Chapter 4

The maid was extremely embarrassed.

“Oh my God, what’s wrong with the lady, princess? Princess, look at the lady. She’s so sweet and kind. Just like Molly.”

“Oh my God, go away! I don’t like it!”

“Oh, my princess. What’s wrong with you today? I’m sorry, Miss. The princess is not always like this… .”

The maid tried to placate Janette.

I tried to soothe her by bringing her toys and candy that Janette liked, but Janette didn’t budge.

“Bring Molly back! Molly!”

Are you trying to make a living by lying down on a marble floor and throwing a tantrum?

The maid was embarrassed by Janette and thought that I would be angry that she couldn’t appease Janette.

But I didn’t mean to blame the innocent maid.

“It’s okay. It’s only natural since the children are still unfamiliar with me.”

I smiled at the maid.

“Now you can go and rest, and I will serve the prince and the princess from now on.”

“Huh? Well, really, miss?”

“Well, I should get along on my own.”

The maid was flustered but I wasn’t afraid at all, even though I had a hard time taking care of children as a kindergarten teacher.

‘There were 18 people in my class, but  two of them should be a piece of cake… ‘

I almost pushed the maid out of the room. Except for Mary in the corner, Janette, Mikhail, and I are the only ones left in the room.

Janette was still lying on the marble, swarming, and Mikhail was far away and dithering with a frightened face.

But it was fully understandable. Children at this age are shy of strangers. And more than anything else… .

‘If you’re close to a former caregiver, you’re more hostile to the new caregiver.’

Like a child showing hostility to his stepmother.

Given what Janette said, Janette and Mikhail must have been very close to Molly, who was their nanny.

I could fully predict that the children missed Molly, who suddenly left them, and that’s why they found it harder to accept me.

I slumped down on the floor.

It was unbecoming of a ‘noble lady’ but it didn’t matter to me.

I sat and smiled tenderly, eye-to-eye with the kids.

“The Prince and Princess seem to miss Molly a lot.”

“…ssiik, ssiik!”

I heard Janette’s temper tantrums. Mikhail lowered his head as he sucked his thumb.

“Molly must have been a very good person. Seeing that Princess and Prince want to see her so much.”

“Molly bad!”

Suddenly Janet jumped to her feet.

“Molly left me and Mikhail! She’s gone home!”

“No, that’s not true.”

I spoke with a serious face.

“Molly is so hurt, that’s why she can’t take care of the prince and princess. I’m sure Molly misses both of you a lot, too.”

I mean, Janette was quiet, even though her face was still full of heartache. I grinned and alternated between her and Mikhail.

“I’m happy to meet you and the prince. I’m sure we’ll get along very well. Plus, maybe I can write to her later, or I can go and see her.”

“…”

“Come on, Princess, Prince.”

I reached out to the children.

“Let’s get along well from now on. Would you like to be friends with me?

“Friends…”

I heard Mikhail murmur. Mikhail, who was staring at me blankly from afar, crept up a few steps.

‘Done!’

However, it seems that Mikhail was the only one who eased the alertness. Janette shook her head with an angry face and jerked back away.

And when Janette did, Mikhail looked at Janette and eventually gave up coming closer to me and sat down.

‘Janette’s vigilance is high. I need to find out why.’

Watching the figure, I thought.

Although I couldn’t get close to the kids right away, I didn’t really expect much.

How can you be full with your first drink?* On the contrary, it was a huge harvest that Mikhail quickly eased his guard.

(t/n: This sentence is a korean proverb (org sent: 어찌 첫술에 배부르겠는가.) which is used to remind someone that some things take time, and that one should not rush to judgement nor give up too easily. TMI: It’s english equivalent would be Rome was not built in a day. if u want to read more: Proverb)

And I realized something from the conversation I had with the children.

‘To get close to the kids, you need to know more about Molly.’

Thinking so, I took Mary and the children around the mansion.

Not just to look around the house, but to ask other employees about Molly.

“Molly? You mean the Prince and Princess’ Nanny? She was warm and nice. She used to carry Prince, who hated walking.”

“She was a very good person! She was like my paternal grandmother.”

“Molly would be tired, but she would tell Prince and Princess stories every night and watch them sleep before she left work.”

