IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 21

Mia, the nanny for Thalia and Royna, hurried toward the forest behind the mansion upon hearing that the children in the study had disappeared.

Thalia sometimes napped here besides under the garden tree. Since Thalia was a smart child who always stayed within expected places when playing, Mia didn't feel the need to keep Thalia confined indoors.

'As expected, here they were.'

As she expected, the two children were playing where flowers bloomed profusely. Thalia was making flower crowns to place on Rayan's head, then started picking flowers again. Rayan was quietly watching such Thalia.

At that scene, Mia stopped approaching and blankly watched the sight.

'If our Jin had lived......'

When Mia was recovering after giving birth to her son, she heard news that a festival was held to celebrate the birth of the first prince in the neighboring Celis Kingdom.

It was only about a two-week difference. If he hadn't left too early, he would have become Thalia's good playmate, joining between those two people playing now.

'Well, if Jin had lived, I wouldn't have become Miss's nanny.'

By now she would be living with her husband in Enfield territory. She thought of her husband, whom she'd been separated from for several years, but her immediate task was caring for the two children.

"Miss, Your Highness. It's time for lunch."

At Mia's call, Thalia grabbed Rayan's hand and ran to her. Though she'd expected it when the secret passage door was open, seeing the two covered in dust made her sigh with amusement.

While brushing dust and grass off Thalia's clothes, Thalia placed a flower crown on her head.

"Are you giving this to me?"

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Miss. Now let's go eat."

"What happened with the lessons?"

"The butler stepped in, so there won't be any problems today."

At Mia's words, Thalia smiled satisfactorily. A cunning child who was skilled at getting what she wanted. But this matter deserved praise a hundred or thousand times over.

She wanted to hug that small body and kiss those soft cheeks, but Mia barely restrained herself and called Rayan in a calm voice.

"Your Highness."

"......Huh?"

Rayan reacted a beat late, as if he hadn't expected to be addressed.

Remembering that Rayan had hidden behind Thalia when she introduced herself yesterday, Mia could easily deduce that he feared adults.

"If anything happens, please tell Miss Tilly. Our Miss is the Demon Lord, and I'm the Demon Lord's subordinate just like Your Highness."

"......Was the nanny my subordinate? Shocking."

Thalia muttered with a surprised face as if learning this for the first time, and Rayan chuckled at Thalia's expression.

"Then what am I to Miss?"

"The nanny is a nanny. Even a Demon Lord would have a mom and nanny. No, since I'm the Demon Lord, the nanny is the Demon Lord's nanny."

Thalia answered matter-of-factly, and Mia nodded as if it made sense.

"Then, Demon Lord, you need to wash before eating, so let's go."

"I haven't made Mom and Dad's yet."

"You can come back after eating. Today's snack is the pudding Miss likes. We'll spread a picnic blanket here, have snacks with His Highness, make flower crowns, and take naps."

"What about Royna?"

"I'll leave baby Royna with another maid today. You've been feeling left out lately because I've only been staying by the baby's side, haven't you?"

"Not particularly."

Thalia answered curtly, but Mia thought it was a lie. When Roxana was resting, she could focus only on Thalia.

However, since Roxana returned to work, she had to care for both, so she inevitably paid more attention to the still-young Royna.

Mia was still concerned about what Thalia had asked recently about which of the two she liked better.

She must feel left out. She just wasn't saying anything because she was perceptive and kind.

Even when she first saw Royna, hadn't she cried thinking her parents were being taken away?

But lately, seeing her frequently visit Royna, she seemed to have accepted her little sister. Mia extended her hand to Thalia, telling her to hurry.

Though she felt sorry for Royna, apart from their time together, Mia couldn't help but love Thalia more. Thalia was her salvation.

'How fortunate I am to have become Miss's nanny.'

Actually, Mia Harrison was a character who didn't appear in the original work. She was originally supposed to have died long ago and never had the chance to become Royna's nanny.

She, who had been Roxana's childhood friend and one of her vassals, was destined to commit suicide due to her son's death and discord with her husband.

However, when newborn Thalia came to her, her fate changed. Freed from the fate of death, she could slightly twist the original story.

But only two people in this world knew that fact.

Mia, knowing nothing, smiled brightly. Holding a small hand in one hand and the flower crown that hand's owner made for her in the other, she stood up.

