Alright, that’s enough!
It took me three years to turn things around.
In other words, three years had passed since my brother and his wife died.
In the meantime, Dioana had transitioned from an adorable four-year-old to a mischievous seven-year-old.
“Dioana Sterreeeen!”
At my shout, Dio quickly sought refuge behind the aide, with a face that seemed to suggest she knew exactly what was coming next.
“Miss, what have you done this time?” Jeremy, the aide, asked, as he lifted Dioana up into his arms.
And her response, uttered while nestled against him, sounded ironically self-aware, “I accidentally scribbled on aunt Daphne’s work papers.”
“So, that’s why Lady Daphne is looking for you so desperately?”
“Jeremy, aunt Daphne is fuming right now. Look” Dioana said, pressing her two index fingers against her temples, mimicking the devil and making strange noises while wrinkling her face.
And rather than reprimanding her, Jeremy laughed softly, remarking, “You’re as cute as ever, Miss,” completely avoiding any form of disciplinary action.
He really couldn’t discipline that child.
Well, although she was just as adorable in my eyes too, that didn’t mean I would easily overlook her behavior.
This was already the fourth time Dioana had scribbled with crayons on my official documents.
“Dioana!” I called out once more.
Taken aback by my stern tone, she turned to Jeremy with pleading eyes, but he averted his gaze.
“Dioana, could you come over here immediately?”
But..
“Ughhh!I hate both Jeremy and Aunt Daphne!” the little girl suddenly exclaimed
Truly, this was an infuriating situation.
I was the one who should be upset right now, so why was Dioana throwing herself on the floor, crying and venting her anger to the world?.
In an attempt to control my anger, I firmly pressed my hands against the walls nearby.
Yelling wasn’t the best choice when it came to educational matters after all.
Ughh, raising a child can be truly demanding. I lamented as I was internally repeating, “Be patient, be patient, be patient!” and only after I managed to calm myself down did I turn to speak to Dioana.
“Because Dio drew flowers all over the papers Aunt needs to read, I can’t even see what’s written on them anymore. Now, the people who already went home will have to come back here to rewrite and verify these documents all over again. Which means more work for everyone, do you understand? Do you realize how many people have to start over now because of Dio’s prank?”
Initially, I tried to coax and console her into stopping her pranks, but now it was time to be more resolute.
“Do you want to sit in the thinking chair or stand with your arms up?” I added seriously.
And in the midst of all this, Dioana obediently chose her own punishment, “…The thinking chair.”
Thus, a few seconds later, she found herself sitting in a chair, facing the wall, strategically placed in a corner of my office.
With a sigh, I returned to my own seat and resumed work, but my gaze continuously drifted towards Dioana.
After a while, a senior elder benevolently smiled as he snatched up the documents in front of me, saying, “Your Grace, I think that’s enough for today,”
“No, no.There’s still so much to do,” I refuted, shaking my head.
In response to my persistence, he subtly pointed toward Dioana and nodded his head. My gaze followed his, landing on the small girl occupying a chair hardly bigger than herself, looking quite adorable while obediently facing the wall.
Despite her adorable demeanor, I had promised myself to correct her behavior today, so I deliberately spoke my next words with a harsher tone, aiming to capture Dioana’s attention.
“No, I won’t play with Dioana today. Because of her, it’s going to take me all night to rewrite and review all the papers she carelessly scrabbled on. She should know she’s done something wrong.”
I spoke the words, but in reality, I was barely suppressing a smirk from creeping up on my lips.
And I wasn’t the only one.
Everyone else present in the office was in the same state as me.
But when Dioana tried to sneak a glance back at me, I swiflty cleared my throat, and made a serious expression,
“Ahem,keep looking at the wall,” i commanded.
Startled by the authoritative tone, Dioana hastly turned her head back towards the wall.
Is this enough? I pondered, thinking that it might be time to reconcile with her.
However, her shoulders suddenly started to move up and down dramatically, as if she was struggling to breathe, and after a moment, she let out a loud wail,
“Waaaahhhhhhh, it’s not my fault. Auntie never plays with me, and only works with the ministers.”
If she had responded with defiance or thrown a tantrum, it would have made disciplining her easier, but seeing her cry like this as if she couldn’t contain her sorrow melted my heart.
The child, who had remained silently seated in the corner, left everyone, including myself, bewildered.
“Dio, why are you crying as if you have done nothing wrong?” I finally asked.
“I, too, ughhh, I want to spend time with Auntie Daphne! Don’t scold Dio! I hate Aunt Daphne!” the cute girl sobbed.
Watching her small shoulders shaking so much, I bit my lip, wondering whether I had been a bit too harsh on her.
Meanwhile, the assistant and vassal were glancing at me, gesturing for me to just calm down and let go of the incident.
But I couldn’t. This time, I had to persevere until she truly repented.
Yet, even though I thought so, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness as I watched the child weep, her forehead pressed against the office’s wall.
In the end, it seemed that today, once again, I would have to surrender first.
Defeated, I signaled for everyone to leave the room.
“Please leave us, Elder. You too, Jeremy.”
