A few days later, at the Duke's estate, Luna and Luca were dressed and ready, everything prepared. The instant Luna gave the signal, the two siblings took off, running full speed ahead. They absolutely had to sneak onto the carriage before anyone noticed. Seeing the servants approaching, the two little ones hid inside the carriage, holding their breath in fear, not even daring to breathe hard.
Hearing the servants call out that they were ready to depart, the two of them were overjoyed. "We did it. Now we can go find Hazel."
But the very next second, their brother coldly pulled back the curtain. "You're not going anywhere. Did you really think I'd fall for the same trick as last time?"
The two siblings had put so much careful planning into escaping their strict brother, only to be caught before the carriage had even started moving. With that same watchful look in his eyes, how could they ever fool him again?
The Duke then grabbed the two troublemakers by the collar and hauled them straight back to the mansion. He also sternly instructed the servants that from now on, every carriage and every piece of luggage leaving the estate had to be thoroughly searched and inspected.
The two little ones were already devastated their escape plan had failed. And then at dinner, even a single piece of chocolate was flatly denied to them.
The Duke was already at his wits' end dealing with these two troublesome siblings. He'd had to rack his brain fending off the royal family's scheming plots. And on top of that, he had to keep a close eye on these mischievous kids every single moment, because no one knew when those vicious claws might suddenly strike them down.
Just then, the chef stood hesitating, unsure whether to bring that particular dish to the table. He honestly couldn't believe the young master and mistress actually liked this dish. Just as expected, the moment the two little ones saw the dish, their eyes went wide with astonishment. It was the very beef and carrot stew that Sister Hazel always used to make. What amazed everyone even more was that the children genuinely, willingly wolfed down every piece of carrot in it.
The chef was just about to tear up from being so moved when Luna started chewing with her mouth full, clearly about to spit the carrot right back out. "Why does this carrot smell exactly like the dirt in our backyard?"
Luca deflated too, voice wobbling. "I want the carrot cake Sister Hazel makes."
Naturally, their brother, the Duke, immediately shut down the boy's request. Furious, Luna grabbed her little brother's hand and dragged him out of the dining room. The two siblings stormed back to their room and launched a hunger strike in protest. They declared flatly that they wouldn't come out unless their nanny was brought to them.
But didn't the two of them chase off every nanny who'd ever come before?
"Not those nannies. We want you to bring Sister Hazel here."
The Duke tore at his hair, utterly baffled as to what spell that witch had cast on them. The children had always treated nannies like mortal enemies. Yet now they were throwing a fit demanding that very woman come take care of them. And on top of that, they dared compare her to their own brother.
"I already told you, Sister Hazel is a good person. Look at us. Do you see a single bite mark anywhere?"
Luca clutched tightly at his brother's sleeve. "Big brother, please, let's go find Sister Hazel together."
But in the end, all they got was their brother's cold, unyielding shake of the head.
Just then, a knight rushed in breathlessly to report that the royal palace had just issued a decree. The Duke had no choice but to leave first. Given this order, it seemed a campaign to the front lines was now unavoidable. As the eldest son of the family and the only one able to shield and protect his siblings, he always forced himself to be their unshakable pillar of support. And yet, every once in a while, he too felt utterly worn down and exhausted.
Elsewhere, ever since the children left, Hazel had gone back to her lonely, solitary life. A few days earlier, she'd quietly gathered news about how the two children were doing. She'd secretly sent the cats and dogs over to gather information, and discovered the estate over there was incredibly vast and magnificent. The food and drink were overflowing with delicacies, and the children were living far more comfortably there than they ever had with her. After all, no one in their right mind would hand their own children over to a witch to raise.
Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. She went to answer it, and to her surprise, standing there was none other than the Duke himself.
It turned out the decree delivered earlier was an order to march off to war. He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to head off to battle this year. Every single time was a brush with death, and making it back alive was never easy. And yet, the thing that weighed on his mind the most, the thing he couldn't let go of, was his two young siblings.
Fortunately, the carrot cake he'd sent off for testing earlier had turned out to be completely harmless. Even though there had once been terrifying rumors about her, word was that a few years ago the witch's whole demeanor had completely changed. From that point on, all her cruel behavior had stopped. Could it be that the once wicked witch now genuinely wanted to care for the children with all her heart?
To settle the doubts in his mind, the Grand Duke personally went to Hazel's cottage. The pacing footprints outside were proof enough of just how long he'd hesitated. "Miss Hazel, do you have a moment to spare?"
Hazel knew full well he must have come for a reason, but she kept remembering how he'd never once trusted her before. So she puffed out her cheeks in irritation and said she was busy, since she still had to take the cats and dogs mushroom picking. To her surprise, the Grand Duke simply trailed along behind her the entire way.
Hazel tried her best to stay cold and distant. After all, according to everything the children had told her, the Grand Duke was supposed to be some kind of abusive tyrant.
Just then, while they were out picking mushrooms, a massive black bear suddenly appeared from behind and without a word charged straight at them. While being chased by the black bear, Hazel used magic to knock a beehive down from a tree. That was enough to fend off the bear. But unfortunately, on the way back, it suddenly began pouring rain. The two of them had no choice but to duck into a nearby cave to take shelter.
The Grand Duke was intensely curious how Hazel had managed to win the children over so completely. Beyond that, he still had a whole list of other questions on his mind. "How could someone change so completely overnight? What made you suddenly want to become a kind, gentle witch?"
Hazel explained that a few years back she'd survived a near-fatal illness, and afterward she'd come to regret the way she used to live. Clearly, an excuse that vague was never going to be enough to convince the Grand Duke. And in fact, he had once falsely accused Hazel of practicing dark magic. Hazel could never have dreamed that the Grand Duke would actually open his mouth to apologize. Could it be he had some favor he wanted to ask of her?
"I heard you've been abusing the children. No one would ever want to help someone who abuses children. The kids kept saying they'd been locked up inside the house all the time."
"I did that because it's very dangerous out there," the Grand Duke hurried to explain. "The estate has hundreds of rooms and dozens of gardens. Living in a place that vast, how could that possibly count as being imprisoned?"
"But still, even noble children deserve to go out and experience the world, don't they? Do you have any idea how much they love running wild through the forest? What's more, I heard it was you, the Grand Duke himself, who abandoned them."
The Grand Duke never imagined the children thought of him that way. But thinking it over, those words weren't entirely wrong either. Year after year, he was constantly away, carrying out duties assigned by the royal family, spending far more time away from home than in it. It made sense that the children would misunderstand and feel abandoned. "They're still so young. How could they possibly understand the burdens of an adult? All I want is for their safety to come first."
Hearing this, Hazel finally understood. She too had misjudged the Grand Duke all along. In truth, he loved his siblings deeply and was nowhere near the bad person she'd assumed.
"While I'm away on campaign, could you come stay and act as the children's nanny for a while?"
Hazel never expected this was the favor he wanted to ask. Without a word, she nodded in agreement right away.