Chapter 16

The nanny laughed as if she had heard a child’s cute words.

“My lady wants to be popular.”

“It’s not like that.”

I wasn’t saying I wanted to be popular. I was just saying I was afraid I would be popular.

“You have to work hard to become popular.”

The nanny kept ignoring my deep feelings.

“Ah, really. I don’t want to. I mean, being popular makes me tired.”

How much trouble would it be to give them affection evenly if you have three husbands?

“Oh, my lady … Hahaha….”

My nanny, who was trembling, eventually burst into laughter.

As if simply laughing wasn’t enough, she laughed so hard while holding her stomach.

Seeing her even cling to tears, she seemed to be really happy.

I only spoke the truth while thinking of the future.

However, the nanny laughed at me.

‘Tch, don’t fall over by surprise when I become more popular later.’

As I groaned and turned my head, my nanny managed to swallow her laugh.

“So, are you already worried about becoming popular? Is that, uh, why you’re depressed?”

The nanny spoke softly to soothe me, but I noticed that she had put up with the laugh that was about to burst again at the end.

As I glanced at her, my nanny’s reached out her hand again and covered my cheek.

Then she rolled her hands in a circle as if to relieve me.

This time, my cheeks were pressed like soft rice cakes.

I was very weak to this gesture from my nanny.

Strangely enough, I felt better.

I know she laughed like that was because she thought I was cute.

‘I’ll have to put up with it because I’m generous.’

“That’s not the reason. Maybe it’s because I couldn’t fulfill the purpose of my visit today, so I feel bad.”

“Come to think of it. You said you’d make sure to find out what happened to the prince. Did you hear that?”

“No. Somehow, the topic of the conversation changed, so I couldn’t hear it.”

It was the purpose of accepting the invitation today, but as we talked, I was surprised because he declared me as his friend and passed over.

I didn’t know if I was stupid or Prince Luciano was sneaky.

“So, you aren’t happy?”

When I looked relieved, my nanny lifted her hand.

My cheeks became warm, and my sensitive nerves subsided.

“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”

‘It just strangely bothers me.’

I slowly dug into my nanny’s waist.

The nanny gave reached her hand and patted me on the head.

My nanny’s hand made me weak and soothed my tired heart.

“But, my lady….”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Do you really need to know?”

My nanny brought up something similar to Prince Luciano.

I was startled and pulled myself away.

“Why do you say that? How can I just move on without knowing it?”

In my sullen tone, the nanny grabbed my hand to calm me down.

“According to the prince’s words, the problem had occurred anyway, and my lady had passed over without knowing it.”

“Yes, but it’s something that happened to me.”

“If you don’t know about it, it’s nothing, but if you know it, you can get hurt. I don’t want my lady to get hurt.”

I felt as if I had been hit in the back of my head with my nanny’s bitter face.

I never thought of it that way.

However, as I listened to my nanny, I realized that I could think that way.

I didn’t have to dig through the bad things with my own hands.

‘Is Prince Luciano aware of this and keeps changing the subject?’

The nanny gently stroked my hair.

A sincere love was conveyed in hand filled with concern.

“All right. I won’t worry about it.”

I decided to obey my nanny.

“Really?”

It was the nanny who took good care of me when I got possessed and acted awkwardly.

My parents also cared for me, but not as much as my nanny, who was with me every day.

For a year, I felt with my whole body that she was a person who cared about me sincerely.

I didn’t want to worry anyone on my side.

“Yes. As I listen to nanny’s words, I don’t think I need to know.”

My nanny’s worried expression eased.

It was a moment when I felt a little awkward and ashamed of the warm gaze I had received.

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

“About what?”

“You’ve finally got a friend. This nanny was so worried about my lady because she didn’t have a friend–”

“Nanny!”

Cancel the thought that you’re on my side!

“And my lady worried about being popular.”

“That’s really going to happen!”

My strong argument made my nanny smile and hug me.

“If my lady gets angry, this nanny is afraid. What do I do?”

“I’m going to be pissed!”

“Oh, I’m scared.”

I cried in a not-so-scary voice, and my nanny’s hand began to tickle my side.

“Aaah!”

Laughter erupted helplessly at the surprise attack.

I twisted my body and tried to escape, but the nanny’s hand was persistent.

For a long time, I laughed and defended the attack.

“Ha, I surrender! Stop, stop!”

“It’s my victory, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t until it got harder to laugh that I declared surrender, and the nanny handed me her hand with a triumphant expression.

I was exhausted after a good laugh.

