I’m Done With Unrequited Love - Chapter 17

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

Chapter 17
The moment I stepped out of the Marchioness’s room, I was confronted with a scene of tense conflict.
Though calling it a “scene” might be generous.
“Fidellia brought you here? Don’t lie! Fidellia’s been with us the whole time! Where did you crawl out from?”
Kiara was bearing down on Rene, who stood before her with tears streaming down her face.
I froze. I hadn’t expected them to meet already.
And not while I was away.
A nearby attendant stood wringing their hands, perspiration beading their forehead.
‘…I was planning to introduce them slowly, later.’
Of all the ways this could have happened—without Sanna present, without me present—it had to be like this.
And in the worst possible manner.
There was no point in having hidden Rene all this time if it was going to unravel like this.
Without a moment to process the heroine and villainess meeting for the first time, I wedged myself between them.
“Kiara. Rene.”
Both children turned to look at me.
“Fidellia!”
“F-Fidellia…”
I separated the two standing closest to each other.
I wiped Rene’s tear-soaked cheeks while smoothing back Kiara’s tousled hair with my other hand—her expression dark with resentment.
The timing of their meeting was different, but the catastrophic nature of it remained unchanged.
‘Would it have killed them to get along?’
Was this the compulsion of the Original Work asserting itself?
But that wasn’t the issue right now.
My mind was a complete jumble.
My parenting skills were competent enough to write a book titled “Even I’m a First-Time Nanny.”
Which meant my crisis management in situations like this approached zero.
How was I supposed to handle children fighting?
How could I get them to reconcile?
The reason I’d hidden Rene from Kiara in the Training Ground in the first place was precisely this.
The reason I don’t care for children—it’s exactly moments like these.
Quarreling over trivial things, sulking, crying, shouting… I never know what to do when it happens.
Children are a species that exists outside my knowledge, and ignorance sometimes masquerades as dislike.
However different Kiara and Rene might be, the mental exhaustion was unavoidable.
And yet, I still manage to wear a gentle expression,
‘because these children have done nothing wrong.’
You’re already scarred enough as it is.
“Why are you so angry, Kiara?”
“You don’t know?”
If you don’t say it, how would I know?
“She’s lying! She says Fidellia brought her here!”
I corrected Kiara’s misunderstanding for the first time.
“It’s not a lie. I did bring her.”
“…What?”
“She’d snuck into the grounds near the Mansion, so I brought her in. A few days ago.”
I spoke in a flat, offhand tone, as though it were nothing.
But it was no use. Kiara stared at Rene in shock.
Rene, whose tears had begun to subside, burst into fresh sobs the moment their eyes met.
‘This is driving me insane.’
Seconds passed, and then Kiara’s eyes widened sharply. She clenched her fists, spun around, and bolted down the Corridor.
I didn’t chase after her. I knew exactly where she was headed.
‘She’s going to Sanna.’
And she’ll tell her everything that just happened.
I suppressed the sigh threatening to escape and lifted Rene into my arms.
I wanted to follow Kiara, but Rene was still here. I couldn’t abandon a child whose mental state was as fragile as splintering glass.
‘And yet I can’t completely ignore Kiara either…’
This was a mess at every turn.
Does a Limited Lifespan have to come with this many complications?
Not that I was counting on some miraculous happy ending anyway.
* * *
After Sanna heard everything from Kiara and my supplementary explanations, she pressed her forehead into her palm.
‘That’s the posture she adopts when she needs to cool her head.’
She seemed genuinely furious.
I’d seen this coming.
“So you were keeping a child… in secret.”
“I was caring for her.”
“That’s the same thing!”
Sanna ground out the words, her jaw clenched, struggling to contain the roiling anger that threatened to boil over.
“And what about Kiara?”
Ah, right.
“Where is she now?”
“Where else? She’s in her room.”
According to Sanna, Kiara had burrowed into her bed and refused to come out, thoroughly offended.
‘She has every right to be.’
If someone had taken my clothes without permission and dressed another in them, I’d have been furious too.
And to discover that her guardian was maintaining what amounted to two separate households—if that was even the right word—would feel like nothing short of betrayal.
“Wait, where do you think you’re going?”
“…? To see Kiara, obviously.”
“I’m sorry, but Kiara doesn’t want to see you right now.”
“…”
Kiara doesn’t want to see me?
Even when she played with Sanna, I was rarely the center of attention.
But this still came as a shock.
