Chapter 9
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Chapter 9
"So, children, there's nothing to worry about anymore."
I offered them a gentle smile. Now that I'd made my decision, my heart felt lighter.
Yet despite my reassurance, the children's expressions remained troubled. I soon discovered why.
"But who will stay with us today?"
"Hmm?"
"You said the new teacher arrives tomorrow. What about today?"
"Well..."
"We're scared without an adult around..."
When evening came, the maids were scheduled to return to the Duke's Mansion. It was only natural, since that was where they worked.
I had intended to return to Lucian as well, and the thought of him wanting to follow me continued to weigh on my mind.
'If I and the maids leave, the children will have to spend the night until morning without any adults.'
The children would fall asleep early, which was fine in theory, but I couldn't overlook the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. Children were unpredictable, and they always needed a guardian present.
Moreover, the Büsnie Orphanage had infants who had only just begun to walk.
'Such young children would surely have tantrums at night, and their diapers would need changing while they sleep.'
I watched a maid soothing a crying child in the corner of the orphanage. The other maids were equally frazzled, changing diapers and preparing formula.
Seeing their exhausted faces, I knew I couldn't possibly ask them to stay until tomorrow morning.
So I made a decision.
"I'll stay here, so there's nothing to worry about."
"You will, sister?"
"Yes. I'll be here until the new teacher arrives tomorrow. So don't any of you need to worry."
"...That's a relief."
Smiles bloomed across the children's previously anxious faces. Their bright grins were utterly adorable.
Spending a single night with such lovely children seemed like it would be no trouble at all.
However, this was my miscalculation.
* * *
"Miss, are you certain? Perhaps we should stay after all..."
"I'm sure. I'm already grateful you came this far—I won't ask you to work through the night as well."
"But there are so many children..."
"I said it's fine. No matter how difficult things get, it can't be worse than caring for Lucian, can it?"
"Still..."
I gently pushed the maids forward, their worried gazes fixed upon me.
"Tell Lucian that I'll return as soon as the new caretaker arrives tomorrow. Let him know his aunt has business to attend to and will be staying the night here."
"Understood. You'll call for us immediately if anything happens?"
"Of course."
After seeing the maids off in the carriage, I waved toward the vehicle as it disappeared into the distance. Fortunately, having secured a caretaker so quickly allowed me to set aside my worries.
"I've fed them and given them proper baths."
Raised under the Orphanage Director's care, the children were self-sufficient—eating and washing without assistance. The older residents even helped me and the maids bathe the younger ones.
It was admirable, yet somehow heartbreaking as well.
I withdrew my pocket watch from my bag. It was nearly nine in the evening—the time when well-behaved children should be drifting off to dreamland.
"Shall we prepare for bedtime now?"
After securing the room thoroughly, I gathered a couple of fairy tale books in my arms.
"He'll definitely refuse to sleep."
I recalled Lucian, who had exerted every ounce of effort to avoid slumber.
'Lucian, why on earth won't you sleep?'
'Don't wanna sleep!'
'But why don't you want to sleep?'
'It's my choice!'
Lucian was the type to shriek defiantly that he absolutely would not sleep, poke his fingers into my nostrils while I sang lullabies, and even attempt midnight escapes through the corridors before being caught by the caretaker.
'I really don't understand why he won't sleep. I could sleep all day long if I wanted to.'
Clutching the fairy tale books to my chest, I entered the room with firm resolve.
Yet despite my mental preparation, all the children were already ready for bed.
"You're all... already prepared for sleep?"
"Yes."
The children simply nodded their heads while lying beneath their blankets.
"We get punished if we don't sleep early."
"Well, that's true, but..."
The discipline I envisioned seemed quite different from what these children had experienced from the Orphanage Director. The way their shoulders trembled at the mention of punishment made that clear.
"I won't punish you for that."
"...Really?"
"Yes. There are nights when sleep simply won't come."
Of course, it would be problematic if they refused to sleep every single day like Lucian.
I shrugged my shoulders and moved toward the empty spot. A pillow and blanket had been laid out for me there.
"Anyone who can't fall asleep, come here. I'll read you a fairy tale."
At those three syllables—fairy tale—several children's heads perked up. Yet they didn't immediately approach me.
'I suppose they're still uncomfortable? After all, I'm an adult they've only just met today.'
In moments like this, forcing myself upon them would be counterproductive. I needed to make them come to me of their own accord.
"Suit yourselves then. I'll just read it alone."
