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Chapter 4
Feels Like I’ve Become a Babysitter
“Fleur, the Key of the Western Lands, has arrived at the Call of Light.”
A woman entered with three children and bowed politely. The overly formal greeting felt surprisingly intriguing—it had been a long time since I’d heard something like that. Observing her graceful, unembellished movements, it was clear she was truly noble.
“Your Majesty, have you been well?”
The woman smiled gently as she looked at me and Jeff. That allowed me to take in her appearance.
Her hair was a cream color, and her eyes were red.
She seemed like a descendant of someone who had managed supplies back when I was emperor in my previous life. Seeing red eyes in this empire was rare, so it was an easy guess.
“Welcome, Marquis Fleur. You must have had a long journey.”
I was a little surprised that Jeff called her “Marquis.”
Back when I was emperor, that family was just a noble house in name only, producing many knights but lacking real influence.
Of course, I had abdicated and died about twenty years ago, and ten years could change landscapes and territories, so some change was possible—but in a rigid class society, rising above your inherited status this quickly was rare.
I couldn’t help but admire the Fleur family for rising to the rank of marquis in such a short time, though I didn’t show it.
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s care, we arrived without difficulty.”
After the light greeting, Marquis Fleur stepped back a step, and I could see the children she brought more clearly.
One child was in the arms of a maid. Judging by appearance, they were smaller than the two children standing beside Fleur. Unlike Fleur, they had pure white hair, but the red eyes showed they were still of the Fleur lineage.
“They all look quite bright. Are these the children you care for?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jeff inspected the children one by one and then glanced at me, as if to say, “Take a proper look at these children.” Even though I could easily observe them without such a gesture.
“Children, it’s time to greet, isn’t it?”
Marquis Fleur spoke softly. The child in the maid’s arms flinched and buried their face against the maid, seemingly shy.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
Meanwhile, the little girl with pigtails greeted properly, lifting her dress slightly and bowing her head. Clearly, she had been trained in proper etiquette.
‘So this is what noble children are like,’ I thought. The little girl was impressive for her age.
“My name is Ronowe Marsha Fleur!”
Hearing the name “Ronowe,” which reminded me of the ancient knowledge of demons, I momentarily wondered if the girl was possessed by a demon.
However, her red eyes showed none of the sinful waves you’d expect from a demon. Instead, they looked clear and pure.
“Please take care of me!”
Ronowe nodded again and stood properly. When our eyes met, she smiled brightly. Too kind for a demon.
‘Well, it’s not like demons still exist on the surface anyway.’
Besides, if she were a demon, she’d have twisted my neck the moment she saw me. In the distant past, I had been punished by the gods for being tormented, making my relationship with demons particularly bad. Perhaps I was even favored by the gods, which didn’t help.
“My name is Carlisle Passinelli Bergamot.”
While I was lost in thought, the boy beside the little girl spoke.
He looked 2–3 years older than the other children, radiating a maturity beyond his age. His black hair and green-tinged blue eyes had a calm, composed quality.
Judging from both his appearance and name, Carlisle was clearly not of the Fleur lineage, yet he was being educated in the Fleur household. I wondered why the Bergamot family, a ducal house, sent him here.
“You should greet him, young master.”
After the other two children finished their greetings, the maid spoke to the shy boy. He still acted bashful, acting spoiled instead.
“Beris.”
Marquis Fleur’s expression grew slightly stern. Though her voice remained soft, she reminded me of an eagle soaring high in the sky.
“It seems the child is shy. Let him be,” Jeff said, raising one hand as if to reassure her.
“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.”
“No, it’s only natural.”
Jeff glanced at me. I instinctively frowned, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Please take good care of our princess from now on.”
What exactly was he asking me to take care of? I tilted my head in confusion for a moment before Jeff moved me from his arms to the maid’s.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the playroom Jeff had prepared for me.
‘What is going on? I feel more like a babysitter than a companion.’
Right now, I was building blocks with the Fleur children. I didn’t know why, but Jeff had insisted I join in, so I obediently participated.
“Kyaa! Swoosh!”
Beris, who had been shy earlier, ran around the playroom wildly. Somehow, he had a toy sword in his hand.
“Take this, sister! My sword!”
“Beris! You can’t hit people!”
“I’m not hitting!”
Beris seemed to enjoy the wooden sword immensely.
‘Why would anyone find a wooden sword fun?’
I glanced at the Fleur siblings and then at the clock on the wall.
‘Damn it… it feels like I’ve been here ten hours already.’
Less than ten minutes had passed in reality, but time felt painfully slow. I spent my time stacking and knocking down blocks repeatedly. Occasionally, Beris would try to get me to sword fight, but I ignored him.
“Your Majesty, let’s make a pretty castle!”
Ronowe had come to me and began building blocks. Since blocks were scattered everywhere, it seemed natural she’d grab some.
Soon, Ronowe began stacking them into a tower. In a few minutes, the blocks resembled a proper building.
“Oh, Ronowe. You’re really good at this.”
I clapped unconsciously; the little girl had done well for her age.
“Hehe. Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Ronowe beamed at the praise.
“Is it finished now?”
“No, Your Majesty! We need to add the roof!”
Ronowe held a cone-shaped block and her eyes sparkled.
