Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 23
—A nanny or nursemaid? Why would they need that?
It was a question accompanied by a cheerful smile. In front of Richelle, who was trembling with her lips quivering, Madam Otis casually sipped her tea.
The children don’t need a nanny or nursemaid. Then why would they need a home tutor?
Sharp words rose to her throat and tapped on her tongue, but she had to hold back. After all, the person in front of her was her employer.
After listening to Madam Otis boast about her jewels, Richelle returned to the twins and thought. Maybe the reason her predecessor quit wasn’t just because of the children’s mischief.
Anyway, Richelle decided to gladly take on the role of the twins’ nanny, nursemaid, and home tutor. Fortunately, the children were quite obedient to her, sensing Richelle’s affection. And the more she adored the children, the more uncomfortable Richelle felt with Madam Otis.
“Let’s go have breakfast.”
“Okay, Teacher!”
The children laughed heartily and clung to Richelle’s sides without hesitation.
Richelle and the twins’ dining area was the children’s room. At eight o’clock in the morning, a delicious breakfast arrived on a trolley in front of the door. If they put the empty plates on the trolley and left it at the door before nine, it would be collected again.
As Richelle was setting up breakfast on the table, Penny whined while swinging her legs.
“Teee— eeeeaaaa— cheeeeerr—. I don’t wanna eat breakfast!”
“Me neither!”
Nero chimed in, echoing her sentiment. Oh dear. Richelle poured milk into cups while playfully furrowing her brows.
“But if you don’t eat breakfast, you won’t have the energy to play as much as you want, will you?”
“No—.”
“No—.”
The children broke out in sing-song voices, giggling together. Richelle’s lips twisted in frustration. She knew all too well that children like this wouldn’t listen to reason.
Yet, Richelle had to somehow get the twins to eat their breakfast. How did my nanny do it when I was a child? Richelle’s mind raced.
“Then, I guess I’ll have to eat all this delicious food by myself. It’s going to be so tasty!”
“Not interested.”
“Hmm, how about we have a clean eating contest? Who’s going to win? Penny? Nero?”
“Boring, Teacher.”
Despite her efforts, she only received cold responses. Richelle rubbed her hands under the table and glanced at the clock.
‘It’s almost nine o’clock…’
The designated breakfast time was from eight to nine. According to the rules in the letter…
[Meals will be delivered to a designated location at set times, three times a day. You will be informed of the place and time on your first day of work.
Do not deviate from the designated place and time. Also, consumption of food within the mansion outside of mealtimes is prohibited. It is highly sensitive to the scent of food.
Take special note: do not bring in any external food into the mansion. It wouldn’t be very pleasant to encounter if it were to find someone coming in with that smell. It likes meat dishes, and meat is always scarce.]
…or so it said.
In the end, Richelle couldn’t get anything into the children’s mouths and had to tidy up the plates. A disconcerting feeling poked at her mind as if something was about to happen.
And Richelle’s ominous premonition proved accurate.
“Teacher, Penny’s hungry. Can you bring us some snacks?”
At 11 o’clock, just one hour before lunch. Penny suddenly began to sob while lying on the carpet and drawing. Nero threw his crayons and shouted as well.
“I’m starving, starving! I’m going to die of hunger!”
“If we don’t eat snacks right now, our bellies and backs might stick together!”
The twins simultaneously opened their mouths wide and began to howl. They opened their mouths so wide that their throats were fully visible.
Richelle calmly put the crayons back in their place first. She knew better than to be flustered by the children’s fake crying and tantrums.
And next…
“Penny, want to look at the clock? What time is it now?”
“I don’t know!”
“Penny doesn’t know. Maybe Nero does?”
“I do! It’s eleven o’clock!”
“Wow! That’s great, Nero! Correct! Should I draw a flower in your compliments notebook?”
“Hehe!”
Nero’s crying stopped in an instant, and his shoulders shook with joy. Penny, too, clenched her mouth shut and glared at the clock. Richelle clapped her hands and carefully drew a flower in Nero’s compliments notebook.
Penny and Nero always wanted to do everything the same but also enjoyed competing with each other. When Richelle’s “compliments notebook” came into play, they would focus on nothing else, comparing the number of flowers they each had.
‘Making the compliments notebook was a good idea.’
This successfully diverted the twins’ attention. Richelle sighed in relief internally.
However, one should never let their guard down until the very end when dealing with children.
