The Maid Hates Childcare - Chapter 21

Inside the returning carriage.

There were four people, but the interior was silent.

‘What happened?’

I was half out of my mind.

‘So, I was about to be whipped… and makgeolli won at the auction, but then the emperor appeared…’

The jumbled memories were incredibly fantastic.

‘Wow, I really almost died.’

Is a party usually a place where people die?

As the tension eased, goosebumps rose on my body.

‘I don’t want to go again.’

Although I somehow survived from the empress’s grasp, I didn’t want to experience it twice.

‘I wonder if the kids are okay.’

As I calmed down a bit, I had the leisure to look around.

I carefully called out to the children.

“Lord Louis, Lord Evan?”

“Huh?”

Louis suddenly raised his head.

His expression was blank, as if he was very surprised.

‘He doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere.’

I worriedly stroked the child’s head.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yeah, Eileen protected us.”

He answered well, but looked very glum.

I turned my gaze and asked Evan as well.

“What about Lord Evan?”

Evan was the one who had fought.

I was worried that he might have gotten scratched somewhere on his body.

‘Although he was one-sidedly doing the hitting.’

I wanted to applaud him for hitting well, but Evan avoided my gaze with his mouth tightly shut.

‘Does he not even want to make eye contact with me now?’

I felt hurt by the child’s reaction.

But I shouldn’t show it.

As I forced myself to raise my head, Kashar was sitting in front of me.

‘But he did save me.’

Thanks to him returning at the right timing, I was able to avoid the whipping.

Whether it was because of others’ gazes, or because it could interfere with the lover act, I was saved thanks to him.

‘Let’s think of it as a bonus.’

According to the contract, he had no obligation to save me.

I carefully expressed my gratitude.

“Um, Your Grace. Thank you for helping me.”

“…You’re welcome.”

With those words, silence fell again.

Kashar was looking out the window with his chin resting on his hand.

The night had deepened and it was completely dark outside.

‘I hope he’s not angry?’

He might have thought I caused trouble while he was gone.

‘What to do about this atmosphere.’

I uncharacteristically rubbed my face.

“Hey, Eileen.”

“Yes?”

Unexpectedly, it was Louis who spoke first.

As I listened, the child asked as if he had made up his mind.

“You know, what does it mean that this hyung is our guardian?”

Louis was asking me about something he had heard from someone else.

‘I should have told them directly.’

That fact made me quite sorry.

I couldn’t hide it anymore when he asked like this.

I held the child’s small hand and said:

“It means exactly that. I asked His Grace for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. To protect the young princes.”

That as a mere nanny, I couldn’t protect you.

I ended up revealing it after all.

‘I wanted to protect them, but they had to hear such things.’

A child without parents receiving patronage.

I never thought they would hear such nonsense.

‘Moreover, the emperor…’

Daios’s gaze towards his own children was indifference itself.

“You must have been very surprised? I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand.”

“No, it’s okay!”

Louis shook his head.

His unstable gaze was directed at me.

“Are you okay, Eileen?”

“Of course, I’m perfectly fine!”

I bent my arm to show off my muscles.

“I feel all my fatigue disappearing because Lord Louis is worried about me!”

I tried to speak energetically on purpose, but Louis’s expression wouldn’t brighten.

Rather, it got worse.

“We couldn’t do anything…”

Large tears fell from his big eyes.

“L-Lord Louis!”

Surprised, I immediately hugged Louis tightly.

I had hugged him, but it was difficult to comfort him because I didn’t know why he was crying.

“Shh, it’s okay. You need to stop crying.”

As I was flustered, I heard laughter from across.

Kashar was looking this way.

“A baby doesn’t need to do anything.”

“I’m not a baby!”

“Lord Louis!”

I barely managed to hold onto the struggling Louis.

“You shouldn’t be rude to His Grace.”

“Hic. But…!”

Louis puffed up his cheeks.

Meanwhile, Kashar was busy teasing the child.

“See, you’re a baby after all.”

“Why are you doing this to a child!”

That jerk has no sense!

When I glared at Kashar, he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not a child, I’ll be an adult too!”

Louis clenched his fists.

