Chapter 31
“Joan, please go downstairs and call Annie.”
Joan was startled when her na was called.
She looked at the nanny and soon left the room.
Joan ca back faster than I thought.
Annie was with her, of course. Annie looked at the ssy room and spoke to with so surprise and a little stiffness in her voice.
“Miss, I heard you wanted to see .”
“Yes. I have sothing to ask you. Co here.”
Annie could not readily enter the room even at my call. The reason… was probably the nanny.
Because from the mont Annie appeared, the nanny was sharply staring at her, as if Annie was an irreconcilable enemy.
“Quickly.”
I called again and Annie had no choice but to co and stand in front of .
“Annie, tell what you saw a few days ago.”
“……!”
At my command, Annie hesitated for a mont, but soon spoke with difficulty.
“What I saw was… Viscountess Willis was searching through the Lady’s drawers.”
The maids opened their eyes as if they were surprised.
The nanny was silent, but I could tell she was in a state of great anger.
“At first I thought she was running an errand for the young lady, but when her eyes t mine, Viscountess Willis shouted and said I was a thief. That’s when the young lady ca in.”
Annie’s voice was small and slow, but her manner of speaking was firm and her aning was clear. As soon as she finished, the nanny slapped her on the face before I could stop her.
“Nanny!”
I shouted, sincerely surprised.
The nanny was still angry, but she was more energetic and even rougher than before.
I grabbed Annie’s wrist and made her stand behind , then blocked the two of them so that the nanny couldn’t get to Annie any further. However, as if my attitude further stimulated the nanny, her face heated up red with anger.
“You! How dare you fool people with lies?”
The nanny shouted, pointing at Annie.
The nanny was certainly different from ordinary servants, as she was able to accuse loudly and proudly in front of her master even in a situation where her sins were revealed.
In many noble families, there was often a deep bond between the nannies and the nobles’ children, but the current nanny’s attitude was certainly out of line.
To people who didn’t know what was going on, they would think that she was the owner instead. I was speechless by her overly cheeky attitude.
But it wasn’t the nanny’s fault alone.
Roxana had tacitly accepted the fact that the nanny often behaved excessively compared to the nannies of other families.
Roxana relied very much on her nanny to take care of her instead of her parents from a very young age.
Growing without affection was scarier than she thought. There were no parents – or siblings – who could be there for Roxana, so the nanny must have been irreplaceable and important to her, as she was lonely. However, there were so people in the world who did not appreciate and took it for granted, no matter how much they tried to help with favors.
In my opinion, the nanny belonged to such people.
“Young lady, you don’t believe in the words of this vile thing, do you?”
The nanny finished her question and looked at as if seeking my consent. But she had no one on her side in this room, not even .
However, in the eyes of the already excited nanny, the reactions of the maids and surroundings who were whispering with astonished faces seed to be out of sight.
“I don’t know where the accessories are. I didn’t see them.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know, but I’m sure the maid knows.”
My head was throbbing. I tried to keep my voice as calm as I could without sounding angry.
“Didn’t you say the other day a wicked maid had gotten her hands on sothing in my room?”
“That’s…….”
“Why do things in my room keep disappearing even if I change people? The only thing that hasn’t changed in this room for years is and the nanny.”
“Lady!”
The nanny exclaid with a reddened face, as if she had just been subjected to so great insult. I remained silent, unfazed by her.
“Stephen has already done all the research. I have proof and witnesses that the nanny has been stealing my items for years.”
“….. !”
“So leave it at this point. If you make any more fuss here, I can’t cut you anymore slack.”
The nanny opened her mouth in a daze as I spoke.
With eyes that wavered helplessly and a sense of bewildernt hidden within them, she seed unable to find any more excuses.
“This is… a ruse. You know this, don’t you, young lady? I’m sure you know how the butler usually regarded as a thorn in his eyes.”
The nanny seed to be trying to grab everyone around her and droop down like a mouse in a tight spot making a last effort.
First Annie, then Stephen.
If I let it go, there was no telling who would be next. I motioned to the maids in the room and Annie to leave.
Everyone left and soon it was just and the nanny in the room. I waited in silence until she cald down. After a few minutes, the nanny, realizing that her lies were not working, said in a shaky voice,
“You’re going to abandon , the woman who raised you, because of one maid?”
“It isn’t because of Annie that I’m kicking you out.”
“Then why….”
