Rebecca did not deviate from my expectations. When I didnât do what she wanted, Rebecca hurriedly got up from her seat as if she was going to tattle on her daddy.
âIf youâre going to tattle on your daddy, you wonât be able to taste the snacks that I made. My next snack will be moist chocolate bread. The chocolate will rush out once you split itâŚâ
Upon hearing my words, the child jumped to the chair next to me.
With her black hair and red eyes, just like a rabbit.
Rereâs puffed cheeks reflected her heart.
It was obvious that she was upset.
âGive me that.â
âWhat do you mean by âgive me thatâ? You need to say please~â
âNo. Why do I need to say please? Iâm a princess, and Iâm the owner here.â
âThen I wonât give it. If Rere says âpleaseâ in a pretty voice, then Iâll give it to you. Iâm sure you can do that.â
ââŚ.â
âIâll wait for you.â
I grinned and stood up with the plate of schneeballen.
âWa-Wait!â
I made up my mind.
Even if I had to go, Iâll make you human at least once.
Before I go, Iâll definitely take a little revenge.
âIâm annoyed! Give me! Give meeee!!!â
As if she couldnât overcome her anger, Rere lashed out uncontrollably.
At a time like this, it was the nanny and the maids who stepped up.
After looking at us alternately, they bowed their heads to me as if they thought it would be faster to persuade me than to appease Rebecca.
âMadam, Iâm sorryâŚbut canât you give that to the miss?â
Eventually, the nanny and the maids stopped me from going out.
âI will never give it to her.â
âAigooâŚWhat if the miss catches a feverâŚâ
âShe shouldnât be growing up like that.â
At the end of my sentence, I left the perplexed servants behind and went outside.
Some of the cries of a child are fake.
The cry that Rere was making right now was that fake cry.
Eventually, sheâll get tired on her own.
At that timeâŚ
âWhoâs that?â
Just when I opened the door, I saw that Rereâs father was guarding the door.
âAh. Itâs you.â
âWhatâs with your reaction? More than that, the child seems to be crying inside.â
âI know.â
âDid you make the child cry?â
âHow can I make the precious princess cry? Iâm just saying that if she doesnât eat, then I wonât give her the snacks I made.â
âIf thatâs what the child wantsâŚâ
Itâs not âdaughterâs daddyâ but it was foolish daddy.
(T/L : ë¸ë°ëł´ Daughterâs daddy/ Fool for daughter. A term for a father/mother who adores his/her daughter way too much, and theyâre blinded by love to the point we call them a âfoolâ. But in this case, Leona calls him an actual âfoolâ lol.)
This time, he glared at me fiercely.
As if saying that he wonât let go of anyone who made his daughter cry.
âYou want me to give it to her whenever she wants it? Iâm afraid Iâve never promised to give the child everything that I made.â
ââŚâ
âThen, Iâll be going now.â
He stared at me for a moment because he had nothing else to say, and then entered the room.
I had heaps of things to say, but I didnât have any intention of rectifying that foolish daddy.
âIf youâre raising a child like that, in the end, all of you will die. Youâll get everyone killed.â
(T/N: Referring to Rebecca growing up to be a cold-blooded villainess.)
I clicked my tongue and immediately took my gaze away from them.
Of course, I kept looking at them because I was worried, but I had to keep my mind firm.
âIâm going to survive. Because I have no intention of becoming a victim and to be sacrificed in this novel.â
Once again, I clenched my fists and turned around.
Iâm also busy making snacks for dinner.
Without anyone noticing, May and I arrived in an old kitchen that wasnât being used by anyone.
âItâs fine to go back. You must have a lot to do, but Iâm grateful for your help.â
âNo! I can stay here if you like!â
âBut donât you have a lot to do?â
âAll I have to do is to help you adapt to this place!â
She smiled harmlessly and moved her steps into the kitchen.
âThank you. Then you can stay with me, right?â
Mayâs eyes sparkled.
âYes!â
âYou donât seem to hate meâŚâ
âOf course! I felt a strong sense of loyalty to Ms. Leona, who sided with us on the first day.â
âAh!â
That was the cause of the maidsâ sudden change in attitude.
âThe previous nanny used to send people to a strange place whenever she was unhappy with something. Nanny Daisy was sent to do the laundry just because she said the right thing.â
âIndeed.â
âSo I was actually happy. Because of you, she was kicked out!â
May, who had been calling me âMadamâ every day since the nanny was changed, smiled more brightly than ever.
âThank you, May.â
âItâs nothing!â
âThen you can rest a little in the corner over there while Iâm making the chocolate. You must be tired.â
âAh! They said this is called skipping!â
After smiling brightly, May comfortably sat in a chair on the corner of the old kitchen.
âIâm going to skip work here since you gave me permission!â
âOkay.â
Perhaps because she was tired, not long after that, May began to doze off.
