I couldn’t help but shout in surprise.

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

I shook my head at Dad’s question.

“But this is just when I’m starting social activities.”

“That’s right.”

“The role of a nanny is very important, so shouldn’t we choose carefully? Considering experience and everything...”

“Considering that experience, if she was a former head maid of the royal palace, she would be quite helpful.”

“Well... yes, that’s true, but—”

Yeah, it is true, but I know—

‘Lady Asha was Dalya’s private tutor!’

I swallowed my urge to shout that out and held my head in my hands.

Private tutor.

If you say just that, it sounds like someone who only teaches lessons on schedule and keeps distance from Dalya, but that’s not the case.

Dalya only came to the Astra Estate as an adult.

There was a mountain of things to teach, but since she was older, they couldn’t assign a nanny.

So they just changed the title and assigned Lady Asha to Dalya as a private tutor instead.

Instead of a nanny.

What does it mean to be a nanny substitute for Dalya?

It means there were countless fights between her and me.

“I wish the young lady understood the gravity of this.”

“What did you say?”

“You should know that one tear from Miss Dalya would get you thrown into the underground prison.”

Dalya possessed three Gaho blessings, a very special and important person.

Not like me with fake Gaho, but a true Gaho bearer.

She even developed the blessing up to level 4.

That means as long as there is breath, she can revive any patient.

‘Though it took a long time.’

Anyway, that was a miraculous ability.

So everyone in the world praised and revered Dalya.

Not only at the Astra Estate, but also in the royal palace, people were completely devoted to Dalya.

Lady Asha was very proud of Dalya.

Just by being Dalya’s nanny substitute, she wielded immense power.

It raised her status and gave her real influence, so Lady Asha would do anything for Dalya.

And those attacks usually targeted me.

‘I nearly died many times because of that woman!’

Someone like that becoming my nanny?

Absolutely no way.

“Dad, since she’ll be with me the longest, can’t I choose someone I like?”

“You?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm, it will be hard to find someone suitable as a nanny for a great noble family.”

Dad’s worry was reasonable.

Not just any noble, but a direct descendant of the Duke Astra family.

Naturally, the requirements were strict.

And there were very few people who met those requirements.

But we couldn’t choose someone who didn’t fit.

If my nanny’s experience or status had even the slightest flaw, people would gossip about it.

‘Using such a nanny means there must be a problem—’

But still, I can’t make Lady Asha my nanny.

“If we can’t find anyone, I’ll ask for your help.”

When I insisted firmly, Dad nodded smoothly.

“Alright. You choose yourself.”

“Yes!”

I smiled brightly and steeled myself.

I would search the whole empire if I had to to find someone else!

Lady Asha is absolutely out!

The conditions explicitly stated for a nanny of a great noble family were only three.

— Must be a noble.

— Must have graduated from the Academy.

— Must have a recommendation from another nanny.

Of course, those were just the stated conditions.

They were minimum cutoffs; the unstated, implicit conditions were far more numerous.

“Here are the resumes that came in.”

Michelan handed me a stack of resumes.

As soon as rumors spread that I was looking for a nanny, resumes poured in from all over.

I carefully examined them one by one.

“Hmm, hmm...”

The applicants all had some reputation.

Since I’m the third generation of Duke Astra and daughter of General Daymond, only confident people applied.

But...

I put the papers down and furrowed my brow deeply in the chair.

Michelan saw me and asked,

“None of them to your liking?”

“No.”

The resumes themselves were perfect. No wonder, they were all excellent in ability.

But the parts that can’t be written on paper were the problem.

Especially personality.

‘Lady Nangti is the kind who takes money to introduce the children she watches to insignificant families...’

I slid Nangti’s resume aside.

Lady Lucion was a loyalist to the Empress Dowager faction.

‘She’d report all my movements to Empress Roselia.’

Lucion’s resume was also trash.

‘Lady Make? Why is she on the list?’

That crazy woman hit children without their parents knowing.

‘It must have caused a huge scandal about three years ago.’

Child abuse should land someone in prison.

“Hmm...”

No matter how much I looked, no one was suitable as my nanny.

Most nannies were from minor noble families.

For such women to come to the capital and succeed as a nanny, they probably needed a very strong personality.

