Robert had his eyes closed as if he were dead. I checked his complexion, feeling uneasy.
"Why is the young master like this? He kept trying to go out, so I thought it might be dangerous and forced him to stay in the room. Did something happen? Is he not feeling well...?"
"He's just sleeping."
"Really?"
Unlike me, the nanny quickly calmed down and held Robert, patting his back. As she said, even breathing could be heard from Robert, who had his cheek resting on her shoulder. I finally felt a bit relieved. I thought something had happened because he had collapsed so violently.
Robert, who had been tossing and turning, opened his eyes halfway. As his gaze turned to me, I pretended to be tense, but his dazed purple eyes glistened with moisture.
"Mom..."
"Yes, young master. Don't worry, go to sleep."
The nanny patted Robert's back again. His small hand clutched her dress. Although he closed his eyes again, he was frowning, as if he were having a nightmare. A tear dropped from his closed eyelids, wetting the nanny's shoulder.
After calming Robert and laying him down on the bed, the nanny turned to me and smiled kindly. It seemed she understood my feelings. I had been checking on Robert's condition out of worry.
"I'm sorry."
I had acted too casually, thinking he was just a stubborn child. He's still young, and he might have been crying at the door, but I pretended not to know. I regretted everything and felt sorry for Robert.
When I bowed, the nanny waved her hand in surprise.
"No, no. He was just sleeping."
"Fortunately, nothing happened this time, but it was my fault to leave the young master alone. I should have stayed by his side."
"You left for a moment to get the young master's things. It's okay."
The nanny, who smiled kindly, looked at Robert again. Her affection was evident in the way she rubbed his chubby cheeks and stroked his forehead.
"Isn't it hard to take care of the young master?"
"No."
"You can be honest with me. The young master is particularly fussy with Ann, isn't he?"
"......No."
I couldn't immediately deny it. The nanny chuckled as if she understood my feelings.
"He's lonely."
Surprised by her sudden words, I looked at the back of her head, and she continued.
"His father passed away in an accident early on, and his mother is busy with family affairs, so she doesn't have much time to spend with the young master. There were many days when they didn't even see each other. By the time the young master could walk, it had become a routine. You came to this mansion to comfort the young master's loneliness, who was living without his mother."
I didn't know any of this. Despite his cheerful personality, I hadn't noticed any signs of loneliness... I didn't expect a sad story behind that annoying face.
"But even here, the only one who can be with him is me, so he must still feel very lonely. When Ann appeared, he must have been so happy."
A new playmate?
"Someone who can be with him every day."
"......"
"Even if he behaves badly and throws tantrums, he must be happy that someone doesn't leave his side."
Her voice, mixed with laughter, sounded softly. I rolled my eyes. Although I felt sorry for the young Robert and her words were very sad, thinking about what he had done to me, the sadness quickly turned to anger.
I can't take much more of this loneliness.
"So, please understand that the young master is just throwing a tantrum because he's lonely."
I couldn't argue with the nanny, who smiled at me again, so I nodded. She also advised me to try to meet the young master's demands as much as possible, which wasn't very helpful, but I just nodded.
So, I have to let him climb on the horse stand? Sensing my dilemma, the nanny interjected.
"Going up on the horse stand is dangerous, so don't let him."
"I understand."
Finally, I bowed and looked at Robert again. He was now peaceful, breathing steadily. He looks like a cute baby angel from a fairy tale when he sleeps.
"Brat, nyah."
The warm feeling in my heart quickly dissipated.
This time, the nanny must have misunderstood. He clearly doesn't like me.
* * *
"Eh? Where are you going?"
From a distance, Johnny waved and smiled. Why is he like that? Even though I frowned, Johnny approached me cheerfully, ignoring my reaction. I didn't want to deal with him and tried to run away, but he blocked my path.
"You look tired? You must be busy."
"Yeah, I'm very busy, so get out of the way."
When I moved to the right, Johnny followed and stood in front of me. When I moved to the left, he followed again. Is this for real? Despite my fierce expression, Johnny laughed and flapped his hands.
"Just listen to me for a moment. Guess what, it's about Alicia!"
Without my permission, Johnny started talking about Alicia. I held my aching forehead.
It seems the advice to be nice worked, and Johnny and Alicia's relationship has improved rapidly. Since then, Johnny has been telling me about Alicia every time we meet. He talks about what Alicia did and what she said. I don't want to hear any of it.
"So, you know."
"Move. I'm busy."
"I know. Just listen to this."
I'm tired and exhausted. Besides, I don't want to hear about someone else's love life. I glared at him, and Johnny's chattering voice stopped.
"Ah, I get it. Let's talk about something else."
"Something else, what?"
"How are you? I heard you're taking care of the young master."
"I'm fine."
...I said and sighed deeply. Then I laughed helplessly like an old man who had seen it all. Johnny's eyes widened.
"You look very tired?"
"I can't deny it."
"Why, is the little one treating you like a servant?"
Should I say yes or no? I do get ignored, but it's not that bad. I've experienced worse, so I can laugh it off. I can tolerate his capricious tantrums because he's a child, and I feel a bit sorry for him, as the nanny said, because of his loneliness.
Of course, that feeling doesn't last long.
Robert kept throwing tantrums at me without getting tired. To put it nicely, they were tantrums, but they were more like fits of anger. Nanny, I think you were wrong. He just doesn't like me.
I shook my head. He's become so arrogant because he's always pampered. Someone needs to tell him no, but there's no one like that around Robert. The nanny, who has been with him for a short time, only indulges his tantrums.
"You're only staying in the mansion for a while, right? Just bear with it for a bit."
"I know."
I know, but sometimes I just want to quit.
Right now.
"I want to go out."
"No, you can't."
"I want to go out!"
Robert lay on the floor, flailing his arms and legs. He kicked my knees with his short legs, and the more pain I felt, the more my patience turned to anger.
Robert usually plays with toys in his room or wanders around the horse stand. When the nanny is around, they go for walks outside, but when I'm with him, he stays in the room or walks around the hallway. The nanny asked me to stay inside the mansion when we're alone.
"He's still young, and besides, you know..."
I know. It means to avoid going out because he might run off anywhere.
"I want to go out! I want to go out!"
But today, the young master's tantrums are particularly bad.
"We'll go out when the nanny comes."
"Go now!"
"If we go alone, the nanny will be sad."
"We can go with the nanny later."
"......"
Robert is quite articulate for his age, and especially in these moments, he speaks clearly. His well-mannered upbringing shows in these moments.
Seeing Robert rolling on the floor, I was at a loss for words. I don't need to clean the floor today. Besides, his screams were so loud that I couldn't think straight.
Indeed, his stubbornness is no less than the previous master's. It might even be worse. I used my ultimate move when it was a matter of life and death, but I can't do that to a child, so I was burning inside.
"Let's do something else."
"Something else?"
Robert stopped rolling and opened his eyes wide. I nodded.
"Yes, something you want to do."
Robert seemed to think for a moment and then smiled widely.
But that something else wasn't very pleasant for me. Robert grabbed the legs of the horse stand and looked at me pleadingly.
"Do you want to climb up?"
Robert nodded once. Why does he keep trying to climb up there? Looking at Robert's bright eyes, I was conflicted. The nanny said to meet his demands as much as possible, but she also said not to let him climb the horse stand.
Sensing my hesitation, Robert frowned. He was about to cry, so I quickly picked him up.
"You need to be good."
"Okay!"
Only then did Robert smile widely.
It didn't seem very reliable, but I thought I could just go up for a moment and come down. I lifted Robert up to the height of the saddle. He wobbled and climbed onto the saddle.