help being nervous.


    I saw a man waiting for me in the room.


    ¡°Young Lady Sherwood.¡±


    Seeing him in person, I thought my heart was about to pop out of my mouth for a moment.


    He was a very handsome man.


    Hair darker than anyone else¡¯s and purple eyes with a mysterious and fascinating light. A sharp nose, perfect jawline, broad shoulders that couldn¡¯t be covered by his robes, and a firm body.


    The original work that I possessed was full of misery, cruelty, and was a waste altogether.


    To summarize the contents of my series, this is what happened:


    ¡¸The heroine and Nocton meet for the first time at the Leonhardt Memorial, the biggest festival in the Empire. The two fall in love at first sight, but they struggle because of their statuses, Blackwell¡¯s notoriety, and those who envy their relationship.


    As the plot and conflicts intensify, Nocton develops a pathological obsession with the heroine. He soon brutally kills all the characters who lose their reason and try to disrupt their relationship. In the end, he kidnaps the heroine.¡¹


    Do you understand now? The man in front of me now is a scary man who will do such a tremendous and terrifying thing to the heroine in the future.


    But the moment I faced him, I couldn¡¯t believe he was the kidnapper or such a brutal killer, even though I was the original author of the novel.


    He was that beautiful.


    On the other hand, however, the decadent charm of his eyes made me guess that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.


    The perfect, flawless idea of beauty itself.


    He even went so far as to be my cup of tea[3].


    ¡®Of course! I was so envious of the heroine that I could cry because I set him to my taste, but after the middle part, I remembered what this man did to the heroine, and surprisingly, my heart became calm.¡¯


    Thanks to this, I regained my reason and smiled calmly.


    ¡°Your Grace, the Archduke of Blackwell.¡±


    I raised my skirt and greeted the aristocrat according to the etiquette. He, who was much higher in rank than me, just sat leisurely and nodded.


    In contrast to my energetic and happy countenance, his face was extremely dry and numb.


    A business-like face, as if he were doing what he had to do.


    ¡°Please have a seat.¡±


    He offered me a seat with a face without any emotion.


    I sat across from him and thought.


    ¡®Yes, you were like that. You¡¯re struggling these days, and you don¡¯t have your heroine yet. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to laugh in that kind of situation.¡¯


    Thinking about it, I didn¡¯t seem angry or hateful at his arrogant attitude.


    Soon, the maids served simple tea and refreshments. I took a sip of black tea and looked at Archduke Blackwell¡¯s eyes.


    When I thought about whether I should bring up the story first, he opened his mouth first.


    ¡°I heard that you applied as a lady-in-waiting for the children.¡±


    Yes, I thought of this plan after I saw the advertisement in the newspaper for the Blackwell Archduchy.


    Archduke Blackwell had children. Two of them. Fraternal twins.


    I mean, you¡¯re a male lead in a romance fantasy novel. What do you mean by illegitimate children?


    You may be surprised, but in fact, the children are not his own children. Both of them, that is.


    There was a situation in which two adopted children were born to the Archduke, who was young and had never had a lover.


    Well, I¡¯ll explain the cumbersome situation later. Anyways, the nanny of the children, who are 5 years old at this time, suddenly retired and returned to her hometown. Therefore, she was looking for someone who could take her place and care for the children.


    After seeing the advertisement, I applied to be a nanny.


    It refers to a lady-in-waiting¡ª a lower-ranking aristocrat who stands next to the royal family and the high-ranking aristocrats.


    ¡°Ye-yes, I did.¡±


    At my answer, the archduke crossed his legs and took a sip of tea. He continued on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, but there are a lot of applicants. Regardless of status, educational background, or field.¡±


    It was understandable. I would have been more surprised if I didn¡¯t.


    ¡®He¡¯ was the Archduke of Blackwell, and ¡®he¡¯ was Nocton Blackwell.


    Even if his children were illegitimate and didn¡¯t have the authority to succeed in the Archduchy, if they were connected, they would naturally be intertwined with him, which would somehow be a connection with the Archduchy.


    Even a young woman might somehow catch his eye and become the archduchess.


    His purple eyes, which were looking down, now were directed at me. He asked.


    ¡°In this situation, is there any difference between Young Lady Sherwood and the other applicants? Whom must I choose?¡±


    This is a question I expected enough. I took a breath and opened my mouth to a size that would be inaudible to the other person.


    ¡°Of course. If it weren¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    As I said that, I revealed the tremendous amount of confidence I had!


