Episode 6
Again.
Once again, the nanny was taken away by Mariela.
‘I guess even the nanny prefers Mariela over me…’
Everyone in the mansion adored the baby, who looked like a fluffy ball of cotton.
Compared to Mariela, Dietrich was nothing more than a troublemaker who caused incidents every day.
Unlike Mariela’s sweet-looking pink hair, Dietrich had dull black hair, and his body was much bigger than his peers…
Come to think of it, he didn’t have a single cute trait.
On the other hand, Mariela was four years younger than Dietrich and was still a cute baby who smelled of milk.
Unable to suppress his sadness, Dietrich’s lips pouted far forward.
“Ouch.”
He must have clenched his fists without realizing it, as a sharp pain shot up from his not-yet-fully-healed palm.
Looking down, he saw that the scab had come off, revealing red, raw flesh underneath.
Despite this, nobody paid any attention to Dietrich this time either.
Everyone was busy with their own work.
Even the nanny he trusted didn’t notice Dietrich as she spotted Mariela, greeted her joyfully, and headed straight to Mariela’s room.
Dietrich endured the pain and clenched his fist once more.
‘Last time I got hurt, everyone ran to me, all surprised.’
It wasn’t just when he injured his palm.
Even when he accidentally broke the kitchen’s dish set while playing disc throw, the butler, although furious, still rushed over to check Dietrich’s condition from every angle.
And much earlier than that, when he hit his forehead on the doorknob while running down the hallway, splitting the skin above his eyebrow.
Or when he hung from the balcony railing out of boredom.
‘I need to do something way, way, waaay more noticeable than Mariela!’
He didn’t have the confidence to beat his little sister in terms of cuteness.
Mariela was a baby who could evoke admiration from people just by walking around with her plump, cotton-filled-looking belly. But Dietrich was already seven years old.
However, there was still a secret weapon that Dietrich had but his much younger sister Mariela did not.
That was an abundance of stamina.
With his body larger and stronger than most of his peers, Dietrich could cause accidents on a much grander scale.
When it came to strength, Mariela, who hadn’t even lived half as long as he had, could never catch up to him.
‘If I do something cool, like ta-da! Everyone will definitely love me.’
Dietrich quickly scanned his surroundings.
What caught his eye first was the dark green curtain that covered the glass door leading to the balcony.
After Dietrich’s previous accident, they had locked the door to the balcony.
They even pulled down the curtains to keep Dietrich from being interested in it at all…
Dietrich quietly recalled the day he had hung from the balcony railing.
The butler and the nanny had dashed over, panicking, fearing he might get swept away by the wind and fall.
The employees who turned pale with fright.
He remembered how everyone stared at him with their feet tapping nervously.
His lips curled up into a broad grin as he recalled those moments.
Even if the door was locked and he couldn’t go out onto the balcony…
‘If I grab onto this curtain and soar through the air, it would look super cool, right?’
Dietrich remembered a flying squirrel illustration he had seen in a storybook.
If he had a thick fabric like this curtain, he felt he could spread his arms wide and fly through the air just like that squirrel.
Once he made up his mind, Dietrich reached out, grabbed the curtain, and started climbing it like a squirrel.
***
This unbearable fever.
I lay down with a damp towel the nanny had placed on my forehead, letting out a groan.
The fever hadn’t gone down as memories from my past life and memories after reincarnation kept merging.
I thought all my memories had returned, but every now and then, new fragments of memories I had forgotten about continued to resurface.
‘Anyway, the fever will eventually go away.’
Since this was my first time experiencing reincarnation, I wasn’t completely sure, but I had a faint sense that it was true.
However, the nanny and maids, who didn’t know about my reincarnation, were constantly on edge with worry.
“What should we do, Nanny?”
“Did she take the medicine?”
“Yes, just now.”
“Well, I’ve already called the physician, so let’s wait and see. The fever might subside while we wait.”
“Understood. But will a physician from a small place like this be enough? Shouldn’t we go to a bigger city to find a renowned physician? A prolonged fever can be dangerous for babies.”
“Since we’ve already called the physician, let’s hear what they have to say first.”
It wasn’t something I could explain as a kind of ‘residual pain’ from my past life.
