I Possessed As A Childcare Extra Chapter 21

Aeon, known as the ‘Northern Grand Duke Who Knows No Love’ but read as ‘non-recyclable trash’, saw Freda only as a producer of heirs.
If he were a romance-fantasy protagonist, it would’ve turned into a #married_first_love_later situation.

But Freda was a villainess no matter how you looked at her.

At Aeon’s first wedding, she reportedly appeared covered head-to-toe in black. As if the man who promised to marry her had somehow cheated on her.

It wasn’t entirely baseless. Freda was the most likely candidate for Aeon’s marriage.

At least until Aeon himself proposed marriage to Princess Iofe.

The Hilstern Marquisate had been a vassal under the previous Tricen Grand Duke and led a rising political faction. They must have tried consolidating power through marriage alliances.

And the villainess raised by that house succeeded in becoming the second Grand Duchess. Since she invoked the matter of succession, the condition probably was something like, “If the second child is born, they will divorce.”

But even after the second child was born, the marquisate refused to step down.

To retain the position of Grand Duchess, she likely resorted to every tactic possible—perhaps trying to make Leoni the heir.

Leoni was born when Narkis was three. If his life had been threatened from then on, it’s a miracle he survived at all.

In truth, Freda wasn’t interested in the succession. At least not outwardly.

Rumors were rampant—she treated Narkis warmly and Leoni coldly, or the opposite, depending on who spoke.

Gathering all of that, my conclusion was… Freda was an Aeon-obsessive maniac.

She cared nothing for anyone except Aeon. Whether that obsession was pure desire or manufactured, I couldn’t tell.

Now the problem: what happens when an Aeon-obsessive maniac meets the precious youngest daughter Aeon dotes on?

Answer: catastrophe!

And yet the young lady insisted on going out to greet Freda. Her reasoning?

‘If we’re going to run into her anyway… isn’t it better not to give her something to use against us…?’

Surprisingly reasonable.

So the young lady, Cecile, and innocent me ended up rushing out—only for the young lady Edel to be the only one standing there to receive the guest.

Never mind Leoni—Narkis, the acting head of the house, not coming out was a formal declaration of refusing the guest at the door.

The price of failing to read the household atmosphere was steep.

“What a lovely daughter.”

Freda reached toward the young lady.

Her long, sharp purple nails looked like they could slice with a brush of air.

Is it time? Time to throw myself forward for my master!

But before I could even flinch, Freda’s hand reached the young lady.

There was no dramatic “smack!”.

“What is your name?”

She merely grabbed her chin. A method rather far from the usual way adults look a child in the eye.

“E-Edel. I’m sheven yers old…”

Even with her chin held, the young lady managed to lift her skirt with both hands in greeting. Tragic…

“Your birthday?”

“January seventeenf…”

“Hmm…”

Freda murmured in admiration, then spoke softly:

“The 9th year of Achilleo.”

The current emperor’s regnal year.

“It must have been lovely weather.”

She wasn’t referring to the day Edel was born.

“In the season when life blossoms. Isn’t that right?”

Her red-painted lips curved upward.

Terrifying woman. She was calculating when the child had been conceived.

“It must have been lonely without a mother to care for you.”

This I had learned from ‘Elegant Backstabbing While Sipping Tea’. I needed to grasp the hidden meaning.

You grew up just fine without a mother.

I’ll be your mother now, so don’t get in my way.

Both.

Whatever it was, the correct response was something vague and evasive.

“Um, I—Im fine. I haf Daddy an’ my brothers…”

Terrified, the young lady provoked Freda with a direct hit.

“Is that so?”

Freda’s voice sank ominously. Meaning: we’re screwed.

I told you to study! You said seven-year-olds don’t need to study and just watched!

No choice now. This is my moment!

My timid heart, inherited from my master, pounded violently as I realized something.

The young lady’s guard is Kyle. Surely the Sword Master will handle it?

I sneaked a glance at Kyle. His sharp eyes were those of a blood-frozen vampire. Good. I won’t need to throw my body in the way.

“My, my. Our daughter doesn’t resemble him at all.”

Freda gave no time to breathe.

“Ugh…”

The young lady whimpered as her chin was pulled even higher.

“…Ha.”

Kyle gripped Freda’s wrist and stopped her, prompting a short, incredulous laugh from Freda.

“Won’t even let me see her face.”

Kyle dropped her wrist silently and bowed.

“So heartless.”

Clicking her tongue, Freda tilted her head exaggeratedly. The angle was far from normal. As if she was saying, Look. I’m only looking. Can you see well?

Only then did her face enter my view—and a phrase I hadn’t used since arriving in this world escaped me.

Holy sh—…

Long, dense lashes cast elegant shadows.

Through them shone violet eyes—like forbidden fruit one must not covet.

A distinct beauty mark below her left eye made my heart tremble.

The very moment I thought, I could devote my life to this woman without realizing it, those violet eyes slid toward me.

We made eye contact.

…There goes my life. It’s gone now…

“Mother!”

Just before I collapsed emotionally, Leoni burst through the crowd. He wore light training clothes and carried a sword, likely summoned straight from practice.

“It’s been a while.”

Freda—who had just nearly stolen my entire life—turned her head calmly.

“Mother, why are you—”

“You speak as if I’ve come somewhere forbidden.”

“That’s not what I meant! Only, if Father finds out—”

“He must know.”

Cutting him off, Freda lifted her chin.

“That wherever my children are, I should be as well.”

At the top of the central staircase stood Narkis, looking down at us.

“Where would the young master like me to escort his mother?”

Without taking her eyes off Narkis, Freda asked.

Narkis’s attendant gestured with zero courtesy.

“Please follow me.”

Her navy hair rippled like water.

Between the strands, it felt like dozens of eyes were watching us.

 

 

****

 

 

“I really thought I was going to faint!”

As soon as we returned to the room, the young lady blurted it out. I agreed completely.

“Our dear Lady Edel, you must have been very scared. It’s all right now, so don’t worry.”

While Cecile stepped out to fetch wash water, I gave my advice.

“I’m sorry to say this, but… I think no matter what you do, she’s going to dislike you…”

The young lady buried her face into her little maple-leaf-shaped hands and mumbled.

“She’s sho shcary… but I hafta try shomehow…”

She had the attitude of throwing an egg at the boulder named Freda. I advised her again.

“Wouldn’t it be better not to stand out? You have your brothers, after all…”

I trailed off, but the meaning should’ve been clear. Isn’t that exactly what those sister-obsessed idiots are for?

“I do wanna do that, but…”

After groaning a bit, the young lady confessed carefully.

“Freda ish the early-stage villain who holdsh handsh with Delia in the original.”

“Excuuuse me?”

“Even if I wanna avoid her, I can’t.”

With soulless eyes, the young lady continued.

“Freda and Delia are fated partner-sh…”

“No way…”

“But right now, my fated partner ish… you, Annie!”

“This can’t be…”

Cecile returned, laughing softly.

“Did the world end while I was gone?”

Just as the young lady said—our terrible fate with Freda was unavoidable.