I Was Just Trying To Raise Male Lead

Chapter 1

 

“Terese will leave the duke’s house soon.”

“Then who will serve young master Edwin?”

“Even if it’s not, the head maid is choosing the next nanny.”

“I suppose he’ll choose from among the handmaids?”

“What are you expecting, a girl like you to be young master Edwin’s nanny? Say something that makes sense.”

A mix of laughter came from all over the place. I wanted to run away, but to no avail.

Wherever she went, the story was the top topic of conversation among the maids.

Better to think of something else, something else, something else…

Let’s quickly collect the money and leave the Duke’s residence. She tried to think of a promising future, but all that came out was a sigh.

She’s been working hard, as she should, but the money she’s saved so far falls far short of her goal.

Renee, why don’t you have any money saved up? I get paid so much. Besides, you don’t even have a family to support, do you?

“How about Renee?”

It was a time when I was resenting Renee in my heart. I was startled by the sudden familiar voice.

Why don’t they realize that if she keeps quiet when everyone else is talking, she doesn’t want to be part of the conversation?

“Yes? What?”

“Don’t Renee want to be young master Edwin’s nanny?”

“Not at all, I like it the way it is.”

She smiled brightly and shook her head. Every time she shook her head, she heard the sound of the wind.

The fierce shake of her head, which reflected her determination, puzzled Erin, who had asked the question.

Edwin’s nanny. It was a place I absolutely wanted to avoid.

No one else knew, but I knew what the end was like.

I sighed and remembered the day it all started.

 

I slept normally like any other day and woke up in the morning. From that moment on, things have been completely out of the ordinary.

It took me a few days to realize that everything was consistent with the novel I had read.

In fact, it took me about that amount of time to accept that all of this was a reality and not a dream.

Of course, for a longer time than that, I was engulfed in shock and fear.

It was okay until I found out that I was in the residence of the Duke of Loerian, one of the most powerful families in the Arlsottia Empire.

The problem was, I was Renee. Renee is Edwin’s nanny, the protagonist of the novel.

“I’m screwed. Why Renee?”

When I first realized this, I just sat down on the floor. It was because my legs were so weak that I couldn’t stand at all.

Most of my memories are hazy because it was a novel I read a long time ago, but one thing was certain.

Due to his father’s indifference and Renee’s emotional abuse, Edwin becomes an adult and brutally kills Raynan and Renee.

He’s been a bloodthirsty tyrant ever since, but as he met the woman and healed the wounds in his heart, he fell in love and became a man of love and humility…

Then what. Renee is dead and gone.

I wish I had never known. That I was the nanny who would die at Edwin’s hands.

No, it’s too terrifying to die without knowing it, right?

Rather, I was glad to know. I might have had an opportunity to change the future.

Edwin was still too young to be a part of the story.

The current Duke was Raynan, and as described in a few lines in the novel, he was indifferent to Edwin and was steadily building his karma.

Doesn’t that mean I still have time?

Edwin is still six years old, so there is still a lot of time left before he becomes an adult.

There was so much time left for me, but I couldn’t be relieved.

The problem was that there was no way to know when Terese, now caring for Edwin, would step down. As a result, each day felt like I was walking on a thin ice sheet.

Her old age, who was Raynan’s nanny before being Edwin’s nanny, was an unsettling factor.

Of course, there was no guarantee that I would become Edwin’s nanny, and there was no way to know if I would die just like the novel.

But then again, why would a novel be a novel, since that’s how the story is supposed to go?

Anyway, I didn’t want to live with anxiety. I just wanted to live a long, long life, with peace of mind.

This being what it was, I just had to run as fast as I could.

But what held me back was Renee’s financial situation.

Apparently, she was a woman who didn’t think about tomorrow.

She’s a person who received such a large salary and spent it happily, so there was no money left in my hand. Still, I thought that my job was safe, so I could just quietly save money and leave without being noticed.

So let’s go as soon as possible and save a lot of money. If possible, you should leave the Empire.

 

That was my only and biggest goal. You want me to be Edwin’s nanny?

I looked at Erin with a serious face.

“I lack so many qualities, and I’m not greedy.”

“Still, young master Edwin will be the next Duke…”

Erin looked around with a sad face and lowered her voice and whispered.

“How do you know it will change your life?”

My life will change. But it may not be what you think it is. Even if it’s not, I think the underworld is waiting for me.

It was a story that could not be explained. Moreover, it was clear that I would die before he became an adult.

I struggled to hold back my frustrated heart and whispered to her.

“I really, really don’t want that position. So please leave me out of it.”

Erin looked at me with narrow eyes for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe my resolute words. But she soon said and smiled brightly.

“Okay. So you’re not really interested anyway, are you?”

“Yes.”

Erin was being strangely persistent today, and maybe that’s why our conversation, which on any other day would have quickly drifted to other topics, was getting unusually long.

