TPOVF 06

Chapter 06

Occasionally, there were servants who disrespected or showed hostility toward the private tutor.

Because Eurenia was a young woman, they looked down on her even though she was clearly of noble birth, treating her as beneath them, who were commoners.

Getting caught up in such power struggles was truly exhausting. So it was more comfortable to keep an appropriate distance.

“Anyway, Miss, once you’ve worked here a while, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Yes.”

Eurenia replied meekly without adding any further comment. However, she didn’t continue the conversation.

Just as an awkward silence was about to settle, Malenda cleared her throat and spoke.

“Anyway, I wonder when our young master’s tantrums will get better. They only get worse by the day. The only reason I can endure it is because it’s me. He’s no ordinary child.”

As Malenda spoke, she grew increasingly heated. Eventually, even upon arriving at the nursery, she launched into a tirade without even opening the door.

“Speaking of which, the young master has required a lot of attention since he was a baby. I thought things would get better once he could talk. But instead, it’s only gotten worse. No wonder his mother abandoned him.”

Eurenia, who had been quietly listening to the nanny’s words, raised an eyebrow.

‘That’s a bit…’

Putting aside her attitude toward the tutor herself…

She was badmouthing Kailus.

And right in front of the door where the person in question was, no less. The child might hear.

‘I can’t let this slide.’

Eurenia decided to first give Malenda a chance to come to her senses.

In the gentlest tone possible. With a look of awkwardness.

“Malenda. Perhaps you shouldn’t say such things. What if the young master hears and gets hurt?”

“Oh my! I really am something!”

Malenda looked embarrassed and smoothed the back of her neck. Seeing this, it seemed to have been an unconscious mistake.

“I really am so thoughtless. I was just speaking figuratively, you know.”

“I appreciate your concern.”

Eurenia greeted her politely. Malenda let out a hearty laugh and said,

“Well, if anything difficult comes up, don’t hesitate to tell me, alright?”

With that, Malenda wrapped up the conversation and knocked on the nursery door.

But something was strange.

“…”

There was definitely the sound of someone inside. Yet there was no response to the knock.

“Young master, your nanny is here.”

“…”

“Young master?”

In the quiet stillness, Malenda gave an awkward laugh. She shook her head and even shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh dear, see? Raising a mischievous one means every day is a new adventure. You’ll get used to it soon enough, Eurenia.”

“Yes.”

“Young master, young master! Are you not there?”

Hearing Eurenia’s agreement, Malenda knocked loudly on the door. Then she grabbed the doorknob and shook it, but suddenly looked flustered.

“Why is the door locked again? Young master! Open this up!”

“…”

“I said open the door!”

Malenda shook the door so hard the hinges rattled.

But still, the door wouldn’t open.

Eurenia stood behind Malenda and examined the door. It wasn’t locked with a latch, yet it wouldn’t budge—it seemed as if magic had been cast upon it.

‘He’s already using magic?’

Eurenia tuned out Malenda’s shouting and fell into thought.

As an adult, Kailus, true to his role as the male lead, was good at everything. Magic was one of his primary abilities. He had used it very effectively to imprison the female lead, Emilia.

However, there had been descriptions that his magic control was poor when he was young.

‘I must have remembered incorrectly.’

Eurenia thought nothing of it and took Malenda’s hand. The huffing woman whipped her twisted face around.

“What is it?”

Her face was completely different from when she had spoken warmly with a friendly smile. But Eurenia wasn’t flustered by the harsh expression.

“Let me try.”

“If I can’t open it, how do you expect a young lady like you to manage? Go ahead and try if you can.”

Leaving behind Malenda, who was subtly belittling her, Eurenia grasped the doorknob. As she turned her hand downward, surprisingly, the handle moved smoothly.

“Huh…?”

“Young master!”

Pushing aside the surprised Eurenia, Malenda stepped forward and flung the door wide open. As she stepped into the room, the mug she had been holding floated up into the air.

And then.

“Kyaa!”

Splash.

The milk from Malenda’s mug was thrown all over Eurenia’s face.

“…”

Drip.

Drip-drop.

“Oh dear, Teacher!”

