Childcare Diaries - Chapter 56

Siege was desperate.

As he sat in this place, his will to live was broken. He himself did not kill his parents. But no one believed him. Those who had always favored him turned away from him, and even those who supported him turned back to the words of one maid. False favoritism was like that.

However, the light came to him.

It was Barry, the honest friend he met at the academy.

“We don’t believe you did it at all. Everyone cares about you.”

How could people with whom he spent a short time together trust him more than those with whom he had been with for more than a decade?

“Thank you, everyone.”

Will he be able to run to him like this before the day has passed…?

“I’ll figure out what happened to you. So, be strong.”

Can he do this kind of favor just because he is a friend of a precious person?

After he was captured here, the tears, which did not flow no matter how resentful, welled up. His friend, who was still weeping for him, looked pale.

It was a strange feeling.

*** 

“Then, what will happen to brother Siege?”

Brielle asked Marie.

It was the day after Kentrail and Barry went to Siege.

“If there is someone who can guarantee his identity, he can be released for a while. Instead, the knights will monitor him.”

Fortunately, the only clue Siege was believed to be the culprit was the testimony of the maid. So, they said that he could come out tomorrow, on the condition that the Count took the guarantee.

She couldn’t tell Brielle, though this was the approval that Kentrail had received since the morning after meeting the King.

He was not a person who easily asked for favors wherever he goes, but Marie was both sorry and thankful to the Count who would have asked the King because of them, claiming Siege’s innocence.

“Then, where will brother Siege go after he leaves?”

He will not return to his mansion. So, after discussing with the Count, he concluded that it would be good to be here.

“He will come here.”

“That’s a relief.”

Marie looked at Brielle curiously.

Because she was curious about the meaning of the Young Master’s words, who said it was a relief. Siege was coming here after leaving his own mansion, though.

“What?”

“It would have been very sad if brother Siege had gone to his house. Now, that place must be a place of painful memories for brother Siege.”

“Young master…”

She was so moved that she wondered if Brielle was comparing it to his own situation.

Marie quietly opened her arms and hugged Brielle. She always wanted him to know that they were there to share his sorrow with.

*** 

The knights of the royal guard came with Siege to the county.

“Thank you, Count.”

He bowed his head with a face that showed his hardships in prison.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

Kentrail vacated the room next to Barry for Siege.

“Welcome.”

Barry came to Kentrail’s side and greeted Siege. Marie and Ellie, and even Brielle were watching Siege from behind.

“Huh.”

When he saw his friend with a weak voice, Barry felt bad. Perhaps, because of his complicated mind, he gazed at the children standing for a long time, and Marie stepped out.

“I think it would be better to go in and rest.”

She let Barry guide him.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Following his sister’s advice, Barry took Siege with him. As the two children turned and walked away, Marie’s heart grew heavy.

“Is this because I twisted the original story?”

Nevertheless, if she thought of Brielle, even if she could turn time back, she would have had no choice but to make this choice.

*** 

Kentrail had dinner with Marie alone.

It was because Brielleinsisted that he dined with Barry and Siege with Ellie.

“You seem to be getting thinner.”

“That’s not what the Count should tell me. I’m not thinking of getting back the cheek fat I lost last time.”

Saying so, she sighed as if she was upset.

“I heard that look is more popular.”

He glanced at Marie, who was wiping her cheek with one hand.

“Yes? Who…”

Kentrail also has ears, so whenever he enters the palace, he cannot ignore the sound he hears. Marie’s eyes lit up after thinking for a moment at his words.

“Who do you want to be popular with?”

Her reaction was unexpected, so he hurriedly added his words.

“No… I thought you’d like it even more when everyone just said that.”

At his words, Marie dropped the knife she was holding onto the plate, and a sound resounded. “I like what the Count looks like!”

Then, without realizing it, she shouted in gibberish.

Hearing that, Kentrail stopped drinking this time.

“Is that really true?”

“I do not know!”

Seeing the two of them like this, the butler sighed.

‘Is it true that they don’t think they have feelings for each other even though they are like that?’

The butler smiled softly as he compared his relationship with his wife when he was young. It was a good time.

“By the way, would you call me that way?”

“I mean, it’s still awkward.”

“If you keep going, the awkwardness will disappear. Try it.”

“I don’t know. Later.”

Marie glanced at the butler and shook her head.

Seeing so, Kentrail put down the cup he was holding, resting one arm on the table and one hand over his face, peering into Marie.

“What… why?”

“I thought it was a very expensive mouth.”

As his eyes grew deeper and deeper, Marie lost her appetite.

