Childcare Diaries - Chapter 28

Something solid flew into Kentrail’s cheek.

“Uncle!”

His nephew was waking him up, just like when he had daydreamed of the nanny before.*
(Chapter 21)

“Brielle!”

Kentrail was not confident to show his crying face to Brielle, so he quickly dragged his nephew’s face into the chest and hugged him. Then, he could see the hair he had seen in his dreams. He picked the child up and put him close to his face. Seeing the similar hair in front of him right now made him realize how much he missed it.

“I can’t breathe.”

“…”

Despite his nephew’s grunts, he was choked up and couldn’t say anything. Kentrail just stroked the child’s head softly.

“Uncle, were you sad?”

However, it seemed that Brielle had seen him after wandering in the dreams with irresistible longing.

“No…”

“But why did you cry?”

In fact, there were still tears left on both cheeks.

“It’s just… I miss Brielle.”

“Yeah? Then, you can just come to see me. Why haven’t I seen you for a while.” Brielle smacked his uncle’s arm slightly with a sneaky slap.

“Ah…”

But it wasn’t enough to hurt him. In the meantime, even though Kentrail knew he had neglected his nephew, it was for the safety of the future. Still, he was guilty for feeling disappointed in the current situation.

“Hehe…I thought uncle had a scary dream, so I woke you up in a hurry.”

“Is that so?”

“You didn’t wake up, so I hit you. Did your cheeks and arms hurt? I’ll blow it for you.”

“The arm is okay. Now, here…” He was such a kind-hearted child. The Count quickly wiped the tears and stuck his cheek in front of his nephew.

‘How did my brother leave such a child behind? Also, how grievous will my sister-in-law be?’

“Ho~”

The warm breath came. He turned his face and kissed Brielle’s cheek.

“I’m all better.”

After a long time, Kentrail grinned wide, gazing at his nephew. Like how his brother used to smile at himself in his dream.

A warm piano melody surrounds the mansion. The people in the mansion put down what they were doing for a while and took a break to listen to music.

And there were people who were more into music than anyone else.

It was Brielle and Ellie. The two sat next to the piano and looked at the performer, shining their eyes brightly. Marie was also standing next to them, gazing at the piano player in an unknown appearance.

‘You also have this kind of side.’

It seemed as if all the warmth of the sunset were gathering here. She turned her gaze and looked at the piano keys. Long white hands were running around it gracefully. When the tone was strong, the back of his hand was strained, and the veins were visible, and when the lighter notes were moving, his white hand lifted the air and landed again. Staccato. The notes poked at her chest and disappeared.

At last, the performance was over, and applause poured out. It was not only from the three people, but also from the butler who was next to him and the official who was watching the timing to enter from outside.

The butler’s eyes were red. He didn’t know how long it had been since his master had played the piano. The young master and Ellie said they were bored, and called the tuner to check the piano. Since the master was worried about the people entering and leaving the mansion, they were relieved of the fatigue of having to check at the checkpoint.

Kentrail was a little shy about this reaction. No matter how long it had been, he couldn’t help but feel itchy at the praises that he heard after a long time.

“My uncle is the best!”

He hugged Brielle, who raised his thumb at himself.

“The Count is so cool.”

Then, this time, Ellie stood by his leg and spoke. He reached out his hand and stroked Ellie’s head.

Moments after, he turned and glanced at one person. It was Marie, gazing at him with a bright smile. She had no words as intense as Brielle or Ellie, but her smile was enough to let him know that she liked his performance. When Kentrail thought that he had made her smile like that, he was filled with a fullness that couldn’t be compared to a satisfactory performance.

“Marie, can Marie also play?”

And while looking at the atmosphere of these two, Brielle asked the nanny.

Of course, she could also play. When she was young, she attended a piano academy for a while, and she also learned it separately because she wanted to learn a little bit of nursery rhymes before working as a nursery teacher.

However, it was not known whether Marie here actually learned the piano. No, it was more likely she did not learn. There was a high probability that she had never even touched the piano, a high-end instrument before in her life.

Eventually, as she shook her head, she saw Brielle’s expression of disappointment, but Marie couldn’t help it. As she turned her gaze and looked at Ellie, the child was also staring at her. She smiled slowly again, though the child’s facial expressions became unknown and disappeared quickly.

‘Is it an illusion?’

Marie once again looked at Ellie, but her usual face was no different.

“I’ll teach the piano to you, too.”

Kentrail’s voice shook Marie’s mind for a moment. “Really?”

Brielle jumped to his feet with Ellie as he liked the idea, and Ellie put her hands together as if she couldn’t believe that she was included in his expression of ‘you, too.’

“Yes, so sit in front, both of you.”

After the Count seated Brielle in the piano chair, he made room for Ellie as well.

