‘No, that’s right. It seemed like the relationship between Noel and Lutis had fallen apart without my knowledge……’

The voice that had been ringing in her ears until just now was no longer heard, perhaps surprised by the child’s sudden action.

At that, Aeli, not knowing what to do, closed her eyes tightly with force on her already closed eyelids.

She knew that the two of them were not that close to begin with.

It’s just that they had spent time together since childhood, so even if their personalities didn’t match, she didn’t pay much attention as they seemed to get along reasonably well.

‘It occasionally creaked, but even then, Lutis mostly seemed to have no particular thoughts, and it was only Noel who was oddly on edge.’

She still hasn’t been able to figure out the reason, but at least when the child was born, they were able to smile and get along to a reasonable degree.

But now, in her absence, let alone interaction, they have become a relationship that only stirs up dust.

Just listening to the conversation between Noel and Lutis, it was clearly predictable that their relationship was now worse than that of strangers.

In this situation, if there was a misunderstanding to be cleared up, it would be better to quickly explain the situation before things get bigger.

Even if that explanation had no realism at all, and even if there was a very high possibility of being stigmatized as a mentally ill person for saying it, it was the same.

It’s not that Aeli didn’t know that.

“…….”

But shouldn’t there be at least some time to prepare her heart?

If she were to try to make others understand the absurd content that she herself thinks, at least enough preparation to persuade them was needed.

Given Noel’s personality, it was doubtful whether he would listen to the story even if she did that, but now that she was about to open her mouth right away, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

‘But I can’t keep my mouth shut like this either……!’

If it had been before Adi cast the spell, it would have been different, but now that she had no perception-lowering brooch and her black hair and even her face were clearly revealed, it was impossible to pretend ignorance.

Rather, the situation could only get worse, and it didn’t seem like it would get better, so Aeli felt like she wanted to run away.

In the winter when it was snowing, after facing the child and hearing news of Lutis, a few months passed, and not only was her ghost form exposed, but she even regained her body.

It was absurd that her state of mind was not reflected at all in the series of processes.

If she hadn’t been a ghost at the time, it would have been certain that her heart would have stopped beating several times already from shock.

‘Even now, it feels like my heart might stop a little.’

Meanwhile, the child, as if to show this, grasped Aeli’s hair in his hand and reached out in the direction of where Noel and Lutis were.

How did she know that when her eyes were closed−

…… It was because her hair was being pulled hard in that direction.

“No, really no, it’s not− Heung……!”

Perhaps because it had been pulled so much, her scalp seemed to start aching, so Aeli gently placed her hand on top of the child’s hand.

Since she couldn’t ask him to let go of her hair in this atmosphere, she expressed it indirectly through action.

Then, the child who had been embracing Aeli’s bosom immediately let go of her hair as if he had been waiting and abruptly stood up from his spot.

And then, blocking her way, he said,

“If, if you make Mom cry, I won’t stand it either, even if I’m little, I’ll get angry! I won’t let you!”

Like this.

“Let’s get out of here!”

When she slightly opened her eyes, she saw the child loudly shouting while roughly wiping his tearful face with the back of his hand.

Although she couldn’t see his expression as he had his back turned, even without looking, Aeli could feel that he was fiercely glaring at Noel, so she slightly opened her mouth.

She thought that perhaps he had quickly learned from Lutis’s actions just a moment ago to block and protect her.

“…….”

“Coming in as you please when I’m sleeping! Hitting as soon as you come! Saying bad things! Making Dad and Mom cry!”

“…… That−.”

“If you keep doing that, I’ll punish you too! Kuh……”

“…….”

“I, I can use magic too! I’ll burn all your hair and make you bald! Also, also…… I’ll strip you down to your underwear, smear honey on your body, and hang you upside down from the clock tower in the capital square!”

…… Huh?

As he spoke, perhaps feeling sad again, the child shouted while shedding teardrops.

Looking at the water droplets falling on the blanket, Aeli, who was listening to his shouts, shook her pupils slightly in bewilderment.

‘That’s a bit, too specific and cruel to come out of a five-year-old’s mouth?’

He didn’t go as far as saying he would put him in a metal tube to prevent him from running away, but it was already a punishment actually carried out in several countries, too cruel for a child to have come up with on his own.

In fact, it had been banned in the empire a long time ago because it was too cruel, so how did he know about it?

Unless someone told him, it was content that could only be found in books, so Aeli narrowed her brow at the appearance of such content.

From the child’s point of view, it must have been him gathering the worst things he could say in his own way.

‘Except for the last sentence, it’s actually a cute behavior fitting for his age……’

She clearly remembered being careful and checking so that he would only see wholesome content every time he went to the library, considering the child’s emotional development.

There was no way he could have read such a thing more than 4 years ago when she was not around.

“…….”

“…….”

Aeli reflexively turned her head and looked up at Lutis.

