Chapter 17
“No! Ah, perhaps, as Your Highness said, the gift should come first. I waited for three weeks, neck craned, just to talk about the gift, and ended up being rude… Still, tonight, if we prioritize, clearing the misunderstanding comes first. I was so worried that if the misunderstandings piled up, I might even be dismissed. I’m relieved it’s resolved, though…”
Dismissed? Huh, she really went far off on her own.
Morgan frowned at her words.
“Alright, then. What is the gift that Fleur wants?”
“Well… he said he wants to go on a picnic… with his uncle.”
“A picnic?”
His expression twisted in bewilderment.
As expected, that’s impossible… but the picnic really must happen.
“Your Highness. Even for just two hours—or one hour, it’s fine. I’ll handle all the preparations. You just need to come.”
‘Just come?’
A mischievous smile curved at the corner of his lips.
He could agree, but today he didn’t feel like it.
‘A thirsty man must dig his own well.’
Morgan was certain he could get something out of Marisel.
“You want to make Fleur’s wish come true no matter what, right?”
Marisel nodded vigorously, innocently.
“You understand how difficult it is for me to make time, don’t you? Especially during the day.”
Once again, Marisel blinked and nodded in agreement.
“Of course. That’s why I’ve come to make this request with such difficulty.”
“Then there must be a price.”
“Price? What do you mean?”
“It seems you promised to fulfill the wish no matter what. Fleur didn’t request it himself; you asked first. So it’s your wish, isn’t it? Am I wrong?”
How can he make such absurd reasoning sound so convincing?
Marisel was dumbfounded.
So, he’ll do it, but not without a price? That’s what he meant.
He already knew that when it came to Fleur, she would go to any lengths.
He was grateful for that, yet it also irked him.
It wasn’t enough to be annoyed, yet it bothered him like a hangnail.
“…Yes, Your Highness. Then what should I offer as the price?”
See, I knew it would come to this.
As expected, and yet, when predictions didn’t fail him, he felt strangely twisted inside.
‘Is it because she’s too blindly devoted to Fleur? Or because the object of this devotion isn’t me?’
He was confused.
‘It’s fine. I’ll understand that later, bit by bit.’
“Hah, what would I demand as a price, the nerve!”
“It’s not nerve; I am asking Your Highness’s intention. If it’s possible, the deal is settled. If not, then there’s no choice. We’ll have to find another way.”
Morgan looked at Marisel dumbfounded, as if she had dealt him a surprise.
‘Ah, she thought I said I’d give her anything she wanted? How adorable.’
Though he hadn’t intended to play a trick, seeing her flustered expression eased some of the old tension inside him.
When Marisel smiled cheekily, his face changed as if he had just chewed something bitter.
“And I said that knowing you care for the young master, I assumed you wouldn’t demand anything unreasonable.”
Gotta sweeten the deal a bit.
Marisel added a soothing comment and chuckled to herself.
The more Morgan knew Marisel, the more she knew him.
In some ways, one might even say Marisel understood him better. Why? Because she knew the original story.
Even though he seemed so cold, he was the type of man who would give his all to the woman he cared for.
Haa… the heroine is lucky. A man who has everything yet gives his all in love.
“Why? Are you afraid I’ll demand something impossible? Why do you look like that?”
“Oh, no. I was just… having a brief thought…”
“You were thinking while in front of me?”
“No, that… it wasn’t a thought. I just thought Your Highness has a tsundere side, something like that?”
“What? Tsun…dere?”
His expression twisted ferociously.
Oof!
Marisel clamped her mouth shut.
Only then did she realize what she had said.
Ha. Why am I like this?
“Ah, Your Highness, the tsundere I mean… is someone who seems strict and cold on the outside, but is affectionate on the inside. That’s exactly how you appear to me.”
Had her hurried explanation backfired?
His expression became even sterner than before.
Where did it go wrong? She really wanted to cry.
“Wait… am I… saying that you… on the outside are strict, but on the inside, you like me?”