They raised their hands and tried to play the keys slowly. They have to learn from theory, but currently, there was no time for that, and it was a difficult time to hire an unfamiliar teacher.

So, Kentrail planned to teach them a simple song. The children were excited about the simple rhythm and played for days and days.

Barry finally had his first vacation.

When he sent a letter to inform of the day to return to the mansion, Ellie sat down at the calendar every day, playing with the scissors, and waiting eagerly for her brother. They fought when they were together, but when her brother wasn’t there, she felt empty.

Both Marie and Ellie were excited and waited in front of the mansion just in time for Barry’s arrival.

“It’s today, right?”

“Yes, he will arrive in a while. He’s with a friend, so we have to get along, too.”

Since it wasn’t his own home, Barry wrote a letter to see if he could bring guests and asked the Count for permission in advance. The Count readily agreed and had the butler prepare a guest room.

Now that Barry was also bigger, she arranged a separate room for the child. She asked Ellie for her opinion too, but she said she would rather sleep with her older sister.

“Hehe, we’re not fighting anymore.”

Marie glanced at Ellie, waiting for her brother, recalling his face.

‘Look at that.’

Then, she felt heavier in her heart, wondering if there were people in her place who would wait for her like that. Since her parents divorced and she had disconnected from them as an adult, so sadly, they may not be waiting for her like this.

But at that moment, a warm warmth flew through her fingers.

‘Ellie.’

The child who put her hand in hers. Although she wasn’t looking at Marie, Ellie was letting her know that she had someone next to her every time she was depressed. Eventually, another man who was the reason for her life, Barry, finally got off the carriage.

“Sister!”

Barry, who approached the eagerly waiting people, hugged her when he approached.

“Me, too!”

When he heard Ellie’s voice, Barry hugged his little sister this time.

The three hugged each other and asked each other’s regards. And in the distance, he could see Brielle running to find Barry. After a while, the three people held each other’s hands and ran around. Marie, who looked at them happily, finally found a man standing next to the carriage.

“Barry, maybe your friend…”

It was only then that Barry remembered his own friend, went by his side, and gave him an introduction.

“It’s my friend Siege. Siege Kayler.”

‘Siege Kayler.’

Upon hearing the name, Marie looked at his impressions with trembling eyes. She was right. Siege Kayler. It’s an old name, but a name she can only remember. After becoming the nursery teacher, the children hated vegetables, especially kale, so they laughed every time they read the books. So, how can she forget it?

“How are you? Please call me Siege.”

His figure that sparkled in the sun complicated her mind. And she was afraid. Marie took a step back without knowing it. She caught Brielle and made him come to her side.

He was the male protagonist who killed the Count, Kentrail.

Kentrail found Derek after a long time. It would seem even more suspicious to go out at night, so he deliberately pretended to observe the market prices at bright times and came to see Derek.

“There was no one following you?”

“I only brought the minimum number of people on purpose.”

Rejecting even Derek’s words that he would bring hot tea, the Count immediately went into business.

“What did you find out?”

“As you might have guessed, those people were the ones who benefited the most from the death of the Count’s Older brother and his wife.”

“Alright.”

The queen’s family and business were their rivals. That was one of the reasons the Count was on the lookout for the queen, but he took a lot of time to make such a decision.

“I heard there was an attack. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. The nanny and I were hurt a little.”

“Are you talking about the young master’s nanny?”

There was a wrinkle in the master’s eyebrows as if it was a reminder of the situation at that time.

“Is the nanny a reliable person?”

With that, Kentrail made an unpleasant expression.

“Are you suspicious of her?”

“We should entrust the young master to someone who is absolutely reliable in the current situation.”

He knew Derek’s suspicions were reasonable, but it was as though he was even being suspicious of her love for Brielle, Kentrail’s feelings came up.

“She’s someone I can trust.”

“…However…”

Derek was more puzzled by his master’s resoluteness. So, he opened his mouth once again.

“She’s the one who I can leave my back to.”

When the master spoke so, he had no choice but to accept it. In the end, Derek took a step back, replied that he understood.

“If something happens to me, I ask for you to look after her, including Brielle, and her family.”

Hearing his words, Derek’s eyes widened. He knew that wasn’t the usual meaning.

“Yes.”

It was the command of the master, so he was sure to keep it. Kentrail felt faith in his low voice. He was a little relieved because Derek was a man of all trades.

“Do you find anything out of that knight?”

“He never said what he was supposed to do.”

Kentrail was talking about the person who attacked the library. He knew nothing would have been found, but Kentrail continued by the time Derek was about to dismiss himself.

“But I found mail in his house.”

“It has to do with the incident?”

“Yes. Because it was encrypted, it took a while to break it, but thanks to that code, I found a link.”

“What is that?”

At Kentrail’s words that followed, he swallowed only dryness.