Chapter 10

Chapter 10

And that night. When Brielle was in his dreams and Marie, who was by his side, fell asleep as well, Brielle’s door was quietly opened.

It was the Count who came through the darkness. Before he put his hand on his nephew’s face, he was afraid he would wake him up from the coldness, so he warmed his hand once in a blanket and measured the heat.

‘Fortunately, the fever went down a little.’

He carefully moved the hair on his nephew’s sweaty forehead and looked at Marie this time.

A little while ago, she was holding the child’s bottle and had a towel in her hand.

The Count quietly removed the wet tower and pulled the blanket around her feet to cover her.

“Uh…um?”

He tried to be as quiet as possible, but he woke Marie up.

“Count?”

“Are you awake?”

“Uh? When did I fall asleep?”

As she got up from her seat, she quickly measured Brielle’s forehead from the heat.

“Hoo. His fever has gone down.”

“Yes, your back and shoulders must have hurt. You seem to have been in that position.”

It was only after listening to him that Marie realized her back and shoulders hurt.

“It’s a little bit.” She replied, turning her waist to the side.

“If it’s not burdened, I’ll massage your shoulder.”

“What?”

Her eyes widened.

“I’m a civil officer, but when I was in the Knights, I learned how to loosen muscles.”

“But, Count, how can you t…”

Though contrary to her words, it was so tight that she was preparing to get a massage.

“Then, let start.”

“Ugh.”

As if the Count’s words weren’t false, she felt the muscles in the area where his touch had passed getting soft.

“Why were you in the Knights?”

It was not in the book.

“Usually, the younger boys went into the Knights Templar, but I quit right away.”

“Why?”

He didn’t say much about it. He just focused on loosening her shoulders.

‘From the contents of the book, it seems that he didn’t have a talent for swordsmanship.’

Marie fell into her own thoughts.

***

Brielle was unraveling all the animals that Marie had once folded.

“Oh, young master.”

These days, as small muscles were developed, these movements became possible.

“Marie, this.”

There were insects that the Count had previously painted.

“Do you remember what it is?”

“Ant.”

Rather than remembering what Marie had thought before, he was referring to what he had seen some time ago while playing with Ellie in the garden.

“That’s right. Ants have six legs…”

It was when Marie was talking a little more about ants.

“Why?”

Brielle’s attack had begun.

“Well… it’s an insect.”

“Then, this?”

He pointed to the mantis next to it. That’s how the parade of constant questions began. As soon as she ran into her limit, Marie quickly passed the attack to another person.

“Let’s go ask the Count.”

In Brielle’s eyes, his uncle, who had a lot of books, was the smartest, so she asked him to do so.

After welcoming both of them in his office, the Count turned white in thirty minutes.

Even he, who spoke without hesitation in the Royal Palace, was speechless by his nephew’s continuing questions.

***

“Barry.”

Now, it was Barry who played best with Brielle.

These days he loved to play with his body, so Ellie couldn’t play because her body was weaker than Barry.

Even now, Barry was carrying Brielle like a plane.

Ellie said she was jealous of the two boys, so instead, she studied what she could do to Brielle.

Today, she had decided to make a flower necklace, and she was completing the round shape by weaving wildflowers, so her fingernails were filled with grass.

“Oh! Look at this, young master.”

The two boys playing turned to Ellie at her fuss.

However, Brielle wasn’t pleased about it.

“Do you not like it?”

Ellie looked at the look of the young master, and her face drooped as she was inwardly disappointed.

Then, as if Ellie got caught in his heart. Brielle gave up, bowed his head, and gave his neck.

“Hehe. I’ll tie it beautifully for you.”

Barry and Marie, who were watching Ellie from a distance, were dumbfounded.

It was because the acting was so obvious.

***

Brielle now began preparing to study in earnest.

It was decided to start with reading numbers, but his education was thoroughly entrusted by a tutor.

Of course, Marie could have taught him the basics, too, but she was like his mother, so his concentration quickly broke.

Teddy bear was sitting next to a chair made to match Brielle’s height.

“One two…”

While Brielle got his education, Marie sat outside the door in her chair, reading a book or knitting.

Brielle, who initially cried and blew up at the thought of separating from Marie, now knows that she is always guarding outside the door, and his anxiety has subsided a lot.

“Young Master, I’ll write the name of the Count.”

The tutor offered to give Brielle the name of his uncle so he could be interested in studies, but it was rejected.

“Write Marie.”

“Yes? Ah… yes.”

He recalled that she was the nanny sitting outside, after wondering for a while who it was.

