I Was Marked as the Grand Duke Male Lead’s Stepmother - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

“Have you arrived?”

“Any issues?”

“None.”

“The nanny applications?”

“The nanny applications have been placed on Your Grace’s study desk. There are three applicants, including Miss Mariselle Manua.”

“Mariselle Manua?”

Morgan was puzzled when Porel mentioned the applicant’s name.

“Ah, the young lady of the Manua Baron family came to submit it personally, so it stuck in my memory.”

“She came in person?”

“Yes. It was so unusual that I couldn’t help but… I’ll be more careful.”

Porel, who had served as butler for generations in the Duke’s household, smiled faintly as he recalled the morning’s events.

Upon arriving at his study, Morgan leaned back in his desk chair and closed his eyes briefly to ease his fatigue.

His body was exhausted from the all-night undercover patrol.

He considered going straight to wash up, but became curious about Mariselle Manua’s application, who had come in person.

According to information, she had recently suffered from a fever and miraculously survived.

He knew that very few people knew her face since she rarely went outside.

Such a woman applied to be a nanny not just for any noble house, but for the Duke’s household?

It was stimulating enough to postpone his detailed work.

The carriage incident he had witnessed on his way back to the manor was quite interesting, but this was equally so.

‘Today is an interesting day indeed. Not just one, but two things.’

Morgan straightened up from his leaning position and reached for the application documents, checking the one placed on top first.

The resume of Jude, the second daughter of Baron Cohen’s family.

“Hmm. Not a bad background.”

Next. Baroness Coda’s wife, Reiley.

“Impressive experience.”

Morgan set down the two resumes indifferently and finally picked up the last envelope.

As soon as he took out the document, he doubted his own eyes.

“This is—”

It was the woman he had met in the marketplace during the day.

Unexpectedly, the woman who had provided him with minor entertainment turned out to be one person, doubling Morgan’s curiosity.

And her unusual resume also heightened his interest.

The Empire’s resume format doesn’t include a space for portraits.

However, Mariselle had created a separate section on her resume and attached a small portrait.

Pfft.

Morgan unconsciously ran his hand through his hair and let out a chuckle.

“…What a peculiar woman indeed.”

Morgan recalled the day’s events.

A woman with a delicate face that looked like she couldn’t kill even an ant, who looked him straight in the eye and didn’t back down from a single word.

She clearly seemed frightened by the murderous aura he emanated. Her purple eyes were so watery they even looked pure.

Yet her words were unrestrained. Even knights trained in bloodlust feared him, but this frail-looking woman kept retorting until the end, which was both amusing and strange.

That’s why he had exchanged more words than usual.

* * *

“Emma! I got called for an interview!”

“Yes, I see. Congratulations, Miss.”

Emma’s response was weak and light, as if it would blow away in the wind.

“Don’t worry. Everything will work out fine. If I do well, our family will do well too.”

“That’s right. If Miss does well, the Baron family will prosper, and I’ll be able to serve you well too.”

As she combed Mariselle’s hair, Emma’s lifeless response came back as if resigned.

Emma was also someone who, like the Manua Baron couple, strongly opposed Mariselle’s nanny application.

Mariselle had suddenly collapsed with a fever. She really had been at death’s door.

The Baron family’s one and only precious daughter. Their delicate daughter had nearly died but came back as a completely different person.

The shy daughter who had trouble saying even a word to men other than childhood friends had become bold.

And then she turned the entire household upside down by declaring she would become a nanny for the Duke’s household.

It wasn’t enough that her introverted and extremely timid personality had changed, but their daughter with no nanny experience whatsoever wanted to become a nanny for the Duke’s household of all places—what parents wouldn’t be shocked?

“Emma. I told you I have a plan.”

It was true. For the entire 3 months since entering this world, Marisselle had been devising ways to survive based on the original novel.

She didn’t know what kind of aftermath would follow as her plan was set in motion, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

She was determined not only to survive in the original story but also to live a long, healthy life and try all the things she couldn’t do in her previous life.

