HCYPBTKIRWO Chapter 24

(3rd person pov)

“What did you do?”

“It’s a match.”

"Match?"

“On who better imitates Your Excellency the best.”

“Are you taking us as clowns?”

“It’s not that, but children learn by imitation.”

Seeing the displeasure spread across Elliott's face, the witch clasped her hands and laid out the plan.

“It would be more effective to watch and follow the table manners rather than telling them one by one.”

Elliott couldn't resist her statement that it was effective as he saw the tablecloths and the children's clothes were clean.

“Children are good at playing, and they often do it. Since Your Excellency the Grand Duke’s dining etiquette is impeccable, it’s good to use it as a model.”

"Hmm… I am the only one who has no example.”

"Oh right. The winner is chosen by Your Excellency. The prize is also given by Your Excellency.”

“…”

To leave the most difficult things to him without asking for permission in advance…

"I've never seen such a shameless nanny."

But there was a smile on the children. Elliott rolled his eyes at the witch and returned to the table.

“Now then, shall we choose the winner of this dinner table?”

Elliott clasped his hands on the table, tilted his clenched, and looked at them in seriousness.

“It was great to see both of you taking the match seriously.”

Since it was a match, he tried to pretend to be formal, so the tone he used to congratulate his knights came out naturally on the children.

Luna smiled proudly as she sat with her back straight and confident that she would win. On the other hand, Luca looked gloomy because he was worried about the brussel sprouts that he ate before.

“Princess Lunabelle Blaine.”

“Yes, my lord!”

He used honorifics to see if the child who usually speaks half-maturity was engrossed in role play.

“Today, your good demeanor, which tolerated dislike without saying a word, became a good example for all the noble children of the Empire.”

Even though all the noble families of the empire do not know that Luna ate brussel sprouts today. Anyway, Luna, who had been praised for a long time at the table, looked very happy.

“And Prince Lucas Blaine.”

"Yes."

“It’s really good that you had the courage to taste something you don’t like without dropping your fork today. I am proud.”

He praised Luca with easy-to-understand words rather than formal words.

“But the problem is that all the contestants are so good, it’s hard to decide.”

Both of them are so good that it's hard to pick 1st place, so he had to tell Luca again, who couldn't understand the words superior and inferior and tilted his head.

“So, I’ll promise the next match, and today you both won.”

“Wow!”

Luca clapped his hands and cheered. However, Luna, who was not as naive as Luca, quickly took care of the situation.

"What about the award? Oh no. What can we celebrate the glory of victory with?"

At Luna's witty remarks, Elliott smirked.

'She should be the head of the household.'

She was a child who never loses. Besides, she is very clever at the age of only seven plus she speaks very well. Already the qualities of a great head were visible.

Still, it was really sad and upsetting that Luna could not take over the title due to the meaningless political conflict.

This was not a good idea to do in front of his younger siblings with twinkling eyes. Elliott shook off his anger and smiled softly again.

“Yes, I have to give you an award. What do the Prince and Princess want?"

“Ah…”

“Oh, no chocolate. Because you ate that yesterday. You can’t skip class, and you can’t sleep in either.”

“Ah…”

Luna pouted her lips to see if she wanted anything from Elliott's quick ban.

“Then how about something like this?”

The witch, who had been silent, intervened.

“Tonight, the Duke will read a children’s book to you. It means spending time together in close proximity before he leaves tomorrow.”

Then Luna came down from her chair and ran to Luca. After exchanging whispers for a long time about what the two of them were talking about, Luna urged her younger brother.

“Tell him. Hurry."

The two seemed to have agreed on what prize they would receive.

What did she tell Luca? Considering Luna's witty personality, he had a strange feeling that she would get scolded.

'Please keep the witch as her nanny... No, they don't know it’s a short-term contract. Could it be that the witch broke her instructions and spoke to the kids about that?'

Perhaps because Elliott's face had hardened, Luca hesitated and began to twitch.

He couldn't do it, so when he put his thumb in his mouth and tried to suck it, the witch standing behind him quickly came and gave him a look.

Elliott loosened his expression and gently stroked Luca's hair.

"What? Tell me."

