Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 5

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Surprised by my unexpected behavior, she raised her body and shook her head.

“Listen carefully. You are a lady who doesn’t know the ways of the world. This isn’t very good for you. I don’t know what kind of dream you’re having, but you’re nothing. Because I am the big shot here.”

“Did you say ‘big shot’? Not even the princess, but a nanny is a big shot? People will laugh at you.”

I couldn’t resist laughing at her words that I even struggled to close my mouth.

“You will regret it. You won’t benefit anything if you act like this. You could be kicked out of here tomorrow. Completely naked.”“Therefore, you are a big shot? In this dukedom? So I should throw away my useless pride and bow down in front of you, right?”“That’s right. I don’t think you’re stupid. So it would be nice if you could squeeze that stubborn head of yours. Even the Duke can’t do anything about me.”

The nanny’s head soared haughtily as if she was inquiring if I finally understood her.

When I saw her act that way, I turned my gaze to Rebecca.

“Rebecca. You must be a doll. If the big shot of this house is your nanny.”

Perhaps provoked by my twisted words, Rebecca shouted back.

“I’m not a doll!”

“Well, that’s what I heard. If you’re not simply a child, you must have realized something. Do you think it’s acceptable for her to look down on you and say that she’s the big shot of this duchy?”

Rebecca, who was pouting her mouth, flared out her eyes.

“I’m not a doll!”“You’re a doll. You can’t even say anything to oppose your nanny.”“Darn it…No, I’m not! Nanny, get out!”“Miss! Are you telling me to get out? What are you…”“…Darn it. Are you deaf? Get out of here!”“That woman only says weird things. I wouldn’t think of you as a doll, would I?”

As her eyes suddenly turned to Rebecca, the nanny’s face became pale.

She even walked up to the child in a hurry and grasped her hand, but it was meaningless.

“Shut up! Get out! Or else I will collapse here. Do you want me to collapse again? Do you want to get scolded by my dad?”“Miss…!”“Get out!”

As if not a fool, Rebecca angrily buried herself inside the doll again.

“Mi-Miss…”

The nanny’s sorrowful voice filled the room, but nothing changed.

Rebecca was adamant.

I looked at her appearance for a long time and kicked my tongue.

“Mrs. Nanny, who said that she was a big shot. You’re leaving now, right? The child told you to go.”“How dare…How dare you…between me and miss..!”“Now that I see it, I don’t think you had that great of a bond with the child. And I know for sure this time, nanny. What you had done to the other stepmothers. But unfortunately, it’s not going to work now. Unlike the others who grew up well, I grew up like wild weeds.”“….”“Now that I’ve talked about weeds, the more you step on it, the stronger it grows.”

I grinned and waved my hand.

Then the nanny, who was fuming and flushed red, stormed off as if she wouldn’t let me go easily.

“Now, bring me a meal.”“Ah, yes, Lady Leona. But what about the miss…”“Bring it too. I’ll let her eat when she comes out.”

The maids, who were at a loss at what to do, finally moved out.

Thanks to that, there were only two maids, Rebecca, and me in the room.

“Rebecca.”

I finally folded the book I was reading and looked at the rabbit doll.

“…”“If you don’t want to come out, you don’t have to. I will visit this room every day and stay here every day.”“….”“So I want to ask, why do you hate me so much? For no reason?”

She didn’t answer my question for a long time.

Maybe I shouldn’t expect an answer yet.

Each child I saw at the orphanage had their own wounds. The wounds did not heal on their own even if they waited quietly for time to pass.

It got worse, and it gradually tore them apart.

So the first thing to do when children come to the orphanage was to listen to their story. If you don’t know the root, you won’t be able to find the solutions.

‘I wanted to hear what you were thinking and what made you upset.’

But Rebecca was reluctant to speak.

Today is not the only day, so I decided to not bother Rebecca anymore. At that time, the child, who was silent for a while, mumbled something and then yelled in a small voice.

“…You’re going to run away, too!”“Run away?”“Yes. The nanny said that. You are all the same! The first and second both ran away, so you’re going to run away, too. That’s why I told you not to be close to me from the start!”

I was speechless for a moment.