“So what’s your plan now? With Kiara, with Rene—and the cat, no less. Surely you don’t expect me to care for all of them? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m your aide, not a nursemaid. I was already pulled away from my research, and now you want me to take on a job that was never part of my role to begin with? Does that sound reasonable to you?”
“Calm down… just calm down.”
“Then stop giving me reasons to be upset! You always do this!”
Sanna’s voice rose sharply, her eyes blazing.
‘Wait.’
Was she…?
“…Are you crying?”
“I am not!”
Her eyes were red.
Memories of Academy days came flooding back.
Sanna had always been fiercely proud, yet her heart was fragile—she wept easily, and would storm and rage while doing so…
Every time that happened, the other students would pelt me with accusations, calling me cruel.
She’d grown more composed as an adult, but whenever she felt deeply wronged or emotionally overwhelmed, she’d still cry and flare up in anger.
There was only one way to handle it.
This time was no different.
As it turned out, Sanna’s pride had been wounded from the start—I’d hidden what research I was conducting and excluded her from it.
But this was something I couldn’t compromise on, so I offered solutions to the other issues while coaxing her to calm down. The main topics were what to do about Rene and what to do about Kiara.
I felt it necessary to keep Kiara and Rene separated, so I designated Rene’s new room as the one adjacent to my Research Laboratory.
Accordingly, I decided to stay in the Research Laboratory myself for the time being, taking my meals and rest there while continuing my work. I couldn’t leave a child unattended.
Fortunately, Sanna wasn’t one to hold a grudge once she was convinced.
‘And there was one more thing.’
To put to rest Sanna’s worry that I might neglect Rene while absorbed in my research.
“I know what you’re worried about. But don’t be. I’ve arranged everything.”
“…What? That overconfident tone is making me more anxious.”
There was no need to worry.
There would be nothing here to make Sanna’s life harder.
…Probably.
Because,
“Ernan agreed to help look after her.”
“…”
“…”
“You must be mad.”
* * *
Kiara truly despised Rene.
“Why should I be friendly with her? Tell her to stay in the Annex! Actually, tell her to leave the Mansion entirely!”
Days passed without Kiara’s anger subsiding, and by refusing to join us for breakfast—including Ernan and Rene—she proceeded to pile worry upon worry on everyone in the household.
Keeping their quarters as far apart as possible had proven to be a wise choice indeed.
Rene had moved her room to the Annex.
Accordingly, Ernan also moved his quarters to the Annex.
It was to care for Rene efficiently while I was in the Research Laboratory.
When Ernan was looking after her, I only had to find time here and there to visit Rene.
I couldn’t leave Kiara neglected, so I made time to visit her as well.
Sanna muttered in disbelief.
“Ha, really keeping two households…….”
It was unfair.
“Be honest with me. This is actually a carefully laid scheme, isn’t it? You really have given up on Ernan?”
“Of course.”
“You do answer well…….”
I’m serious.
Sanna gave a tired sigh, rubbing her face with a damp cloth.
“Just when I’ve barely come to terms with it, now they’re stabbing me from the other side. Even the gods are heartless, aren’t they? Infuriating business, all of it.”
In any case, the final arrangement of responsibilities was as follows:
Kiara—looked after by Sanna in the Main Building.
Rene—looked after by me and Ernan in the Annex.
The Cat—looked after by the servants in the Main Building.
What we’d overlooked was that the Cat didn’t actually require us to divide its care among ourselves.
With that division of labor, the confusion was resolved neatly.
Jonas and the Marchioness declared they would not involve themselves in the matter, saying to do as I pleased. That made things easier.
The only remaining problem was Kiara, and even after a week had passed, she hadn’t so much as looked at me.
Had I ever had such a headache before?
I was now in Rene’s room.
“Even the great Fidellia Jonas finds herself powerless when it comes to children.”
Together with Ernan.
“You do something about it.”
“How would I.”
“You like children.”
“I don’t.”
“Will you say that in front of Rene?”
“She’s asleep right now.”
“If you know that, get out quickly. You’ll wake her.”
Click.
The door closed.
Only moonlight traced the dark corridor.
The cloudless night sky shone brilliantly.
It was Ernan’s low voice calling to me that caught my ankle as I tried to return to the Research Laboratory.
“A drink?”
…….
“In my room.”
I gazed at Ernan’s indifferent face for a moment, as always, then let out a soft laugh.
The cruel man.
“Gladly.”

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