After all, the male lead Morgan and the female lead Saint Gabriella would overcome adversity together and fall in love.

Their love story would begin in earnest after the Baron’s family massacre, so the Manua Baron family wasn’t connected to their love story in any way.

The only thing that bothered her was that the safest place was the Duke’s Household that had completely wiped out the Manua Family.

Even though Marisselle hadn’t experienced it directly, she could imagine the scene from the original where heads rolled, and unconsciously rubbed her neck with a grimace.

“Oh my! Does your neck hurt, Miss?”

Emma asked in surprise.

“Huh? No! No. I was thinking about the interview and my throat got dry.”

“Oh. That’s a relief then. Shall I bring you some water?”

“Yes.”

After drinking the glass of water Emma handed her, she felt a little better.

According to the original story, in 7 months.

The Manua Baron family would be massacred. Unjustly becoming accomplices in Fleur’s kidnapping incident.

Since the kidnapping happened while Fleur was traveling between the Academy and the Duke’s Household, she could avoid it by not giving them the opportunity to kidnap him.

She had to become his nanny and delay his Academy enrollment as much as possible until after 7 months.

Since Fleur had lost his ability to speak due to the shock of the accident, there was plenty of excuse.

Marisselle recalled the newspaper she had read in the past. Just reading the newspaper vividly depicted the tragedy of that day.

Fleur would have died if he had been just a little later, but fortunately he survived thanks to Morgan who arrived quickly at the scene.

Thinking about her own situation and Fleur’s situation left a bitter taste in Marisselle’s mouth.

“Emma. Could you bring me plenty of pen and paper?”

“I’ll bring them right away, Miss.”

Haetak Lee had been living quite happily with his foster parents who ran a foster home before dying of leukemia.

Misfortune doesn’t travel alone. It was really true. His parents suddenly died in an accident. A year later, Haetak also died from illness.

And then he opened his eyes in this world.

Fortunately, his previous life experience as a nurse and health teacher would be of great help in surviving this world.

* * *

1. What is your motivation for applying as a nanny?

2. Why should I become a nanny?

3. What are the qualities and requirements of a nanny?

4. You have no experience as a nanny?

5. You’re quite young?

And so on, filling the pages densely with questions and answers.

“Done!”

Marisselle put down her pen on the desk with a thud. Looking at the beautifully completed Q&A sheet made her feel proud.

She even felt as if the Q&A sheet she had spent so much time writing would take her to a good place like Aladdin’s magic carpet.

She walked back and forth in her room holding the Q&A sheet, reading it over and over again. Until she could answer questions as soon as they were thrown at her.

After having a simple dinner, she lay down to prepare for tomorrow’s interview.

But her eyes were wide awake and sleep wouldn’t come easily. The more she tried to sleep, the clearer her mind became like a bright sky.

‘Am I going to ruin the interview by not sleeping?’

On the eve of the decisive day, anxiety slowly raised its head and burrowed into Marisselle’s mind.

The cause of Marisselle’s insomnia stemmed from her strong desire not to die, to live.

As they say, only those who have been beaten know.

Having died once, her instinctive attachment to life had grown even stronger.

Of course, everyone is destined to die someday. The only difference is whether you live long and then die, or die early.

No matter how much she had Marisselle’s memories and had gotten used to the lifestyle here, her mind was still that of the modern Haetak Lee, and she was inevitably a stranger to this world.

Whew-.

Marisselle took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to control her tension.

Looking at the stars floating high in the sky, she repeatedly murmured to herself like a hypnotic mantra that everything would be fine.

* * *

“Emma! Just do it roughly! I think I’ll be late for the interview at this rate!”

“No way, Miss. You have dark circles under your eyes. What on earth happened during the night?”

Emma poured out a storm of nagging. Along with that, her hands were busy applying more powder under the eyes.

“All done, Miss!”

Emma’s voice, finishing up by straightening Marisselle’s outfit, was as limp as an overcooked eggplant.

“Thank you~ Emma! Let’s go!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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