Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Trampoline and the New Nanny
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Wake up, Baby Ella!”
Dietrich was bursting with energy first thing in the morning.
But I was still in the body of a three-year-old who needed plenty more sleep.
I shoved away Dietrich, who had barged into my room early in the morning and was shaking my arm, then yanked the blanket up over my head.
If I closed my eyes again right now, I could probably get at least two more hours of sleep.
“Aren’t you curious what the butler set up outside?”
Not even a little.
“It’d be so much fun to bounce on it together.”
Not fun at…
…Bounce?
“What’s bouncy?”
“Look out the window. That black thing over there! They say it’s the most popular toy in the duchy right now!”
I peeked my head out from under the blanket and sat up, following Dietrich’s directions.
The moment I spotted the pitch-black thing in the garden, my sleepiness vanished in an instant.
Whoa! That’s…!
“They say you climb on top and bounce. Sounds fun, right? Don’t you wanna ride it right now?”
A trampoline! That’s a trampoline, isn’t it?
The very thing we called bang-bang, boing-boing, pong-pong, and all sorts of names while riding it every day with friends in front of school!
My affection for the butler, who’d only been with us for less than a week, started surging.
“Let’s go, Ditri!”
“Let’s go, Baby!”
“Hold on a moment. You both need to change out of your pajamas first before going out.”
I hadn’t even noticed them come in, but the nurse and the maids were standing at the door.
Come to think of it, not only had I just woken up in my pajamas, but so had Dietrich, who’d chased excitedly into my room the moment he got up.
There was no way I could bounce on a trampoline in a frilly dress like this.
“Then let’s change and meet up out front?”
“Yeah!”
After the nurse took Dietrich by the hand and led him back to his room, three maids swarmed around me.
Betty and Laura were the familiar ones who always attended me… but who was this one?
A new hire?
I stared openly at the unfamiliar face, and she smiled at me with her eyes crinkled shut, then bowed her head.
She looked a bit older than the nurse—more mature.
“Hello, miss. I’m Yasmin, the nanny sent from the main estate.”
“Nanny?”
“Yes. From now on, I’ll be assisting the nurse in attending to you. Noble families of high standing usually assign a separate nanny once the child reaches a certain age, in addition to the nurse.”
Is that so?
When it came to etiquette, Yasmin—who had come from working at the duke’s main estate—would know far better than I did, reincarnated or not.
“May I style your hair, miss?”
“Yeah!”
A few deft touches from Yasmin’s hands, and my hair was suddenly done up in the cutest style.
To think she could create such an intricate hairstyle in one go!
A nanny from the main estate really was on another level.
“I tried braiding it into little round buns today. What do you think?”
“It’s great! How’d you make my hair so pretty, Yasmin?”
“Thank you. I originally served Lady Katrin, the wife of the sub-duke, back at her family home.”
Sub-duke… I vaguely recalled hearing that name somewhere.
The Kalenberg duke was our grandfather, and the heir was Dad’s younger brother—that much I dimly remembered.
I wondered if I’d ever meet Grandpa or Uncle someday.
From what the maids say, Grandpa doesn’t seem particularly interested in me.
Well, for now, all that mattered was how satisfying Yasmin’s handiwork was—her skillful braids split into twin tails and tied up neatly.
Our nurse had originally been hired to look after Dietrich, so she wasn’t as adept at prettily styling a little girl’s hair.
And the maids, who hadn’t been hired specifically for childcare, were even less skilled.
“Eek, you’re too cute, miss!”
I’d been admiring myself in the mirror for a while when I spun around, and Betty’s squeal came from behind me.
She’d held out longer than usual today.
Judging by that tone—like she was about to die from cuteness—she’d start petting my hair any second now.
I turned with a twirl, offering my cute braided pigtails to Betty for petting, but froze at a sudden sharp slapping sound.
I whipped my head around. Betty was standing there with wide eyes, clutching her hand.
Her flushed, reddened knuckles caught my eye next.
“Nanny, what was that…?”
Betty’s shock was fleeting; her eyes narrowed fiercely in anger.
Betty, who had the worst temper and scowl in the house, was glaring daggers, but Yasmin maintained the exact same composed expression as before.
She was so calm, it was hard to believe she was the one who’d just smacked Betty’s hand hard enough to make that loud crack.
“How dare you try to touch the lady you serve without her permission.”
“I just reached out because she was so cute!”
“Do the branch estate servants lack even basic manners? You can’t lay hands on your charge without their consent.”
Yasmin looked down at Betty with utter contempt, her gaze devoid of any warmth.
Hmm.
Considering this was a class-based society, Yasmin had a point…
But still, there’s the bond Betty and I have built up over time, right?
I couldn’t easily take sides.
Truth be told, my time in this world was still short, so I wasn’t well-versed in etiquette myself.
If the nurse had been here, she could’ve sorted this out properly. What a shame.
“But the miss is still so young…”
“Young or not, she’s still the lady of the house. The branch servants may have acted carelessly until now, but now that I’m here, you’ll show her proper respect.”
Betty looked a little aggrieved, her lips trembling, but Yasmin’s words were fundamentally correct, so she had no choice but to fall silent.
I got that what Yasmin said was right.
But did she really have to smack her hand to teach the lesson?
Betty could be hot-tempered, but she was never stubborn or arrogant without reason.
She cared deeply for me and Dietrich, too.
If Yasmin had just explained properly, Betty would’ve understood and corrected herself right away. Hitting her hand out of nowhere, though…
And going on about ‘branch estate servants’ at every turn.
No matter how prestigious the main estate was, she was working in our home now—talking down like that?
Yasmin, who had been glaring sharply at Betty, turned to me and softened her expression into a gentle smile.
It was a warm face that didn’t match the one who’d just belittled our household.
“The butler set up a trampoline for the young master and miss. It’s a modest gift prepared by us servants from the main estate, so please enjoy it.”
“Yeah…”
“Shall we go take a look together? May I hold your hand?”
What should I do?
Betty and Laura were regular maids, lower in rank than Yasmin.
Openly scolding Yasmin in front of them would hurt her pride and sour the mood.
For now, since Yasmin was technically right and higher-ranking, it’d be better to let it slide and comfort Betty privately later.
Having weighed my options inwardly, I reached out and took Yasmin’s hand.
Before stepping out of the room, Yasmin firmly clasped my hand and shot a glance back at Betty and Laura, who had been trailing naturally behind us.
“You two stay here and tidy the miss’s bedding. Make sure the cleaning is thorough.”
“……Yes, ma’am.”
Hmm.
This was normally work for other lower servants, yet she was commandeering my personal maids without my permission…
Only after separating the two did Yasmin start chattering cheerfully, her voice a tone brighter, as if her mood had lifted.
“The weather’s lovely today, isn’t it, miss?”
She was so unpredictable.
For now, I’d just watch and wait a bit longer.
It was natural for friction to arise when newcomers mixed with an established group.
Besides, coming from one of the empire’s four great ducal houses, Yasmin’s pride must be sky-high.
By noble standards, it seemed Betty really had been in the wrong.
“Do you like cake?”
“Yeah, love it.”
I smoothly shifted topics with Yasmin, giving her the kind of response she seemed to want.
“Perfect. I’ve instructed the kitchen to prepare plenty of cake for after you bounce on the trampoline.”
Yeah… that probably wasn’t gonna happen.