I Possessed As A Childcare Extra Chapter 22

“Anyone who sees us would think I’m bullying you.”

Even though she really had been bullied.

“Not at all. Right?”

“Y-yes……”

With just one pretend gag, she could’ve gotten him arrested for child abuse, but the young lady quietly nodded. Tears welled up.

The young lady said that if she couldn’t avoid it, she had to confront the villain head-on.

‘Gotta look as nice as possible so they won’t feel like bullying me, y’know…’ She wanted to build goodwill—what she called “affection-building.”

But was that really the right way?

The original story was no help at all.

When Serphin appeared, Delia easily pulled Freda to her side. Their situations were similar.

One was neglected, one was abandoned. Serphin, who received Aeon’s love, became the public enemy.

But now Serphin wasn’t here, and the young lady was in that role instead.

Serphin never blamed Freda for constantly bullying her. She was a benevolent protagonist to everyone.

Like an angel, like a saint. She showed mercy and pity to Freda. Until Aeon personally got rid of Freda.

And now Aeon wasn’t here either.

The original story had already gone off track, and Freda—who showed up earlier than expected—was acting differently.

She had committed misdeeds against Serphin without hesitation, but with the young lady, she acted oddly affectionate, calling her “my girl.”

The young lady’s combative words came to mind.

‘Serphin never did anything to Freda.’

If she was bullied, she just took it, and only felt sorry for Freda.

‘I’m not gonna wait until I get hit! I’ll strike first!’

I almost said, “You could just tell Narcis you don’t like Freda,” but I nodded along and pretended to be supportive while she pumped her fists.

‘Wow, amazing! Our young lady is the best! The master of affection-building is here!’

And as she said, affection-building was something the young lady was used to. She’d been doing it naturally ever since she came to Moon-Mist Castle.

It might be hard to watch, but if she was most confident in this method…

“Um, Edel… likes Lady Freda!”

I wasn’t going to stop her, but the timing was so sudden!

She was really going for a first strike like this?

It would be fine. “I like you!” was her ultimate weapon!

“Hehe. Really? Why?”

“Huh?”

“I asked why you like me.”

The effect was tiny!

Resting her chin on the back of her left hand, Freda smiled sweetly. Freda’s charm—no, trial—had begun!

The young lady widened her green eyes and babbled.

“E-everything…”

“Hmm. Everything?”

“I like everything!”

Her eyes squeezed shut and her fists clenched—it looked more like an SOS signal than a confession.

“Pft.”

Freda scrunched her brow and pouted.

“How adorable.”

Why did it sound more like “terrible”?

“Then… what can my girl do for me?”

Freda slowly leaned forward.

Freda’s face and the young lady’s face grew closer.

And everything happened almost at once.

“Overprotective.”

Freda clicked her tongue. Kyle, who had raised an arm to block the young lady’s face, didn’t answer as usual.

Cecil, startled, almost ran to the young lady but stopped for a moment.

“Please come to Lady Freda’s room after tonight’s dinner.”

Someone whispered in my ear.

I glanced left—Freda’s maid stood still like an object.

Was she the one who spoke?

Just as I doubted whether I’d really heard it, I felt a gaze.

Kyle seemed to look this way.

“You won’t even let her express what she wants. My poor girl. She’ll suffocate at this rate.”

Freda mocked gracefully.

Kyle, whom I thought was looking at me, was actually staring at the young lady.

“Are you all right?”

“Y-yeah……”

The young lady, who had been spaced out for a moment, nodded quickly.

Freda’s lips curled up.

“My lovely girl. If you ever feel like you’re suffocating…”

Her seductive violet eyes shifted slightly.

“Come to me.”

Only when I saw her red lips softly forming the words toward me did it sink in.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

 

 

****

 

 

 

The young lady couldn’t attend lunch. Her belly was so puffed up it looked bloated just from looking at it.

After taking digestive medicine, the young lady lay limp in Cecil’s arms like an upside-down frog.

“At this rate, I might die……”

Cecil, who was rubbing the young lady’s belly, gently scolded her.

“You mustn’t say bad things, my lady. Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to eat if you don’t want to?”

Cecil said that because she knew Freda had forced her to eat.

The young lady had pretended to enjoy the food, and when she refused, Freda finally stopped feeding her. No one could intervene, but it was clearly abuse.

The young lady took a deep breath with a scrunched-up face.

“But… it felt like I might die if I didn’t eat……”

“Mm-mm. Another bad word. No no.”

“No no……”

“Next time, you must say you don’t want to eat, okay?”

“Okaay……”

I looked at the struggling young lady with a heavy heart.

Maybe she should give up on this affection-building and just use those brother-obsessed fools instead.

I understood she wanted to solve it on her own, but she was seven years old. If an adult bullied her, she deserved help.