Feeling sorry for making them worry, I rubbed my cheek against the nanny’s hand as she repeatedly checked the warmth of my cheeks.
“Don’t worry, miss. The main family said they would send a skilled physician to help.”
The main family?
I recalled a time when the old butler had explained my family’s lineage to me.
If I retrace my memories…
‘Our family is a branch of the House of Duke Callenberg.’
Apparently, my dad, who was currently out on the battlefield, was the eldest son of the Duke of Callenberg.
Although he was the eldest, he was passed over as the heir, so he set up a branch family and lived separately.
If the main family was sending a physician, then it must be the Duke — my grandfather — who was sending him.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one curious.
Betty, who was sitting next to me, tilted her head to the side and asked a question.
“By ‘main family,’ do you mean the Duke’s household?”
“Yes.”
“The main family usually doesn’t interfere with our mansion’s affairs, right? Especially after that unpleasant incident at Madam’s funeral… Why are they suddenly sending a physician?”
The nanny glanced at me before lowering her voice.
“They must have heard about the butler getting injured.”
“Oh…”
“They’ve sent word that they’ll be sending not only a new butler but also suitable workers, a physician, and even guards.”
“The Duke, seriously… He practically severed ties with the master, but I guess he still worries about the young master and young miss, huh?”
My dad and grandfather have practically severed ties?
This was new information.
I closed my eyes tightly under the damp towel, pretending to sleep, and focused on the conversation between the maids.
“Watch your mouth. The main family’s employees will arrive in a few days. What if you say something careless in front of them?”
“I’m sorry, Nanny.”
“This is clearly an act of grace from the main family. Our household doesn’t have a master right now to handle the situation. Both the young master and young miss are too young.”
“The main family’s workers are all so unpleasant, but I guess it’s better than nothing. Honestly, I was already feeling uneasy because our number of guards had decreased too much.”
The nanny reached out and flipped over the damp towel that had been placed on my forehead.
While she did that, Betty continued to chatter.
“Honestly, there’s been way too much work lately. Even when the young master or young miss asked us to play, there was just too much to do…”
“That’s true. I feel guilty for not being able to pay more attention to them.”
“Nanny, you’ve done your best. By the way, did young master Dietrich cause any more trouble?”
“Well, he’s been behaving himself lately.”
“That’s only because he hurt his palm the other day.”
“It breaks my heart seeing the young master like that. We should’ve been more attentive to him.”
Amid their conversation, I heard a distant call of,
“Nanny!”
I squinted my eyes open just a little.
‘That sounded like Dietrich’s voice just now, didn’t it?’
I wondered if I was just imagining it since we had been talking about him.
But then I heard it again, louder than before —
“Nannyyy!”
This time, it seemed like both the nanny and the maid heard it too, as they quickly turned their heads toward the door.
“Wasn’t that young master Dietrich’s voice?”
“You heard it too, Nanny? I did as well. Don’t tell me it’s happening again today…!”
Seeing the two of them suddenly jump up from their seats, I also raised my body.
The nanny looked a bit startled to see me awake since she thought I was asleep, but there was no time to hesitate.
That’s because the desperate call echoed once more, even louder than before.
Without a moment’s hesitation, we all rushed out to the hallway.
“Nanny! Save me!”
We turned our gaze toward the source of the voice and saw Dietrich dangling from the curtain at the end of the second-floor hallway, in front of the door leading to the balcony.
The ceiling wallpaper was ripping apart with a loud tear, and the curtain was on the verge of collapsing.
Why is he doing that?!
The fabric of the curtain had twisted around Dietrich’s ankle, leaving him suspended and stuck, unable to move up or down.
The nanny didn’t hesitate. She sprinted straight toward Dietrich, who was hanging mid-air.
“Young master, don’t move!”
Every time Dietrich twisted his body, the wallpaper tore even more, and the curtain sagged into a strange shape.
As soon as the nanny grabbed hold of Dietrich’s body, the curtain completely collapsed.
The force of it caused the nanny to be thrown back, and she crashed against the glass door leading to the balcony.
With a loud crash, the glass shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere.
“Ah… ugh…”
A faint groan escaped her lips.
