The Black-haired Noblewoman, Who Disguised Herself, Seems To Have Been Doted On While Serving As The Caretaker For The Duke Who Dislikes Women - Episode 26

I immediately talk to the child.

“I’m Michelle. This is Claire. Do you know her? Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, yeah.”

What is your name?

“Marie”

“Marie-chan, have you ever played with Claire-chan?”

While alternating my gaze between the two, I asked them, but Claire-chan remained silent and looked down as usual. Marie-chan answered me, albeit a bit shyly.

“No… The teachers told me to play with you, but…”

While saying that, the way he glances at Claire-chan shows no trace of malice. Judging by this, it seems he might have tried to invite her, but Claire-chan might not have been able to respond well.

The girls who were playing with my hair have also started watching the three of us without us noticing.

“I see. Then, can you include me and Claire too? Let’s play together!”

When I said that, the girls responded in unison with a cheerful “Yes!”

Then we all played princesses together. My role was to be the maid who took care of the princesses. I guided Claire-chan to play one of the princesses, and naturally, she started conversing with the other kids. I suggested we pick flowers from the weeds blooming by the flowerbed and decorate each other’s heads with them. Claire-chan’s little hands placed many cute flowers on my head. Then, we began conversing in words like noble ladies and pretended to attend tea parties and

After continuing such make-believe play for a while, before I knew it, Claire-chan was dancing hand in hand with Marie-chan and the other kids, laughing out loud. Children’s adaptability is amazing.

Seeing that scene, I felt a sense of relief and somehow started to have a lot of fun. Before I knew it, I was taking the initiative to prepare meals for the little princesses. After finishing the main dish made of small stones and twigs, and making a dessert cake by scattering flowers on a mound of dirt, the princesses who had been dancing at the ball came over to me.

“Oh, Michelle. What are you making?”

“Here is your dinner, ladies. Over there, you have steak, bread, and salad. We will bring out the cake after the meal, so please look forward to it.”

“Oh my! How delicious it looks!”

“I’ve danced so much that I’m absolutely starving.”

With clumsy words and cheerful laughter, Claire and the others began pretending to eat the meal I had prepared. Meanwhile, I curled up next to them and continued making the cake in silence.

After a while, the cake turned out to be more luxurious than expected, with a wonderful finish. I felt delighted and turned to the girls with a broad smile.

“Please take a look, ladies! A truly wonderful cake has been completed… yes…”

At that moment, I froze with a smile on my face.

Behind the girls, the Duke of Harrington and the headmaster were standing there, having arrived without me noticing, and they were staring at me with wide eyes.

The moment I saw their expressions, I suddenly came to my senses.

I was crouched down, diligently making dirt cakes and engrossed in playing pretend with the children. My hands were covered in dirt, and the hem of my dress was soiled. And then the duke saw me.

The moment I realized that, I became so embarrassed that it felt like my face was on fire. My neck and above suddenly became hot, and I hurriedly stood up.

As I was flustered, trying to figure out how to make excuses for this situation, the director next to the duke smiled happily and said to me.

“Well, you included Claire in the group, didn’t you? Thank you very much. She came here a few days ago, but she couldn’t quite open up… The staff were worried about her too. After finishing lunch preparations, I went to check on her to take her outside, and I heard she was gone, so I thought something might have happened… But you lent her a helping hand, didn’t you? Thank you very much.”

“N-no, that’s not…”

Rubbing my fingertips together and casually brushing off the dirt from both hands, I respond in a flustered manner. The duke silently watches me the whole time. It’s embarrassing. He must be exasperated by my childlike behavior.

Thinking that, I awkwardly looked down, and the duke muttered something.

“……The flowers in your hair suit you too, don’t they? You’re matching with the kids.”

With those words, I remembered that I had a lot of flowers and plants adorning my head, and my ears became so hot they felt like they were burning.

Then, I joined Mr. Curtis and the other children, and we all played tag and hide-and-seek in the spacious garden. This facility is a really nice place. The children are all smiling, healthy, and seem bright and happy. The duke also seemed satisfied; his expression was very gentle when he said goodbye to the director and staff on our way out.

When I was saying my goodbyes and getting into the carriage, Claire came over to me.

“Michelle big sister, will you come again?”

Before I could answer, the Duke of Harrington spoke to Claire.

“Ah, I’ll bring them again. You should look forward to it.”

Then Claire-chan smiled happily and hugged my skirt tightly.

“Yay! Thank you, big sister! Let’s definitely play again!”

“Me too! I’ll be waiting!”

“It was so much fun! Come again! Michelle big sister, I love you so much!”

The other girls who were watching also gathered around and hugged me tightly. They were so cute, so cute, that I couldn’t help but make a silly face.

“Hehe. Thank you, everyone. I had fun too. I love you all. Let’s hang out again.”

While stroking each person’s head and bidding farewell, I followed the duke and Mr. Curtis into the carriage and continued waving from the small window.