Should I speak up? If the young lady got stomach pain because of Freda, they’d lose their minds.

Leoni might weaken because she’s the real mother, but Narcis would surely show the power of a childcare-story big brother. I believe in you, our psycho.

Just as I gathered my thoughts, there was a knock.

“Who is—uack.”

I cracked the door open and made a strange noise.

A crack appeared on Narcis’s beautiful face.

“Y-young master…”

How does he show up the moment I think of him?

His red eyes narrowed. I shrank back even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“M-my lady, the first young master is here.”

I quickly announced before he could nitpick. The young lady whimpered without even being able to get up.

“Narcis oppa……”

“Edel. You said your belly hurts?”

With a face switching into a mask of kindness, Narcis lifted the young lady into his arms.

“My tummy’s gonna burst and I’ll die……”

“Die?”

His voice repeating the word was unusually sharp. The “no no” brainwashing didn’t work on her, and the young lady, pale with fear, corrected herself.

“N-no, it’s just full……”

She wrapped her belly with both hands, eyebrows drooping. It didn’t seem useful at this point.

“You ate so much you can’t even walk, my little sister.”

Narcis only smiled. Was he letting it slide?

Maybe he already knew of Freda’s wrongdoing. Well, she had fed her in front of everyone.

“N-no, I can walk.”

“I don’t mind holding you like this, though.”

Kneeling down and setting the young lady on her feet, Narcis smiled sweetly.

“Shall we go for a walk?”

“Yes!”

The young lady answered brightly, her face now free of discomfort.

As expected of the childcare-story big brother. Seeing how attached he was to the young lady, I didn’t have anything to worry about.

Then maybe I should start worrying about myself.

I didn’t even notice time passing. It felt like I had just seen the young lady walking while holding Narcis’s hand, but before I knew it, dinner had passed and the sun was setting.

I couldn’t bring up Freda to the young lady, who surely had enough on her mind. I thought about telling Holly, but I couldn’t find the time to meet her.

Well… it’s not like she’ll kill me, right?

I shouldn’t leave a will starting with “If I don’t return,” or something like that. Saying it might make it real.

After much hesitation, I said I would go to the restroom.

“Jus’ use this one!”

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s the big kind and I’m constipated, so it’s embarrassing.”

I turned down the young lady’s kindness about using the bathroom attached to her room, using a half-truth.

“Poor Annie… go to the bathroom and try hard……”

“Good heavens! Annie, do you eat your vegetables? You mustn’t be picky!”

I got pitied by the young lady and scolded by Cecil.

“Should I ask the kitchen to make you green juice?”

“That sounds good. Our young lady is so kind.”

I couldn’t even say green juice is bad for the liver and was sent off early.

Sacrificing my intestinal health, I slipped out of the room and met a broad chest.

“Annie.”

What I saw was, of course, a pitch-black cloak. But the fierce upper body from last time was burned into my memory.

“Wow, Kyle. You’re here…”

Of course he would be. I had forgotten Kyle was currently guarding.

Did he hear me?

“You’re going to Hillstern?”

Kyle worried about overtime instead of my digestive health. As expected.

“So you heard earlier.”

So the eye contact in the greenhouse hadn’t been a mistake.

“Are you really going?”

“I should at least hear what she has to say.”

“Did you tell the young lady?”

“No. She’d worry for nothing.”

Kyle, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.

“Annie, you don’t need to go.”

There it was again! The male-lead-side-character’s sorrow-filled ‘don’t go’ gaze!

“You don’t have to listen to Hillstern.”

Ugh! A pure-looking handsome guy pleading with such a heartfelt voice!

It felt like I should reply with, ‘Then will my baby fawn entertain me instead?’ but—

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

I couldn’t fold now.

I tapped the shoulder higher than mine, cupped a hand around my lips, and Kyle brought his ear down on his own.

“This is part of my job too.”

When I whispered, Kyle blinked his blue eyes.

“Your… job…?”

“So don’t worry!”

Probably that mini North Duke with his bloodshot eyes was watching me closely. Probably.

“I’m going. Good luck until the end of your shift!”

I blew a rogue-like hand kiss and scampered off.

Kyle opened his mouth as if he had more to say, then froze. I felt like I’d turned him into stone like a Medusa.

 

 

 

****

 

 

East Wing, last room on the second floor.

I tapped the doorknob several times, and the same maid peeked only her eyes out to check me.

Following the maid, I entered the sitting room.

Freda was lying sideways on the sofa, holding a long smoking pipe. Her sheer red underclothes exposed her chest and thighs.

Just crossing one door had changed the genre from <A Fairy Lives in the Northern Castle!> (all-ages) to <Why Is the Mistress Acting Like This?> (adults-only).

I hurriedly lowered my eyes and bent my knees.