‘So maybe there really isn’t anyone who truly cares for the child...’

But they should at least have a sense of duty in their profession!

It was a problem that the talent pool was this bad.

Michelan, seeing me sigh and worry, said,

“Now that I think about it, you once tried to find a nanny when you were young.”

“Yes.”

Dad tried to assign one, but I said no.

I didn’t really need one back then.

“You said there was someone you had in mind.”

“There was... but now she’s gone.”

“If she’s working elsewhere, you could offer a bigger salary and bring her here.”

“No, she’s watching noble children elsewhere.”

Michelan looked puzzled.

“She quit being a nanny? But if we pay a lot...”

“No, she’s somewhere else.”

“Where on earth...”

I said with a gloomy face.

“Prison.”

“...What?”

“She went to prison for hitting someone.”

Michelan lost words, opening and closing his lips a few times, then barely said,

“...Good thing we didn’t bring her.”

“Exactly.”

I pressed my temples hard.

They all looked flashy on the outside, but each had major problems.

But it would be hard to find anyone else fitting the conditions.

‘Even if I don’t like it, should I choose from among these?’

Even if a little flawed, it’s a hundred times better than making Lady Asha my nanny.

“Who’s the best candidate?”

I spread the remaining resumes on the desk and asked Michelan.

After looking them over, Michelan finally picked one name.

“How about this person?”

[Canela Miya]

It was a name I hadn’t heard before.

“Where did she work?”

“This would be her first job. But she worked as a nursery maid (assistant nanny) for the First Prince at the royal palace.”

“Is that so?”

Although she had no experience as a nanny, being the First Prince’s nursery maid was a good enough reason to apply.

“Why do you recommend her?”

“She seemed passionate about the work.”

“Passionate?”

A somewhat vague criterion.

Michelan took a letter from his pocket in response to my question.

“This is a letter Canela Miya sent along with her resume.”

I took the letter and opened it.

[Dear Michelan,

I heard about the big incident involving Miss Erilot during the Fertility Festival.

It’s not good to spread rumors, but I felt worried and wanted to write a few words.

I’m concerned that Miss Erilot must have been very shocked.

I worry if her heart is okay.

Have the sudden changes in people’s attitudes confused her?

Even if those looks are kind, if they are totally different from before, she might lose faith in the world.

But I want to say firmly to Miss Erilot.

There are such people in the world, but more are good people.

Though I don’t know your face, I’m sending this message through you, Michelan.

If it’s from you, Miss Erilot will surely take it to heart.

I enclosed chamomile tea leaves to soothe her heart.

I wish Miss Erilot all happiness.

Children must always be happy.

That’s all.

— Canela Miya]

‘Oh...’

I nodded after reading the letter.

It was hard to judge lightly, but she seemed like a decent person.

“She’s the best so far. We should at least interview her.”

“Understood.”

Michelan organized the resumes.

District 1, Cartier Street.

This place was like a bustling area of the capital.

Looking at the crowd filling the street, I felt the energy.

I headed with Han Ji-hyuk to a pastry shop that Canela Miya often visited.

Han Ji-hyuk asked me,

“Why are you sneaking a look like that?”

“Hm?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to make an appointment? You might miss the timing. She might not come today.”

“If I make an appointment, she’ll know I’m Lady Astra.”

“Should she know?”

Isn’t that obvious?

“I need to know what kind of person she really is, but if she knows I’m the employer, she’ll show her social face.”

Just like me.

“Yeah, I get what you mean.”

Han Ji-hyuk stared at me.

Why is he looking at me like that?

I’m good at socializing, but getting this kind of look feels unfair.

We arrived at the pastry shop and went up to the second floor.

The floor was open so you could see all the way down to the first floor.

We roughly ordered and watched the people below.

After some time,

Han Ji-hyuk tapped my arm.

“Isn’t that her?”

A woman was picking bread where he pointed.

Her neatly tied red hair swung cleanly.

A beauty mark next to her nose.

Her face was exactly like the portrait sent with the resume.

I carefully looked at her face and slowly nodded.

“Looks like her.”

Found her.

Canela Miya.

She was sitting chatting with some people.

Canela looked clearly friendly and stood out among the group.

Her gestures were big but not exaggerated or forced.