The path back to the mansion, matching a young child's stride, was leisurely, and the fresh scent of recently picked flowers and grass lingered on her hands.

Julian, Roxana, and Mia decided to press the flower crowns Thalia gave them so they could be preserved for a long time.

Chamber looked gloomy, sad that he hadn't received one.

"But I'm one of Miss's Four Heavenly Kings."

At Chamber's words, the three people burst into laughter simultaneously.

"But butler, I'm the Demon Lord's nanny, and these two are the Demon Lord's parents."

"I see."

So I was the lowest in rank. Chamber cleaned his monocle once, put it back on, then stopped joking and brought up the real purpose of their gathering away from the children.

"Here is the personal information of the prince's attendants."

"You investigated down to the number of teeth, right?"

"I even found out how many are rotten, so don't worry."

Julian began reading the documents Chamber handed him, while Roxana gestured to Mia for a private conversation.

Moving to Roxana's office, the two women began drinking fragrant flower tea together.

When the teacup was about half empty, Roxana asked her.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Chamber said you came looking for him huffing and puffing today, and he was really scared."

"As if that butler would be scared of me."

"Mothers are supposed to be scary."

"......"

"I had a random thought."

"You were just as angry as I was. Who wouldn't be angry?"

"Roxana."

"......"

"Call me Roxana, Mia."

"Okay."

When Mia's tone became much more comfortable, Roxana smiled gently. Mia stopped forcing a smile and touched her teacup with a sad face.

"Roxana."

"Why?"

"Why did you make me the nanny? There was someone else already decided."

"Back then, you looked like you were going to die."

"......"

"And your husband asked me to please save you."

"......That person did?"

"Are you in contact?"

"I'm exchanging letters. Our relationship was really bad until I came here, but as time passed, it got a little better."

"......"

"No, it didn't get better. I was just immersed in my own grief and belatedly realized that person was sad too. Even if our child died, we have to keep living, and my husband knew that and pretended to be okay for my sake."

Clink, Roxana set down her teacup.

"Then will you reunite with your husband now?"

"We weren't divorced."

"Anyway."

"It'll be difficult for a while. Baby Royna can't even walk yet, and Miss Tilly is all over the place. My husband is acting lord, so he can't leave Enfield County."

"I could hire a separate nanny for Royna."

"No. I'll do it."

Roxana's low laughter rang out. Mia laughed along, then said jokingly.

"Why don't you have someone else act as lord and tell my husband to come here?"

"Huh? Can I fire your husband?"

"I earn well, so it's fine. I don't have much to spend on anyway."

"No way. Why would I fire someone who works well?"

"That's a shame."

Though she knew it wouldn't work anyway, Mia looked genuinely a little disappointed.

"If you're being held back because of Tilly......"

"No."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm the one anxious about not being able to stay by her side. How can she be so cute and smart?"

"She's Julian's daughter, so of course she's cute and smart."

"And healthy."

"Right, health is most important."

"So I'm really fortunate."

"......"

"When you asked me to be the nanny, you said that. Though the three families with abilities have precious children, thanks to baptism, children rarely catch even common colds, let alone serious illnesses. Seeing her not catch even one common cold, I was so happy."

"That might be because you bundled her up so much in winter. I thought some snowman was walking around."

"She was cute all round, wasn't she?"

"Right. She was cute."

Recalling Thalia waddling around before throwing away her scarf in frustration, the two women burst into laughter again.

"Children are that precious. But I don't understand how they can do such things to such precious children."

"We should drown them all."

"Roxana, when you say such things, it doesn't sound like a joke. And don't say such things in front of Miss Thalia."

"I know, I know. But you want to do that too, don't you?"

"Of course. Where would they find the nerve to hit a mere five-year-old? One or two hits would be infuriating, but thirty hits."

"Tell me about it."

"......They say it's as common as grains of sand. Children dying."

"Right."

"Children are so weak, and the world is so dangerous."

"That's right."

"So we should grieve more and treasure them more."

"......"

"People don't know that."

Mia's last words filled the empty air. Roxana finished her teacup while swallowing the truth she couldn't tell her.

'Because it's as common as grains of sand, they do it more. Why would they care about grains of sand that aren't their own children?'