Chapter 3

It was hard to recognize what he drew because it was made with a five-year-old child’s ability, but looking closely, one could see it was a picture of a knight riding a horse and another of a princess wearing a dress.

Although prejudiced, I’ve taken an assumption that has great potential.

Fortunately, however, my assumption was correct. Archduke Blackwell nodded while frowning.

I smiled a little more warmly.

“That’s right. I’m self-taught in early childhood education, Your Grace.”

“Early childhood education? Is there such a discipline?”

“Yes, it’s literally the study of how to understand infant psychology and teach them.”

Early childhood education was a fairly unknown discipline in this era.

It was a time when we didn’t understand the psychology of infants and children and thought that children were just ‘small adults.’

Even when teaching children, they teach them like adults without actually understanding the intellectual level or psychology of the child to reduce wasting time.

Self-study is a lie. In fact, before I possessed this body my former job was of a kindergarten teacher.

It has been more than four years since I majored in early childhood education and passed the employment examination and became a kindergarten teacher.

In my mind and body, early childhood pedagogy, which I have learned and mastered in practice, is vividly alive and breathing to pass the appointment.

However, I could not say that I learned it at a university or any educational institution here.

With Blackwell’s intelligence, the fact that Laria has no experience of studying in college will be easily discovered

So, I was going to claim that I studied alone in the library.

“Please continue.”

“Yes, I looked carefully at the painting of Prince Mikhail and found his psychological anxiety and fear in it. Children’s paintings are like windows of the mind. Infants often express things in their creations that they can’t express in words.”

Of course, this answer was a hypothesis.

I know Mikhail’s psychological problems, entirely because I was the original author.

Diagnosing infants’ psychology through pictures, if I could do that, my job would have been as an infant psychologist or pediatric psychiatrist, not a kindergarten teacher.

The reference of the idea of using Mikhail’s paintings as an excuse, came from the movies that I enjoyed watching…

No, that’s fine.

“…”

Anyway, all I had to do is sound plausible to anyone who’s never heard of early childhood education.

“I’ve never heard of an infant’s picture showing a child’s behavior at night… well, let’s put it that way for now.”

The Archduke gave me a suspicious look, but fortunately, I was able to get away with it.

Phew! Nam Joohyun’s words, you’re not dead yet!

(t/n: Nam Joohyun is a real person btw. https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/reporterPage.do?reporterId=burnett&selectType=ALL)

“Everything the Young Lady says is true. Mikhail doesn’t sleep well every night, cries in nightmares, and is even more afraid when I try to soothe him.”

There was a worrying light in the eyes of the Archduke, who had little change. I was a little heartbroken.

The cruel, heartless monster, the Archduke of Blackwell, must be weak for a five-year-old. Of course, not his own biological child.

“So you’re saying Young Lady has a solution?”

The Archduke’s bright purple eyes turned to me.

Here it is! If I don’t grab this chance. I won’t get another one!  I nodded my head!

“Of course!”

I’m the original author!

Subsequent progress was made in a flash.

“Young Lady Sherwood can use this room.”

Simon, the Archduke of Blackwell’s butler, showed me a room to stay while I was here.

I was just an employee of this house, but I received a huge and wonderful room.

It seemed three times as big as the room I used in Sherwood Earldom.

“And this is Mary, the maid who will serve Young Lady Sherwood. She will be in charge of the Young Lady’s comfort during your stay here. If you need anything, please tell Mary what you need.”

“Good afternoon, Miss. I’ll do my best to serve you.”

Furthermore, only a few guests had the luxury of having a maid, especially an exclusive maid.

As expected, the male lead is different!

I was thrilled. Yeah, well, I didn’t want the male lead to be stingy, so I remember setting him up as someone who would spend a lot on others.

But it’s a different feeling when you’re the one being treated.

‘Good job, me in the past!’

I threw myself into a fluffy bed, shouting a silent cheer inside.

The bed was likely to exceed the double size, and there were high-quality blankets and pillows full of soft goose fur.

Simon showed me the room and went back, and Mary was the only one left watching me. Mary, who was dithering for a while, talked to me.

“Well, miss. If you don’t mind…Can I ask you a question?

“Huh?”

I lifted myself and looked at her. Mary hesitated and asked me.

“Why did you decide to stay at the Archduchy? Isn’t it more convenient for you to commute? I’m sure the Archduke would have understood…. .”

I understood what she was curious about.

In this world, commoners generally reside at the workplace, and aristocrats commute.

And of course, rather than staying at the workplace 24 hours a day without leaving, it is helpful to improve the quality of life by leaving and securing your own time.

Even where I originally lived, companies with good nightlife facilities were considered the top places to avoid when getting a job.