She waved her hands energetically and laughed loudly covering her mouth, yet no one frowned.

She clearly got along well with everyone.

‘A friendly person is good.’

If she befriended other families’ nannies, she could secretly gather various information.

What we want from nannies isn’t huge secrets.

Small preferences or passing news, when combined, can lead to big clues.

“Kekeke!”

Suddenly, Canela burst out laughing loudly, surprising Han Ji-hyuk.

He whispered to me, a bit embarrassed,

“She really has a loud voice.”

“Loud voices are good.”

Better than quiet ones.

Good communication, and when something happens, the loudest voice wins.

“Also, the pastry shop is small.”

“That’s true.”

Because it was small, we could hear Canela and the others clearly.

Just like the conversation going on now.

Canela fluttered her hands and said,

“Oh my, sister, why are you so worried? You’re more than capable. Don’t hesitate; apply.”

“I’m not an Academy graduate... not like you, a former palace nursery maid. I’m not applying to a great noble house like the Astra Duke family anyway...”

Huh?

No wonder I suddenly heard our conversation — we were being talked about.

My eyes shone.

I pricked my ears and focused.

Other people’s conversations about us are always the most interesting.

Canela rested her chin on her clasped hands and said,

“You really love children, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the most important thing, isn’t it? No matter how much work noble nannies have, the most important is love for the child.”

“Is that so?”

Han Ji-hyuk widened his eyes and lowered his voice.

“Her mindset’s really good.”

“Yeah. She seems like a good person.”

Certainly, a nanny should put love for the child before money or ambition.

Not that pursuing money or ambition is bad, but caring for a child is harder than expected.

Especially when the child isn’t your own.

Children are still growing, so naturally they make mistakes and throw unreasonable tantrums.

Because they’re children.

It’s the nanny’s job to gently correct and guide such behavior, so it’s better to have someone who cherishes the child.

‘If you hate children, wouldn’t it be hard to see them every day? Even if it’s for money.’

Canela’s words had sincerity and reason.

She looked like someone who sincerely advised her friends.

Even her friend sitting next to her seemed decent.

The rest of the conversation was also interesting.

“If you like that gentleman, go talk to him first.”

“Oh, I’m not pretty or anything... He runs a big fabric shop in the capital, so how could I...”

“What? You’re pretty. And your heart’s so pretty, what are you talking about? If he’s a really good person, he wouldn’t miss someone as pretty and considerate as you.”

Ah, really.

Even I felt good hearing that.

Listening in, Han Ji-hyuk and I exchanged nods.

‘We should invite her to the interview.’

A nanny has to be with me almost 24 hours a day.

She will inevitably find out who I am.

I’m not a bad person, but I’m not all good either.

Of course, I have clear reasons for what I do, but understanding that is a different matter.

‘If she can see the good in people like that.’

Personality is the most important.

It would be a big problem if she leaked my information.

Canela and her friends chatted on without any problematic parts in their talk.

After some time,

Clatter—several of Canela’s friends said they had things to do ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and stood up, dragging chairs.

Canela lightly tidied up what they had eaten.

Ding dong, the pastry shop door opened, ringing a clear bell.

Canela and the group outside started to scatter one or two by one.

They seemed to split off to go in the direction of their homes.

After a suitable time gap, Han Ji-hyuk and I left the pastry shop and followed Canela.

Since we met, we planned to greet her and invite her to the interview.

Then, Canela suddenly slipped into an alley ahead.

A tall, skinny woman among her friends followed her.

So I cautiously entered the alley too.

Thump!

“Ah!”

As soon as we entered the alley, I bumped into the skinny woman.

Being shorter, I bounced back and sat down with a thud on my butt.

“What? What is this? Who’s the kid?”

The skinny woman looked surprised and turned to me.

She spoke informally.

‘Well, I guess since I’m young, being startled like that makes sense.’

When you bump into someone suddenly, instinct makes words come out.

Han Ji-hyuk helped me up from the ground.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Actually, no.

I think I hit my tailbone hard.

‘Ouch, that hurts.’

Still, I had another purpose, so I held back from showing pain.

Since we were outside, I couldn’t even rub my butt and was quietly gritting my teeth, when an irritable voice sounded.

“What are you doing? You bumped into me and didn’t even apologize?”