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Chapter 05
Even after everything that had happened, the nanny had not been dismissed. It was already the third day.
Moreover, it wasn’t as if she had received any punishment—her attitude hadn’t changed at all. What was she even doing at night instead of watching Hayden?
There had even been a night when I couldn’t stand the baby’s crying and went to soothe him, only to be chased away by the nanny. Something like—
“Young master Hayden’s upbringing is my responsibility! Do you realize this is overstepping your authority? Should I report this to His Grace?”
Overstepping authority, my foot. I’m the Duchess. But at the mention of reporting it to Cheres, I had no choice but to back down.
If I got thrown out before she did, I might end up the only one suffering. And where would I even go? Absolutely not.
Just looking at how Tanya, one of the maids, treated me made it obvious.
They say you don’t even touch a dog while it’s eating, but I still vividly remembered Tanya taking my meal tray away. I absolutely could not return to House Hezest.
At this point, there didn’t seem to be anything I could do here. Even if I wanted to, it felt like I wasn’t allowed to.
It was pitiful, but what could I do? I had no power, little one.
When I entered the dining room for lunch that day, Cheres was absent. Only the nanny and Hayden sat in the baby chair.
The nanny nodded at me.
“Good afternoon, Duchess. As you can see, I’m currently taking care of young master Hayden. Please forgive my discourtesy.”
The lavishly prepared meal made my head spin. Maybe I should become a nanny too. If this is the treatment they get, it might not be so bad.
As I sat down, briefly considering that maybe being a nanny wasn’t such a bad life after leaving the ducal household, the maids quickly brought my utensils and meal.
But then I saw what they were feeding Hayden.
“…Are you seriously giving that to Hayden?”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore and blurted it out.
The nanny shot me a venomous glare. It really was just a thin, watery soup with nothing inside. I tasted it just to be sure—it was flour soup with only sugar added.
I looked at Hayden in disbelief, and he smiled brightly, showing his four tiny teeth.
“Mamma! Mya! Kyah! Mama!”
His innocent, harmless smile made my frustration boil over.
“This is exactly what I mean by overstepping authority! This is how it’s supposed to be done! You don’t know anything! He’s just going to spill it and smear it all over his face anyway—this is perfectly fine!”
“What are you talking about! Children that age are supposed to be fed properly! Do you really think flour soup is acceptable? And why is it so sweet?!”
I shouted back.
I couldn’t ignore the sight of a child being mistreated. I was far too human for that.
Is this woman insane?
How can she feed this to a baby?
Meanwhile, the luxurious meal the nanny herself was eating only made my anger rise further.
“You’re feeding that to a child while you eat this?!”
“What did you just say? If you have a problem with my methods, make a formal complaint!”
What am I supposed to do with her? I glared at her, grinding my teeth as she looked smugly satisfied.
She tilted her chin up at me, then turned her head away, her flashy outfit making my head spin.
Author, is this really okay?
I never intended to interfere with the original story or get involved in the affairs of Bereiden. I already had enough trouble surviving my own life.
“Mama! Mamma! Kyah! Mama!”
But little Hayden deserved better care. Even if he wasn’t the male lead of this world, he was still just a baby.
Thinking of him gave me courage. Or maybe it was pure anger at this absurd situation.
“I’m done with this. I’ll report this to His Grace! Then the Duchess herself can take care of young master Hayden!”
I clenched my teeth.
This damn household. These damn people.
No matter how I looked at it, this woman was definitely contributing to Hayden’s miserable future.
I can’t hold back anymore.
Lord, I’m sending one of them your way today.
Just as my rising anger and courage were about to explode into words—
“…Are you serious about that?”
Cheres appeared.
The nanny’s face lit up, while my burning courage instantly cooled.
If I get kicked out, I have nowhere to go. Calm down.
Sorry, Hayden. I’ll sneak food to you sometimes.
“Your Grace…! Please listen to my grievances—!”
“I asked if you were serious about what you just said.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re saying you’ll leave on your own. That is truly fortunate.”
Things were not going as I had expected. I quietly observed the situation.
Cheres stared coldly at the nanny and continued.
“I hope I never see you again in Bereiden. We will formally file a complaint with the family that introduced you, so you may look forward to that.”
He heard everything.
“I would very much like to know how a woman with no credentials was placed as a nanny in my household.”
“Y-Your Grace…!”
“Leave behind everything you received here. Otherwise, your next destination will be a prison.”
With Cheres’ final words, the nanny collapsed onto the floor.
Watching her, I quietly exhaled in relief.
Phew. So I’m not getting kicked out.
Hayden met my eyes and smiled brightly. His tiny four teeth were unbearably cute.
“Mya! Mama!”
It seemed, to Hayden, I looked like food.
Diane burst into tears, clutching her bag. The head maid, Lady Yurein—who had always been kind to her—now looked at her coldly.
“If I’m thrown out, who will take care of young master Hayden, Lady Yurein?! Please, don’t do this! This is all because of that witch-like Duchess who has deceived His Grace!”
Diane clung tightly to Lady Yurein’s legs. She had no chance to cling to Cheres.
“Please, just listen to me! I’m truly innocent!”
“Are you really innocent?”
“Yes! If the southern nobles hear that I’m being treated like this just because of that Hezest woman’s words—”
Diane shouted desperately. It was a threat—she intended to spread rumors that the Duke of the South had been deceived by a “witch of Hezest” and was persecuting southern nobility.
But Lady Yurein shut her down immediately.
“Do you think they would trust the words of a woman with a history of fraud?”
Lady Yurein spoke coldly. She came from House Nellis, a vassal family of Bereiden.
Having served in the ducal household since childhood, she had risen to the position of head maid and was deeply involved in managing the estate.
That meant she was trusted by Cheres.
As soon as Diane’s background investigation was completed, Cheres had called in Lady Yurein and the head butler and shared everything that had occurred.
He also ordered investigations into those who had previously handled Diane’s case. They were clearly complicit.
It seems we weren’t serving a nanny, but an imperial princess.
Along with his sharp criticism, Cheres revealed records of Diane’s expenditures. Money supposedly used for Hayden was entirely spent on her own luxury—dresses, shoes, jewelry, skincare.
Even noble ladies don’t indulge in such excess. Rumors among them say the nanny must be either the daughter of a wealthy magnate—or the duke’s mistress.
It was an absurd rumor.
The realization that they had been unaware of all this made them feel deeply ashamed.
Who else had been bribed and blinded Cheres and his retainers?
It was truly unbelievable.
Now that the root had been grasped, countless tangled branches were beginning to unravel.
