The Golden-Handed Baby Fixes Everything! - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14
“Hey, Joseph.”
“Yes, Mr. Hudson.”
“Could you prescribe me some stomach medicine? Make it a lot. And I mean a *lot*.”
“…Overusing medication isn’t good, you know… Haah, fine. I’ll give it to you.”
Everyone’s faces looked a little haggard after such a short time, though…?
It hadn’t been a bad entrance into the Duke’s household.
* * *
“Wow, ahhh.”
“Waaah-wang!”
“Oooh, aaah!”
Every time I looked around, the exclamations wouldn’t stop.
The Duke’s Residence was truly a magnificent place.
Everything was ivory-colored marble, and the blue ornaments set here and there were absolutely gorgeous.
The statues were splendid, the decorative flowers were lovely, and…
Everything is just amazing!
‘I’ve never seen a place like this.’
Even though I was on my second Loop, this was the first time I’d ever set foot in such a luxurious mansion.
At this scale, you could easily believe it was the palace of a small kingdom.
As I kept gasping out “wow” over and over, the Duke let out a small laugh.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. It’s sparkly-sparkly… just like your face, Duke Gongzan!”
At that half-flattering, half-sincere remark, the Duke’s hand lightly pinched my cheek.
‘He seems to be in a good mood, doesn’t he?’
Hehe.
But apart from liking the splendid Duke’s Residence, the weight on my shoulders only grew heavier.
‘Can I really get along well in a place like this? Can I play the role of the Duke’s daughter properly?’
Even if you force your head into clothes that don’t fit, that doesn’t mean you can actually wear them.
Ugh.
‘Whatever. I’ll just do my best.’
The one thing that was a relief was the reaction of the people in the mansion.
Honestly, I’d been worried they wouldn’t believe in the sudden appearance of an illegitimate child.
“…So you’re the young lady. Yes, I see. I look forward to working with you, Young Lady. I am Joseph, the household’s physician.”
And so was Dr. Joseph.
“…Allow me to introduce myself as well. I am Hudson, the Duke’s aide. Please, just call me by name. Ukh-, ahem.”
And so was Mr. Hudson, with his haggard face.
“Hello there, Young Lady.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Lady.”
“Eek! You’re so cute… ahem. It’s nice to meet you, Miss.”
Every servant I passed greeted me as “Young Lady” without the slightest hesitation.
‘They’re accepting it so easily that it’s actually making me suspicious.’
I’d thought for sure there would be people who doubted me or pushed back.
Well, either way, that’s a good thing, right?
Not knowing that all of this was thanks to the Duke, who was wearing a chilling smile behind me, I just kept spinning my positive thoughts round and round.
“Take her, get her washed, and then feed her something.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
After handing me over to a maid named Eina, the Duke disappeared.
“See you later, Marshmallow.”
With a brief farewell.
Still held in Eina’s arms, I waved my hand energetically at the Duke as he walked away.
‘Diligence even when no one’s watching.’
Look at me, the thorough four-year-old Melloni!
“I look forward to serving you, Miss. It’s truly an honor!”
“Mm-hm. Nice to meet choo….”
“Hup. You’re so adorable.”
“Wuh?”
“Oh, no! It’s me who should be asking you a thousand times over!”
Thankfully, Eina seems like a cheerful and warm-hearted person.
‘Ah, being like this reminds me of Sister Jeanne and Brother Ricky.’
After the Duke’s shocking remark, everything had moved so chaotically that I’d left without even properly saying goodbye, and that nagged at me.
Especially Sister Jeanne, whom I never even got to see….
‘It would be nice if I could hear news of her somehow.’
For a moment I thought about asking the Duke for a favor, then quickly dropped the idea.
‘Already thinking about asking for things!’
Get a grip, Melloni.
Be careful, Melloni.
I have to watch myself so I don’t get comfortable without realizing it and start getting greedy!
“We’ve arrived, miss.”
Before I knew it, while I was steadying myself, we had reached the bathing room.
‘Everything here is… so enormous.’
I had never seen a bathroom or a tub this big in my entire life.
A few maids who had arrived ahead of us were already waiting inside.
“Please wash up first, and then we’ll help you change.”
“Mm-hm.”
I obediently did as they said.
These were the people I would be living close to from now on, so I needed to make a good impression.
A reputation within the mansion would matter for getting a permanent position, after all.