“She was a good person, but she got a leg injury from the gardener’s ladder…and I’m so sorry for her. Of course, the Archduke has paid her medical bills and severance pay to make ends meet. I heard she lives with her children in her hometown now.”

Judging from the good evaluation, she seemed to have gotten along well with not only the children but also other employees.

Anyway, after I asked all of the hundreds of people in the mansion, I was able to achieve the purpose.

It was hard but I got a lot of useful information.

“Hhng, Mary, give me a hug…”

Mikhail grumbled and stretched out his arms. Mary said, holding Mikhail lightly.

“What are you going to do now? Miss?”

“Now that we have all the information, we’re going to use it. I’m going to use Molly’s parenting to allay the children’s vigilance.”

“Molly’s parenting… use it?”

Mary tilted her head. I gave her a smile.

“Watch.”

My idea was simple.

Just as every singer has their own singing method, and every painter has his own drawing style, every caregiver has his own parenting method.

Molly would also have her own parenting. I decided to copy it for the time being.

To give familiar comfort to children who miss their caregivers, and to ease their vigilance.

“Come on, Prince, Princess. It’s bath time.”

The current time is 7 p.m., and it’s time for the kids to wash up.

“Let’s take a fun bubble bath. I’ll give you duck toys and sailboat toys.”

I approached the children with a big smile. But Mikhail and Janette’s reaction was not good.

“Hate…”

Mikhail flicked his head with a glum face, and Janette was playing with the doll, pretending not to hear it at all.

Well, that was understandable. Not many children like bathing in general.

But I had a weapon of conversion.

“Prince, Princess, do you want vanilla cookies?”

“Kkuki?”

I could feel two pairs of eyes belonging to two children on me at once.

Yes, Mikhail and Janette are very fond of snacks.

However, Molly used to give them snacks very limitedly to prevent tooth decay.

Like right before taking a bath.

I lifted my tiptoe and pulled out a cookie jar that was in the closet. I opened the lid of the cookie jar.

“Who wants vanilla cookies~?”

“Me!”

“M…Me too…”

Janette was the first to throw away the doll, and Mikhail dilly-dallied and chased after Janette.

I took out the vanilla cookies with a smug look on my face. It was Mikhail and Janette’s favorite snack.

Sure enough, the eyes of the children who saw the cookies in my hand began to dim and glow with gluttony and greed. The spirit of the children was already completely preoccupied with cookies. I said.

“I’ll give you a cookie, so eat this cookie and take a bath.”

“Yes!”

That’s right, our Princess and Prince listen well.

I handed out cookies one by one to two people with joy.

After enjoying the cookies, I took them to the bathroom, took them out, bathed them, and brushed them until their teeth sparkled.

After taking a bath, it was time for the good children to go to bed.

The children were still young, so they shared a big room together.

I thought my bed was very big, too, but the bed of the children in the Archduchy was different in scale.

The double bed that the two shared was the size that it would be okay to play ball on it.

“I don’t want to sleep.”

Janette grumbled with a sulky face. Mikhail seemed to feel the same way without saying anything.

Yes, children usually don’t want to sleep early.

Adults are dying to go to bed early… heukeuk.

I fixed the shape of Mikhail’s pillow and pulled Janette’s quilt to her neck.

However, as if they still didn’t want to sleep at all, the swollen children’s cheeks were so cute that my head was getting dizzy.

I lay down next to them and said, with a smile on my face.

“Really? What should I do to make our princess want to sleep?… Oh, yeah. Princess, Prince. Do you like old stories?”

“A story of old times?”

The children’s eyes were round with curiosity.

Molly said that she tells old stories every day to put the children, who hate to sleep. I was thinking of doing that too.

“Is it… fun?”

Mikhail asked with his eyes wide open.

“…it’s not going to be fun.”

Janette stuck out her lips. (t/n: imagine a kid pouting.)

I smiled as I stroked the heads of such children.

“Huh, I don’t know. What do you think? Let’s hear it and judge. Let’s see…”

What should I tell the children?

Of course, I don’t know any traditional fairy tales or folktales that are handed down to this world.

However, I’m a person who has even written her own romance fantasy and is an avid reader.

I was confident that I could create a simple story to entertain the children.