The Villainess in the Childcare Story Doesn’t Hide Her Personality - Chapter 7

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

Grand Duke Cardicha cradled Princess Melissa tenderly in his arms as he returned, and several days later, he graced the dusty storage room tucked away in a corner of the Imperial Palace where I had been relegated.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Director McGuffin had stepped away from his post.
“…So you work in a place like this.”
The Grand Duke cast a contemptuous gaze toward the cluttered corner, his expression dripping with disdain.
Though it may look this way, I’ve been diligently tidying up since I arrived.
“It’s not as bad as it appears, Your Grace.”
The Grand Duke let out a scoff.
“You must want quite a lot, Vice Director.”
He continued without waiting for my response.
“What do you desire in return? Money? A higher position? Do you aspire to become Director?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words before finally collecting myself.
“I don’t desire any of those things.”
The Grand Duke looked at me with an expression of utter disbelief, but I was being sincere.
Despite appearances, the Imperial Bureaucracy compensates quite generously. My salary had even doubled since my promotion to Vice Director.
He likely thought he’d shower me with money before I departed in a few months, but for me—managing perfectly well as I am—it was nothing short of a windfall.
And naturally, I harbored no ambitions for the Director’s position.
Director McGuffin shields me from all the tedious work anyway, so why would I want his seat?
“I would simply be grateful if you allowed me to see the Princess frequently.”
The Grand Duke’s expression remained one of profound skepticism.
“Speak plainly. Don’t use my sister to scheme for something later.”
Ah, so that was it.
‘There’s no need for Melissa to struggle to earn affection.’
What the Grand Duke feared most was the wound his sister would suffer if I approached her with ulterior motives.
In other words, he was telling me to reveal my true desires now if I had any.
He would handle them quietly, away from Melissa’s sight.
But the problem was…
‘I truly want nothing!’
My only desire was to interact with Melissa.
‘…And I wish he would abandon that rebellion plan, but mentioning that would be suicide.’
Considering the story of “Black Death,” only Melissa could stop Grand Duke Cardicha.
If I clumsily interfered, this time my head might truly roll.
“I’m not certain how to convince you, but I am genuinely satisfied with my current position.”
“…You truly desire nothing at all?”
I was beginning to find this circular conversation genuinely exasperating.
“Did I not already tell you that I wish to see the Princess more often?”
Achilles Cardicha stared into my eyes for a long moment instead of answering, as if he could read my heart that way.
But I was quite skilled at staring contests myself.
I’d even overheard people gossip about my “irritatingly sharp gaze.”
This time, too, I emerged victorious.
He looked away, muttering something barely audible.
“…The Deputy Director must be one of two things. Either an extraordinarily skilled con artist… or an angel sent by the heavens.”
Neither, actually?
* * *
That night.
In the silence-drenched bedroom, Achilles Cardicha sank into contemplation.
Naturally, before entrusting Melissa to anyone, I had conducted a thorough background investigation beforehand.
I couldn’t possibly leave my precious younger sister in the care of a commoner woman whose identity remained unknown.
Deputy Director of the Child Protection Bureau, Tessa Harrington.
A rigid stickler for principles who showed no mercy to anyone’s circumstances—a heartless demon from the Finance Ministry who had been demoted to the sinecure position of the Child Protection Bureau as an Imperial Bureaucrat.
Ordinarily, she was someone I wouldn’t have given a second thought to, but the problem was that she had captured Melissa’s heart in an instant.
‘…She simply listened to what Melissa had to say.’
Achilles let out a hollow laugh.
Easy to say.
Melissa trembled whenever she saw me and caused nothing but trouble. Sometimes I even wondered if she was deliberately causing accidents, to the point of resentment.
But what was there to listen to?
A cursory report on Tessa Harrington hardly put my mind at ease, but since she was my only lifeline, I had no choice but to entrust Melissa to her care.
Still, I didn’t send her off without any precautions.
I forcibly placed a magical artifact around Melissa’s neck and taught her how to use it.
To the naked eye, it appeared to be an ordinary amethyst necklace, but in reality, it was an extraordinarily powerful magical artifact.
When activated, it would restrain whoever stood before her while simultaneously sending an immediate signal to me.
…And yet Melissa never activated the magical artifact. Instead, she even approached me of her own accord.