“That woman said that?”“Why do you keep asking? And I’m not a doll. I didn’t do what my nanny told me to do, It’s my own idea. You fool!”“Yes, it must be your idea. It was you who told the maid to prevent me from finding your room, right?”“Yes! That’s not what my nanny told me to do. That was my idea!”

‘Even though her attitude is not agreeable in the first place…..The more she explained, the more I felt as though the child is being controlled by the nanny.’

Rebecca probably considered her nanny, who has been taking care of her ever since she was a baby, her family.

Perhaps other families were also like that. If the children of noble families listened to their nanny, then the nanny could really become the big shot in their house.

Maybe that’s why she was so confident. As I was immersed in my thoughts, the door, which had been closed for a while, suddenly opened.

“I have brought your meal.”

Rebecca’s face, which was buried in the rabbit doll, stuck out.

“Bring it to me. I’m going to eat too.”“No. If you want to eat, come to the table. You’re not even a baby, do I need to feed you one by one there?”

Thereafter, a warm soup was placed in front of me.

The soft scent of potato was more appetizing than ever.

“Ha. You really think you are something!”“It’s because I am something, Rebecca. I’m worried about you. If I didn’t care about you and had plans to leave you, would I even bother myself to try to fix your behavior?”“…”“Then I would’ve stayed quiet instead. I would have done what your nanny told me to do and just sit still. Perhaps if I did as she pleased, I might have lived in comfort just like a real madam of the family.”

In the meantime, I moved my hand and ate the potato soup with a shiny silver spoon. The taste was wonderful.

Leona’s body was thrilled because of this incredible meal after eating bread the whole week.

“…Do-Don’t be ridiculous! You’re going to leave. I don’t believe you! You are here because of money!”“So you have heard the rumor. That’s right. That’s why I can’t leave. It’s because of money, and I want to change you, too.”“…You can’t leave? You’re not leaving?”“Yes.”

My spoon had already emptied out all the potato soup.

“…Really?”“Yes. There’s no way you would let me run away when you paid for me.”

I want to run away, too. With all my heart.

It would be better to kick me out. Perhaps if I treat Rebecca like this, she might kick me out instead.

Then, the closed door opened with a loud noise.

“What a splendid first day. The nanny ran to me and said you made a ruckus.”

The Duke, with his hair all tangled up, came to me in an instant with a look of anger. Behind him was the nanny, who wouldn’t let go of me.

A woman with swollen eyes pretending to be a victim.

“A ruckus? I don’t think so.”

The Duke’s gaze quickly turned to the child.

“It’s indeed a ruckus. My daughter, the owner of this room, is still buried among the dolls, and you, who need to take care of the child, was casually eating?”

The conversation between them was obvious even if I didn’t see it myself.

The finger of the angry duke was pointed towards Rebecca.

“Ah, that’s right. It’s good that you came. It’s seemed to me that your daughter was ignored by her own nanny.”“What?”“The nanny over there, what did she say?”“You don’t have to know.”“Of course, I don’t know. She must’ve spoken nonsense. She might have said that I was abusing the child.”

At her words, the Duke’s lips trembled as if it was true.

“Are you confident?”“Yes, because I’ve never abused the child. I was just taken aback when the nanny said that she was the big shot of this house.”“A big shot?”“The child also heard it, so you can ask her directly. You’re not that kind of father who would trust the nanny more than the child, are you?”

The Duke, who looked displeased, finally moved towards the rabbit doll.

“Rebecca. Tell me, whose statement is true?”“…Why! Why are you making a fuss about me!”“Did somebody abused you?”“I’m not abused! It was my idea!”

At the unexpected words, the nanny hurriedly came to them.

“Miss, please tell me. She was abusing you, right? Huh? Sh- She didn’t let you get out from here, right?”

The nanny’s trembling voice seemed to give a clear indication of how she had treated the child all this time.

With a fascinating sight in front of me, I savored the bread.

“What!”“You need to say it. Did that woman say something weird while I was away? Why did you change so much?”

In the past, this much persuading was enough to make the child obey her, but now, the nanny’s eyes were filled with shame.

She was busy talking to Rebecca to prove her innocence, while anxiously waiting and biting off her long fingernails.

“No!”

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