Chapter 66
Decorating the interior wasn’t a big problem.
If it had been when she first arrived in Lotreben, she might have struggled a bit.
‘But I studied up last time when Matilda visited.’
In Eldoba, she often decorated with fruits and flowers, but in the North, that was more difficult, so she needed alternatives.
However, having spent some time in the North, predicting where and what decorations would work wasn’t particularly hard.
Wanting to create a family-like atmosphere, she had also asked the staff how things were done at her family home, which proved quite useful.
“Homemade cookies, huh.”
“We used to exchange small gifts, too. It was fun hiding them around the house and finding them. My parents hid them, but when I was little, I thought they were left by Morvena’s servants, and I was so thrilled…”
Seeing their faces light up as they shared their stories was also a source of happiness.
After collecting a morning full of heartwarming stories, her mood lifted.
‘Focusing on work really is the best method.’
Any lingering feelings of resentment now seemed like a thing of the distant past.
She was now confident she could greet Yuri with a smile when she returned.
Buoyed by that thought, Cecilia moved on to the children’s playroom.
Unlike last time, the children were sitting relatively quietly, waiting for her.
From their slightly tense expressions, it seemed the childcare teachers had given them strict instructions.
‘I didn’t mean to put this much pressure on them.’
After all, her plan had been driven by the desire for the children to enjoy themselves.
Cecilia pondered briefly over how to ease the children’s tension before dropping down to the floor and making eye contact with them.
From the teachers standing side by side at the back of the room, she could hear a sharp intake of breath in surprise, but the children simply watched her curiously.
“Hello, does anyone here like origami?”
Several hands slowly went up.
“How about cookies?”
This time, many more hands shot up quickly.
Perhaps they expected snacks, or perhaps they were excited, one child even shouted,
“Me!”
Exactly like Robin.
The child’s eyes sparkled. Rike, sitting beside him, looked flustered but didn’t lower her raised hand.
Cecilia let out a gentle smile and whispered as if sharing a secret with the children.
“Then, could you help me? I want to throw a party, and I need your help.”
“If we do, will we get cookies?”
“Yes. And I’ll also give you invitations so we can enjoy the party together.”
“But my mom says I have to sleep early to be a good kid…”
“That’s fine. I’ll make sure you get permission for that day.”
“But my mom is scary, is it really okay?”
That was quite a tricky question. Cecilia was searching for words that wouldn’t break the children’s innocence, when another child boldly shouted, rescuing her,
“It’s okay! The lady is stronger than our mom!”
“Her arms are like tree branches.”
“No, she’s like the Grand Duke!”
“Whoa!”
There was a slight misunderstanding, though. It probably didn’t mean physical strength.
Cecilia considered correcting their misunderstanding but decided to stay silent.
Either way, the answer made sense from the children’s perspective.
She soothed the pouting child worried that choosing origami would mean missing out on cookies, divided tasks so everyone could enjoy themselves, and before she knew it, it was late afternoon.
After putting the drowsy children to bed, the childcare teachers quietly approached her.
“Your Grace, the Duchess, I apologize for the delay in greeting you.”
“No, don’t worry. I should be the one thanking you. You handled everything well despite the sudden visit.”
Olga smiled faintly, clearly pleased.
At the same time, she was tucking blankets over the children who stirred in their sleep, giving the impression she never took her eyes off them.
She removed her glasses where Rike’s hand had touched and smiled a little wider.
She looked genuinely happy caring for the children.
‘I think I picked good people.’
Olga maintained order, and Isabelle, despite playing hard with the more energetic children, seemed unbothered.
By dividing teaching and play, everyone was performing their roles faithfully.
Satisfied, Cecilia spoke to the childcare teachers again, asking if they had any difficulties, needed anything, or had suggestions for improvement.
“There’s nothing inconvenient. I just… hope I can continue caring for the children like this.”
“That’s a perfect answer from a teacher. But don’t you want to be more honest?”
Olga shook her head with a smile, untricked by the playful comment.
“I really am satisfied. Especially, when I see this child, it reminds me so much of my daughter…”
She let her voice trail off and gently touched Rike’s cheek.
Olga carefully brushed back strands of hair and caressed the child’s eye area with her thumb.
So she had lost a child…
Recalling the application she had vaguely studied before the interview, Cecilia quietly placed her hand over Olga’s.
The startled hand gradually calmed under her touch.
“Thank you for taking such good care. This is my greeting on behalf of the staff.”
“…I should be the one thanking you for giving me this opportunity.”
As Olga lowered her head, a few strands of hair slipped down.
For a moment, Cecilia thought the black hair cast a shadow over her face, but it disappeared when she looked up.
After leaving a few more words thanking the teachers, Cecilia quietly exited the room, leaving the sleeping children behind.
Olga’s composed expression, despite recalling past memories, lingered in her mind.
The happy violet mist she held in her heart.
Although the topic had been inadequately considerate, it hadn’t been taken badly, thankfully.
‘I should be more careful with my words in the future.’
Since the children would help her prepare, she would be seeing them often. She needed to be more cautious.
Tapping her lips lightly with her fingertips, Cecilia walked slowly down the corridor.
With most of the busy work finished and the quiet settling in, thoughts she had tried to push away returned little by little.
‘I wonder if my husband will come back today?’
He had left early in the morning, so it seemed unlikely.
She still didn’t know what kept him so busy.
‘I thought I had blended into Lotreben quite well.’
The thought kept popping up, bringing a faint sense of unease.
Crossing her arms, Cecilia gazed out the window.
Once she decorated this garden beautifully, would her husband finally acknowledge her?
Would it be after decorating the grand hall for the banquet?
Or… not.
Lost in her thoughts, she tightened her arms and shook her head.
Now that she realized her feelings, she couldn’t help but crave recognition.
It was a deeper desire than the enthusiastic feelings from early in their marriage.
It wasn’t just a simple thought of ‘it would be nice to help,’ but a genuine wish to help because she cared for him.
But when would she get a chance to make a good impression?
Sighing as if playfully shaking off her worries, Cecilia raised her brows.
The remaining significant task would be inspecting the dormitories where the apprentices would stay.
It wouldn’t be strange for the Duke and Duchess to do it themselves.
With the apprentices arriving at Lotreben soon, news of the completed work would reach her shortly.
Cecilia resumed her steps, harboring the hope that she could be there when it happened.