Kashar chuckled at the sight of the fists like round dumplings.

This was quite a mess.

‘Oh my, what a headache.’

Three children and I’m the only adult.

Thinking that way made me feel better.

‘But, I think I understand why Louis is acting like this.’

I turned Louis, who was in the middle of an argument with Kashar, to face me.

“Lord Louis, did you perhaps want to help me?”

At my words, Louis shook his head.

“No!”

“Then what is it?”

When I asked again, Louis hesitated.

After fidgeting with his fingers for a while, Louis spoke in a small voice.

“I… wanted to protect Eileen.”

The child was upset that he couldn’t do anything.

“You were almost hit with that scary thing. But I couldn’t do anything. That makes me so sad.”

His blue eyes were tangled with sadness and anger.

‘So young.’

There were various reasons why a child wanted to become an adult.

But I didn’t want him to want to become an adult while blaming himself.

I stroked Louis’s blonde hair and wished.

“You’re already protecting me. Just being able to hug you comforts me, you know?”

“But we don’t know when bad guys might appear.”

The outside world he saw after a long time was full of scary things.

But Louis didn’t succumb to fear.

“I’ll grow up quickly and protect Eileen!”

It was a voice full of determination.

I was proud of the child for not being discouraged.

I hugged the small body tightly and answered.

“You’ll become an adult soon.”

“How many nights do I have to sleep to grow up?”

At least a thousand nights, I was about to answer.

Just then, Evan opened his mouth.

“It’ll be the same even if we grow up.”

The child’s voice was tinged with resignation.

“We won’t be able to protect anything in the end.”

Evan was smarter than his age, and knew his situation all too well.

He had grown up convinced that as royalty without backing, he would only be used, rolled around, and discarded.

‘The biggest influence must have been Eileen.’

No matter how hard I try, could I heal Evan’s wounds?

As I was biting the inside of my cheek, thinking I might even make it worse, Kashar opened his mouth.

“The older brother is more incompetent than the younger one.”

“Your Grace!”

It was a reproachful remark towards Evan.

I cried out in surprise, but he continued nonchalantly.

“If you two are looked down upon, Eileen will be looked down upon too. Because Eileen is your nanny.”

Evan’s pupils shook.

Kashar asked with a cold expression.

“Are you still going to do nothing? Without even trying?”

If you don’t change, the situation from earlier will repeat itself.

That’s what Kashar was saying.

“But…”

Evan hesitated.

The child wanted to have the power to protect his target, but didn’t know how.

“Let me just say this. What is Eileen to you?”

As Evan was about to open his mouth, Louis shouted.

“The person I like the most!”

Louis hugged my arm tightly. The warm temperature soaked my heart.

Now only Evan was left.

After hesitating, Evan opened his mouth.

“A hateful person.”

It was a natural thing to say about someone who had tormented him for years.

I acknowledged it, but my heart ached.

But Evan’s words didn’t end there.

“I hated you terribly… but now you’ve become precious. That’s why I hate it so much.”

Evan was experiencing inner turmoil.

He couldn’t understand himself opening up to the Eileen he had found terrible.

“I actually knew. That you were trying to protect us. That’s why I hated it more. While I couldn’t do anything, my guardian could protect you.”

Evan knew but wanted to deny it.

Because that way, his feelings of hating me wouldn’t change.

Evan’s face looked like he was about to cry.

“I’m sorry for getting angry.”

The short apology was sincere.

‘How much must he have agonized?’

It was too difficult for a young child to endure.

I was grateful for the child’s honesty. Thanks to that, my eyes got moist too.

“I’m sorry too for not telling you beforehand.”

It was a dramatic moment of reconciliation.

After hearing the answer, Kashar asked Evan.

“Do you need my sponsorship?”

What Kashar said wasn’t just simple protection.

The power to grow yourself and protect what’s precious. He was saying he would help them gain that.

Evan’s gaze clashed with Kashar’s.

As if he had finally made up his mind, the child nodded.

“I need it. So much.”

Evan answered without hesitation.

Louis wasn’t to be outdone.

“Me too! I’ll grow tall and become bigger than Eileen!”

Louis stretched his arms high above his head.

