Chapter 68
68
68. The Maid and the Young Master (2)
Robert was lying with his eyes closed as if dead. I anxiously checked Robert’s complexion.
“Why is the young master like this? He kept trying to go outside, and I thought it would be dangerous, so I forcibly kept him in the room, but what happened? Is he not feeling well somewhere……”
“He’s asleep.”
“Yes?”
Unlike me, Nanny, who quickly calmed down, held Robert in her arms and patted his back. As she said, I could hear even breaths coming from Robert, who had leaned his cheek on her shoulder. Only then did I feel a little relieved. He collapsed so fiercely that I thought something had happened.
Robert, who had been tossing and turning for a while, half-opened his eyes. As the child’s gaze turned to me, I tensed up, but his dazed purple eyes glistened with moisture.
“Mom……”
“Yes, young master. Don’t worry and sleep.”
Nanny patted Robert’s back again. His small hand gripped her sleeve. He closed his eyes again, but his face was contorted. As if he was having a nightmare. A teardrop fell between his closed eyelids, wetting Nanny’s shoulder.
After soothing Robert and laying him on the bed, Nanny turned to me and smiled kindly. As if she had read my mind. I was constantly checking on Robert’s condition with worry.
“I’m sorry.”
I acted carelessly, thinking he was just a stubborn child. But he’s still young, he might have cried while knocking on the door, and I knew that but pretended not to know. I regretted everything and felt sorry for Robert.
As I bent down, Nanny waved her hand in embarrassment.
“No. He just fell asleep.”
“Fortunately, nothing happened this time, but it was my fault for leaving the young master alone. I should have stayed by his side.”
“You just left to get the young master’s things. It’s okay.”
Nanny, who spoke kindly with a smile, looked at Robert again. Affection was evident in her touch as she rubbed his chubby cheeks and stroked his forehead.
“Is it very difficult to attend to the young master?”
“No.”
“You can be honest with me. The young master is particularly fussy with Ann, isn’t he?”
“……It’s not.”
I couldn’t answer right away that it wasn’t. As if understanding my feelings, Nanny let out a short laugh.
“He’s lonely.”
As I stared at the back of Nanny’s head at the sudden words, she continued to speak.
“The master passed away early in an accident, and even the mistress is too busy with family matters to spend time with the young master. There were many times when she couldn’t even see his face all day. By the time the young master was able to take his first steps, it had already become a natural routine. I came to this mansion to soothe the young master’s loneliness, who was living without the mistress.”
I didn’t know at all. He was such a cheerful person that I didn’t feel any of that…… To think that a sad story was hidden behind that hateful face.
“But even here, I’m the only one who’s by his side, so he must still be very lonely. So how happy he must have been when Ann appeared.”
Is it because he has someone to play pranks on?
“He has one more person who will be by his side every day.”
“……”
“No matter how badly he acts and how fussy he is, he’s happy because you don’t leave his side.”
Her voice, mixed with laughter, rang softly. I rolled my eyes. I felt sorry for young Robert’s inner feelings, and her words sounded very sad, but when I thought about what that child had done to me, the sadness quickly turned into anger.
If I’m lonely twice, my head will explode.
“So please understand that he’s just being fussy because he’s lonely.”
I couldn’t bring myself to argue with Nanny, who turned to me again and smiled, so I nodded. She also advised me that it’s best to grant the young master’s requests as much as possible since he’s stubborn. It wasn’t very helpful advice, but I just nodded.
Then, should I also grant his wish to climb on the Iron horse statue? As if noticing my concerns, Nanny firmly said.
“Don’t let him climb on the Iron horse statue, it’s dangerous.”
“I understand.”
I nodded one last time and looked at Robert again. He had a peaceful face and was breathing evenly. When he’s sleeping, he looks like a cute baby angel from a fairy tale.
“Ugly, mumble.”
The heart that was becoming fluffy scattered in an instant.
I think Nanny misunderstood this time. He definitely hates me.
\ \ *
“Oh? Where are you going?”
Johnny greeted me from afar. His face, waving his hand, was full of smiles. What’s wrong with him. I frowned, but Johnny approached me happily, not caring about my reaction. I didn’t want to deal with him. I quickly tried to run away, but he stubbornly blocked my path.
“You look tired? Looks like you’re busy.”
“Yes. I’m very busy, so please move.”
As I took a step to the right, Johnny followed and stood in front of me. This time, I moved to the left, and he took a step again. Is this for real? I made a fierce expression, but Johnny smiled brightly and fluttered his hands, as if it didn’t work.
“Listen to me for a second. You know, Alicia!”
Without my permission, Johnny started chattering about his experiences with Alicia. I grabbed my throbbing forehead.
Whether my advice to do well last time worked, Johnny and Alicia’s relationship seemed to have improved rapidly. Since then, Johnny had been telling me about his experiences with Alicia whenever he met me. Alicia did this and that. I didn’t want to hear it at all.
“So, you see.”