‘I can’t eat anything because I’m nervous.’

When she put her fork down, he took the fork and knife and continued his meal as if to step back.

*** 

“I can eat alone.”

Siege grumbled as he looked at those around him. But, even if he didn’t like it, his voice was bright.

“Anything is delicious when eaten together.”

Barry gave him a pint glass and ripped off the leg of the chicken that came out for him.

“I have mine, too.”

“Eat a lot. How can a person who lifts a sword have such a shrunken physique?”

In prison, he could see that his friend had lost a lot of weight, maybe because he hadn’t eaten on time.

“It will recover quickly.”

“Yeah, so eat this so you can recover quickly.”

Looking at these two, Ellie ripped off her own chicken leg and handed it to Barry. “Brother has recently recovered from his injury. So, eat mine.”

“It’s okay. When was that?”

“Even now, on a rainy day, you don’t know how to massage your legs.”

“When did you see that again?”

Barry, who didn’t want to show weakness to his sister, turned his head, embarrassed.

“Still, you eat this. I can eat other things.”

Barry tried to give it back by lifting the chicken leg that Ellie gave him. Though before he put it on Ellie’s plate, another chicken leg was placed on Ellie’s plate.

“Then Ellie eats this. Ellie also collapsed.”

It was Brielle. He gazed at Ellie with a bright expression.

“Young master…”

“Hehe, I’m the strongest here.”

It wasn’t wrong to say that Brielle, who seemed to be the weakest by looking at his face, was not injured the most.

“However….”

“I’ve never been hurt. I’ve never collapsed.”

“That’s right…”

It was when Ellie, who could not eat Brielle’s share, was about to refuse, another chicken leg was placed on the child’s plate.

“Because our master must grow a lot.”

It was the chef. He listened to their conversation from a distance and brought another chicken leg.

The children had wonderful smiles on their faces.

*** 

“Sir.”

Taylor found Kentrail.

“How did things go?”

“I’ve met the maid chief of Caveran.”

“What did she say?”

“She asked for money.”

“Money?”

“Yes. I have come to report to the master because it is not at the level of the amount I can decide on my own.”

“So, there’s something.”

“It seems so.”

“She must have asked a credible statement. How much did she ask for?”

Hearing that she had asked for a price for a house in the capital, Kentrail smirked. “It’s no different from the master. Seeing that she’s trying to take part from someone who is desperate.”

“What should I do?”

“We have to give it to her.”

After he called the butler, he told the treasurer to raise money.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Moments later, Kentrail, who looked at Taylor, continued,”I’ll give you a vacation when this job is over.”

“Yes, please give me a lot.”

Hearing the reply, he liked the loof of such a knight and smiled lightly.

“Huh…”

And when Taylor saw that, he made an unbelievable sound.

“What?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen the master look at me like that.”

“Is that so?”

Kentrail, who was only expressionless, had been making various expressions that he could not recognize for a long time, so he thought about Taylor’s words for a while.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you sometimes make such a face in front of the Young Master or nanny…”

At the sound of the nanny that Taylor brought out, Kentrail’s thoughts continued to Marie.

‘Her bright appearance has also colored me.’

It was a change that he didn’t hate.

*** 

“Huh? Count.”

Kentrail suddenly wanted to see Marie and found where she was.

“What were you doing?”

“I was organizing Young Master’s clothes when he was a baby.”

At her words, he looked around and saw several clothes lying on the floor. Then, Kentrail followed her to the floor and picked up one.

“It’s Brielle’s favorite outfit.”

“You remember. Just looking at this outfit reminds me of how the Young Master ran away because he didn’t want to wear a diaper.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the back look is so cute, so I took it slowly on purpose.”

She was genuinely excited. When there was someone next to her who could relate to Brielle’s childhood, Marie started talking about this and that.

“And, this is what the Young Master was wearing when he started drawing something. If you look here, pen marks remain. No matter how much you wash it, it doesn’t come off.”

“Did you wash it yourself?”

“Yes, actually, one of the maids washed it and handed it to me, but the pen marks were still there, so I rubbed it again and again and washed it.”

“I see.”

He followed her and folded her clothes.

“You’re really good at this, too.”

“Because I’m good at anything.”

“Yes, you are.”

Seeing the folded clothes, Marie was internally surprised. After looking at his hand several times, she hesitated for a while before speaking up.

“I…”

“Speak comfortably.”

He looked at her with a smile.

‘It’s a smile. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Count smile like this.’

The problem, however, was that his smile made it more difficult to speak.