Amidst Malenda’s shriek, white milk trickled down Eurenia’s rounded jawline. She calmly wiped her face first.

This was baffling.

“Oh my goodness!”

That being said.

“What on earth happened!”

With Malenda making such a fuss beside her, Eurenia actually became calmer.

In truth, there was no need to make a big deal out of it. When teaching children, being showered with milk, flour, or dirt was a common occurrence.

‘It’s lukewarm.’

Eurenia wiped her chin. If it had been hot milk, she would have been burned. But thanks to Malenda’s prolonged chatting, the milk had become tepid.

‘Lucky me.’

Eurenia shook the dampness from her hands onto the floor. White droplets scattered onto the rug.

“Ugh!”

At that moment.

As she was wiping her face, Eurenia heard the sound of a child hastily covering their mouth.

She wiped the milk from her eyes and looked around the nursery.

There, curled up in the far corner of the spacious room, was a small boy.

The moment Eurenia’s eyes met the boy’s, he shouted with a flushed face.

“Who are you?!”

“Good heavens, Young Master!”

Malenda was horrified by the boy’s rude remark. She stormed into the room, huffing.

“You should apologize first, not yell as if you’ve done something right! I can’t live like this. What a breach of decorum! Just look at what the young master has done!”

Malenda pointed at the drenched Eurenia and pressed her hand to her forehead. Then she raised her voice dramatically.

“This isn’t the first or second time you’ve tarnished the name of House Valerio! Because of you, young master, I won’t live out my natural lifespan!”

“I—!”

The boy flinched at Malenda’s reproach.

Meanwhile, Eurenia continued wiping her face with a handkerchief and looked at the black-haired boy.

‘So this is him.’

A pale boy, his small body crumpled into the corner of the large room.

The seven-year-old male lead, Kailus Valerio.

His disheveled black hair swayed softly in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Just as the novel described, Kailus had black hair and light green eyes.

But that wasn’t what caught Eurenia’s attention.

Listening to Malenda’s scolding, Kailus’s appearance was hardly that of an heir to an aristocratic family—let alone one of the great ducal houses.

The child’s state was a mess.

His jet-black hair had grown so long it covered his tiny face entirely.

Moreover, the sleeves of his play clothes hung as loosely as if they’d been put on a scarecrow. His long limbs were far too gaunt for his age.

‘What has Malenda been doing all this time?’

There was no need to ask. Malenda was showing with her whole body exactly what she had been doing.

“What exactly are you good at, Young Master? Besides being a nuisance to the elders of the family! There’s never a single day that passes quietly!”

“Sh-shut up!”

“Oh my, all you have is a loud voice! You never lose a single argument! This is why everyone dislikes serving you, Young Master!”

Malenda was heaping all kinds of abuse on Kailus. Eurenia watched her closely.

At first, she thought it was discipline.

But this wasn’t discipline. This was venting.

Malenda was spewing out words at the child without any filter between what should and shouldn’t be said.

“Do you even know that I only endure it out of the affection I’ve had for you since you were a baby? I don’t know who you take after! Your mother is the very epitome of an elegant noble, yet you can’t even tell right from wrong! It breaks my heart, it really does! Kailus, why are you so wicked?”

[Because of you, Mother is upset. Why are you so wicked?]

…That sounds familiar.

To think I would have to hear those words again, words I was sick of hearing from my parents in my past life.

Eurenia bit her lower lip firmly.

‘The repertoire of incompetent adults is truly consistent, isn’t it.’

Eurenia furrowed her brow and stepped forward. Then she grabbed Malenda’s arm.

“Malenda, stop. I’m fine.”

“Fine? Your face and clothes are a complete mess! Oh dear, what to do.”

Malenda made a show of wiping Eurenia’s face with her sleeve. But since Eurenia had already cleaned herself thoroughly, there was nothing left to tend to.

‘How quickly you rush to care for me now.’

Eurenia thought cynically. Malenda’s true intentions were clear. It was only natural that she had put Eurenia on the back burner.

Malenda had only paid lip service to concern.

In truth, she hadn’t cared about Eurenia in the slightest.