    At that moment, I could see that the eyebrows of the Archduke were slightly narrowed. It was understandable, since there would have been a few applicants who showed such confidence in front of him.


    This wasn¡¯t just anyone, this was Nocton Blackwell.


    He was nicknamed a cold tyrant, a blade of iron blood, and a mad demon.


    You say it¡¯s a sloppy setup? Be patient. It¡¯s because it was a shortcut that I thought with my mind at dawn!


    In any case, only a few people will be swollen enough to reveal their confidence in the presence of the heartless tyrant, a monster who longs for blood.


    Even though I knew all of those facts, there were two reasons I could stretch out like this.


    First of all, I was the original author and he was my creation, so I didn¡¯t feel so scared.


    Fear originates from ignorance.


    As for me, someone who knows what kind of past he has, the madness for his hunger of blood, and what kind of person he truly was¡ª he was more pitiful than scary.


    And secondly¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Show me, Young Lady Sherwood.¡±


    Archduke Blackwell said with a smile on his face. The atmosphere was frozen to the point where I got goosebumps on my arm because of the coldness.


    ¡®Alright, life is one shot!¡¯


    I have faith in you.


    ¡°Prince Mikhail Blackwell. Your Highness¡¯ son¡­I mean.¡±


    I opened my mouth, trying to hide the trembling.


    ¡°By any chance, does he not sleep well and cries every night? Even if he can barely fall asleep, he still has nightmares.¡±


    I took a little breath.


    ¡°¡­looking for Mother.¡±


    It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t nervous, but nevertheless, my voice was as clear as a well-forged blade.


    ¡°And yet, when Your Grace approaches to appease him, he cries even more loudly.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that long, but the change it brought was obvious.


    I saw the face of Archduke Blackwell, whose expression had barely changed since I entered the drawing room. His purple eyes were wide and his handsome mouth was stiff and rigid.


    It seems like I really did hit the nail on his head.


    ¡°How did you know that? It would be impossible for the Earl of Sherwood to spy on the Archduchy. No, did you buy the maid?¡±


    His growling voice was full of alertness.


    I put a small smile around my mouth. It looked friendly but it wasn¡¯t too bright. It was as if I truly understood and sympathized with his situation.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®spying¡¯? No way. Excuse me, but on my way in, I saw a painting of Prince Mikhail and Princess Janette. The two paintings hanging from the frame in the left corner of the hall are those of the Prince and Princess, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I think that the painting with a knight on horseback belongs to Prince Mikhail.¡±


    On the way in, two pictures of a child were framed in the left corner of the main hall.


    Notes:


    [1]t/n: ¡°Soybean flour¡± (???) is a slang meaning ¡°discord or disharmony among family members¡±. It apparently stems from the way soybean flour doesn¡¯t clump together.


    [2] tl/n: Pyeong was an old measure of land area.


    [3]e/d: my cup of tea = my type


    Special thanks to Iceprince, DianaSilva, enoughisenough, AnonAnemone, cc, wuttisyun and Skye for helping me out in this chapter.

 Chapter 3

    It was hard to recognize what he drew because it was made with a five-year-old child¡¯s ability, but looking closely, one could see it was a picture of a knight riding a horse and another of a princess wearing a dress.


    Although prejudiced, I¡¯ve taken an assumption that has great potential.


    Fortunately, however, my assumption was correct. Archduke Blackwell nodded while frowning.


    I smiled a little more warmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m self-taught in early childhood education, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Early childhood education? Is there such a discipline?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s literally the study of how to understand infant psychology and teach them.¡±


    Early childhood education was a fairly unknown discipline in this era.


    It was a time when we didn¡¯t understand the psychology of infants and children and thought that children were just ¡®small adults.¡¯


    Even when teaching children, they teach them like adults without actually understanding the intellectual level or psychology of the child to reduce wasting time.


    Self-study is a lie. In fact, before I possessed this body my former job was of a kindergarten teacher.


    It has been more than four years since I majored in early childhood education and passed the employment examination and became a kindergarten teacher.


    In my mind and body, early childhood pedagogy, which I have learned and mastered in practice, is vividly alive and breathing to pass the appointment.


    However, I could not say that I learned it at a university or any educational institution here.


    With Blackwell¡¯s intelligence, the fact that Laria has no experience of studying in college will be easily discovered


    So, I was going to claim that I studied alone in the library.


