âUh⊠Go, thank you.â
The nanny muttered as she adjusted the hem of her robe, probably noticing that he had covered her with his cloak because he was afraid it would be cold.
Perhaps because of the bonfire, the nape of the nannyâs neck burned red in an instant. Elliot pulled away and went to the window, where he recalled a similar memory. It wasnât as awkward as last fall when the nanny and he were sheltering from the rain in a cave alone.
It was fortunate that the cries and laughter of the children made the chapel reverberate and made him forget the awkwardness.
âI like it here. I will make it my playroom.â
Elliotâs forehead wrinkled at Lunaâs unexpected declaration, standing in front of her old, broken altar.
âTo play in an abandoned building that leaks in the rain with countless spacious and clean playrooms in the mansion.â
âWouldnât it be nice to stimulate childrenâs imagination?â
As he looked at her disapprovingly, the nanny added timidly, tying the hem of her cloak.
âUnless itâs something like a monster.â
âThere are no monsters in the Black Forest. When I was 14, I got rid of the Templars and all of them.â
Elliot nodded his head and studied her startled eyes, âWitch Hazel.â She must have been in the woods for a while, but he was completely unaware of the ânannyâ in front of him.
âI want to play the Pope! I am the Pope!â
Elliotâs thoughts were interrupted by Lunaâs sudden cry.
âBut what is the Pope doing?â
Elliot spit out the first thing that came to his mind, and Luna stamped her feet in anger.
The nanny began to give examples in earnest.
âA blessing ceremony?â
âI donât know how to do it.â
âUh⊠Something like presiding over a wedding?â
âIf itâs the royal familyâs wedding.â
The moment Elliot interrupted to answer, Lunaâs purple eyes twinkled.
She ran up the low steps and Luna, standing behind the altar, fixed her expression solemnly and spread her arms aloft like a priest presiding over the ceremony.
âThe groom, Grand Duke Elliot BlaineâŠâ
Elliotâs eyes narrowed.
âAnd Miss Bride Hazel.â
The nanny pointed to her face and opened her mouth.
âRules. Nanny, rules.â
He resisted wanting to go and close it, but Luna beckoned them to come to the altar.
Elliot looked at the nanny, and she also looked at him. Perhaps his eyes were also quivering like the nannyâs emerald eyes.
âLuna, how about marrying a dog and a cat?â
The moment he proposed, they growled ferociously, as if the dog, warming up with Luca and the cat in front of the campfire, had heard him.
This was just a game. The nanny seemed to think the same, shrugged her shoulders and went to the altar. Elliot took his foot off the window as many times as he could.
âEveryone gathered here today congratulates the two of them for their futureâŠâ
As Luna immersed herself in her play, the nanny tilted her head toward him, who stood a step away, and she whispered:
âRole play is important.â
It was the moment he awkwardly nodded his head.
âThe two of you, now married, share a kiss to pledge eternal love and loyalty.â
The eyes of Elliot and the nanny, who were facing each other just in time, shook.
Elliotâs proposal was rejected by Luna with a single stroke.
âCan I do it on the back of my hand?â
The nannyâs offer was also rejected.
Itâs just childrenâs play. It was enough for him to refuse with a single knife.
âLuna, be naughty in moderationâŠâ
But why was the nanny blushing her cheeks?
âKiss her! Kiss her!â
While he was speechless, his younger siblings shouted loudly, and the nanny abruptly averted her eyes and snapped her fingers that were fastening her cloak.
âOmg! The rain stopped! Letâs go, letâs go! You have to go to Bible class.â
Outside, as the nanny had said, it was clear as if it had never rained. Of course, only the road to the cabin had cleared the dark clouds. Elliot looked with his doubtful eyes at the nanny who was ahead of him on the forest road, then moved closer and he asked quietly.
âYou say you donât know how to use weather magic?â
âIt was the first time I succeeded.â
âYou must have been quite desperate.â
The nanny rubbed her cheeks, still red like apples, and groaned at him.
âIâm envious when I see you like that because I donât have any siblings.â
That was what she said while watching Luna and Luca walk side by side, holding her hand.
âThere seems to be a special bond between Luna and Luca that others cannot intervene.â
âThatâs right. I canât even interfere.â
Elliot would tell a light joke, and he muttered.
