Little did anyone know, the moment the two little ones set foot in the palace for the very first time, they'd be facing an enormous challenge.
In the face of the Pope's doubts about the children, the Grand Duke simply responded with a calm, easy smile. "Tonight, you can judge for yourself with your own eyes."
Meanwhile, back at the cottage, Hazel was rushing through the final preparations with the two children. "If you get too nervous, just take a deep breath, okay? Remember, once food goes into your mouth, no matter how awful it tastes, you must never spit it back out. If something tastes good, eat it properly right away. And if you're ever confused about what to do, just watch your brother and copy him."
The two little ones answered together, crisp and clear, in perfect unison. And so, a grueling month of etiquette training finally came to an end.
Everyone set off at once, heading straight for the royal palace. Hazel too was granted special permission to come along, standing quietly at the very back of the line in her role as nanny.
A little while later, the emperor himself entered the dining hall. With one glance, he zeroed in on the two children, looking utterly delighted. "Aha! My precious grandchildren have really come to the feast, have they? I went to great lengths to prepare only the finest delicacies, especially for you two. I'm sure you'll clean your plates without leaving a single scrap, won't you?"
The two little ones obediently began eating the vegetables set before them. Big deal. This stuff's a piece of cake, they thought. And yet that alone was enough to leave everyone around them staring in astonishment. It seemed the children's reputation for being picky eaters had spread far and wide.
Next, as long as a few more dishes like this came out, everything would go off without a hitch. No sooner had Hazel finished that thought in her head than, sure enough, the next dish turned out to be snails. The sheer difficulty of this course left all three of them gasping in horror. Knowing full well there were children present tonight, and yet still deliberately serving snails no matter what.
Fortunately, the Grand Duke had carefully instructed her beforehand. If any dish proved too disgusting for the children to swallow, Hazel was to step in and save the day immediately, so she quietly whispered for the two little ones to do exactly as they'd practiced. The instant they lifted their forks to their mouths, she cast her swap spell. It was almost as if she'd had some kind of foresight, predicting these nightmare dishes and drilling them so thoroughly in advance.
Before long, the next course arrived. Good heavens, this dish was somehow ten times more revolting than the last. Even the Grand Duke grimaced as he chewed through it. Seeing this, Hazel seized the moment and used magic to slip his entire portion straight into her own mouth instead. It had been ages since she'd tasted something as rich and satisfying as pork intestines, not since she'd first been transported into this world.
As she chewed away happily, a sharp, shrill female voice suddenly rang out. "Good heavens, Zerath, you dare spit your food out in the middle of a meal like this?"
The crown prince's face went pale, flustered and at a loss for what to do. Catching the tense, hostile air crackling between the two of them, Hazel finally realized this entire royal family was nothing but a nest of villains.
Once the meal ended, the crown prince slipped away to vomit violently in a corner. Hazel never imagined she'd run into him again under such an awkward circumstance. If I'd known he was this good-looking, I'd have gone looking for him myself already. Who would have thought that the crown prince himself would have once gone out of his way to track her down? It must have had something to do with that reputation of hers as the wicked witch from before. Before she could even finish the thought, the next moment he snapped at her loudly, demanding why she hadn't come to help him that day.
Just as the crown prince was about to shout even more, his attendant behind him quickly cut him off. Hazel could only stand there blinking as the two of them walked away, telling herself that no matter what, she needed to dig up more information about all this.
Back at the party, with nothing more than a leftover cookie crumb, Hazel had somehow managed to turn Luna and Luca into the envy of every child in the room.
While the two little ones were happily playing in the ballroom, they never expected someone would come looking for trouble. "Isn't your nanny that wicked witch, Hazel?"
Hearing someone dare to badmouth Hazel, Luna bristled instantly and snapped back. "No, she's not. She's the kindest witch in the whole world. What backwater family do you even come from, huh? Are you tired of living, picking a fight with the Grand Duke's household, home to the empire's greatest swordsman? If you're so bold, then own up to what you just barked out."
Just as Hazel hesitated over whether to step in, little Luca came running into her arms, whimpering. The boy tearfully explained that the other kid had called Hazel an evil witch, which was why the two siblings had ended up in a heated argument. Getting the gist of it, Hazel quickly took stock of the situation.
"Think about it, kiddo. If I really were a wicked witch, would I really be handing out my delicious cookies to a little noble like you?"
Seeing Hazel about to offer a cookie to the glaring boy, Luna pouted openly. "Giving cookies to a rude brat like him is a total waste."
The boy, drooling helplessly, still refused to back down with his mouth, clinging stubbornly to the last shred of his pride, absolutely refusing to eat a cookie baked by a witch. To everyone's surprise, Hazel promptly put on a little show, making the cookies dance and act out a whole scene straight out of a TV drama. Needless to say, the little nobles gathered around were instantly glued to the spectacle, so mesmerized they forgot to even head home. Seeing this, little Luna puffed up with even more pride and delight.
As for the rude little boy, he stood there dumbstruck, staring intently at the cookie in his hand. In the end, his pride crumbled completely, and unable to resist any longer, he took a bite. "Well, delicious enough to make you swallow your tongue, isn't it?" Even though the boy refused to admit it at all, Hazel's cookies really were incredibly delicious. Suddenly, everyone found themselves wishing they had a witch nanny just like her.
But right at that moment, the voice of the royal consort rang out. "Just how spoiled must these children be if they need a witch and her dark magic to raise them properly?"
Luna immediately spoke up in Hazel's defense, insisting she had never once used dark magic. The girl blamed herself, thinking it was because she wasn't lovable enough that so many nannies had run off in fear. Those cruel words cut Luna deeply. Hazel could hardly believe a royal consort would say something so venomous to a child. So, as the woman turned to walk away, Hazel secretly used magic to make her trip and stumble face first. Instantly, a piercing shriek echoed through the entire palace.
If you're going to open your mouth and say such cruel things to a child, tsk, you'd better start building up some good karma for yourself. And Luna had witnessed the entire scene unfold.