    ¡°Please continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I looked carefully at the painting of Prince Mikhail and found his psychological anxiety and fear in it. Children¡¯s paintings are like windows of the mind. Infants often express things in their creations that they can¡¯t express in words.¡±


    Of course, this answer was a hypothesis.


    I know Mikhail¡¯s psychological problems, entirely because I was the original author.


    Diagnosing infants¡¯ psychology through pictures, if I could do that, my job would have been as an infant psychologist or pediatric psychiatrist, not a kindergarten teacher.


    The reference of the idea of using Mikhail¡¯s paintings as an excuse, came from the movies that I enjoyed watching¡­


    No, that¡¯s fine.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Anyway, all I had to do is sound plausible to anyone who¡¯s never heard of early childhood education.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of an infant¡¯s picture showing a child¡¯s behavior at night¡­ well, let¡¯s put it that way for now.¡±


    The Archduke gave me a suspicious look, but fortunately, I was able to get away with it.


    Phew! Nam Joohyun¡¯s words, you¡¯re not dead yet!


    (t/n: Nam Joohyun is a real person btw. https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/reporterPage.do?reporterId=burnett&selectType=ALL)


    ¡°Everything the Young Lady says is true. Mikhail doesn¡¯t sleep well every night, cries in nightmares, and is even more afraid when I try to soothe him.¡±


    There was a worrying light in the eyes of the Archduke, who had little change. I was a little heartbroken.


    The cruel, heartless monster, the Archduke of Blackwell, must be weak for a five-year-old. Of course, not his own biological child.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying Young Lady has a solution?¡±


    The Archduke¡¯s bright purple eyes turned to me.


    Here it is! If I don¡¯t grab this chance. I won¡¯t get another one!  I nodded my head!


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    I¡¯m the original author!


    Subsequent progress was made in a flash.


    ¡°Young Lady Sherwood can use this room.¡±


    Simon, the Archduke of Blackwell¡¯s butler, showed me a room to stay while I was here.


    I was just an employee of this house, but I received a huge and wonderful room.


    It seemed three times as big as the room I used in Sherwood Earldom.


    ¡°And this is Mary, the maid who will serve Young Lady Sherwood. She will be in charge of the Young Lady¡¯s comfort during your stay here. If you need anything, please tell Mary what you need.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon, Miss. I¡¯ll do my best to serve you.¡±


    Furthermore, only a few guests had the luxury of having a maid, especially an exclusive maid.


    As expected, the male lead is different!


    I was thrilled. Yeah, well, I didn¡¯t want the male lead to be stingy, so I remember setting him up as someone who would spend a lot on others.


    But it¡¯s a different feeling when you¡¯re the one being treated.


    ¡®Good job, me in the past!¡¯


    I threw myself into a fluffy bed, shouting a silent cheer inside.


    The bed was likely to exceed the double size, and there were high-quality blankets and pillows full of soft goose fur.


    Simon showed me the room and went back, and Mary was the only one left watching me. Mary, who was dithering for a while, talked to me.


    ¡°Well, miss. If you don¡¯t mind¡­Can I ask you a question?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I lifted myself and looked at her. Mary hesitated and asked me.


    ¡°Why did you decide to stay at the Archduchy? Isn¡¯t it more convenient for you to commute? I¡¯m sure the Archduke would have understood¡­. .¡±


    I understood what she was curious about.


    In this world, commoners generally reside at the workplace, and aristocrats commute.


    And of course, rather than staying at the workplace 24 hours a day without leaving, it is helpful to improve the quality of life by leaving and securing your own time.


    Even where I originally lived, companies with good nightlife facilities were considered the top places to avoid when getting a job.


    Of course, if the place of work and residence is far, even the nobles choose to reside, but the Archduke¡¯s Mansion and  Sherwood Earldom were both in the capital, so it is not that far by carriage.


    So, it was surprising that I chose to reside despite being an aristocrat.


    Maybe there¡¯s already a rumor going around about me among other employees.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    I thought about it for a while, but I thought it would be a little weird to say to Mary, the maid I met for the first time today, that the family I lived with was so doglike that I had to escape.


    So I hid my heart and smiled warmly at Mary.


    ¡°Well, kids are the ones who have trouble all day and night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? That is true.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it impossible to predict in advance when the Prince or Princess might need me any time of the day? I want to help them by staying by their side at any time. Even if it¡¯s night or dawn.¡±


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    In fact, I wasn¡¯t lying at all.