âI was alone before those children were born.â
âThen, would Your Highness know?â
The loneliness of having no friends to play with, and the regret of having no siblings who stand by me like other children. It was a time when only children could relate to stories.
Luna looked back and she cried out.
âThere is a way to have a younger brother.â
âIf you marry my brother, we will become Hazelâs younger siblings.â
âWow, sis, youâre so smart!â
He tried to pass it off as an immature joke, but the kids were persistent.
âYou two are getting married.â
âRejected. You marry! You marry!â
Eventually, a troubled Elliot stopped the children.
âLuna, the Grand Duke will not marry a witch. Of course, not even with a nanny.â
Nobles marry nobles, and commoners marry commoners. Itâs just an obvious story, but why is the nannyâs face like that?
âI have no intention of getting married either. Even more so with the Grand DukeâŠâ
âWell, even if itâs Hazel, she wonât do it with your brother. I have been rude, Miss Hazel.â
All the way back to her mansion, Elliotâs head was pounding.
He eventually called Luna, who was going to take a Bible class, and told her off.
âDonât ever embarrass me or the nanny with such overly jokes. It is very rude.â
âBecause you said that, it became like we were rudely rejecting each other.â
He had no intention of getting married, but being rejected out of the blue was neither pleasant nor pleasant.
âThen you have to refuse.â
Only then did Elliot realize. This child had taken her word for marriage seriously.
âLuna, aristocratic marriage is a political means.â
âItâs not that we like each other, we follow the family contract. among nobles.â
âBut in the storybook, they married because they fell in love?â
âItâs a fairy tale.â
It was time for Luna, who was now 8 years old, to learn the rules of the world outside of fairy tales.
âSo mom and dad didnât love each other either, but they got married?â
As expected of a smart kid, she asked a sharp question.
âOur parents also got married according to a family contract.â
In fact, it was a marriage forced by the Emperor. In order to discredit their father, he made him marry a saintess who had made a perpetual oath to live a life of celibacy and dedicate herself to God.
âBut even after getting married like that, they loved each other more than anyone else.â
Their parents, who first saw each other only at the wedding, fell passionately in love. It seemed that the Emperor tried to turn the Grand Duke family into a family where the fallen saintess was the mistress, but rather, thanks to their motherâs holy power, the grand duchy prospered and the Grand Duchess only earned their respect.
âThen will my brother marry like that?â
Elliot nodded his head without hesitation.
âBecause our family needs help from other families.â
He needed a strong alliance to prevent and defeat the royal familyâs conspiracies.
âBut I really like Hazel. Because sheâs a nanny, she will have to leave when we grow up. I want she to live with us for the rest of her life.â
Only then did he learn why Luna encouraged him to marry, much to the surprise of Elliot. She was Luna, but she was looking into her future, which was quite distant.
âWell. The contract is until the grand duchy doesnât need a nanny, so if I get married and have your nephew, Hazel will continue to live with us.â
âYou want me to see my nephew already at my age?â
To say that she was still young with an old manâs tone. Elliot burst out laughing.
âArenât you asking me to marry? Donât forget that another purpose of marriage is to produce an heir, Luna.â
Luna pouted her mouth in displeasure and asked.
âBut do you really not care about Hazel?â
âLuna, donât embarrass Hazel.â
âReally? Hazel seems to have feelings for my brother?â
âHazel told my brother that he was cool when the yetis showed up the other day.â
The word cool was often heard from noble ladies. It was a compliment he accepted without changing his face, but strangely, his face became hot.
âDid you look out the window alone and go crazy and say, âBrother, youâre coolâ?â
The moment his eyes met with the nanny across the carriage window flashed vividly before his eyes. Covered in the blood of a yeti, he must have looked ugly, he believed. But he was called cool.
âBrother, your face is red. Whoops.â
Elliot hurriedly covered his face with his hand and furrowed his brow.
âLuna, donât talk about this anywhere.â
âWhich story? Hazel said you were cool? Or that brotherâs face turned red when he heard that?â
Anyway, this little devil.
âBoth. Speaking of which, youâre banned from Hazelâs carrot cake for half a year.â
âWhat? You are too cruel!â
âThen donât talk about that again.â
Elliot sealed Lunaâs mouth tightly and headed for his office. Just as expected, in front of his desk, Daniel recited in a nagging voice, but none of it was heard.