🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 03
“Have you arrived?”
“Everything alright?”
“Yes, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“And the nanny applications?”
“I’ve placed them on Your Excellency’s desk. Three in total, including Miss Marisel Manua.”
“Marisel Manua?”
Morgan raised an eyebrow in surprise as Porre mentioned the applicant’s name.
“Ah, the young lady of the Manua Viscount family came personally to submit it. It seems to have left an impression.”
“She came herself?”
“Yes… it was unusual, so it caught my attention. I’ll be careful.”
Porre, who had served the Viscount family for generations, couldn’t help but smile faintly as he recalled the morning.
Morgan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment to relieve his exhaustion. The night-long secret patrol had left him utterly drained.
He considered going straight to wash up, but curiosity about Marisel Manua’s application was too strong.
He had heard she had recently suffered from a high fever but survived miraculously. Her outings were rare, and few had seen her face.
A mere noblewoman—not even a princess—had applied to be a nanny for a grand duke?
That alone was stimulating enough to delay other tasks. And the carriage incident earlier only added to his intrigue.
‘Today is going to be interesting. Not just one, but two surprises,’ Morgan thought.
He reached for the stack of applications, starting from the top.
First, the résumé of Jude, the second daughter of Baron Cohen.
“Hmm. Not a bad record.”
Next, Lady Riley, wife of Baron Coda.
“Quite an impressive career.”
Morgan placed the two aside without much interest and finally picked up the last envelope.
He almost couldn’t believe his eyes.
This was the woman he had met earlier that day in the market.
The woman who had unexpectedly entertained him with small amusement, now captured in one folder, doubled his curiosity.
Her résumé was as unusual as she was. The Empire’s standard format didn’t include a portrait, but Marisel had added a small illustration of herself.
Morgan couldn’t help but brush his hair back and chuckle.
“…Truly a peculiar woman.”
He recalled the day. She had a delicate face that looked incapable of harming even an ant, yet she stared directly at him, refusing to yield a single word.
Her violet eyes were almost innocent in their clarity. And yet, she spoke freely, even challenging seasoned knights. The contrast was both amusing and strange.
No wonder he had lingered on their conversation longer than usual.
“Emma! I have an interview soon!”
“Yes… congratulations, Miss.”
Emma’s voice was light, almost ready to float away.
“Don’t worry. Everything will go well. If I succeed, our family succeeds too.”
“Of course. If you do well, the Viscount family thrives, and I can serve you properly.”
Emma brushed Marisel’s hair as she spoke, resigned yet dutiful. She, like Marisel’s parents, had strongly opposed Marisel’s decision to apply.
Marisel had collapsed suddenly with a fever… almost died… and returned as a completely changed person.
The once timid, shy girl, unable to speak freely to anyone but childhood friends, was now bold and determined. And she had decided to become a grand duke’s nanny.
“Emma, it’s all planned.”
Indeed, Marisel had spent the last three months mapping out a survival strategy based on the original novel.
She didn’t know what consequences her actions might bring, but this was not the time to worry. She intended to survive, live healthily, and experience everything she couldn’t in her past life.
In the original story, Morgan and the heroine Gabrielle would face adversity together and fall in love. The Manua Viscount family, however, had no influence on their romance.
The only irritation? The grand duke’s household—the safest place—would obliterate the Manua family.
Marisel unconsciously rubbed her neck at the thought of the scene in the original story where her head was severed.
“Miss! Is your neck hurting?”
“Huh? No! It’s fine. Thinking about the interview just makes it tense.”
“Ah, I see. Shall I get you some water?”
“Yes, please.”
A sip of water improved her mood slightly.
According to the original story, seven months from now, the Manua Viscount family would be annihilated—wrongly implicated in Fleur’s kidnapping.
She had to delay Fleur’s academy enrollment until after seven months. And since Fleur was temporarily unable to speak due to trauma, it was a perfect excuse.
Marisel recalled the newspaper reports vividly. Fleur would have died if Morgan hadn’t arrived in time.
“Emma, can you bring me plenty of pen and paper?”
“Right away, Miss.”
Her past experience as a nurse and health teacher would prove invaluable in this world.
She began drafting her answers to likely questions:
- Why do you want to be a nanny?
- Why should you be chosen as a nanny?
- What are the qualities and requirements of a good nanny?
- No prior experience as a nanny?
- Aren’t you too young?
“Done!”
She slammed the pen onto the desk, proud of her meticulously prepared answers. The sheet felt like a magic carpet, ready to carry her to success.
She paced the room, reading and rereading, ready to respond instantly to any question.
After a light dinner, she lay down to rest for the interview—but sleep would not come. The more she tried, the more alert she became.
‘What if I can’t sleep and mess up the interview?’
Her insomnia stemmed from one instinct: the will to survive. Having faced death, her drive to live was stronger than ever.
No matter how familiar she became with the habits of this world, her mind was still that of Ihaetak from modern times—a foreigner here.
She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and repeated to herself under the starry sky:
“It will all go well. Everything will be fine.”
“Emma! Hurry up! We’ll be late for the interview!”
“No, Miss! Look at your dark circles! What on earth happened overnight?”
Emma fussed while quickly touching up her face.
“All done, Miss!”
Emma’s voice was limp and tired as she finished arranging Marisel’s clothes.
“Thank you, Emma! Let’s go!”
