The Nanny of House Herzen - Chapter 41
He didn’t know how to handle this unfamiliar emotion. His clumsy self-punishment had almost cost him something precious. He had almost lost her.
Carius spent the night wide awake, holding the sleeping Evelyn. He couldn’t close his eyes, afraid she might slip away again. She was too valuable to lose.
The room had thin curtains that allowed the morning sunlight to filter in.
It was only when the sun came up that he finally closed his eyes. Evelyn’s sweet voice then echoed in his ears.
“Carius, what do we do now? Hannah… Lady Celsius must not have been out all night. How can I face her? This place isn’t like Herzen, everyone must have heard us.”
Carius smiled without opening his eyes.
“She would have been more disappointed if I had left you and gone back.”
When he rubbed his cheek against her chest in her sleep, it felt wet. Evelyn spoke apologetically.
“I think my milk…is coming back. If you are going to take me back to Herzen…there’s no need for two wet nurses, right? It’s a…waste.”
Her words were too cheeky for him to keep his eyes closed. He opened them and pretended not to understand.
“So what if there are two wet nurses? Many noble families have more than one.”
Evelyn hesitated before finally responding.
“What if you…?”
“What if I what?”
Her blue eyes hid beneath golden lashes. She spoke quickly, as if she could hide by closing her eyes and shutting her long lashes tight.
“What if you want to… nurse from the other wet nurse?”
Carius laughed, brushing his lips against her chin.
“So you don’t want me to nurse from the other wet nurse?”
Evelyn quickly nodded.
Carius couldn’t help but laugh out loud, a laugh so big it would have shocked his steward or his stablehand.
Evelyn clung to Carius’s fingertips, looking at him with a mixture of hope and worry. She couldn’t bring herself to ask more, just slightly parted her lips, waiting anxiously for his answer.
Though teasing her further to see more of her adorable reactions was tempting…, Carius changed his mind when he saw the insecurity in her blue eyes.
“If you don’t want it, I won’t do it. Whatever it is.”
Evelyn unexpectedly added another concern.
“…I hope there won’t be…another wet nurse. I can do it well. I’ll do better.”
For some reason, she was being unusually honest.
Carius responded by taking her n–ple into his mouth. As he sucked deeply, he looked up to see the hopeful eyes of Evelyn.
The sound of his sucking filled the small room.
“…I. I’ll do it well.”
As he sucked on her, his hand moved down to find her already wet. Evelyn seemed to welcome even this touch, rubbing herself against his hand while stroking his hair.
His large pillar was dripping without anyone to tend to it. With a sigh, Carius pushed into her again, while briefly reminded of his father.
Would he have been proud to see him acting like a beast?
With a hidden smirk, he slipped into her wet opening.
Sweet moans echoed in his ears, and it felt like light was bursting behind his closed eyelids.
* * *
After waking up and engaging in another round, Evelyn hurriedly got dressed and went down to the bookstore.
The bookstore owner, Hannah was already there, elegantly sipping tea. Her every movement was so refined that Evelyn felt almost unworthy to watch. Carius followed her quietly, observing everything.
“Um… Lady.”
Evelyn, conscious of Carius, addressed Hannah more formally. Hannah set her teacup down with a sharp clink.
“I told you to call me Hannah.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. Hannah…”
As Evelyn fumbled with her apology, Hannah chuckled.
“…You said you’d rather die than go to Herzen.”
“…What?”
“I hear you seem to love it to death now. Keeping an old woman in the next room, it seems Duke Herzen has no sense of decency or shame…”
“H-Hannah…”
Evelyn stammered in embarrassment, while Carius appeared unfazed. He looked around the bookstore with a relaxed expression.
“For a hobby, this place is quite large. Do you make enough to pay your employees?”
Hannah responded immediately.
“Mind your own business. Whether I make money or do charity work is none of your concern. It’s not like I’m using money from Herzen, is it?”
Evelyn was shocked to see Hannah speaking informally to Carius. She was afraid he might get angry, but Carius showed no sign of displeasure at the old woman’s tone.
“As I mentioned, I want to repay your favor. What can I do for you?”
Though he offered to repay the kindness, his tone was anything but pleasant.
“Hmm…”
Hannah continued to savor her tea alone. She didn’t invite Carius to sit, nor did she offer him any tea. After a moment, she casually mentioned,
“The road in front is a mess. It’s quite a hassle when new books arrive. Asking my son to fix it while I’m here for my hobby is rather embarrassing.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise.
She wasn’t sure what kind of favor Carius was repaying, but was Hannah seriously asking for road paving? This wasn’t even part of Herzen’s territory.