My heart was beating faster and faster. And every time I heard the words Edwin or nanny, my heart sank. Very ominously.

“Renee, the head maid is looking for you. Go now.”

My heart, which had been running like crazy at the words of someone who entered the dining room, crashing down again, seemed to stop for a moment.

“…Head maid?”

“Yes.”

“Me? Why?”

“I don’t know either. But it’s important, so it will take a long time.”

Is it because of my mood that the ominous atmosphere is getting thicker and darker?

It took quite a while to move the sloppy footsteps to the floor, but in the meantime, the body moved steadily.

“Come in.”

“Are you looking for me?”

“Sit down for now.”

Catherine, who had worked at the Duke’s for so long, gestured to a chair, her eyes gleaming with more sternness than usual.

What did she mean, sit down and listen, not stand up, is the story that long?

As she crouched down on the chair, she immediately brought up the subject.

“Terese is going to leave the Dukedom soon.”

I knew it. I groaned inwardly.

Still, I didn’t know that she would be leaving the Duke’s residence so early….

The ominous feeling that had slowly descended around me began to penetrate my body little by little.

I’ve never been alone with Catherine before, so to speak in Terese’ name.

“So I mean…”

“Cough!”

“From now on, you will see young master Edwin….”

“Cough! Cough!”

Catherine usually hated being interrupted. She was sure she would get angry and kick her out, but her reaction was not what she expected.

Even with the cough that was deliberately spitted out, her face twitched very weakly.

“You will have to take him.”

The words she hadn’t wanted to hear were finally out of her mouth.

“What?”

Another coughing fit, I said aloud, without realizing.

Anyway, it was much faster than expected. I was expecting it to be a little bit longer.

This time, Catherine’s firm face collapsed. I apologized in a small voice as she visibly raised her eyebrows and stared at me sharply.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was so surprised.”

“Recently, I see that there is no other child who is as sincere and hard-working as you.”

I just wanted to save money and leave. I had no idea that earning extra money would come back to haunt me.

“No, thank you, but I’m not good enough to serve young master Edwin.”

“Good. Since you’re so humble, you can set a good example for young master Edwin.”

What I really didn’t want to say came back as a compliment.

I rolled my eyes for a moment and looked for a way, then with a paler face, I put my hand on my forehead and said weakly.

“I… I can’t serve young master Edwin because I’m weak…”

“Didn’t you clean the stables with the servants last month and move the materials used for the repair work?”

That damn extra pay. I bit my teeth and smiled awkwardly.

“Yes. It was… At that time, I was so overworked that my health was very bad. Cough!”

At the end of my words, I let out a light cough. Then there was a very small change in Catherine’s face.

Troublesome, isn’t it? It would be embarrassing. The nanny to the duke’s heir would be so frail. It couldn’t be.

“I didn’t know you worked so hard. I’ll have to tell the doctor to use the best medicine. You shouldn’t be sick when you’re in charge of young master Edwin.”

“Not me, Erin!”

By now Catherine had established that I had become Edwin’s nanny and was carrying on the conversation.

I hadn’t said a single word about it!

Desperate to distract her somehow, I mentioned Erin’s name and the door slid open.

Catherine and I looked towards the door. However, the door was only slightly opened, and no one could even feel the presence of anyone, let alone come in.

“Is the door broken?”

She tilted her head and stood up from her seat, and orange hair appeared through the cracks in the door.

“Catherine?”

“Young master Edwin!”

It was a small child. Catherine moved more quickly than ever before and greeted him warmly.

“How did you get here? It’s a good thing. I will introduce you to a person who will serve young master Edwin in the future.”

“Me?”

“This is Renee, who will serve young master Edwin in the future after Terese.”

Catherine confidently stretched out her hand towards me, who was only blinking. The eyes of the little child moved along her hand.

“Renee?”

Oh, my God. Why didn’t you ever describe little Edwin as pretty, author?

Although there are many maids, it was not easy to see the two of them while working at the duke’s residence because they surrounded Raynan and Edwin.

I’d heard stories about the duke and his family. However, seeing Edwin in person, he went beyond the rumors.

With wavy orange hair, round cheeks and big, round blue eyes, the doll seemed to move.

Just looking at each other, a smile came to my face.

Above all else, his small red lips are clenched and call my name without realizing it…

“Yes, Edwin. I’m Renee. Please take care of me.”

What? Take care of me.

My plan to show him that there were many other maids who were kind and dutiful had been thrown out the window.

If I had to try again now, I’d say, ‘I’m sure Erin will definitely suit young master Edwin.’

It was when I was about to breathe in loudly and open my mouth.

“Yes. Please take good care of me.”

The moment I saw Edwin’s face smiling brighter than the sunlight coming in from the window, I unknowingly grabbed his two hands.

“I will serve you with all my heart.”