‘Of course, a castle needs a pointed roof.’
“Yes, you’re right,” I thought.
“Your Majesty, if we place the roof like this—swoosh!”
Ronowe grinned proudly.
Crash!
The carefully built castle collapsed instantly with a dull thud. Looking over, I saw Beris had smashed it with his toy sword.
He didn’t seem to do it on purpose, but Ronowe was so upset that she started crying.
“See? Isn’t that okay?”
“Waaah! The castle! The castle fell! Your Majesty! Waaah!”
I sighed, picked up a doll lying on the floor, and handed it to them.
“Here, take this. Play with it, okay?”
“A doll?”
“Yes, a doll. Here you go.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Once I handed it over, Ronowe immediately perked up and ran around the room with Beris.
‘Kids really are just kids,’ I thought. Just giving them a doll and they were happy together. Kids didn’t hold grudges; they fought, reconciled, and played again quickly.
‘Where’s Carlisle? He’s so quiet.’
I looked around and found Carlisle standing by the window, staring outside. Perhaps it was because he was more mature than the others, but seeing him calm made me feel at ease.
‘I like him.’
He had the potential to become a loyal and capable subordinate in the future.
‘Might as well start calling him my future general,’ I thought.
Sitting on the sofa, I realized playing with such small children didn’t suit my temperament. I preferred to rest rather than stack blocks endlessly.
Of course, the children playing together gave me a brief respite.
“Kyahaha! Kyah!”
But the break didn’t last. Ronowe and Beris ran around screaming, blocks scattering everywhere, almost like a circus performance.
‘This isn’t fun for me at all.’
I started picking up the scattered blocks, imagining them getting hurt. The thought alone made me cringe.
“I go first! Mine!”
“No, mine!”
They started fighting over crayons and paper now.
‘Where did they even find those?’
“Stop it, both of you!”
I shouted, and they stopped arguing, staring at me.
“You’ll get scolded because of me!”
“Why me? You’re the reason!”
They briefly glared at each other again.
‘They’ll probably fight, cry, make up, and laugh all day.’
I shook my head.
“Give them to me.”
I took the crayons and paper from them, hoping it would stop the fighting.
“Uuuu…”
Beris started to whimper, and Ronowe almost cried.
“Wait! I’ll tell you a fun story!”
I quickly spoke, fearing a full-blown tantrum.
“Really?”
Beris stopped crying and looked at me with wide eyes. Ronowe wiped her nose and looked up.
‘Oh no.’
I had promised a story but had nothing ready. I looked at Carlisle for help, but he was just a child expecting me to tell it.
‘What do I do?’
Suddenly, I remembered my past life as a ruler. My own story would be exciting to them.
“Children, listen carefully.”
I sat the three children in front of me, took out crayons, and began to draw as I narrated.
“Once upon a time, there was a person who…”
I drew illustrations while explaining, putting all my effort into drawing myself, though it ended up looking like a tangled mess instead of a beauty.
“Pahaha! That’s you, right?”
Beris laughed uncontrollably, and I realized I wasn’t good at drawing.
‘Annoying.’
Still, I slowly told them my past: stepping onto the surface world, being punished by the gods, and my exile—every detail.
I hadn’t planned to tell everything, but perhaps the children could guess the answers. Their purity was close to divine perfection, so maybe one of them would figure it out.
“The gods left. What was the answer to the problem they set?”
I showed my final drawing to Ronowe, Beris, and Carlisle.
“Who knows the answer?”
“Umm…”
The children stared, puzzled. My hopes deflated.
“Got it!”
Finally, Ronowe raised her hand. My heart leapt.
“What is it? Tell me!”
“Cake!”
She shouted “cake” instead of the answer. I realized a maid had brought a tray of strawberry cake.
“Snack time!”
Of course.
‘I was foolish to expect an answer.’
I put away the crayons and folded the paper. No more asking them anything.
“Your Majesty.”
At that moment, Carlisle approached me.
“Shall we go eat cake?”
The boy was surprisingly considerate. I decided he would make a reliable guard in the future.
The saying is true: a promising tree is recognizable from its first leaves. Carlisle was exactly that.
“Yes.”
I smiled faintly, hiding my thoughts.
A few hours later, I had finally escaped Ronowe and Beris, the two little devils. They had been here since early morning, refusing to leave until sunset.
‘At this rate, I’ll grow old before finding the answer.’
After dealing with the children all day, my whole body ached.
‘I don’t understand why Jeff called them my companions.’
They were too young to even be good company—they made my head feel numb.
“Oh my, why is our princess so tired?”
Exhausted from playing babysitter, I pouted. A maid shook a rattle before me. The constant jingling made me feel as though someone whispered “tinkle, tinkle” in my ear.
‘Even the rattle is overwhelming.’
I snatched the rattle from the maid.
“You wanted it, didn’t you?”
Not exactly. I didn’t respond, turned my body, and held it.
‘Better to find the answer myself. Tomorrow, I’ll meditate quietly.’
I pretended to sleep, closing my eyes, and slowly drifted off.
‘Companions, whatever… I don’t care.’
I wished I never had to see them again.
The next day:
“Your Majesty!”
“Zoe is here again!”
I froze at the sight of the children rushing in.