Looking at my stern face, furrowed forehead, and intense gaze, Jeremy and the elder probably thought that I was extremely upset judging by how they carefully observed me until the moment the door closed behind them.
So, with a resounding thud, the large mahogany door was slammed shut, leaving only Dioana and myself in the Oval Office.
“Dioana Sterren,” I called at the top of my lungs, my voice reaching heights beyond normal, and causing Dioana’s wails and screams to instantly stop.
Nonetheless, she still had her face buried in the corner of the wall as if she was determined not to look back.
“Turn round,” I ordered.
But the little girl just kept sniffing while staying in the same position.
She is stubborn, just like her dad, I thought, recalling for a moment how my sister-in-law had sometimes struggled because of brother’s bullheadedness.
He was the stubborn one among the two of them, and in the beginning she always gave in to his tenacity, until one day she just exploded and walked out of the house without looking back.
Well, he obviously begged her to come back
Anyway, due to my brother, I knew how to deal with such obstinacy very well.
“…Do you really hate your aunt?” I merely said.
And Dioana immediately turned around to stare at me with a pitiful expression.
Her little eyes, now puffy and bloodshot, and her tiny nostrils perceptibly flaring up, made me realize how intensely upset I must have appeared to her; I must have looked like a very mean aunt.
“…Aunt Dioana, aren’t you going to scold me?”
“Come here…” I uttered gently, opening my arms wide.
And understanding the implicit invitation to come and hug me, Dioana jumped out of her chair and ran into my embrace.
I hugged her tightly and patted her on the back. It broke my heart to hear her still sobbing and breathing heavily in my arms.
A part of me wanted to play with my niece every day, but as the Grand Duchess of the North, burdened with the weight of the responsibilities that came with the title, I had to refrain from doing that.
I yearned to witness every moment of her growth, but I wanted to do my duty as the Duchess correctly, yet my heart always seemed to get the better of me.
In truth, I was aware that loneliness was the cause of Dioana’s near-evil behavior and excessive pranks.
Everyone, including myself, knew that Dioana’s situation was challenging, and as a result, I very often gave her whatever she asked for.
But she needed to learn that she couldn’t get everything she wanted all the time.
Ahhhh, sooner or later, I would need to get professional advice on parenting, as Dioana’s rapid growth was already making me struggle.
“Dioana, Auntie will pay more attention from now on. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to play with you much, and when this is over, I’ll make sure we have some fun just the two of us. We can go on picnics, balls, tea parties and all the other things you like to do. But you cannot play any more pranks on Auntie, Okay?”
My sincerity must have reached her, because Dioana nodded quickly, wiping away her tears before kissing me on the cheek with her tiny lips.
“Auntie, Dio was wrong, and I won’t do that anymore. But, you also have to keep being Dio’s auntie Okay?”
“Of course. I will always be Dio’s auntie,” I promised.
As I was about to say something heartwarming, a loud bang echoed behind the study’s door.
Intrigued, I called Jeremy’s name, and he immediately opened the door with a very puzzled look on his face. However, before he could utter a single word, the captain of the Grand Duchy’s knight order burst into the room.
“Your Excellency, I have something urgent to tell you, forgive my rudeness… …Oh, I apologize, Lady Dioana!”
Captain Lockhart, who had rushed in with urgency, grinned when he saw Dioana snuggled in my embrace.
“What’s the matter?” I interjected.
“Ah, yes. We found a spy at the Grand Duchy’s southern gate!”
“A spy?”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Well, given that the battle with the neighboring country was not completely over yet, it shouldn’t be surprising that spies were trying to infiltrate.
“No, you two-“
If it was in the past, I would have let out a few curse words at the mention of the word “spy”,but ever since assuming the role of Archduchess and engaging in a few battles,I had become more composed and guarded with my words.
Therefore, I pursed my lips mid sentence before turning my eyes to Dioana with a gentle expression.
“Dioana, why don’t you and Jeremy go outside and play for a while? Your aunt has a very important matter to discuss with the captain, and it’s not something a child should hear.”
Without waiting for an answer, I swiftly scooped Dio up into my arms and handed her over to Jeremy, just in case she had been frightened by the previous commotion.
Once she was out of sight, my smile disappeared as if it was never even there.
“Where does the bastard come from?” I asked immediately.
“We haven’t confirmed his affiliation yet….”
“Then torture him until he reveal its, or do you not trust your own judgement enough foe you to report such a small matter to me?”
Lockhart’s face grew a little sullen upon hearing my words. The man, in truth, was a more tender-hearted person than he appeared.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency,” he said, “but I think you should come and take a look at him, even if it’s only for a moment…….”
As a heavy sigh escaped my lips, I wondered if I would also have to interrogate the spy myself.
And seeing my dark expression, the knight hesitated for a moment, then muttered in a very low voice,
“Well, here’s the thing, Your Grace. He looks like he’s up to no good. And no matter how much we try to scare him, he keeps his mouth shut. And the strangest thing is….”
“What?”
“He’s handsome. Very, very handsome indeed.”
“What? …Well then, let us go see him.”