    The first reason I chose to reside here was to escape Earl Sherwood, but the second reason was that, I thought I would be able to accurately understand the conditions of Mikhail, Janet, and the Archduke and help them.


    ¡®Especially to solve the problems the Archduke has¡­ because the night is the best time.¡¯


    Thinking so, I nodded and convinced myself.


    However, Mary seemed shocked and moved by this remark. Her brown eyes turned bright, and her cheeks blushed.


    Mary lowered her head, lifting the hem of her skirt.


    ¡°It is my pleasure to serve such a lady who truly cares about Prince and Princess. I will also help you whenever you need me.¡±


    I was very embarrassed by the heartfelt response.


    I didn¡¯t come here just for altruistic reasons she thought.


    The biggest reason I¡¯m here is to survive.


    I got out of bed and held out my hand. Mary seemed surprised to see it.


    Oh, don¡¯t women shake hands here?


    But what would it be like? I smiled at her with my hands out, because I thought it wouldn¡¯t be so bad.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel too pressured for me. Anyway, take care of me, Mary.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a burden at all. Please, I look forward to your kind cooperation, Lady.¡±


    A little hesitant, Mary eventually held my hand. The warm body temperature felt pretty good. Do you think we¡¯ve gotten closer?


    It was a good start. And a good start is already half done. I spoke to Mary.


    ¡°Okay, so will you take me to Prince and the Princess now, because I think I should start my work.¡±


    Janette and Mikhail were really cute kids.


    Well, it may be natural that the great-looking Archduke and blood are connected to some extent.


    But even considering that, Janette and Mikhail sparkled with loveliness.


    The two are twins, but they don¡¯t look much like each other.


    Mikhail had black, straight hair that resembled the Archduke, but he had green eyes, and his bursting cheeks like that of a 5-year-old, were so cute that she wanted to chew them off.


    Janette, on the other hand, had silver hair that came down to her shoulders and purple eyes, making her look like a little fairy or an angel.


    As you can tell from my job, I really, really like children. I couldn¡¯t believe they were so pretty and cute.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m taking care of such beautiful children! Isn¡¯t this heaven? Oh, it¡¯s good to be possessed!¡¯


    Janette stood straight and looked up at me while I was silent.


    And Mikhail was hiding behind the maid¡¯s legs and being shy.


    I bent down to meet the children¡¯s eye level. And said hello with a smile as friendly as possible.


    ¡°Hello, Princess, Prince? My name is Laria. From now on, I will serve you and Prince.¡±


    Janette, who had been silent until then, said.


    ¡°Are you our chambermaid?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡­ Are you a chambermaid?¡±


    I almost laughed at it, but I put up with it with professionalism.


    ¡®You can¡¯t pronounce ¡®R¡¯[1] well because your tongue is short.¡¯


    It¡¯s so cute that it¡¯s hard to bear but¡­ Young children, like a ghost, recognize that adults belittle or see themselves as inexperienced.


    And close your mind easily to such an adult.


    So instead of laughing at Janette¡¯s pronunciation, I spoke in a plain tone.


    ¡°Yes, I am the Princess¡¯ and Prince¡¯s new chambermaid.¡±


    But in Janette¡¯s eyes, a suspicious glance still remained.


    Janette looked back at the maid standing behind her back and asked.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Molly?¡±


    ¡°Molly got hurt and went back to her hometown, Miss.¡±


    I raised my ears. It¡¯s probably Mikhail and Janet¡¯s nanny,  Molly, who returned to her hometown.


    I¡¯m the author, but that doesn¡¯t mean I know everything here.


    I did not even set up a nanny who retired a year before the beginning of the work.


    So I needed to open my eyes and ears wide open to the facts I didn¡¯t know.


    The maid continued to explain to Janet.


    ¡°From now on, Lady Laria will take care of you and young master with the same tenderness as Molly.¡±


    But Janette still didn¡¯t seem convinced. Janette¡¯s mouth was sticking out.


    Janette, staring up at me, shouted, pointing her finger at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this!¡±


    Note:


    [1] The actual was the letter ¡®S¡¯ cause Janette says ???(hinyeo) instead of ???(sinyeo).

 Chapter 4

    The maid was extremely embarrassed.


    ¡°Oh my God, what¡¯s wrong with the lady, princess? Princess, look at the lady. She¡¯s so sweet and kind. Just like Molly.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, go away! I don¡¯t like it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my princess. What¡¯s wrong with you today? I¡¯m sorry, Miss. The princess is not always like this¡­ .¡±


    The maid tried to placate Janette.