The nanny stared at with a look of incomprehension.
“It’s just that having bad people around can have bad effects. Do you rember you said that?”
“…!”
The nanny’s face distorted.
“It hasn’t been more than a few days, and since the nanny said it directly, how could she have forgotten?”
“If you forgive this once, I won’t let this happen again.…….”
“I do not trust the words of a liar. Nanny has been deceiving for years now, how can I believe you anymore?”
“Lady, I’ve been taking care of you since you were born. How can you do this to ?”
People never change easily.
When I saw her framing others even after her sin was revealed and eventually pouring out words of resentnt toward , I could see that the words were not wrong.
“That’s what I’m trying to say. Nanny, don’t you rember how much I’ve tried to be understanding of your situation so far?”
I stared at the nanny with a disappointed look on my face.
“I was sad to see you not caring one bit about my illness, but I persevered. However, you deceived and tricked others with lies. I can’t believe this is only the result of trusting and believing in you…”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, so please, once and ……..”
The nanny knelt down on the floor with a thump. Roxana would not be able to see her kneeling on the cold floor and begging.
Then again, I didn’t really enjoy watching a woman older than cry either.
Tears stread down her dark eyes. Her face as she looked up at looked so sad and desperate.
“Get up already. It hurts my heart when the nanny does this.”
Sowhat lightly, I took the nanny’s hand and helped her up. Then I took off the ruby necklace around my neck and put it in her hand.
It was far more expensive than anything the nanny had ever taken before. This would be enough for a year’s worth of living expenses.
“You don’t have to pay back the money you have borrowed so far, and you won’t be able to get back the goods you secretly got your hands on because you have already sold them.”
“Lady…….”
“This is my paynt for raising until now.”
“…!”
The nanny looked up at in disbelief. I spoke softly to her.
“I think I’ve been fooled enough and helped enough. It’s ti for you to go.”
“…”
The nanny stared at for a mont, then turned around helplessly.
The last I saw of her face, it oozed more contemplation than anger or resentnt.
Before she closed the door and left, I said to her one last ti,
“Thank you for everything. I’m serious. I don’t know if it sounds funny for to say these words in this situation, but I hope you have a prosperous life wherever you go.”
Was the last word said in vain?
The nanny paused for a mont and then went out without reply.
I went and leaned against the back of the couch with my hand on my forehead. Honestly, judging by her behavior so far, my sending her away was too light of a punishnt. I had just given a moderate punishnt to an evil person, so why was I feeling so hazy?
“My Lady…”
As I was deeply in thoughts, soone woke up. I opened my eyes and saw Annie.
“What’s going on?”
“…I just want to say I’m sorry.”
Despite the fact that the nanny who had been badly treated her was gone, Annie still looked uncomfortable.
I frowned at the sight of her.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, so why are you looking like that? Did the nanny or the maids say sothing to you?”
Annie quickly shook her head at my question.
But I noticed sothing imdiately.
If the nanny had bumped into Annie on her way out, she wouldn’t let Annie off. I sighed as I saw the red handprints engraved on Annie’s cheek.
“Your master is , not them. So you don’t have to care about them in the future. If they say sothing to you, make sure to tell .”
“…!”
Annie raised her head and looked at . Her eyes were filled with tears.
“You can go rest now. You’ve worked hard so far. And I look forward to working with you in the future.”
****
After the nanny was removed, the maids beca more reserved in their attitude toward .
Not only did they beco more serious, but they were also more careful in their behavior even when I couldn’t see them. After I got rid of the nanny, Laura, and all those who had led the disturbance, I felt a real sense of peace.
Annie was the one who changed the most.
She had always been sincere, but she had definitely brightened up and beco more loyal since the nanny was gone.
If before she seed to be quiet because it was just sothing she had to do, now she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she worked.
Not only did she no longer look bad in the face of others, but most importantly, she was very friendly to .
I needed at least one loyal servant, so this change ca naturally to .
I decided to accept it.
I stopped reading the letters and invitations that ca in daily for a while and was having so tea.
One of the servants ca and handed an invitation that was sent from Hers.
I opened it cautiously.
What was written inside was simple.
It said the eting would be at the annex of the Hers three days from now. I imdiately wrote a reply saying I understood and gave it to the servant.
“Lady, is sothing wrong? You don’t look so happy. Are you worried about His Highness?”
“…?”
Annie asked anxiously, pouring so tea into my empty cup.
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