I deliberately played it cool and opened the book. Several children's hips began to wiggle.
I responded with an even more exaggerated tone of voice.
"Wow, there's actually a house made of candy? That sounds absolutely delicious!"
"...I'm curious about the candy house."
At their somewhat hesitant response, I let out a soft laugh. Then, pretending I couldn't help myself, I held the book open so the children could see.
"Want to look at it together?"
"...Yes."
Once one child nodded, the rest became easy. The children, their guards lowered, began creeping closer to my side.
"Once upon a time, there existed a Candy Kingdom where the entire world was made of candy..."
Before long, I found myself gazing warmly at the children, their eyes sparkling with concentration, as I continued reading.
The sound of soft snoring began around the time I finished the first book. All but three of the children had drifted off to sleep.
'Watching them sleep is making me drowsy too...'
But I couldn't close the book just yet. There were still children who hadn't fallen asleep.
I suppressed the drowsiness washing over me like an incoming tide and opened the next book.
I could have sworn that's what was happening...
"Waaaaah!"
At the sudden sound of crying, I jolted upright.
Turning toward the source of the noise, I found a girl who couldn't have been more than a year old weeping pitifully.
'If this keeps up, the other children will wake.'
I hurriedly scooped the crying child into my arms. What was her name again? Was it Cherry?
"Why is our Cherry crying? What's making you so sad?"
"Waah! Waaaaah!"
"...This smell..."
As I swayed the child gently back and forth, I felt a warm sensation at my fingertips and instinctively froze. Then I brought my nose to Cherry's bottom and sniffed.
"Ah, I see..."
And quite thoroughly at that.
So that's why she was crying.
'I need to change her diaper...'
Regrettably, I had never changed a diaper before. Bathing Lucian and changing his diapers had always been the responsibility of the nursemaid and the servants. There was no helping it—such was the privilege of being born into nobility.
'But I can't leave her unchanged...'
Alright! Let's give it a try!
"I'll change you right away. Just be patient a moment?"
I gathered a fresh diaper and a towel, then made my way to the washroom. There, I undressed the child using everything I'd observed and learned from watching the nursemaid.
I placed the soiled diaper in a bucket for now, deciding to wash Cherry's body first. Infants caught colds easily, so I had to work quickly through all of this.
"Waah, waaaaah!"
"There, there. All done."
I forced my drooping eyelids open and washed Cherry thoroughly. Then I put on a fresh diaper and wrapped the child snugly in clean clothes to prevent her from catching a cold.
Fortunately, Cherry stopped crying the moment she was dressed in fresh clothes and soon fell asleep.
'Thank goodness...'
Though the diaper was a bit loose, I counted it as a success.
Just as I was about to lay the sleeping Cherry back down on the blanket—
"Waaaaah!"
The moment her back touched the ground, Cherry burst into tears.
"Yes, yes. Don't cry."
I tried earnestly to soothe and lull the child back to sleep, but it was futile. It was as if Cherry had a motion sensor attached to the back of her head—the instant I laid her down, she wailed.
The only silver lining was that the other children slept deeply...
"Huuuuh..."
"Waaaaaah!"
So much for that silver lining.
At Cherry's cry, the other infants her age began wailing in unison.
"Yes. It's alright. Let's sleep again."
I patted the chest of a crying child with my free hand while holding Cherry in the other. Holding one child with a single arm was proving to be quite the ordeal, but there was no choice.
But the children showed no signs of stopping their crying.
And that wasn't even the worst of it.
"I... I need to go to the bathroom..."
"...You're awake?"
One of the boys got to his feet, clutching the front of his clothes.
'He drank so much juice earlier.'
It was nothing short of total chaos.
"Can you... can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"
"Mm-hmm..."
"Then hurry back."
Despite his claim that he could go alone, the boy stepped on several sleeping children as he made his way to the bathroom in the darkness. He simply couldn't see them.
"Ow!"
"It hurts!"
The children who had barely managed to fall asleep jolted awake at the commotion. It was absolute pandemonium.
'I want to cry...'
Why had I sent the maids away? Why had I been so confident that this would be easier than caring for Lucian?
I wanted to abandon all reason, but even that mercy the heavens would not grant me.
"Ugh... oh no!"
Despite having been scrubbed clean just moments ago, Cherry had an accident again.
'At least she's easier to deal with than Lucian... barely...'
This was the moment I fully grasped the truth: even one child was overwhelming.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org