Seemingly satisfied with the children’s answers, Kashar smiled.

“That’s how it should be.”

As he nodded, Evan spoke.

“I’ll repay the debt when I become an adult.”

It meant he wouldn’t just accept the sponsorship.

It’s an unchildlike gaze.

But Kashar liked it.

“You heard that, Eileen? How nice to have two little knights.”

“Uh, yes?”

I nodded in a daze.

‘The children have accepted Kashar.’

To think that what I had been agonizing over was resolved so easily.

It was a feeling of both surprise and strangeness.

Finally, after neatly sorting things out, Kashar pulled me towards him.

Ending up sitting on his lap, I shrank my shoulders tightly.

‘Oh, the bottom is hard…!’

His thighs were beyond firm, they were solid.

“To think I have to compete with little ones too. This must be the price of having an excellent lover.”

“T-The young princes are watching!”

I’m fine with it, but for the children’s education…!

I couldn’t do anything for fear of touching something inappropriate if I moved wrongly.

When I shouted with a bright red face, Kashar stroked my back.

Hic. I let out a short breath.

“Shh, you need to behave.”

My struggling body stopped at his low voice.

He whispered so only I could hear.

“We need to encourage the little ones’ competitive spirit.”

At Kashar’s words, I looked forward to see Louis and Evan’s eyes sparkling.

Their blue eyes were filled with the desire to definitely become strong adults.

‘No, why is it developing like this!’

It was a moment when men and boys made an agreement centered around me.

“I want to hug Eileen too!”

“…When I become a splendid adult, for sure.”

Louis stretched his arms towards me, and Evan muttered something incomprehensible.

“Um, just a moment please. Young princes?”

There was still something left unsaid.

I cleared my throat while being held by Kashar.

“Actually, I received a proposal to move. It’s outside the palace, and it’s a better place than where we live.”

“You mean where the sponsor lives?”

Evan asked sharply.

I nodded.

“Yes. His Grace’s residence. Since he agreed to become your guardian, that place would be much safer.”

“We need to be safe from villains!”

Louis clenched his small fist.

It was strange that both children didn’t have any aversion to moving.

“Are you really okay with it?”

When I asked again, Louis pointed to the window.

The carriage had already arrived at the Cold Palace.

“Even if we move, this will always be our home, right?”

“Of course. You can always come back.”

At my words, Louis smiled brightly.

“Then it’s okay!”

“Is Lord Evan okay with it too?”

“As long as I can change, anything is fine.”

How admirable.

I hugged the twins tightly.

“Thank you. Both of you.”

I was truly grateful to the children for opening their hearts.

As I was rubbing my nose against their soft cheeks, it happened.

“Hey, Eileen. If we all live together, are we family?”

“Anyone can be family if we think of each other that way.”

Even if we’re not blood-related, even if we live separately.

“Then we’re family too, right?”

“Of course.”

It was an answer considering only the children and me.

To this, Louis tilted his head.

“Then is Eileen the mom and hyung the dad?”

“…Pardon?”

What kind of family tree is this?

Flustered, I explained so the child would understand.

“Um, Lord Louis and Lord Evan, and His Grace are brothers.”

Although they have different mothers and a big age difference, that’s how blood relations were.

‘Should I say it more strongly?’

As I was contemplating, Kashar burst into laughter.

“That’s not bad.”

“What’s not bad!”

Do you want to see the family tree get tangled?!

Just then, the carriage door opened.

I jumped out with Louis and Evan tucked under each arm.

Emma, who was in the driver’s seat, was approaching.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened. People got off! You can depart now!”

“Yes, understood!”

The driver answered when I knocked on the carriage wall.

Kashar was looking at me through the open door.

“Don’t worry. It’s my first time living together too.”

Kashar, who confessed it was his first experience, winked at me.

‘Ah, yes. I see.’

I wanted to wash my ears to erase the feeling of hearing something I shouldn’t have.

I personally closed the carriage door with a kick of my foot.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ruben Castle.

“Aaaaagh-!”

Screams were echoing from the underground prison within the castle.

“P-Please spare me, Your Grace!”

Count Efilton begged.

His wife was also inside the iron cage with him.