But when it came to actually taking off my clothes and stepping into the water, I hesitated for a moment.
“Hm? What’s the matter, Lady Melloni?”
“Um? Well….”
“……?”
“Uhm. It’s nothin’.”
After hesitating, I laughed sheepishly and shook my head vigorously.
Then the moment my toes touched the water.
“…Huh?”
I widened my eyes and looked down at the water I had dipped my foot into.
“How is the bath water, miss?”
“Too… too hot.”
At my absent-minded reply, Eina shivered all over.
“Did you hear that? She says it’s too hot. Wow, my heart’s going all hot too.”
“Snap out of it, Eina. You need to focus on your work.”
“Oh, right. I’ll snap out of it. If you need anything else, just tell me, miss!”
Eina, who had been supporting my body so I could slip into the water more easily, asked cheerfully.
‘Anything else?’
Shake, shake.
“Nothin’ else needed. Everythin’s already so nice. Warm water like this and soap that smells so good, I’ve never had it before.”
It was sincere, without a trace of falsehood.
‘Ha, all that worrying was almost laughable….’
Every bath I had experienced before had been unpleasant.
Deep down, I had a bit of fear toward bathing.
In prison, I bathed alongside the older brothers and sisters, but since water was precious, we had to wash in a hurry. And at the orphanage—
“Why do I have to scrub these brats too?! Ugh, this is so annoying.”
Hands full of resentment scrubbed my body painfully. Only when my skin had turned red did I finally escape that rough touch.
‘I felt like a piece of laundry.’
On top of that, the water was as icy as ice, so after bathing I had to shiver for quite a while.
Cold, and my skin stinging.
‘I really hated it.’
But bathing here was different.
The water was warm, the soap fragrant, and the bubbles soft and fluffy.
The hands rubbing my body were gentle and careful, too.
I had never had a bath like this before.
“To think you’ve never washed in warm water before….”
“From now on, I’m your ‘Ttuj-jjuk-ddaa.’ Warm enough to scald you to death. Any objection gets answered with death.”
“Hm? What did you just say…?”
“Ha-ha, it’s nothing, miss.”
“That’s right, miss.”
The two of them laughed and waved their hands.
‘…Strange.’
It sounded like they had muttered something with a rather fierce look on their faces.
Tilting my head, I carefully reached out and poked at the bubbles floating on the water.
‘Huh. This is fun…!’
It was a shockingly delightful feeling.
It was like playing mud pies with marshmallows.
I never imagined I could enjoy such a luxurious feeling.
Before I knew it, absorbed in kneading, I had finished five foam teddy bears.
The two of them caught sight of the bear family I’d made, and their eyes went wide.
“Oh my, that’s amazing, Miss! Making teddy bears out of foam? You must be a genius of the century!”
“Indeed. Our young lady has such remarkable skill with her hands.”
“…R-really?”
Is that really the level of skill I have?
Of course, they’re probably half-flattering me.
‘…Though I suppose they don’t look half bad to me either.’
I gazed down at the foam bear family with a bit of pride.
Hehe.
A smile crept onto my lips on its own.
‘Right, I’m definitely going to become a permanent employee.’
It was a wonderful bath that set my resolve blazing once again.
* * *
Hudson Gray. Twenty-eight years old.
The third son of the Gray Count Family.
After graduating at the top of the Imperial Academy, I had planned to work at the Imperial Treasury Department, but—
“One hundred and fifty million shillings. All of it in cash.”
“Ha, so you thought money would sway me? You’ve read me perfectly! I’ll follow you.”
It had been eight years since I’d been blinded by money and became Conti Panteibe’s secretary.
‘So much has happened.’
Yes, so much had happened.
The former duke, who insisted on handing over the title, and the current duke, who flatly refused it, fought every single day.
And after Conti somehow became duke—
Chasing down the duke who would vanish mid-work without a word.
Failing to catch the duke and handling his duties in his stead.
Trying to mediate between the former duke and the current one, who battled across a generational gap.
Even stepping in to deal with Duke Hilton, who would charge in at every turn, calling himself a rival.
Thanks to all that, my chronic gastritis had settled in for good a long time ago.
Still, the reason I haven’t quit this job is the pride of serving the ducal house of the greatest family in the Empire… or so I’d like to say.
‘The salary is simply too tempting.’
It was because the paycheck was far too generous to walk away from.

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