    I tried to soothe her by bringing her toys and candy that Janette liked, but Janette didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Bring Molly back! Molly!¡±


    Are you trying to make a living by lying down on a marble floor and throwing a tantrum?


    The maid was embarrassed by Janette and thought that I would be angry that she couldn¡¯t appease Janette.


    But I didn¡¯t mean to blame the innocent maid.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s only natural since the children are still unfamiliar with me.¡±


    I smiled at the maid.


    ¡°Now you can go and rest, and I will serve the prince and the princess from now on.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, really, miss?¡±


    ¡°Well, I should get along on my own.¡±


    The maid was flustered but I wasn¡¯t afraid at all, even though I had a hard time taking care of children as a kindergarten teacher.


    ¡®There were 18 people in my class, but  two of them should be a piece of cake¡­ ¡®


    I almost pushed the maid out of the room. Except for Mary in the corner, Janette, Mikhail, and I are the only ones left in the room.


    Janette was still lying on the marble, swarming, and Mikhail was far away and dithering with a frightened face.


    But it was fully understandable. Children at this age are shy of strangers. And more than anything else¡­ .


    ¡®If you¡¯re close to a former caregiver, you¡¯re more hostile to the new caregiver.¡¯


    Like a child showing hostility to his stepmother.


    Given what Janette said, Janette and Mikhail must have been very close to Molly, who was their nanny.


    I could fully predict that the children missed Molly, who suddenly left them, and that¡¯s why they found it harder to accept me.


    I slumped down on the floor.


    It was unbecoming of a ¡®noble lady¡¯ but it didn¡¯t matter to me.


    I sat and smiled tenderly, eye-to-eye with the kids.


    ¡°The Prince and Princess seem to miss Molly a lot.¡±


    ¡°¡­ssiik, ssiik!¡±


    I heard Janette¡¯s temper tantrums. Mikhail lowered his head as he sucked his thumb.


    ¡°Molly must have been a very good person. Seeing that Princess and Prince want to see her so much.¡±


    ¡°Molly bad!¡±


    Suddenly Janet jumped to her feet.


    ¡°Molly left me and Mikhail! She¡¯s gone home!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    I spoke with a serious face.


    ¡°Molly is so hurt, that¡¯s why she can¡¯t take care of the prince and princess. I¡¯m sure Molly misses both of you a lot, too.¡±


    I mean, Janette was quiet, even though her face was still full of heartache. I grinned and alternated between her and Mikhail.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to meet you and the prince. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along very well. Plus, maybe I can write to her later, or I can go and see her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, Princess, Prince.¡±


    I reached out to the children.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get along well from now on. Would you like to be friends with me?


    ¡°Friends¡­¡±


    I heard Mikhail murmur. Mikhail, who was staring at me blankly from afar, crept up a few steps.


    ¡®Done!¡¯


    However, it seems that Mikhail was the only one who eased the alertness. Janette shook her head with an angry face and jerked back away.


    And when Janette did, Mikhail looked at Janette and eventually gave up coming closer to me and sat down.


    ¡®Janette¡¯s vigilance is high. I need to find out why.¡¯


    Watching the figure, I thought.


    Although I couldn¡¯t get close to the kids right away, I didn¡¯t really expect much.


    How can you be full with your first drink?* On the contrary, it was a huge harvest that Mikhail quickly eased his guard.


    (t/n: This sentence is a korean proverb (org sent: ?? ??? ??????.) which is used to remind someone that some things take time, and that one should not rush to judgement nor give up too easily. TMI: It¡¯s english equivalent would be Rome was not built in a day. if u want to read more: Proverb)


    And I realized something from the conversation I had with the children.


    ¡®To get close to the kids, you need to know more about Molly.¡¯


    Thinking so, I took Mary and the children around the mansion.


    Not just to look around the house, but to ask other employees about Molly.


    ¡°Molly? You mean the Prince and Princess¡¯ Nanny? She was warm and nice. She used to carry Prince, who hated walking.¡±


    ¡°She was a very good person! She was like my paternal grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Molly would be tired, but she would tell Prince and Princess stories every night and watch them sleep before she left work.¡±


    ¡°She was a good person, but she got a leg injury from the gardener¡¯s ladder¡­and I¡¯m so sorry for her. Of course, the Archduke has paid her medical bills and severance pay to make ends meet. I heard she lives with her children in her hometown now.¡±


    Judging from the good evaluation, she seemed to have gotten along well with not only the children but also other employees.