This was something unimaginable just a short while ago with Melissa.
‘That’s right—regardless of what kind of person she truly is, it’s undeniable that she’s been helpful to Melissa.’
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down just yet.
She could very well be a skilled con artist.
‘More thorough investigation is necessary.’
But even if Tessa Harrington were a con artist, she had made Melissa smile. She had made Melissa nestle into my arms….
With the image of Melissa rushing into my embrace still fresh in my mind, how could I not feel gratitude toward Tessa Harrington?
Achilles was not someone who forgot kindness.
Rather, I was the type to give exactly as much as I received, and to receive exactly as much as I gave.
‘She doesn’t want money or status….’
But giving her nothing at all was out of the question.
There was one sentence in the report that had caught my eye.
‘She worked day and night and always appeared exhausted.’
I hadn’t noticed it before, too preoccupied with her eyes always glaring at me with such venom, but now that I thought back on it, she did indeed look haggard.
‘But her eyes when looking at Melissa—they were unmistakably gentle.’
The corners of Achilles’ mouth gradually curved upward.
A method had occurred to me—one that would simultaneously buy me time to conduct further investigation away from Melissa and serve as a reward.
* * *
“A commendation leave. Rest well for two weeks and come back.”
“A reward… vacation?”
At Director McGuffin’s words, I found myself genuinely bewildered.
During my three years working at the Finance Ministry, I had never once taken an extended leave.
More precisely, I had never used vacation time except when my body was burning with fever.
Naturally, my superior had never offered me anything like a vacation before.
“That’s right. It’s an order from above, so follow it.”
“If by ‘above’ you mean….”
“If you were a bit quicker on the uptake, you’d know to keep your mouth shut.”
“Ah, yes.”
He was right.
No matter how obscure the Child Protection Bureau was, it remained an independent institution.
In principle, there was only one person above us.
The Prime Minister.
…But did principles even exist in this place?
“So I don’t have to worry about being dismissed over trivial matters anymore?”
Director McGuffin stared at me intently.
“If you were to be driven out, do you think the Grand Duke would sit idle?”
“…Oh.”
So it seemed I had acquired what one might call a powerful backer.
‘I wish it had happened sooner!’
Then I could have enjoyed watching those bastards in the Finance Ministry panic.
The director tapped his desk with his index finger.
“But don’t go getting too cocky. This vacation is also a message to keep your head down.”
I immediately grasped the situation.
‘So they’re going to conduct a thorough background investigation on me, and I’m supposed to stay out of the way and enjoy myself.’
Grand Duke Cardicha did not trust me.
Thanks to Princess Melissa, who had spilled everything about the ‘magic necklace her brother gave her’ the moment we met, I could tell he had taken his own precautions.
I wasn’t offended.
If anything, without that necklace, I would have suspected he was secretly hiding somewhere in his villa.
“It’s paid leave, isn’t it?”
Surely they wouldn’t give me unpaid vacation as hush money.
The director chuckled.
“Yes, it’s paid. So leave at once.”
There was no reason to refuse.
‘I needed time to clear my head anyway, so this works out perfectly.’
A perfect opportunity to distance myself from the child-rearing heroine, her sinister brother, and the rebellion he was plotting—and to cool my mind.
* * *
“We’ve arrived, miss.”
The moment I stepped out of the carriage, my mood lifted naturally at the sight of the brilliant blue sky and gentle weather befitting the Southern Resort.
‘The Capital has biting winds, but here it’s practically spring.’
I paid the carriage fare, picked up my travel bag, and staggered into my lodging—Hotel Erendal.
I’d heard it was difficult to find a room without reserving in advance, but fortunately, someone had just checked out, leaving exactly one vacant room available for me.
“I’m sorry, but the room isn’t quite ready yet… Would you mind waiting a bit?”
“Of course not.”
I settled onto the plush sofa in the hotel lobby and began reading leisurely.
‘Mm, this is fascinating.’
The bookshop owner had recommended it as a mystery novel by a rising author who was currently gaining considerable momentum, and the plot was indeed captivating with twist after twist.
It was precisely when I reached the moment the detective was about to unveil all the tricks.
[Everyone! I wish to reveal the fact that Adel is actually not Adel.]
[What do you mean, Detective? I’ve known Adel my entire life! There was never a switch in identity.]
[Well, that would be the case, because….]
But I never discovered Adel’s true identity.
An unwelcome visitor had interrupted me mid-sentence.

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