We played like this every day, and the nanny was like my friend.

I couldn’t imagine playing like this with Prince Luciano.

“He said I’m his friend. But, can I really befriend the prince?”

“Why?”

“He’s a royal. I think it’s hard.”

My mumble made my nanny say, “What’s so hard about it? You’ve already shown him all the bad things. You have nothing more to show, make yourself comfortable.”

Oh? Come to think of it, that was right.

He had seen the worst, so there was nothing more complex than that, right?

When I thought about it, I suddenly remembered something.

‘Oh! That is the case!’

He gave his whole affection because I have shown him a tremendous sight!

‘No matter how much I received the main character’s buff, I couldn’t overcome the shocking situation.’

A situation in which only a moderate amount of favoritism has risen to the extent that it couldn’t reach a romantic relationship.

I could see why Prince Luciano’s attitude was lukewarm.

When I came to such a conclusion, I strangely felt at ease.

I didn’t think we could have a romantic relationship, but we could be real friends instead.

That mistake was also a shame for lovers.

If we were childhood friends, we would see everything we couldn’t see, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Wouldn’t it be less embarrassing?

When that thought continued, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be friends with Prince Luciano.

But….

“I still hate it!”

I seemed to move on. But my nanny was puzzled when I spoke firmly.

“What is it that makes my lady hates so much?”

“He made me suffer for a year. I don’t want to be friends with him right away!”

The nanny looked puzzled, but I couldn’t help it.

I mean, I also have pride.

* * *

It seemed that serving tea was the basis now.

Prince Luciano always showed up with a tea set every time I visited.

I wasn’t as shocked as I used to be. I naturally drank tea.

He also drank tea silently across from me.

He sat upright and drank tea as if it were his only purpose.

That’s what I’ve been doing for a long time.

For a really long time.

‘What are you really trying to do?’

After Prince Luciano declared me as his friend, I thought about becoming a true friend to him, but I didn’t feel like doing anything as aggressively as I used to.

So, when I didn’t go to the Imperial Palace, I spent my time lying around at home.

I spent about two weeks in peace with my nanny, playing around and eating delicious food, and then I got another invitation from Prince Luciano.

He called me, yet we only had tea time in silence like a penalty.

I knew Prince Luciano was initially a silent person, but he really didn’t say a word first.

‘Is this the definition of a meeting for you?’

“What should we play?”

Eventually, I brought it up first.

“What should we do?”

“…. Why did you invite me?”

“Is there anything you want to do?”

If he has a hard time answering a question, he answers it with a question.

I discovered one of Luciano’s characteristics.

“I have nothing I want to do in particular.”

He gave me a look that said, ‘Then why do you ask?’

“So we’ll just keep drinking tea in silence?”

Was this a normal situation?

“If you’re uncomfortable with this, you can decide what you want to do.”

His words that sound kind annoys me.

“And if I decide, will you follow everything?”

“If that is possible things to do,” Prince Luciano replied.

“Even if I ask you to play with dolls?”

I didn’t mean to really play with dolls.

I just picked a game that felt burdensome.

Prince Luciano seemed to think for a moment, then he gave a slightly troubled expression.

“I don’t have any dolls. How about choosing something else?”

Did you mean you would accept that?

As I felt in the last meeting, Prince Luciano’s attitude became surprisingly gentle.

‘Then, shall I take advantage of this opportunity?’

“Let’s change the way we address each other.”

First of all, I decided to change the unpleasant things step by step.

However, a clear topic to me seemed to be random for him.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“The way you address me, I don’t like it.”

“Why do you hate that?”

It was even weirder to ask that.

“Doesn’t it feel so distant?”

Prince Luciano, who had been answering quickly, closed his mouth this time.

His face hardened as if he had been attacked.

And his red eyes stared at me with a strange look.

Was this too much?

Did you worry about how to grant my wish?

I didn’t know what you were thinking because you have a blunt face.

In fact, when Prince Luciano first changed the way he addressed me, I was surprised that he had changed, but I was also embarrassed because it was an unfamiliar expression.

Wasn’t it strange that a 10-year-old doesn’t cringe when he says ‘thou, thou’?

No matter how much it was the way to speak here, it was a burden for me, who had modern memories.

I definitely wanted to change this.

“In addition, every time I hear it, it’s kind of cheesy.”

After I said that, Prince Luciano’s eyes widened.

He blinked slowly as if he had never heard such a word before.

“Cheesy, it’s cheesy….”

In the end, Prince Luciano was shocked enough to mumble to himself.