“Move. I’m busy.”
“I know. Just listen to this and go.”
I’m tired and exhausted right now. Besides, I didn’t want to listen to other people’s love stories. As I glared at him as if I wouldn’t let him off if he didn’t move, Johnny’s chattering voice stopped abruptly, as if he felt the momentum.
“Ah, I understand. Then let’s talk about something else.”
“Something else, what.”
“How are you doing these days? I heard you’re attending to the young master.”
“Me, well.”
……I said and let out a deep sigh. Then I laughed hollowly like an old man who had lived his whole life. Johnny’s eyes widened.
“You look very tired?”
“I can’t say I’m not.”
“Why, does that little brat ignore you because you’re a servant?”
Should I say yes or no. He does ignore me, but he doesn’t treat me that badly. I’ve been ignored worse than that, so I could laugh it off. I could tolerate his capricious fussiness to some extent because the other person was a child, and I felt somewhat sorry for him when I thought it was based on loneliness, as Nanny had said last time.
Of course, that feeling didn’t last long.
Robert kept fussing over me without getting tired. Nanny, I think you’re wrong. He just hates me.
I shook my head. He’s becoming so arrogant because he’s always being pampered. Someone needs to tell him firmly that it’s not okay, but there’s no one like that by Robert’s side. Nanny, who had been with him for a short life, only accepted Robert’s fussiness.
“I heard you’re only staying at the mansion for a short time? Then just bear with it a little longer.”
“I know.”
I knew, but there were times when I wanted to quit everything.
Like right now.
“I want to go out.”
“You can’t.”
“I want to go out!”
Robert lay down on the floor and flapped his arms and legs. He stretched out his short legs with all his might and hit my knees. As the pain intensified, my patience gradually turned into anger.
Robert mainly spent his time playing with toys in his room or wandering around the Iron table. When Nanny was there, he would go for walks outside, but when he was with me, he would only stay in the room or walk around the hallway. Nanny asked me to stay inside the mansion when we were alone.
‘He’s still young. Besides, he’s so…… you know?’
I know it all too well. It means to refrain from going out because you don’t know where he’ll bounce.
“I want to go out! I’m going out!”
But today, the young master’s fussiness is too severe.
“Let’s go out together later when Nanny comes.”
“Go now!”
“Nanny will be sad if we go out just the two of us.”
“We can go out with Nanny later too.”
“……”
Robert was a fast talker compared to his peers, but he spoke especially clearly in times like this. You can see the signs of good upbringing in situations like this.
I was speechless as I watched Robert rolling around on the floor. I won’t need to clean the floor today. Besides, I couldn’t come to my senses because he was screaming so loudly that my ears were ringing.
As expected, that stubbornness is no less than the master I used to serve. It might be even worse. I used a trump card on him because it was a matter of life and death, but I couldn’t do that to a child, so I was just burning inside.
“Instead of that, let’s do something else.”
“Something else?”
Robert stopped rolling around and widened his eyes. I nodded.
“Yes, something the young master wants to do.”
Robert seemed to be thinking for a moment, then smiled brightly.
But that other thing wasn’t very welcome to me either. Robert held onto the leg of the Iron horse statue and looked at me earnestly.
“Do you want to climb up?”
Robert nodded once. Why does he keep trying to climb up there? I hesitated as I looked at Robert, who was shining his eyes. Nanny, who told me to grant Robert’s requests as much as possible, said that this alone was not allowed.
As if noticing my feelings, Robert frowned. He looked like he was about to cry soon, so I hurriedly hugged Robert in my arms.
“You have to stay still.”
“Okay!”
Only then did Robert smile brightly.
I wasn’t very trustworthy, but I’ll just let him go up for a moment and come down. I lifted Robert up with all my might to the height of the saddle. His small body wobbled and climbed onto the saddle.
The child’s eyes sparkled and he dangerously stretched out his body. I panicked and held Robert’s legs tightly.
“Young master, it’s dangerous. Hold onto the horse tightly.”
“Okay, okay.”
He answered well, but he kept stretching his body forward. He wasn’t looking down. His gaze was directed at a place further away. It was strange, so I also looked in the direction Robert was looking. Robert was looking out the window.
Beyond the window, there were only trees surrounding the mansion. There were only a few servants of the mansion passing by. But Robert couldn’t take his eyes off the window. He stretched his neck and kept trying to look outside. As if he was trying to see something.
What is he trying to see?
But his sparkling eyes gradually lost their light, and his small face became sullen. I was puzzled by the change.
“Robert.”
I was startled by the sudden voice. Joelly was standing next to me, I don't know when she approached. She was alone.
Robert’s sullen face reached Joelly.
“Mother isn’t coming. Come down.”
At Joelly’s words, Robert looked down at me and wiggled his body. I realized that he was trying to get off the Iron table. He didn’t listen to me until just now, but this time he was being obedient. I carefully held Robert in my arms. Robert buried his face in my chest.