Huh? What is he saying now?
“Eh? Your Highness, do you mean that…?”
“Didn’t you just say it? That on the outside I seem strict and cold, but inside, I’m affectionate toward you?”
A chilling tone.
Oh no!
She had omitted the crucial subject.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Your Highness. I meant to say that this is how you appear toward Young Master Fleur, but in my hurry, I left out part of the sentence, causing a misunderstanding. I apologize again…”
Marisel bowed her head deeply.
Today, something mischievous must be interfering! Otherwise, I wouldn’t make mistake after mistake.
Yet Morgan didn’t relax his expression despite her apology.
Surely, he won’t fire me over this…? No, no. He could, though. I keep getting on his nerves.
What to do now?
Today is clearly a day when nothing goes right…
For now, leaving quickly seemed the best way to avoid further mistakes.
“Your Highness. I will make sure there’s never a misunderstanding again. And I have never once had the… unseemly thought that you like me…”
“Enough!”
Marisel tried to finish her explanation and rise, but Morgan cut her off immediately.
Haa… I guess this is the end…
Marisel’s Plan A—to survive under the protection of the Grand Duke’s family—was over. She would have to switch to Plan B, without their protection.
Then—
“One week! Assist me with my work during that time.”
“Yes. Within a week… Eh? You’re not firing me, you mean I should assist you?”
What kind of sudden turn is this?
Today was truly a strange day.
He let out a short sigh and lightly ignored Marisel’s words.
“Reno will be away in a few days. Help me in her place.”
“Ah… Your Highness, then what about Young Master Fleur…?”
“Come while Fleur is sleeping. Work until noon.”
“I-I’m not sure I’m capable of assisting Your Highness with your work…”
“It’s nothing big. Just sorting papers. Anyone could do it.”
“Oh, yes. Then I’ll do that. So, when will the picnic with Young Master Fleur be after Reno returns…?”
Morgan looked at Marisel, who trailed off mid-sentence, and thought:
Was this the same woman who just moments ago thought she’d be fired?
She shifted her stance quickly: confident, then submissive under threat, and when opportunity appeared, she seized it—like a skilled hunter.
A natural talent?
Thinking about it, it was obviously about Fleur. Why did I get so worked up?
And the explanation she offered didn’t please him either.
And why is it a “unseemly thought” if I hold her in my heart?
Every woman wished he would notice them. The woman closest to him had no interest at all. No wonder his pride was stung.
Seeing Marisel’s crumbling expression, he hastily set conditions to prevent her from imagining being fired—but in her mind, the “dismissal” scenario still played out.
Am I really such a terrible employer?
Well, considering the nannies who had come before, Marisel’s fear was understandable.
Those who forgot their role and aimed for the Grand Duchess position had all been dismissed.
The women he’d met all tried to appear favorable to him. She did the opposite.
Based on her actions today, he briefly wondered if her prior behavior had been calculated to claim the Grand Duchess role. But there were too many inconsistencies for that theory.
“When Reno returns, I’ll make time for it.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. Young Master Fleur will be delighted.”
Marisel clasped her hands over her chest and smiled like a young girl.
She always smiles like that when it’s about Fleur.
“Then, once the date is set, please let me know.”
As she was finishing her sentence, she suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands.
“Ah! And… Your Highness, since you often go out, I’m sure you know many safe places for a child to enjoy an outing, right?”
Marisel spoke cautiously, circling around her point.
“So you want me to find and report the locations?”
“Eh? Report? Of course not. I’ll just go and check; you don’t need to.”
Morgan stared at her silently, frowning.
“No need. I’ll decide on the location and let you know.”
“Ah! As expected, Your Highness is so kind.”
Marisel quickly added clarification, worried he might misunderstand:
“I meant kind toward Young Master Fleur. You already know, but just in case…”
“I understand.”
Morgan frowned, looking slightly annoyed.
Haa. What a day this has been.
Marisel let out a sigh as if all her energy had been drained.