    Anyway, after I asked all of the hundreds of people in the mansion, I was able to achieve the purpose.


    It was hard but I got a lot of useful information.


    ¡°Hhng, Mary, give me a hug¡­¡±


    Mikhail grumbled and stretched out his arms. Mary said, holding Mikhail lightly.


    ¡°What are you going to do now? Miss?¡±


    ¡°Now that we have all the information, we¡¯re going to use it. I¡¯m going to use Molly¡¯s parenting to allay the children¡¯s vigilance.¡±


    ¡°Molly¡¯s parenting¡­ use it?¡±


    Mary tilted her head. I gave her a smile.


    ¡°Watch.¡±


    My idea was simple.


    Just as every singer has their own singing method, and every painter has his own drawing style, every caregiver has his own parenting method.


    Molly would also have her own parenting. I decided to copy it for the time being.


    To give familiar comfort to children who miss their caregivers, and to ease their vigilance.


    ¡°Come on, Prince, Princess. It¡¯s bath time.¡±


    The current time is 7 p.m., and it¡¯s time for the kids to wash up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a fun bubble bath. I¡¯ll give you duck toys and sailboat toys.¡±


    I approached the children with a big smile. But Mikhail and Janette¡¯s reaction was not good.


    ¡°Hate¡­¡±


    Mikhail flicked his head with a glum face, and Janette was playing with the doll, pretending not to hear it at all.


    Well, that was understandable. Not many children like bathing in general.


    But I had a weapon of conversion.


    ¡°Prince, Princess, do you want vanilla cookies?¡±


    ¡°Kkuki?¡±


    I could feel two pairs of eyes belonging to two children on me at once.


    Yes, Mikhail and Janette are very fond of snacks.


    However, Molly used to give them snacks very limitedly to prevent tooth decay.


    Like right before taking a bath.


    I lifted my tiptoe and pulled out a cookie jar that was in the closet. I opened the lid of the cookie jar.


    ¡°Who wants vanilla cookies~?¡±


    ¡°Me!¡±


    ¡°M¡­Me too¡­¡±


    Janette was the first to throw away the doll, and Mikhail dilly-dallied and chased after Janette.


    I took out the vanilla cookies with a smug look on my face. It was Mikhail and Janette¡¯s favorite snack.


    Sure enough, the eyes of the children who saw the cookies in my hand began to dim and glow with gluttony and greed. The spirit of the children was already completely preoccupied with cookies. I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a cookie, so eat this cookie and take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    That¡¯s right, our Princess and Prince listen well.


    I handed out cookies one by one to two people with joy.


    After enjoying the cookies, I took them to the bathroom, took them out, bathed them, and brushed them until their teeth sparkled.


    After taking a bath, it was time for the good children to go to bed.


    The children were still young, so they shared a big room together.


    I thought my bed was very big, too, but the bed of the children in the Archduchy was different in scale.


    The double bed that the two shared was the size that it would be okay to play ball on it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep.¡±


    Janette grumbled with a sulky face. Mikhail seemed to feel the same way without saying anything.


    Yes, children usually don¡¯t want to sleep early.


    Adults are dying to go to bed early¡­ heukeuk.


    I fixed the shape of Mikhail¡¯s pillow and pulled Janette¡¯s quilt to her neck.


    However, as if they still didn¡¯t want to sleep at all, the swollen children¡¯s cheeks were so cute that my head was getting dizzy.


    I lay down next to them and said, with a smile on my face.


    ¡°Really? What should I do to make our princess want to sleep?¡­ Oh, yeah. Princess, Prince. Do you like old stories?¡±


    ¡°A story of old times?¡±


    The children¡¯s eyes were round with curiosity.


    Molly said that she tells old stories every day to put the children, who hate to sleep. I was thinking of doing that too.


    ¡°Is it¡­ fun?¡±


    Mikhail asked with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s not going to be fun.¡±


    Janette stuck out her lips. (t/n: imagine a kid pouting.)


    I smiled as I stroked the heads of such children.


    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t know. What do you think? Let¡¯s hear it and judge. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    What should I tell the children?


    Of course, I don¡¯t know any traditional fairy tales or folktales that are handed down to this world.


    However, I¡¯m a person who has even written her own romance fantasy and is an avid reader.


    I was confident that I could create a simple story to entertain the children.