“With my brother…”

“...?”

It’s not about the witch? Was his prediction wrong?

“I want to have fun…”

"What…?"

Elliott was speechless.

It wasn’t grand, but he couldn’t believe he only wanted it as a prize. In addition, why was he making it difficult to say that he wanted to play with him?

The two of them didn’t even play much. Putting aside the toys piled up like a mountain in the playroom, they put blankets between the furniture and 'explored a cave infested with monsters'. That was all they could do.

"Brother is a knight. I'll dress it up."

"Sister, I'm a witch!"

“You are a boy.”

“Hey, can a boy not be a witch?”

“Luca, a male witch is called a wizard.”

“Then I will be that!”

"Great! A terrible monster is standing in front of you! Sir Elliott, charge!”

It was a humiliation to crawl on the carpet in front of her as an adult, and also being a Grand Duke in front of the nanny. However, it has been a long time since he spent time full of laughter with the children.

He was happy that Luca kept coming back to him.

But what made him even more happy was that Luna put herself on his back. It felt like a warm spring breeze was circulating between the two of them, who had only been cold to each other for a while.

Luna, exhausted from playing, fell asleep before she could even turn the third page of the children's book.

Elliott smiled at her sleepy face rather than smirking.

'There are no angels when you sleep.'

He carefully covered her with a blanket and pulled the curtains on her window tightly to prevent the moonlight from waking Luna.

As he went back to his office and walked towards the door, the witch who stood quietly at the doorway and watched him spoke.

“Children don’t expect much. Right?"

Elliott nodded his head briefly, and then he looked back at Luna, who was asleep.

“To be honest, I was surprised. It's been a while since they asked me to play with them. I'm not a funny adult, and I'm the king of nagging."

The witch laughed softly when she remembered the "Nagging Great Demon King".

“So I thought they didn’t like spending time with me anymore…”

“They wou;d love to spend time with His Excellency the Grand Duke. But it's because they know you're busy."

"The words 'be patient' doesn't really go well with my younger siblings."

The witch did not laugh at Elliott's light joke.

“Children are quicker and more considerate than we adults. Even they knew that you kept looking at the door or the clock while they played with you today. Did you know that the two of them looked at His Excellency every time that happened?"

“…”

‘I had no idea.’

Looking back, it was only then that he noticed something.

"Brother?”

“We can sleep earlier if it’s work.”

Even though the children were playing well, why did they keep saying something like that? It was then that he realized clearly what he had done.

While he was spending time with them, in the corner of his head, he thought over and over the things he had to finish before he left tomorrow.

Somehow, he was also annoyed that the witch kept covering his watch with her head. Now that he realized it, it was on purpose.

Elliott was stunned for a moment.

How anxious were both of them?

"Hah…”

Today, he thought he was a good older brother, but he was selfish. He let out a sigh as he felt sorry for the children.

The witch asked Elliott, who rubbed his face roughly.

“Have you ever asked what they want to do?”

When his parents were alive and he had time and free time, it was the same thing they asked every day.

How did it come to be? Now he has become a person who instructs what to do without asking what they want to do.

“Isn't it the right way to raise children to do what they have to do and learn what they have to learn?"

“A child has to grow up right, but they also have to grow up being loved as well.”

"Miss Hazel, I don't know why I have to defend myself to a nanny who hasn't been with them in a while, but there is no one in the world who loves them more than me."

“Your Excellency, I have a great masterpiece, would you like to buy it? I think it would be good to hang it in this room for children to play.”

The witch suddenly changed the topic.

"Why are you talking about that all of a sudden?"

“I suddenly remembered.”

“How absurd… All right, show it to me and I’ll decide.”

“Can’t you see?”

“Where are you?”

“It’s in my head.”

"What?"

Elliott was a bit perplexed. Maybe she was a witch, and she deceived the outside world.

“You insist that something you haven’t painted is a masterpiece.”

“There are people who claim it’s love without expressing it.”

Translater note: I won't be updating after Wednesday for this week because I have a couple of tests to prepare for in the end of this week... So chapters may continue on patreon instead.

Note: Advance chapters are available on patreon :)