Of course, if the place of work and residence is far, even the nobles choose to reside, but the Archduke’s Mansion and  Sherwood Earldom were both in the capital, so it is not that far by carriage.

So, it was surprising that I chose to reside despite being an aristocrat.

Maybe there’s already a rumor going around about me among other employees.

“Well, that’s…”

I thought about it for a while, but I thought it would be a little weird to say to Mary, the maid I met for the first time today, that the family I lived with was so doglike that I had to escape.

So I hid my heart and smiled warmly at Mary.

“Well, kids are the ones who have trouble all day and night.”

“Yeah? That is true.”

“Isn’t it impossible to predict in advance when the Prince or Princess might need me any time of the day? I want to help them by staying by their side at any time. Even if it’s night or dawn.”

“Miss…”

In fact, I wasn’t lying at all.

The first reason I chose to reside here was to escape Earl Sherwood, but the second reason was that, I thought I would be able to accurately understand the conditions of Mikhail, Janet, and the Archduke and help them.

‘Especially to solve the problems the Archduke has… because the night is the best time.’

Thinking so, I nodded and convinced myself.

However, Mary seemed shocked and moved by this remark. Her brown eyes turned bright, and her cheeks blushed.

Mary lowered her head, lifting the hem of her skirt.

“It is my pleasure to serve such a lady who truly cares about Prince and Princess. I will also help you whenever you need me.”

I was very embarrassed by the heartfelt response.

I didn’t come here just for altruistic reasons she thought.

The biggest reason I’m here is to survive.

I got out of bed and held out my hand. Mary seemed surprised to see it.

Oh, don’t women shake hands here?

But what would it be like? I smiled at her with my hands out, because I thought it wouldn’t be so bad.

“You don’t have to feel too pressured for me. Anyway, take care of me, Mary.”

“It’s not a burden at all. Please, I look forward to your kind cooperation, Lady.”

A little hesitant, Mary eventually held my hand. The warm body temperature felt pretty good. Do you think we’ve gotten closer?

It was a good start. And a good start is already half done. I spoke to Mary.

“Okay, so will you take me to Prince and the Princess now, because I think I should start my work.”

Janette and Mikhail were really cute kids.

Well, it may be natural that the great-looking Archduke and blood are connected to some extent.

But even considering that, Janette and Mikhail sparkled with loveliness.

The two are twins, but they don’t look much like each other.

Mikhail had black, straight hair that resembled the Archduke, but he had green eyes, and his bursting cheeks like that of a 5-year-old, were so cute that she wanted to chew them off.

Janette, on the other hand, had silver hair that came down to her shoulders and purple eyes, making her look like a little fairy or an angel.

As you can tell from my job, I really, really like children. I couldn’t believe they were so pretty and cute.

‘I can’t believe I’m taking care of such beautiful children! Isn’t this heaven? Oh, it’s good to be possessed!’

Janette stood straight and looked up at me while I was silent.

And Mikhail was hiding behind the maid’s legs and being shy.

I bent down to meet the children’s eye level. And said hello with a smile as friendly as possible.

“Hello, Princess, Prince? My name is Laria. From now on, I will serve you and Prince.”

Janette, who had been silent until then, said.

“Are you our chambermaid?”

“What?”

“You’re the one who… Are you a chambermaid?”

I almost laughed at it, but I put up with it with professionalism.

‘You can’t pronounce ‘R’[1] well because your tongue is short.’

It’s so cute that it’s hard to bear but… Young children, like a ghost, recognize that adults belittle or see themselves as inexperienced.

And close your mind easily to such an adult.

So instead of laughing at Janette’s pronunciation, I spoke in a plain tone.

“Yes, I am the Princess’ and Prince’s new chambermaid.”

But in Janette’s eyes, a suspicious glance still remained.

Janette looked back at the maid standing behind her back and asked.

“Where’s Molly?”

“Molly got hurt and went back to her hometown, Miss.”

I raised my ears. It’s probably Mikhail and Janet’s nanny,  Molly, who returned to her hometown.

I’m the author, but that doesn’t mean I know everything here.

I did not even set up a nanny who retired a year before the beginning of the work.

So I needed to open my eyes and ears wide open to the facts I didn’t know.

The maid continued to explain to Janet.

“From now on, Lady Laria will take care of you and young master with the same tenderness as Molly.”

But Janette still didn’t seem convinced. Janette’s mouth was sticking out.

Janette, staring up at me, shouted, pointing her finger at me.

“I don’t like this!”

Note:

[1] The actual was the letter ‘S’ cause Janette says 히녀야(hinyeo) instead of 시녀의(sinyeo).