The Nanny of House Herzen - Chapter 22
Stepping out into the garden and seeing the sky for the first time in a while, Johanson smiled joyfully in her arms. Evelyn felt terribly guilty. It was her own shame that had caused Johanson harm.
As she stroked Johanson’s soft golden hair, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Johanson. Let’s walk more often.”
Fearing she might encounter Carius, her heart raced every time she stepped into the shadow of a tree. But it seemed he was not in the garden today.
When she couldn’t see him, there was the fear of what horrible things might be happening in that distant room. When she could see him, there was the frightening urge to reach out.
The autumn air was crisp and the sunlight warm. Johanson cooed happily.
Though it was just a walk through the mansion’s garden, it certainly lifted her spirits. She was glad she had heeded the head maid’s advice.
She encountered a few servants in the garden. They seemed to have been forewarned, quickly making way for her. They were probably avoiding the young lady, not her, but it still felt slightly embarrassing.
She enjoyed the peaceful walk more than she had expected. Johanson began to fuss on the way back. Evelyn hastened her steps, trying to adjust her in her arms, when she accidentally dropped her bonnet.
“Oh dear.”
A maid picking flowers nearby hurried over and picked up the bonnet for her.
“Thank you.”
As Evelyn expressed her gratitude, the maid’s eyes widened, then she muttered quietly.
“…Blonde?”
“Yes?”
The maid quickly bowed her head.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry, Nanny! Really sorry!”
What was she so sorry about? Before Evelyn could ask, the maid had run off, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste.
“…Blonde?”
Evelyn watched the direction in which the maid had disappeared, puzzled.
Certainly, Evelyn was blonde too. But given her strikingly noticeable hair, it seemed unlikely that someone recognizing her as the nanny would be surprised by her hair color.
Moreover, the maid’s comment seemed to be directed at Johanson.
With a puzzled tilt of her head, she headed back to the mansion, when a familiar man emerged from a small building outside the estate.
“Did you enjoy your walk, Nanny?”
It was Kevin, the stablehand, with whom she had spoken several times before.
“…It was a nice day for it.”
Kevin seemed genuinely pleased to run into her, blushing slightly as he continued to make conversation.
“Why haven’t you been coming down to the dining hall lately? Did someone make you uncomfortable…?”
“No, it’s just… since I’ve been staying on the third floor, there’s no one else to watch the young lady for me.”
Kevin glanced at Johanson.
“She’s really tiny. It’s my first time seeing her.”
Evelyn purposely tugged slightly at Johanson’s bonnet to remove it. Like the maid they had encountered earlier, Kevin’s expression changed as well.
Feeling a strange premonition, Evelyn pressed on.
“Isn’t she lovely? I suppose the Duchess must have been blonde.”
Kevin hastily quickened his step, looking uncomfortable.
“Well, I better head in. I’ll be off then…”
“So soon? It was nice to see you…”
As she approached him with a tone of disappointment, the naive man quickly blushed and stopped. He then looked around as if to check if anyone was watching.
“…Nanny, it might be best to refrain from such talk.”
“Refrain from saying it was nice to see you?”
Pretending to misunderstand, she questioned him, and Kevin shook his head.
“No, I mean about the….late Duchess.”
“Ah…”
He added more quietly,
“Actually… the Duchess had black hair… like our master.”
Both spouses had black hair? Could a blonde child come from parents with black hair? She wasn’t sure, but at least Evelyn had never heard of such a case.
Furthermore, black hair was quite rare in this kingdom. Wasn’t it almost a symbol of Herzen…
Suddenly, she remembered the portraits of the past Dukes in the gallery hall. Now that she thought about it, it was curious how they all had black hair.
Or perhaps, only the portraits of those with black hair were displayed to symbolize the lineage?
Kevin scratched his head as he noticed Evelyn’s confused face.
“Ah, I might be speaking out of turn…”
“Please, tell me. I am the one taking care of the young lady. It seems better to know.”
Kevin appeared increasingly anxious as he stepped into the shadow of the building. Evelyn cautiously followed him as he licked his lips and said,
“In Herzen, actually…”
“In Herzen?”
“Cousins still marry… to preserve the noble bloodlines… Though, what would someone of my status really understand about that… In fact, the master did not want the marriage. There was even discord with the previous Duke right up until before the wedding… Then suddenly the previous Duke passed away…”
Chills ran down Evelyn’s spine.
The practice of intermarriage within the royal and noble families to preserve bloodlines had almost led to the extinction due to genetic disorders. That such practices were still carried out by some families despite being banned by law decades ago was astonishing.
She had suspected that the royal and noble families harbored many secrets among themselves, but experiencing it this close was shocking.
Kevin placed his finger over his lips, observing Evelyn’s shocked expression.