From the moment such words came out of the child’s mouth, it seemed that he had been looking at her, and Aeli, who met his gaze head-on, glared at Lutis with narrowed eyes.

‘What in the world did you say in front of a child who is only five years old?’

Mumbling.

When she asked with lip movements instead of making a sound, Lutis made a dumbfounded expression and moved his lips, then immediately raised one hand to cover his eyes.

With a deep sigh, Lutis’s platinum-blonde hair, close to silver, spilled downward as he deeply lowered his head.

It wasn’t a big reaction, but for Lutis, it was a considerably absurd look, so Aeli rolled her pupils.

To that extent of reaction, it seemed that Lutis was not the culprit either.

‘…… Then who in the world?’

It was when she was still staring blankly at the small back of the child who was still blocking her way.

Knock knock.

“Your Grace, I heard a loud noise inside, is something the matter?”

In the silent bedroom, the sound of someone knocking on the door rang out.

Realizing that it was the voice of the head attendant, Aeli was greatly startled and swept the room with her eyes.

The half-shattered wall, the floor littered with debris fallen from the wall, Noel and Lutis facing each other, and finally, the child standing on the bed with both feet, defiantly panting.

‘Wait…… This isn’t all. What about me?’

I’m not supposed to be here right now, right? Aeli was horrified as she belatedly realized the problem.

Since she had set foot in the mansion as a role close to the child’s nanny, it was best to refrain from any blameworthy behavior.

A scandal was half certain to be unavoidable, but she couldn’t be reckless in her conduct, so it was only natural.

If things went wrong, Lutis’s reputation could hit rock bottom and go down somewhere underground, and if that happened, the prestige of the ducal family would also be damaged together.

In the long run, it would be of no good to the child either, so she had to be as careful as possible.

‘That’s why I secretly came through the secret passage, but if I get caught……!’

Without the brooch and with the magic undone, now was not the time.

Aeli, who was about to get up from the bed to move back to the guest room upstairs through the passage, stopped and observed Noel’s gaze.

If it had been like a little while ago, a fierce glare would have already flown, but he was frozen with a blank face as if the remark of his nephew, whom he had been fond of and was seeing again after a few years, was quite shocking.

Seeing him not even blinking, Lutis slowly opened his mouth.

“…… First, let’s move to the drawing room. It doesn’t seem appropriate to stay here in this situation.”

“…….”

It doesn’t look good for the child’s respiratory system either. Lutis said so while looking down at the dust on the floor, then immediately picked up the child who was blocking Aeli’s way.

The child, who was suddenly held by his father, opened his eyes wide for a moment in surprise, then immediately buried his face in Lutis’s neck.

The child, who had wrapped his arms around Lutis’s neck, mumbled,

“Daddy, I hate Uncle…… Tell him to get out……”

“…….”

“…….”

“…… Tsk, he’s really mean.”

I hate him. I hate him. He doesn’t listen to a single thing I say and what is this from the beginning, I’m sleepy and hungry……

The child whined but familiarly wriggled in Lutis’s arms to find a comfortable position and slumped his body.

Aeli, who had been staring at Lutis, who was also now quite skillfully patting the child’s back to soothe him, slowly got out of bed.

In the meantime, Noel’s gaze was sharply following her as if he had come to his senses, but Aeli decided to just move as he only looked without any words or actions.

What more could he do to her here with Lutis and the child present?

It was an unconscious action that came out because Noel’s eyes seemed calmer than before, and even if she were to be attacked, there was someone to protect her.

Pause.

“…… Ah, right.”

Aeli, who had been hurrying to leave the bedroom, stopped and turned around.

Aeli quickly approached the child and opened her mouth.

“Adi. Uh, no, that− um. …… Can you change your hair back again?”

“……? But I like this better……”

“…….”

“…….”

“Bu, but if other people see it, won’t they be surprised that your hair color is different from yesterday? For now, let’s change it back, and later when it’s just us, we can undo it again. Okay?”

The state of not being able to call Mom as Mom and having to gloss over it. Tears filled her eyes.

Aeli, who felt Noel’s piercing glare as soon as she tried to say the problematic title, changed her words and persuaded the child.

The child, although regretful, did not refuse Aeli’s request.

Instead, he made sure to tell her that she had to come back quickly after only changing clothes, and even picked one of the paper animals from yesterday that he hadn’t unfolded yet and stuck it on Aeli’s cheek again.

Aeli checked her hair turning golden again and immediately turned her back.

“…….”

Until she entered the secret passage and was no longer visible.

She didn’t even realize that Noel was looking at her back with a troubled expression until then.

It was when Aeli hurried as much as possible to prepare and came down to the drawing room.

As soon as the door opened, Aeli, dumbfounded by the sight unfolding before her eyes, slightly opened her mouth.

“Don’t come! Don’t touch, I’ll bite! If you come close, I won’t stay still!”

“Ack! Wait, wait a moment……”

“…….”

“…….”

The child was pulling Noel’s hair.