He started working here a while ago and was a senior graduate of the academy. He took the management appointment exam, but because he had an upset stomach that day, he failed. So, until the next exam, he decided to teach at the Count’s house like this.

He glanced out the door, thinking of Marie. It was strange that a pretty cute-looking lady was being a nanny, and it was because he thought that her personality would be great because Brielle followed her well.

Though he didn’t know that Brielle’s cheeks are swelling.

“I don’t want to.”

“Yes?”

“Stop.”

The tutor panicked, not knowing what to do, and barely began to soothe Brielle. Suddenly, he felt puzzled all of a sudden.

“Let’s just add one letter.”

“No!”

Marie, surprised by the sound, jumped in.

“Young Master, what’s going on?”

Then, the tutor’s face turned towards Marie, and when she saw the scene, Brielle grabbed Marie’s hand and pulled her.

She looked here and there, wondering if the tutor had done a physical punishment on Brielle when she hadn’t seen it, but fortunately, he didn’t. With her eyes, she asked the tutor what was going on, but he shrugged his shoulder once and made a gesture of not knowing.

In the end, this situation had to end with neither the tutor nor Marie’s understanding.

***

Brielle finally took off the diaper. After Marie patted his butt with such a ritual, fascinated, she asked the maid for a cup of cocoa, which he liked.

“Here you go.”

Brielle sticks out his tongue and gently savors the cocoa. He begins to drink when the hotness is gone.

“Marie’s?”

“Mine is here, too.”

Whenever he ate something delicious, Brielle always took care of her as well. She was so proud that Marie gently stroked Brielle’s red cheeks.

‘You have exceptional skin as well.’

All of the children’s skins at this time were like that, but Marie felt that Brielle’s was more special.

“Huh?”

And as Ellie walks into the room, she finds the two of them drinking cocoa, and runs towards them.

“Look!”

As Ellie moved around, she circulated around the two, showing signs of taking her cup at any time, Marie huddled.

“But I asked for mine, too.”

By this time, she always came, and so she asked for hers.

“Huh? Did you?”

Ellie was ashamed of herself, putting her hands on her cheeks, and she didn’t know what to do.

“Ugh.”

Whenever this happened, she was still young, so Marie held Ellie in her arms and shook her.

“Sister, I’m choking.”

Tak—

And when they heard the loud sound of the cup being put down, the two women looked ahead.

Brielle was looking at them with her grumpy expression.

“Hehehehe.”

With a strange smile, Ellie clung to Brielle and hugged him tightly.

***

Marie planned to make cookies with Ellie today. She wanted to spend time with Ellie as she had been on vacation for a long time. She just remembered that some time ago, Ellie was envious of the cookies that were made by a mother to a child her age at the market.

After getting permission in the kitchen, she came to the room with the flour and breadcrumbs she had obtained.

And Brielle, who is now with her on her vacation, of course, was wondering how the sisters made cookies together, he kept watching.

“You should try it, too.”

He originally wanted to do it together, but after touching it once, Brielle just wanted to look instead.

“Then, would you like to shape it?”

One of the cookie frames that came from another country recently was horse-shaped. Marie thought Brielle would like it, so Marie told the chef in advance.

“Here you go.”

Marie grabbed the young master’s hand and pressed down the dough together as if stamping it.

“Oh, it’s cut nicely.”

When Ellie did it next and said he was good, then Brielle’s storm began.

After the dough was baked well, Marie chose only those that came out in a good shape and wrapped them neatly to give it to the Count.

“This is for Barry.”

And the rest was reserved for her brother. She knew that if the child found a cookie, he would jump up from his sleep.

Giving Barry’s share to Ellie, Brielle and Marie went to the Count’s office.

“Count.”

When Marie appeared in his office with Brielle in her arms, he looked grim as if he had not escaped his last nightmare of Brielle’s constant questioning.

“We’re not here for that today.”

As she, who seemed to know his mind, smiled once and stood towards him, Brielle held out the cookies in his arms.

“This time, we made it ourselves.”

“We?”

“Yes, the young master shaped it himself.”

“I see.”

He looked at the finished cookie as if it were amazing.

“When did you grow up like this?”

He had been feeling that way these days. It was regrettable and commendable that Brielle was growing.

He thought that Brielle would be old enough to get out of his arms one day when he woke up overnight.

Marie looked at his expression and put Brielle in his arms.

“Uh?”

“It’s not too late now. You just have to increase the time you spend with him and tell him you love him.”

“Ah…”

“Therefore, you two are sleeping together today.”

At that, Brielle’s head turned towards Marie.

As if asking how could this happen, she said with a smile.

“Have a good time, young master.”

She stepped out after giving Brielle to the Count.

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