In case I might wake her up, I moved carefully and made chocolate fondant until night came.
Chocolate fondant was usually served in an ordinary bowl, but in order for Rere to fall in love at first glance, it had to be in a big and perfect chocolate bread.
So I grumbled for a while because I couldnât use a meter here.
Fortunately, the dessert was finished at dusk. In the morning, I headed to the childâs room.
As expected, Rebecca was not eating because there were many maids in front of her. But the situation looked quite different from before.
Covering their mouth with their hands, I could tell that the maids were smiling.
âMadam!â
At someoneâs word, the maids in the room turned their eyes to me.
What could it be?
Itâs quite burdensome.
âWhat happened?â
âOh my god! The miss has eaten! She ate the whole bowl!â
ââŚWhat?â
That was not what I wanted.
I wanted Rere not to eat this time.
This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org
So I rushed into the room.
It was true that I saw Rere eating diligently at the place where I was sitting yesterday.
âHuh?â
But as soon as she realized I was here, she jumped off the table.
âIâm done eating.â
âMiss, didnât you say you were going to eat more?â
ââŚI donât know anymore. I donât want to eat.â
The child, who glanced at me, suddenly burrowed herself into the rabbit dolls.
âPlease eat a little moreâŚâ
The nanny looked at me regretfully and turned to Rere again.
I wasnât hoping for this. It was as if my presence had interrupted the childâs meal.
âRere, you-â
When I was about to say I would give her chocolate because she ate, Rere, who was swiveling among the rabbits, suddenly popped out and put her doll on the chair where she was sitting before.
âThis.â
âWhat is this? A rabbit doll?â
ââŚThe rabbit doll has something to say. Look.â
Rere, who forcibly gave me a rabbit carrying a bag the size of its body, walked back one step after murmuring.
What kind of trouble are you going to create this time?
With that thought, I fiddled the inside of the rabbitâs bag and found something in it.
âWhat is it?â
There was a paper inside, when I opened it there was something written on it.
âSorry?â
That one word.
And when I said that, Rere screamed with a flushed face.
âI didnât say I was sorry! The rabbit! Itâs the rabbit!â
âWhat?â
âAlsoâŚI donât like choco!â
The child, who was making the confession all by herself, clearly stared at me.
âIt wasnât my fault! Honestly, itâs also your fault. I like my nanny but you kicked her out. Thatâs why I did it!â
Was it possible for the child to change so much in just half a day?
I couldnât believe she said sorry.
Were you trying to fool around with me, or were you trying to hurt me by saying this?
At the time when I had all kinds of thoughts, Rere broke the silence.
âI donât like choco. Thatâs why, Auntie, you eat that!â
I wanted to say âWhatâs wrong with you?â but because of what happened, I just spoke thoughtlessly.
ââŚSo Iâm an auntie.â
ââŚIf I call you momâŚyouâll leaveâŚso Iâll call you auntie.â
Her words weighed heavily on my heart.
I had to say something else, but I continued standing still for a long time because I was dazed by her sad eyes that I had never seen before.
âYouâre leaving, arenât you? My nanny left in the end. Because of auntie. You did that so you can leave.â
I wanted to say that I wonât leave, but I already had the intention to leave.
As if I had eaten honey, I was speechless.
(T/N: Korean proverb for people who cannot speak whatâs on their minds.)
After a long time, the child pulled my hem towards her.
ââŚAuntie.â
The childâs tiny hand grabbed my hem.
âYes?â
âYouâre different, arenât you? Youâre different. Thatâs why you said those things because you were worried about me. Huh?â
ââŚ.â
âBecause you were differentâŚif I call you momâŚyou wonât leave, rightâŚ?â
No. I canât be your mother.
Because in this novel, youâre going to hurt me badly.
I had to say those words, but I couldnât bear to say it to the child who looked at me with her big eyes.
âThatâŚâ
âMom. Iâll call you mom. Iâll eat well and listen to youâŚthatâs whyâŚdonât leave. DaddyâŚand auntie will leaveâŚthatâs why I became a bad childâŚ..Donât goâŚâ
When such words came out of Rereâs mouth, I felt an unknown feeling. It seemed like a good personâs disease that I had long forgotten resurfaced.
I couldnât be so cold-hearted to a child whose eyes shine towards me. Because I saw the nature of the child whose heart was more fragile than anyone else.
I decided to escape my fate in a different way. If possible, Iâll take a round-about way.
âOkay, Rere. Iâll do it. Iâll be your mom.â
âThatâs a reliefâŚâ
Only after hearing that one word did Rere smile broadly, and soon tumbled.
âMiss!â
The nanny and maids, who had stood back as if not to disturb us, rushed in.
Unconsciously, I held the falling Rere and hurriedly carried her.
âRere, Rere. Whatâs wrong with you!â
The childâs body was burning hot as if it were a stove.